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Jehovah's Witnesses

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Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian denomination founded as a Bible study group in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell as the Bible Students. Jehovah's Witnesses consider their religion to be a restoration of original first century Christianity (see Arianism). Many other Christian groups object to their non-trinitarian theology. The members are known for their racially diverse, close-knit brotherhood, door-to-door evangelizing and non-participation in government, including politics and military service.

The Jehovah's Witnesses adopted their current name in 1931 under the direction of Charles Taze Russel's successor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford. Rutherford oversaw their transition from being organized in congregations to being centrally organized. At this time several small groups split off, keeping the original name, or becoming known as Russelites.


Jehovah's Witness headquarters are located in Brooklyn, New York. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is their main legal representative. As of the year 2001, Jehovah's Witnesses claim a world-wide membership of more than 6.1 million active individuals.

The Witnesses' teachings are mainly presented through two monthly journals published simultaneously in many languages by the Watchtower Society. Awake!, published in more than 80 languages, is a general-interest magazine covering many topics from a religious perspective. The Watchtower, published in more than 130 languages, focuses mainly on doctrine. At their yearly conventions, new books, pamphlets, and other items pertaining to the religion's current doctrine are usually released.

Throughout their history, many have found their doctrines and practices controversial. The public and extensive nature of their evangelizing work has escalated controversy against them to the point of mob action, government oppression--including being targeted in the Holocaust--and widespread criticism from members of other faiths.

In the United States, there have been several Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses which have shaped First Amendment law, to defend their practice of temporal disengagement (that is, non-participation in activities such as the Pledge of Allegiance), the most important being West Virginia State Board of Education vs. Barnette.


Opposing Viewpoints

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