Jehovah's Witnesses

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Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) belong to a Christian religious group. They share their beliefs about God with other people. Some of their beliefs and practices are:

They use the Hebrew name of God ("Jehovah" in English)
They are neutral in politics and wars
They are active. They visit neighbors, and teach using their books and the Bible.

Jehovah's Witnesses try to obey Jesus' command to teach and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

1 Beliefs
2 Practices
3 Outside links
- 3.1 Official websites of Jehovah's Witnesses
- 3.2 Links critical of the group

[edit] Beliefs

Jehovah's Witnesses believe in a God named Jehovah. They think Jehovah is the most powerful being that created both the heavens and the Earth and all living things. They do not believe in a Trinity, which means that God is three persons. They do, however, believe in the three main parts of the Trinity: "the Father," "the Son," and "the Holy Spirit." Jehovah's Witnesses think of the three as different things. Jesus is the son of God, not God. They do believe in Jesus, they also believe that He is the Archangel Michael. The Holy Spirit is the active, unseeable force of God, or simply put, God's power.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that only a limited number of humans (144,000, called the "little flock" as shown in Revelation chapters 7 and 14) will go to heaven to be kings and priests with Jesus Christ. They believe that after Armageddon (the final battle of Jehovah against his enemies), God will give the Earth to the rest of humans (the "great crowd" of those not part of the "little flock") who did what God wanted. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God will make the Earth a paradise for good people who survive Armageddon, and also resurrect those who have died in the past into that paradise.

Jehovah's Witnesses say that God made Adam and Eve, the first people, and put them in a paradise called Eden. Then Adam and Eve sinned, and God sent them away from Eden. Since that time, the world has not been perfect and humans have lived sinfully. They believe that the purpose of Jehovah sending his son Jesus Christ was to make a way for humans to get back their paradise that Adam and Eve lost and restore them to perfection.

[edit] Practices

Jehovah's Witnesses are known as door "knockers".' This is how they try to do the will of what they believe to be God, to live on Earth forever. Jehovah's Witnesses want to teach people about Jehovah and his plans. They talk about the "signs of the times": when there are more natural disasters and wars, the time for God's last judgement, or Armageddon, is closer. JW's do not know the date or time for this supposed last judgment.

The Jehovah's Witnesses are a charity in some countries; their headquarters (main office) is in Brooklyn, New York. Members are not paid for their work; volunteers do everything.

Jehovah's Witnesses meet in churches called Kingdom Halls. These halls do not have altars, statues, or candles. They have a simple decor. They are often built with the help of volunteers from around the country and the world. Some Kingdom Halls are in buildings that used to be houses, shops, or offices.