Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses
ClassificationRestorationist
OrientationPremillennialist[1]
ScriptureBible (Protestant canon)
TheologyNontrinitarian
GovernanceGoverning Body
StructureHierarchical[2]
RegionWorldwide
HeadquartersWarwick, New York, US
FounderCharles Taze Russell (Bible Student movement)[3]
Joseph Franklin Rutherford[4]
Origin1870s
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
Branched fromBible Student movement, Adventism[5]
SeparationsJehovah's Witnesses splinter groups
Congregations118,767 (2024)[6]
Members8.8 million (2024)[6]
Missionaries4,091 (2021)[7]
PublicationsJehovah's Witnesses publications
Official websitejw.org

Jehovah's Witnesses is a nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist Christian denomination,[8][9] stemming from the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. Russell co-founded Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1881 to organize and print the movement's publications.[3] A leadership dispute after Russell's death resulted in several groups breaking away, with Joseph Franklin Rutherford retaining control of the Watch Tower Society and its properties.[10] Rutherford made significant organizational and doctrinal changes,[11] including adoption of the name Jehovah's witnesses[en 1] in 1931 to distinguish the group from other Bible Student groups and symbolize a break with the legacy of Russell's traditions.[12][13] In 2024, Jehovah's Witnesses reported a peak membership of approximately 9 million worldwide.

Jehovah's Witnesses are known for their evangelism, distributing literature such as The Watchtower and Awake!, and for refusing military service and blood transfusions. They consider the use of God's name vital for proper worship. They reject Trinitarianism, inherent immortality of the soul, and hellfire, which they consider unscriptural doctrines. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent, and the establishment of God's kingdom over earth is the only solution to all of humanity's problems.[14] They do not observe Christmas, Easter, birthdays, or other holidays and customs they consider to have pagan origins incompatible with Christianity.[15] They prefer to use their own Bible translation, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.[16][17]

Jehovah's Witnesses consider human society morally corrupt and under the influence of Satan, and most limit their social interaction with non-Witnesses.[18] The denomination is directed by a group known as the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, which establishes all doctrines.[19][20] Congregational disciplinary actions include formal expulsion and shunning, for what they consider serious offenses.[21][22] Members who formally leave are considered to be disassociated and are also shunned.[23] Some members who leave voluntarily successfully "fade" without being shunned. Former members may experience significant mental distress as a result of being shunned,[24] and some seek reinstatement to maintain contact with their friends and family.[25]

The group's position on conscientious objection to military service and refusal to salute state symbols—for example, national anthems and flags—has brought it into conflict with several governments.[26] Jehovah's Witnesses have been persecuted, with their activities banned or restricted in some countries. Persistent legal challenges by Jehovah's Witnesses have influenced legislation related to civil rights in several countries.[27] The organization has been criticized regarding biblical translation, doctrines, and alleged coercion of its members. The Watch Tower Society has made various unfulfilled predictions about major biblical events, such as Jesus' Second Coming, the advent of God's kingdom, and Armageddon. Their policies for handling cases of child sexual abuse have been the subject of various formal inquiries.

  1. ^ Chryssides 2008, p. 93.
  2. ^ Cobb v. Brede (California Superior Court, San Mateo County February 22, 2012).
  3. ^ a b Stanley I. Kutler, ed. (2003). "Jehovah's Witnesses". Dictionary of American History (3rd ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 978-0-684-80533-7.
  4. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 55
  5. ^ Bergman 1995, p. 33.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference jwstatistics was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference missionaries was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Sources for descriptors:
  9. ^ Chu & Peltonen 2025.
  10. ^ Michael Hill, ed. (1972). "The Embryonic State of a Religious Sect's Development: The Jehovah's Witnesses". Sociological Yearbook of Religion in Britain (5): 11–12.
  11. ^ Leo P. Chall (1978). "Sociological Abstracts". Sociology of Religion. 26 (1–3): 193.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rogerson 1969 55 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Beckford 1975 30 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "Jehovah's Witness". Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-1-59339-293-2.
  15. ^ Franz 2007, pp. 274–275.
  16. ^ Edwards, Linda (2001). A Brief Guide to Beliefs. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. p. 438. ISBN 978-0-664-22259-8.
  17. ^ Chryssides 2008, p. 100.
  18. ^ Penton 1997, p. 280–283.
  19. ^ Beckford 1975, p. 221: "Doctrine has always emanated from the Society's elite in Brooklyn and has never emerged from discussion among, or suggestion from, rank-and-file Witnesses."
  20. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 58, 61–62.
  21. ^ Chryssides, George D. (1999). Exploring New Religions. London: Continuum. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-8264-5959-6.
  22. ^ Chryssides 2016a, pp. 139–140.
  23. ^ Knox 2018, p. 181.
  24. ^ Ransom, Heather; Monk, Rebecca; Heim, Derek (2021). "Grieving the Living: The Social Death of Former Jehovah's Witnesses". Journal of Religion and Health. 61 (3): 2458–2480. doi:10.1007/s10943-020-01156-8. PMC 9142413. PMID 33469793.
  25. ^ Grendele, Windy; Bapir-Tardy, Savin; Flax, Maya (2023). "Experiencing Religious Shunning: Insights into the Journey From Being a Member to Leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses Community". Pastoral Psychology. 73 (1): 43–61. doi:10.1007/s11089-023-01074-y. S2CID 259447164.
  26. ^ Knox 2018, pp. 3–4.
  27. ^ Botting 1993, pp. 1–13.


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