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.:WHO ARE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES? - Their History, Beliefs and Practices

1.  History of The Watchtower Organization:

• 1852 Founder Charles Taze Russell was born
• 1870’s Russell studied the doctrines of Second Adventists: George Storrs, Jonas Wendell, George Stetson and Nelson Barbour
• 1879: Russell began publishing Zion’s Watchtower And Herald of Christ’s Presence (Precursor to The Watchtower magazine)
• 1881: Main Legal Entity Founded - Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
• 1909: Headquarters Moved to Brooklyn, New York - Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc
• 1916: Charles Taze Russell died
• 1917-1942: Second Watchtower President “Judge” Joseph F. Rutherford
• 1931: The name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” adopted.  
• 1942-1977: Third Watchtower President Nathan H. Knorr
• 1978-1992: Fourth Watchtower President: Frederick W. Franz
• 1992-2000: Fifth Watchtower President: Milton George Henschel
• 2000: Change in Organizational Structure:
  • Three Corporations Formed: Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Religious Order of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Kingdom Support Services
  • Watchtower “Governing Body” relinquished control of the organization to the Board of Directors, under Don A. Adam

2. Jehovah’s Witness Statistics in 2004:

•  6 Million active Jehovah’s Witnesses
• 1.2 Billion hours spent annually in door-to-door proselytizing
• The Watchtower and Awake! magazines distributed in over 230 countries
• 6 Million “Bible Studies” (one-on-one Watchtower indoctrination lessons) conducted with potential converts
• 98 Thousand Congregations

3. Adventist Theology Adopted in Jehovah’s Witness Literature:

• Christ’s Invisible Presence occurred in 1874, Date was later changed to 1914
• Investigative Judgment = Christ’s Inspection of Spiritual Food from 1874-1878, Later changed to 1914-1919
• Conditional Mortality, Soul Sleep = Soul does not survive death, Resurrection of only the worthy, No Hell
• Restoration of Paradise Earth

4. False Prophetic Dates:

• 1874: Date for Christ’s “invisible presence,” changed to 1914
• 1914: End of the world
• 1915: Replaced 1914 for the end of the world
• 1918: End of the world, the destruction of churches
• 1925: End of the world with the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
• 1929: “Beth Sarim” House of Princes built in San Diego, deeded to king David and other biblical prophets for their “soon” return upon the earth
• 1940’s: End of the World would come with the “soon” battle of Armageddon
• 1975: 6,000-years of human history, the end of the world would come within “months, not years.”
• 1994: 80-year Generation of 1914 should bring the end of the world, 1995 redefined the word “generation” to be symbolic of general readiness for the end.

5. Controversial Practices

• No holiday or birthday celebrations
• No participation in flag salutes, voting, politics or war activities
• No blood transfusions
• Limited higher education
• Limited contact with non-Jehovah’s Witness friends and family
• Shunning of former Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Forbidding critical thinking and disagreement
• Forbidding literature critical of the group
• Forbidding non-Jehovah’s Witness religious broadcasting and church attendance
• Mandatory door-to-door proselytizing

6. Jehovah’s Witness Bible - New World Translation

• Translators had insufficient knowledge of biblical manuscripts
• Translation distorts the Deity of Christ at John 1:1; 8:58; Hebrews 1:8 and other passages to support Watchtower doctrine
• Inserts God Name “Jehovah” into the New Testament without manuscript support

7. Jehovah’s Witness VS Christian Doctrine Comparison Chart

For documentation from Jehovah's Witness material about Watchtower beliefs discussed above see:

Is the Jesus of Jehovah's Witnesses the Same Jesus of the Bible?
Watchtower Doctrine Exposed (www.4witness.org)
Why Jehovah's Witnesses are Not Christians (www.4witness.org)
What Does God Require? - Biblical Answers to Questions Jehovah's Witnesses Ask