Jehovah’s Witnesses: Definition, Beliefs & Symbol

Jehovah’s Witnesses

Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian religious sect rooted in the Adventist movement of the late 1800s in the United States. While their practices broke with the Adventists when their group formed its own religious body, the founder, Charles Taze Russell, worked closely with Adventist groups in publishing the magazine The Herald of the Morning before founding Zion’s Watch Tower. Through publishing their own translation of the Bible in several different languages and using an active ministry of door-to-door speaking, their numbers have grown significantly since their earliest founding. Let’s learn more about their beliefs!

Beliefs

Jehovah’s Witnesses, regardless of their divergence from more mainstream doctrines, are a Christian faith. They believe in God, the creator, and that Jesus Christ is His son. However, they do not believe in the Trinity, the doctrine that God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit are all aspects of one God. They believe that the Holy Spirit is the power of God, but not its own being.

Christ’s Death

Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that Christ was not nailed to a cross, but instead was killed at a stake. They also interpret the meaning of His death differently. Rather than the mainstream belief that Jesus’ death was a sacrifice to purify the world of sin, they believe that it was a ransom payment for the original sins of Adam and Eve. To benefit from the payment, a person must be a believer, get baptized, and change their lives in a way that their works reveal their new path.

The Afterlife

The Jehovah’s Witnesses differ strongly from mainstream Christianity in their beliefs on death and the afterlife. Rather than a person going to Heaven or Hell after death, they believe a person ceases to exist, but not permanently. They believe God will resurrect billions of people after the end of the world on Judgment Day. Those who are not believers or who are unrepentant sinners, God will leave to their nonexistence rather than condemn them to an eternity of torment. Most of the resurrected will live an eternity free of suffering on a transformed Earth, ruled over by Jesus Christ. God will show favor to a select few, as 144,000 of all the people resurrected will be brought to Heaven to live with Him for eternity.

Practices

What people may be more familiar with is the practice of Jehovah’s Witnesses going door to door discussing their beliefs with potential converts. Some of their other practices are rather controversial.

Non-violence

Jehovah’s Witnesses are strictly non-violent and refuse participation in warfare. Like the Quakers, another Christian religious group, they are conscientious objectors regarding military service, a distinction excusing them from being drafted during times of war.

Blood Transfusions

Jehovah’s Witnesses strictly refuse treatments such as blood transfusions. They interpret the Bible’s prohibition against consuming blood to include blood taken in by any means, not just drinking it. Many non-members take issue with this practice as it usually means death for any Jehovah’s Witness involved in a car accident or who experiences complications from surgery.