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Watchtower Bible & Tract Society
(Jehovah's Witness)

Jehovah's Witness' Beliefs

Many Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs, (e.g inerrancy of the Bible, the Virgin Birth, Jesus giving his life as a ransom for past and future humanity, opposition to divorce, homosexuality, pre-marital sex and aborti(.il, the power of Satan, etc) are similar to those of Fundamentalist Christianity.

Exceptions are:
     - They do not believe in the Trinity. Instead, they follow a strict monotheism, in which:
     - Jehovah is the Supreme Being,
     - Jesus is the son of God, a separate being. Christ is believed to have originally existed in a pre-human state as the Archangel                  Michael. He later took human form as a man like any other person, except that he was sinless at birth and remained so. After the             crucifixion, Christ died and was resurrected as an invisible, non-material, glorious spirit creature.
     - The Holy Ghost is not a separate entity, but is simply the method by which God influences the world.
     - The Heavenly Kingdom (heaven) was created in 1914 and is currently occupied by a little flock or Anointed Class of about 135,400         people. All were born after Jesus, in the 1st and subsequent centuries CE and had undergone suffering and sacrifice for Christ's             sakeo The selection of the full
       complement of 144,000 was completed in 1935. Some 8600 are still living on earth. They will spend eternity with God and Christ in           soul form, without human bodies.
     - Christ's Second Coming was not a physical return to eartho It was an event in 1914 in which Satan and Christ engaged in a                     heavenly battle. Afterwards, Christ began to the rule Heavenly Kingdom as King of Kings. Satan was expelled to Earth and was               responsible for starting World War I.
     - In the very near future, Armageddon will occur. God and the WTS will battle the rest of Christendom, and followers of other religions        in a major war. After much suffering and many upheavals, the world will be purified, and God's Kingdom, a theocracy, will be                     established on earth. The "other sheep" (those who survive Armageddon, and the worthy dead who have been resurrected) will live          in peace and without sin in the newly created utopia. Although they regard their own sect to be the only true religion, they believe            that many people who are not Jehovah's Witnesses will join them to live forever on earth.
     - People who die before Armageddon actually cease to exist. Their soul expires and their body deteriorates. However, God retains in          His mind the personality, memories and a description of the body for all of those who are later to be resurrected. At that time, God           will create a new body similar to their former shell, but without the imperfections. A new spirit will be breathed into it, and the brain             will be "loaded" with the old personality and memories.
     - They totally deny the existence of Hell. Satan is regarded as having created the concept in order to turn people against God.                    Unbelievers (including Satan) will simply cease to exist at death.
     - Salvation requires that one must believe appropriately, be baptized and follow the Laws of God. Evangelical Christians deny the              requirement of "works".
     - They refuse to accept blood transfusions and do not allow them to be given to their children. This is based upon three passages in           the Bible which prohibit the consuming of blood:
               - Genesis 9:4
               "But flesh (meat) with. ..blood. ..ye shall not eat"
               - Leviticus 17:12-14
               '. ..No soul of you shall eat blood. .. whosoever eateth it shall be cut off"
              - Acts 15:29
               "That ye abstain. ..from blood. .."

Jehovah's Witnesses' Practices

     - They recognize only one seasonal day of celebration: the Memorial of Christ's Death at Easter. Although they estimate that Jesus            was born on October 2, this date is not formally celebrated.
       - They do not have a Sabbath; they regard all days as holy. Many congregations meet on Sunday morning to hear a speech and             engage in discussion, and on Thursday evening for study.
     - They only observe two sacraments:
     - Baptism: this is done by full immersion after the member has been converted to the faith.
     - Lord's Supper: this is done once a year at the Memorial of Christ's death. Only the approximately 8600 Jehovah's Witnesses who            are part of the 144,000 Anointed Class actually partake in the meal; the general membership (formerly called the Jonadab Class              and now called the Great Crowd) are present and observe.
     - They regard the world as being under the control of Satan. For this reason they do not run for public office, salute the flag, join the         Armed Forces or vote in governmental elections. These stands have caused them to be very unpopular in some countries. Over             90% of the church members were exterminated during the Nazi Holocaust.
     - They are absolutely non-racist. However (like many religious groups) they are sexist; positions of significant power and authority are          reserved for men only.
     - They are dedicated to the preservation of religious freedom and have pursued over three dozen cases of religious discrimination            and persecution to the United States Supreme Court
     - A variety of methods of enforcing membership discipline are used ( e.g. being rebuked at a meeting or being excluded from                    meetings). Members who are found guilty of serious violations of WTS teachings and practices, and who refuse to repent can be             disfellowshipped. Fellow members (including their family) are then required to ignore him/her. This can have a devastating effect on         a member whose entire religious, family and social life are grounded in the Society.

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