JEHOVAH’S WITNESS - Example of how to set up your report
Core Beliefs
Jehovah’s witnesses believe that Jesus was the son of God. Jesus was killed as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of humans. They call themselves Christian but do not believe in the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy spirit). They believe Jehovah is the supreme being.
The word Jehovah comes from the Hebrew language. In English it is translated into Jehovah - son of God.
A quote about their core beliefs - published on their website.
“We come from hundreds of ethnic and language backgrounds, yet we are united by common goals. Above all, we want to honor Jehovah, the God of the Bible and the Creator of all things. We do our best to imitate Jesus Christ and are proud to be called Christians. Each of us regularly spends time helping people learn about the Bible and God’s Kingdom. Because we witness, or talk, about Jehovah God and his Kingdom, we are known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
How the religion Jehovah’s witnesses started
In 1870 Charles Taze Russell led a bible class. He wrote six books in the “Millennial Dawn” series. After his death his successor wrote a seventh book. In 1886 the The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society was founded. In 1931 there was a split. Some became known as the ‘Bible students’ others ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’.
How many followers? Where?
There are 8 millions Jehovah’s Witnesses preaching in the world.
Jehovah's Witnesses have an active presence in most countries, though they do not form a large part of the population of any country.
Symbols?
Jehovah’s Witnesses consider themselves Christians but do not use the cross.
They believe Jesus did not die on a cross - instead a simple stake.
They use this symbol on their publication.
Rules
One rule Jehovah’s Witnesses follow is no blood transfusions.
They believe that "Taking blood into the body through mouth or veins violates God’s laws."
They will not have a blood transfusion, even to save their life.
Another rule is there is no clergy. They do not have Priests, Ministers, Rabbi’s.
There is a Governing group of elders at the Brooklyn headquarters. Their teachings are shared through their magazine ‘The Watchtower’. They also share their teachings at congregation meetings.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are also discouraged from leaving the religion. If they decide to stop being a Jehovah’s Witness they are not allowed to spend time with Jehovah’s witness family and friends.
They also do not participate in Politics or Religious wars. They do not salute the flag, support one politician or nation over another or enlist in the military.
Worship and daily practices
Baptism is done by full water immersion and shows you are fully devoted to God.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are expected to regularly attend meetings at the Kingdom Hall. A Hall is just a building. It has a lectern for the speaker, chairs for the audience and a library. It does not have a cross displayed. Congregations consist of 200 members.
They do not have a Sabbath. They believe all days are holy. Congregations hold meeting five days a week. Jehovah’s Witnesses usually meet 3 times a week.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are encouraged to make preaching a top priority in their life. They are assigned a neighbourhood to preach and convert. They keep records of their visits and hours spent preaching.
Holy books / stories
Jehovah’s Witnesses publish a magazine each month called ‘The Watchtower’.
This is the world’s most circulated magazine. It is translated into 190 languages.
There are seven volumes of ‘Millennial Dawn’ - written by Charles Taze Russell.
Celebrations
Jehovah’s Witnesses have a special service to commemorate the Lord’s Supper - Christ’s death. This is held on a date close to the Jewish Passover celebration.
They do not celebrate birthdays or other events people celebrate. They believe these celebrations are against God’s will.
What do they believe happens when we die?
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that unbelievers do not have an immortal soul that continues on after death. There is no hell - they just cease to exist.
However ‘Believers’ - Jehovah’s Witnesses are resurrected. God creates a new body for the ressurected one. The new body is mentally and physically healthy with the original personality and memories intact. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that exactly 144,000 faithful men and women will be resurrected to heaven as immortal spirit beings to spend eternity with God.
References
No comments:
Post a Comment