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Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses

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W. H. Conley ·
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J. F. Rutherford ·
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William Miller ·
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Jehovah's Witnesses are organized hierarchically,[1] and are led by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses from the Watch Tower Society's headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. The Governing Body, along with other "helpers", are organized into six committees responsible for various administrative functions within the global Witness community, including publication, assembly programs and evangelizing activity.[2]
The Governing Body and its committees supervise operations of nearly one hundred branch offices worldwide. Each branch office oversees the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in a particular country or region, and may include facilities for the publication and distribution of Watch Tower Society literature. Directly appointed by the Governing Body, branch committees supervise administrative functions for congregations in their jurisdiction. Congregations are further organized into circuits of about twenty congregations each. The Governing Body directly appoints circuit overseers as its representatives to supervise activities within circuits. Headquarters representatives visit groups of branch offices to provide instruction and report the branch's activities to the Governing Body.
Each congregation is served by a group of locally recommended male elders and ministerial servants, appointed by the circuit overseer. Elders take responsibility for congregational governance, pastoral work, setting meeting times, selecting speakers, conducting meetings, directing the public preaching work, and forming judicial committees to investigate and decide disciplinary action in cases where members are believed to have committed serious sins. Ministerial servants fulfill clerical and attendant duties, but may also teach and conduct meetings.[2]


Contents  [hide]
1 Governing Body
2 Branch offices
3 Traveling overseers
4 Congregations 4.1 Elders
4.2 Ministerial servants
4.3 Baptized publishers 4.3.1 Children
4.4 Unbaptized publishers
4.5 Students
4.6 Associates
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Governing Body[edit]
Main article: Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses
The organization is directed by the Governing Body—an all-male group that varies in size, but since March 2014 has comprised seven members,[3]—based in the Watchtower Society's Brooklyn, New York headquarters. Each of the Governing Body members claims to be of the "anointed class" with a hope of heavenly life (whereas most Jehovah's Witnesses hope to be resurrected in an earthly paradise).[4][5] There are no elections for membership; new members are selected by the existing body.[6] Each of its members serves as chairman, with the position rotating among members alphabetically each year.[7] Until late 2012, the Governing Body described itself as the representative[8] and "spokesman"[9] of God's "faithful and discreet slave class" (approximately 10,000 Jehovah's Witnesses who profess to be "anointed"),[10][11] providing "spiritual food" for Witnesses worldwide on behalf of the "faithful and discreet slave class". In practice it sought neither advice nor approval from other "anointed" Witnesses when formulating policies and doctrines, or when producing material for publications and conventions.[12][13] At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Watch Tower Society, the "faithful and discreet slave" was re-defined as referring to the Governing Body only.[14]
From 1944, Watch Tower publications had made occasional references to a governing body,[15] identifying it with the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.[16] In October 1971, four additional men joined the seven members of the Society's board of directors on what became known as a separate, expanded Governing Body. The Governing Body was then for the first time formally defined, indicating that it provided the religion with direction, guidance and regulation,[17][18] although all doctrinal and publishing decisions continued to be made by, or were subject to, the approval of the Society's president.[19] Organizational changes at the highest levels of the Watchtower Society in 1976 significantly increased the powers and authority of the Governing Body and reduced those of the Watch Tower Society president.[20]
The Governing Body directs six committees comprising its members along with its "helpers"; the six committees are responsible for various administrative functions including personnel, publishing, evangelizing activity, school and assembly programs, writing, and coordination.[2] The Governing Body directly appoints all headquarters representatives, circuit overseers, collectively referred to as "traveling overseers", and also appoints branch office committee members.[21] Only branch committee members and traveling overseers are referred to as "representatives of the Governing Body".
In the last decade, the Governing Body has reiterated its overall oversight role but has delegated other Witnesses, typically branch committee members, to serve as corporate executives and directors of Watch Tower and other incorporated entities.[22][23]
See also: Corporations of Jehovah's Witnesses
Branch offices[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses operate 91 branch offices worldwide,[24] grouped into thirty global "zones", each under the oversight of a headquarters representative who visits each of his assigned branches every few years, auditing operations, counseling branch committee members, department heads and missionaries, and reporting back to the Governing Body.[25][26] Each branch office is referred to as Bethel.[27] The United States branch office, spread across three New York State locations with a staff of more than 5000,[28] also serves as the international headquarters.
Branch offices, operated by Witness volunteers known as Bethel families, produce and distribute Bible-based literature and communicate with congregations within their jurisdiction.[29] Full-time staff at branch offices take a vow of poverty and are members of a religious order.[30] Each branch is overseen by a committee of three or more elders, which is appointed by the Governing Body. A Service Department in each branch corresponds with congregations and supervises the work of traveling overseers. Branch offices may also have departments responsible for printing, translation and legal representation.



 New York headquarters of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
Each branch office appoints various committees in its jurisdiction's communities, with local elders as members. Committees may include:
Hospital Liaison Committee
Patient Visitation Group
Regional Building Committee
Assembly Hall Committee
District Convention Committee[31]
Disaster Relief Committee[32]
Traveling overseers[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses use the term traveling overseer to refer to headquarters representatives and circuit overseers, all of whom are elders . All traveling overseers are directly appointed by the Governing Body.[33][34] A branch may appoint qualified local elders as "substitute" circuit overseers. Additional training is provided at their School for Traveling Overseers, and ongoing pastoral care and instruction is provided to them by senior branch office representatives. In 1995, Witnesses reported that 4374 traveling overseers cared for 78,620 congregations, an average of about 18 congregations each.[35]
The majority of traveling overseers are circuit overseers; they oversee circuits of about twenty congregations, performing twice-yearly week-long visits with each.[36][37][38] During his visit, the circuit overseer delivers talks to the congregation and meets with the elders, ministerial servants and pioneers. He is responsible for appointing new elders and ministerial servants, based on recommendations by elders.[39] He typically works with various members of the congregation in the house-to-house preaching work, and may also conduct personal Bible studies and pastoral calls.
Jehovah's Witnesses are instructed to "participate in a joyful interchange of encouragement" with traveling overseers,[40] and to render them "double honor", a biblical term[41] they believe includes cooperation and hospitality.[42][43] Traveling overseers are generally members of a religious order who have taken a vow of poverty; they are provided with vehicles, healthcare, and lodging, and their basic expenses are reimbursed by the congregations they visit.[44]
Congregations[edit]
Congregations are usually based on geographical area or language spoken, and may have as few as ten or as many as two hundred members.[45][46][47] Congregations meet for religious services at Kingdom Halls, which may be shared by two or more congregations. If a small group of Witnesses is isolated by geography or language, it may have some or all of its meetings at a different time and place to the rest of the congregation, under the supervision of that congregation's body of elders. If a group intends to become a new congregation, the area's circuit overseer submits an application to the branch office.[48]
Each congregation is assigned a territory; members are requested to attend the congregation of the territory in which they reside.[49] Members also meet in smaller "field service groups", often at private homes, prior to engaging in organized door-to-door preaching. Each field service group has an appointed "group overseer" (an elder) or "group servant" (a ministerial servant).[50] Witnesses are instructed to devote as much time as possible to preaching activities ("witnessing" or "field service"), and to provide a monthly report to their congregation summarizing their preaching activity.[51] Jehovah's Witnesses consider all baptized Witnesses to be ministers.[52] Participants in organized preaching activity are referred to as publishers.[53] Only individuals who are approved and active as publishers are officially counted as members.[54]
Congregations are governed by local elders,[55][56] who are assisted by ministerial servants. Elders and ministerial servants are appointed in each congregation for handling various religious and administrative duties. Only male members may serve in the capacity of elder or ministerial servant. In smaller congregations, one man may handle multiple positions until another qualified candidate is available. Baptized female members may perform some of their duties only if a baptized male is unavailable; female Witnesses leading in prayer or teaching are required to wear a head covering.[57]
Elders[edit]
Each congregation has a body of elders, who are responsible for congregational governance, pastoral work, selecting speakers and conducting meetings, directing the public preaching work and creating "judicial committees" to investigate and decide disciplinary action for cases that are seen to breach scriptural laws.
There are no secular educational requirements for elders; however, training programs are offered for elders within the organization. Elders are considered "overseers" based on the biblical Greek term, ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos, typically translated "bishop"). Prospective elders are recommended from among ministerial servants and former elders by the local elder body for appointment by the circuit overseer.
Particular roles within the body of elders include:
Coordinator of the Body of Elders: chairs elders' meetings, assigns duties and speakers for most congregation meetings, and cares for certain financial matters.
Service Overseer: organizes matters related to public preaching, and oversees those handling Witness literature and territories.[58]
Congregation Secretary: maintains congregation records, reports congregation activity to the branch office, advises the congregation about conventions and assemblies, and oversees those handling accounts.[59]
Watchtower Study Conductor: leads the weekly study of The Watchtower.[60]
Theocratic Ministry School Overseer: conducts the Theocratic Ministry School, assigns student assignments, counsels students with a goal to improving their preaching skills, and conducts bi-monthly question-and-answer reviews.[61][62]
Auxiliary Counselor: responsible for providing private counsel, as needed, to elders or ministerial servants that handle meeting parts.
Operating Committee Members: responsible for the care of the building and property of Kingdom Halls that are shared by two or more congregations.
Group Overseers: oversees groups for public preaching and pastoral care.[63]
Public Talk Coordinator: schedules speakers and talks for public meetings and co-ordinates traveling speakers from his congregation.
Ministerial servants[edit]
Ministerial servants, equivalent to deacons, are appointed to assist the elders with routine work, including the supply of literature to the congregation, accounts, maintaining the Kingdom Hall, and operating audio equipment. They also present various parts at the meetings. Ministerial servants are appointed in a similar manner to elders.[2]
The following roles are normally filled by ministerial servants:
Accounts Servant: collects donations from contribution boxes after each meeting, deposits moneys, pays bills.
Sound Servant:[64] coordinates and schedules others to run microphones, handle the stage and podium and operate audio equipment; in large congregations, a separate Platform Servant may also be assigned.
Literature Servant: distributes literature in stock, takes requests for special items, or yearly items for use by congregation members. May place special request orders for publishers in their own Kingdom Hall.
Literature Coordinator: orders and receives stock and bulk literature for multiple congregations meeting at a single Kingdom Hall.
Magazine Servant: arranges orders of study, simplified, foreign language, and non-print editions of The Watchtower and Awake! magazines.
Magazine Coordinator: orders and receives all magazines for congregations meeting at a single Kingdom Hall, and stocks them in a designated magazine pickup area.
Territory Servant: distributes territory maps for preaching and keeps records of all territories within the local congregation's area.
Attendant Servant: greets visitors, seats latecomers, takes attendance count, and is responsible for climate control of the Kingdom Hall and parking lot security.
Theocratic Ministry School Assistant: distributes assignments to Ministry School students, times student talks; may make reminder phone calls to students with upcoming talks and conduct auxiliary schools.
Group Servant: assumes role of Group Overseer when a sufficient number of elders is not available, under supervision of the body of elders.
Baptized publishers[edit]
Baptized publishers are members who have been publicly baptized following conversion to the faith. Jehovah's Witnesses do not practice infant baptism,[65] and previous baptisms performed by other denominations are not considered valid.[66] Prior to baptism, they are required to respond to a series of questions to assess their suitability, and to make a personal dedication to serve God.[67] Baptisms are typically performed at assemblies and conventions. From the moment of baptism, the organization officially considers the person to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and an ordained minister.[68]
Regular publishers do not have a specific quota of hours for preaching each month, although publishers are requested to "set goals such as reaching [the] national average of hours for publishers".[69] Publishers are typically each required to report at least one hour per month to be counted as a 'regular publisher'. Only whole hours are reported; incomplete hours are carried over to the next month.[70] Elders may allow certain publishers to count fifteen-minute increments if limited by special circumstances such as advanced age or serious health conditions. Publishers who fail to report for one month are termed "irregular";[71] those who do not report for six consecutive months are classed as "inactive".[72] The terms irregular and inactive are used to indicate members in need of 'spiritual assistance' from the local congregation elders. Yearly reports of congregation activity are compiled and published annually in a Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Those habitually 'irregular' or 'inactive' are usually restricted from serving in any special capacity.
Baptized publishers in 'good standing' may serve in various special preaching capacities:
Auxiliary pioneers: make a commitment of thirty or fifty hours of preaching activities for a given month. This can be performed on a per month or ongoing basis.
Regular pioneers: make a commitment of an average of seventy hours of preaching activity each month, totaling 840 hours for the year.[73] For congregation elders to recommend appointment of a regular pioneer, a publisher must be baptized for at least six months and be considered an exemplary member of the congregation. Members who have been reproved or reinstated in the last year may not serve as regular pioneers.[74]
Special pioneers: assigned by a branch to perform special activity, such as preaching in remote areas, which may require at least 130 hours per month. Special pioneers receive a stipend for basic living expenses.
Missionaries: sent to foreign countries to preach. They spend at least 130 hours per month in preaching. Before assignment to a location, missionaries may receive training at Gilead School. Missionaries receive a stipend for basic living expenses.
Children[edit]
When accompanied by adults, children of baptized Witnesses may participate in organized preaching without formally qualifying. However, only those recognized as publishers are counted in the religion's official membership statistics.[75] Children of Witness parents may be asked to participate in demonstrations at congregation meetings and assemblies, or as models and actors in materials published by the Watch Tower Society.[76]
Unbaptized publishers[edit]
Unbaptized publishers are persons who are not yet baptized, but who have requested and been granted approval to join in the congregation's formal ministry. They must demonstrate a basic knowledge of Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrines to the elders, state their desire to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and conform to the organization's moral standards.[77] To qualify as an unbaptized publisher, an individual must already be "an active associate of Jehovah's Witnesses", regularly attending congregation meetings.[78]
Prior to 1988, unbaptized publishers were referred to as "approved associates", "unbaptized associates" or "regularly associating".[79][80] The terms were discontinued on the basis that meeting attendance on its own does not constitute approval of or commitment to the faith.[78][81][82]
Students[edit]
The term Bible student, sometimes informally referred to as a "Bible study",[83] is generally used by Witnesses to refer to an individual who takes part in their religious study program. The purpose of the Bible study program is for the student to become baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.[84]
Students usually have their study with the same Witness for the duration of the study program, often being the member who first encounters them while preaching. Interested individuals initially contacted by a member of the opposite sex are typically assigned a study conductor of their own gender.[85] A student typically meets with his or her study conductor once each week at the student's home or other suitable location. The study program involves consideration of a Bible-based publication that addresses Jehovah's Witnesses' core beliefs. Each paragraph is read aloud by the conductor or student, and the student answers pre-printed questions from the material in the paragraph. Students are encouraged to look up cited scriptures in the Bible and include them in their responses.[86] Each Bible study is typically conducted with an individual or family,[87][88] though in some cases many people may take part.[89]
Students are invited to attend and even comment at congregation meetings.[90][91][92] If they attend meetings regularly and are considered to demonstrate progress toward becoming an unbaptized publisher, they may receive a copy of the monthly newsletter Our Kingdom Ministry,[93] and may also qualify to join the congregation's Theocratic Ministry School. Students may also attend reading-improvement or literacy classes in congregations where these additional courses are held.[94][95][96]
Associates[edit]
Individuals who attend meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses but are not involved in preaching are occasionally referred to in Watch Tower Society publications as "associates" or as being "associated with the congregation".[97][98][99] Attendance figures for Witness events include "Jehovah's Witnesses and associates";[100][101] such statistics may be cited for comparison of Witness numbers with membership figures of other religions,[102][103][104] but only those sharing in their ministry are counted by Jehovah's Witnesses when reporting their official statistics.
Unbaptized individuals who attend meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses are not subject to congregation discipline, though elders may privately warn members of the congregation about individuals considered to constitute "an unusual threat to the flock."[105]
See also[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs
Jehovah's Witnesses practices
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Court Trial Testimony Redwood City" (PDF). Superior Court of the State of California. February 22, 2012. "I am general counsel for the National Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses out of Brooklyn, New York. ... We are a hierarchical religion structured just like the Catholic Church."
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 211–252. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
3.Jump up ^ Twelve members as of September 2005 (The Watchtower, March 15, 2006, page 26)
 Schroeder died March 8, 2006 (The Watchtower, September 15, 2006, page 31)
 Sydlik died April 18, 2006 (The Watchtower, January 1, 2007, page 8)
 Barber died April 8, 2007 (The Watchtower, October 15, 2007, page 31)
 Jaracz died June 9, 2010 (The Watchtower, November 15, 2010, page 23)
 Barr died December 4, 2010 (The Watchtower, May 15, 2011, page 6)
 Pierce died March 18, 2014 ("Guy H. Pierce, Member of the Governing Body, Dies at 79")
4.Jump up ^ Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 2007 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. pp. 4, 6.
5.Jump up ^ Botting, Heather & Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 178. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7.
6.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. p. 123. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
7.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. 1975. p. 250.
8.Jump up ^ "Seek God's guidance in all things", The Watchtower, April 15, 2008, page 11.
9.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Is Organized", The Watchtower, May 15, 2008, page 29.
10.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. p. 153. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
11.Jump up ^ 2011 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide Report 2010 Grand Totals, page 31
12.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. pp. 154–164. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
13.Jump up ^ "The faithful steward and its governing body", The Watchtower, June 15, 2009, page 24.
14.Jump up ^ "Annual Meeting Report".
15.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, November 1, 1944, as cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience, p.74 footnote.
16.Jump up ^ 1970 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watchtower Society, page 65
17.Jump up ^ "A Governing Body as Different from a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower: 755. 15 December 1971. Article discusses formal definition of Governing Body, and makes first use of capitalized term.
18.Jump up ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 703. November 15, 1972.
19.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2000). "3-4". Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press, Third edition, Second printing. pp. 42–108. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
20.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 44–110. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
21.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, pages 14-15
22.Jump up ^ "Jehovah’s Glory Shines on His People", The Watchtower, July 1, 2002, page 17
23.Jump up ^ "New Corporations Formed", Our Kingdom Ministry, January 2002, page 7
24.Jump up ^ 2014 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 2014. p. 176.
25.Jump up ^ 1978 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses p. 20
26.Jump up ^ "Declaring the Good News Without Letup", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 101.
27.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, 1 August 1997, p. 9
28.Jump up ^ 2003 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 24; "In all, the United States Bethel family numbers 5,465."
29.Jump up ^ Jehovah’s Witnesses—Unitedly Doing God’s Will Worldwide, p. 25-27
30.Jump up ^ "Trust in Jehovah!", The Watchtower, December 15, 1993, page 13.
31.Jump up ^ "Positions of Responsibility in the Organization", Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, ©2005 Watch Tower, page 45
32.Jump up ^ "“God Is Not Partial”", Bearing Witness, ©2009 Watch Tower, page 76, "Branch Committees quickly organize the formation of relief committees to look after our brothers who may be affected by natural disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis."
33.Jump up ^ The Watchtower: 20. 15 March 1990. Missing or empty |title= (help)
34.Jump up ^ African American Religious Cultures: A-R by Stephen C. Finley, Torin Alexander, Greenwood Publishing, ABC-CLIO, 2009, page 201
35.Jump up ^ "Jehovah’s Witnesses—1996 Yearbook Report", 1996 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©1995 Watch Tower, page 9, "4,374 care for assignments that require them to travel from one assembly to another in an assigned district or from one congregation to another in a circuit"
36.Jump up ^ "Traveling Overseers—Gifts in Men", The Watchtower, November 15, 1996, page 10
37.Jump up ^ Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom p. 19.
38.Jump up ^ "Development of the Organization Structure", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 223.
39.Jump up ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 28–30. 15 November 2014.
40.Jump up ^ "An Interchange of Encouragement for All", Our Kingdom Ministry, October 2007, ©CCJW, page 8
41.Jump up ^ (1 Timothy 5:17-18, NWT) "Let the older men who preside in a fine way be reckoned worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching. 18 For the scripture says: “You must not muzzle a bull when it threshes out the grain”".
42.Jump up ^ "The “Divine Peace” District Convention—Just What We Needed!", The Watchtower, January 15, 1987, page 29, "[T]raveling overseers...are, indeed, worthy of double honor because of their many duties. These include giving talks, helping out with problems, training brothers in witnessing, and visiting the physically or spiritually sick. Truly, all traveling overseers deserve our full cooperation and Lydialike hospitality."
43.Jump up ^ "Honor", Insight on the Scriptures, Vol 1, ©1988 Watch Tower, page 1136, "Elders who worked hard in teaching were to be given “double honor,” which evidently included material aid. (1Ti 5:17, 18)"
44.Jump up ^ "Traveling Overseers—Fellow Workers in the Truth", Doing God's Will, ©1986 Watch Tower, page 21
45.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses in the Twentieth Century, page 25
46.Jump up ^ 1983 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, p. 118, "Australia"
47.Jump up ^ It is recommended but not required that members attend the congregation of the territory in which they reside. See "What are the advantages of attending the congregation that holds the territory where we live?", Our Kingdom Ministry, November 2002, page 7
48.Jump up ^ "Methods of Preaching the Good News", Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, ©2005 Watch Tower, page 106-107
49.Jump up ^ "What are the advantages of attending the congregation that holds the territory where we live?", Our Kingdom Ministry, November 2002, page 7
50.Jump up ^ "New Congregation Meeting Schedule", Our Kingdom Ministry, October 2008, page 1.
51.Jump up ^ Botting, Heather; Botting, Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-8020-2537-4.
52.Jump up ^ Watchtower 10/15/62 p. 626 "Is Every Witness a Minister?"
53.Jump up ^ True Worship Means Action The Watchtower September 1, 1965, p. 533.
54.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 2/02 p. 5 par. 18 “Preach the Word of God Fully”
55.Jump up ^ Watchtower 1/1/72 p. 9 par. 1
56.Jump up ^ Watchtower 10/15/74 p. 630 How Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Different?
57.Jump up ^ "Questions From Readers", The Watchtower, July 15, 2002, page 27, "While sharing in certain congregation activities, Christian women may need to wear a head covering. At a midweek meeting for field service, for example, there may only be Christian sisters present, no baptized males. There may be other occasions when no baptized males are present at a congregation meeting. If a sister has to handle duties usually performed by a brother at a congregationally arranged meeting or meeting for field service, she should wear a head covering."
58.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 9/98 p. 3 pars. 1-4 Overseers Taking the Lead
59.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 10/98 p. 7 par. 1-2 Overseers Taking the Lead—The Secretary, "As a member of the Congregation Service Committee, he cares for the congregation’s communications and important records. ... He directly oversees those handling accounts and subscriptions as well as all convention-related matters."
60.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 12/98 p. 8 Overseers Taking the Lead—The Watchtower Study Conductor
61.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 11/98 p. 8 Overseers Taking the Lead—The Theocratic Ministry School Overseer
62.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, 10/07 p. 3 Theocratic Ministry School Schedule for 2008'
63.Jump up ^ The Congregation Book Study—Why We Need It, Our Kingdom Ministry June 2004, p. 4 pars. 4-5.
64.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, September 1, 2000 page 26; and September 1, 1997, page 26
65.Jump up ^ "Should Babies Be Baptized?". The Watchtower. March 15, 1986, page=4–7. Check date values in: |date= (help)
66.Jump up ^ "Why One Must Be Baptized". The Watchtower: 406. July 1, 1956.
67.Jump up ^ "Why Be Baptized?", The Watchtower, April 1, 2002, p. 13.
68.Jump up ^ "Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 12, "At their baptism, new disciples are ordained as ministers of Jehovah God. Who ordains them? ...Jehovah God himself!"
69.Jump up ^ "Meetings to Help Us Make Disciples", Our Kingdom Ministry, November 1987, page 2, "...set goals such as reaching national average of hours for publishers"
70.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 9/88 p. 3 Report Field Service Accurately'
71.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry December 1987, p. 7.
72.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry October 1982, p. 1.
73.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 8/99 p. 3 par. 3 " regular pioneers need to devote 70 hours to the ministry each month for a total of 840 hours per service year."
74.Jump up ^ "Continued Increase Calls for Simplification of Procedures", Our Kingdom Ministry, August 1986, page 6, "A full year must have passed from the time a judicial reproof was given or since reinstatement following disfellowshipping before one could be considered for auxiliary or regular pioneer service. Furthermore, a person who is currently under any restrictions by a judicial committee would not qualify for such pioneer service privileges until all restrictions are removed."
75.Jump up ^ "Question Box: To what extent may young children of Christian parents share in the field ministry before they are recognized as unbaptized publishers?", Our Kingdom Ministry, October 1992, page 7, "[Witness] parents can decide to what extent a child can share in giving a witness as they work together. Children who are not yet recognized as unbaptized publishers should not make calls on their own or accompany other children in field service."
76.Jump up ^ "Meetings that Incite to Love and Fine Works", Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, ©2005 Watch Tower, page 66
77.Jump up ^ Questions From Readers, The Watchtower, December 1, 1989, p. 31.
78.^ Jump up to: a b "Ministers of the Good News", Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, ©2005 Watch Tower, page 81
79.Jump up ^ "Subheading: Approved Associates", Organized to Accomplish Our Ministry, ©1983 Watch Tower, pages 97-100
80.Jump up ^ "Question Box", Our Kingdom Ministry, October 1975, page 8, "Rather, the persons referred to as "regularly associating" are those who have made some progress in the way of truth and who have been attending meetings regularly over a period of time."
81.Jump up ^ "Helping Others to Worship God", The Watchtower, November 15, 1988, page 17, "Previously, an unbaptized person who qualified to share in the field ministry was termed an "approved associate." However, "unbaptized publisher" is a more accurate designation"
82.Jump up ^ "Questions From Readers", The Watchtower, February 15, 1989, page 29
83.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, November 1, 1992, page 26, "See What Jehovah Has Done for Us!"
84.Jump up ^ "Conduct Progressive Doorstep and Telephone Bible Studies", Our Kingdom Ministry, April 2006, page 3
85.Jump up ^ "Question Box". Our Kingdom Ministry: 2. May 1997.
86.Jump up ^ What Does The Bible Really Teach? © Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania 2005. | p. 7 Is This What God Purposed?”
87.Jump up ^ "FAQ: What Is a Bible Study?", JW.org, Retrieved 2012-09-06
88.Jump up ^ Our Ministry: Person-to-person ministry, JW-Media.org, Retrieved 2012-09-06, "If a Witness finds someone who is interested in learning more about the Bible, further discussions can be arranged, or an appointment for a weekly home Bible study can be made."
89.Jump up ^ "Russia", 2008 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 231
90.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, October 1986, page 7
91.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, April 1997, page 3-4
92.Jump up ^ "Pay Attention to Your “Art of Teaching”", The Watchtower, January 15, 2008, page 11
93.Jump up ^ "Question Box", Our Kingdom Ministry, February 1987, page 8, "All baptized publishers and approved associates should receive a copy. Those who regularly attend the Service Meeting and who are making progress toward sharing in the field ministry should also receive a copy."
94.Jump up ^ "Chapter 7 Meetings that 'Incite to Love and Fine Works'", Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, ©2005 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, subheading "Theocratic Ministry School", page 68
95.Jump up ^ "Guidelines for School Overseers", Benefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education, ©2002 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, page 282
96.Jump up ^ "Apply Yourself to Reading", Benefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education, ©2002 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, page 21
97.Jump up ^ "Do Not Forget Those Who Are Inactive", Our Kingdom Ministry, February 2007, page 8
98.Jump up ^ "Unitedly Building to Praise God", The Watchtower, November 1, 2006, page 20
99.Jump up ^ "Are You Ready to Attend?", Awake!, May 8, 1986, page 24
100.Jump up ^ "Press release June 24, 2000", JW-Media.org Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site, As Retrieved 2010-08-12, "Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have more than 14 million members and associates worldwide"
101.Jump up ^ "‘Blessings Are for the Righteous One’", The Watchtower, July 15, 2001, page 25, "In the year 2000, over 14 million attended the Memorial of Jesus’ death [as commemorated by Jehovah's Witnesses]"
102.Jump up ^ "Note about JW adherent/member/publisher statistics", Adherents.com, Retrieved 2010-08-12, "[Their own] standard for being counted as a "member" means the Jehovah's Witness statistics are perhaps the most conservative figures presented by any religious group. A more realistic measure of how many "adherents" the group has can probably be obtained by looking at their Memorial attendance figures. These figures are simply the count of people at their yearly communion meeting. Attendance at a yearly meeting may not seem like a high standard for being counted as an adherent, but it is actually the standard used by groups such as Anglicans to issue estimates of "active" membership."
103.Jump up ^ Only about half the number who self-identified as Jehovah's Witnesses in independent demographic studies are considered "active" by the faith itself. See The Association of Religion Data Archives
104.Jump up ^ "U.S. Religious Landscape Survey Religious Affiliation: Diverse and Dynamic". Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. February 2008. pp. 9, 30.
105.Jump up ^ "Helping Others to Worship God", The Watchtower, November 15, 1988, page 19
External links[edit]
Official Website of Jehovah's Witnesses
Watchtower Online Library, searchable editions of most current Jehovah's Witnesses publications
BBC: Jehovah's Witnesses - Structure
  


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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_structure_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses









Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses

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Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
Jehovah's Witnesses are organized hierarchically,[1] and are led by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses from the Watch Tower Society's headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. The Governing Body, along with other "helpers", are organized into six committees responsible for various administrative functions within the global Witness community, including publication, assembly programs and evangelizing activity.[2]
The Governing Body and its committees supervise operations of nearly one hundred branch offices worldwide. Each branch office oversees the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in a particular country or region, and may include facilities for the publication and distribution of Watch Tower Society literature. Directly appointed by the Governing Body, branch committees supervise administrative functions for congregations in their jurisdiction. Congregations are further organized into circuits of about twenty congregations each. The Governing Body directly appoints circuit overseers as its representatives to supervise activities within circuits. Headquarters representatives visit groups of branch offices to provide instruction and report the branch's activities to the Governing Body.
Each congregation is served by a group of locally recommended male elders and ministerial servants, appointed by the circuit overseer. Elders take responsibility for congregational governance, pastoral work, setting meeting times, selecting speakers, conducting meetings, directing the public preaching work, and forming judicial committees to investigate and decide disciplinary action in cases where members are believed to have committed serious sins. Ministerial servants fulfill clerical and attendant duties, but may also teach and conduct meetings.[2]


Contents  [hide]
1 Governing Body
2 Branch offices
3 Traveling overseers
4 Congregations 4.1 Elders
4.2 Ministerial servants
4.3 Baptized publishers 4.3.1 Children
4.4 Unbaptized publishers
4.5 Students
4.6 Associates
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Governing Body[edit]
Main article: Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses
The organization is directed by the Governing Body—an all-male group that varies in size, but since March 2014 has comprised seven members,[3]—based in the Watchtower Society's Brooklyn, New York headquarters. Each of the Governing Body members claims to be of the "anointed class" with a hope of heavenly life (whereas most Jehovah's Witnesses hope to be resurrected in an earthly paradise).[4][5] There are no elections for membership; new members are selected by the existing body.[6] Each of its members serves as chairman, with the position rotating among members alphabetically each year.[7] Until late 2012, the Governing Body described itself as the representative[8] and "spokesman"[9] of God's "faithful and discreet slave class" (approximately 10,000 Jehovah's Witnesses who profess to be "anointed"),[10][11] providing "spiritual food" for Witnesses worldwide on behalf of the "faithful and discreet slave class". In practice it sought neither advice nor approval from other "anointed" Witnesses when formulating policies and doctrines, or when producing material for publications and conventions.[12][13] At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Watch Tower Society, the "faithful and discreet slave" was re-defined as referring to the Governing Body only.[14]
From 1944, Watch Tower publications had made occasional references to a governing body,[15] identifying it with the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.[16] In October 1971, four additional men joined the seven members of the Society's board of directors on what became known as a separate, expanded Governing Body. The Governing Body was then for the first time formally defined, indicating that it provided the religion with direction, guidance and regulation,[17][18] although all doctrinal and publishing decisions continued to be made by, or were subject to, the approval of the Society's president.[19] Organizational changes at the highest levels of the Watchtower Society in 1976 significantly increased the powers and authority of the Governing Body and reduced those of the Watch Tower Society president.[20]
The Governing Body directs six committees comprising its members along with its "helpers"; the six committees are responsible for various administrative functions including personnel, publishing, evangelizing activity, school and assembly programs, writing, and coordination.[2] The Governing Body directly appoints all headquarters representatives, circuit overseers, collectively referred to as "traveling overseers", and also appoints branch office committee members.[21] Only branch committee members and traveling overseers are referred to as "representatives of the Governing Body".
In the last decade, the Governing Body has reiterated its overall oversight role but has delegated other Witnesses, typically branch committee members, to serve as corporate executives and directors of Watch Tower and other incorporated entities.[22][23]
See also: Corporations of Jehovah's Witnesses
Branch offices[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses operate 91 branch offices worldwide,[24] grouped into thirty global "zones", each under the oversight of a headquarters representative who visits each of his assigned branches every few years, auditing operations, counseling branch committee members, department heads and missionaries, and reporting back to the Governing Body.[25][26] Each branch office is referred to as Bethel.[27] The United States branch office, spread across three New York State locations with a staff of more than 5000,[28] also serves as the international headquarters.
Branch offices, operated by Witness volunteers known as Bethel families, produce and distribute Bible-based literature and communicate with congregations within their jurisdiction.[29] Full-time staff at branch offices take a vow of poverty and are members of a religious order.[30] Each branch is overseen by a committee of three or more elders, which is appointed by the Governing Body. A Service Department in each branch corresponds with congregations and supervises the work of traveling overseers. Branch offices may also have departments responsible for printing, translation and legal representation.



 New York headquarters of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
Each branch office appoints various committees in its jurisdiction's communities, with local elders as members. Committees may include:
Hospital Liaison Committee
Patient Visitation Group
Regional Building Committee
Assembly Hall Committee
District Convention Committee[31]
Disaster Relief Committee[32]
Traveling overseers[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses use the term traveling overseer to refer to headquarters representatives and circuit overseers, all of whom are elders . All traveling overseers are directly appointed by the Governing Body.[33][34] A branch may appoint qualified local elders as "substitute" circuit overseers. Additional training is provided at their School for Traveling Overseers, and ongoing pastoral care and instruction is provided to them by senior branch office representatives. In 1995, Witnesses reported that 4374 traveling overseers cared for 78,620 congregations, an average of about 18 congregations each.[35]
The majority of traveling overseers are circuit overseers; they oversee circuits of about twenty congregations, performing twice-yearly week-long visits with each.[36][37][38] During his visit, the circuit overseer delivers talks to the congregation and meets with the elders, ministerial servants and pioneers. He is responsible for appointing new elders and ministerial servants, based on recommendations by elders.[39] He typically works with various members of the congregation in the house-to-house preaching work, and may also conduct personal Bible studies and pastoral calls.
Jehovah's Witnesses are instructed to "participate in a joyful interchange of encouragement" with traveling overseers,[40] and to render them "double honor", a biblical term[41] they believe includes cooperation and hospitality.[42][43] Traveling overseers are generally members of a religious order who have taken a vow of poverty; they are provided with vehicles, healthcare, and lodging, and their basic expenses are reimbursed by the congregations they visit.[44]
Congregations[edit]
Congregations are usually based on geographical area or language spoken, and may have as few as ten or as many as two hundred members.[45][46][47] Congregations meet for religious services at Kingdom Halls, which may be shared by two or more congregations. If a small group of Witnesses is isolated by geography or language, it may have some or all of its meetings at a different time and place to the rest of the congregation, under the supervision of that congregation's body of elders. If a group intends to become a new congregation, the area's circuit overseer submits an application to the branch office.[48]
Each congregation is assigned a territory; members are requested to attend the congregation of the territory in which they reside.[49] Members also meet in smaller "field service groups", often at private homes, prior to engaging in organized door-to-door preaching. Each field service group has an appointed "group overseer" (an elder) or "group servant" (a ministerial servant).[50] Witnesses are instructed to devote as much time as possible to preaching activities ("witnessing" or "field service"), and to provide a monthly report to their congregation summarizing their preaching activity.[51] Jehovah's Witnesses consider all baptized Witnesses to be ministers.[52] Participants in organized preaching activity are referred to as publishers.[53] Only individuals who are approved and active as publishers are officially counted as members.[54]
Congregations are governed by local elders,[55][56] who are assisted by ministerial servants. Elders and ministerial servants are appointed in each congregation for handling various religious and administrative duties. Only male members may serve in the capacity of elder or ministerial servant. In smaller congregations, one man may handle multiple positions until another qualified candidate is available. Baptized female members may perform some of their duties only if a baptized male is unavailable; female Witnesses leading in prayer or teaching are required to wear a head covering.[57]
Elders[edit]
Each congregation has a body of elders, who are responsible for congregational governance, pastoral work, selecting speakers and conducting meetings, directing the public preaching work and creating "judicial committees" to investigate and decide disciplinary action for cases that are seen to breach scriptural laws.
There are no secular educational requirements for elders; however, training programs are offered for elders within the organization. Elders are considered "overseers" based on the biblical Greek term, ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos, typically translated "bishop"). Prospective elders are recommended from among ministerial servants and former elders by the local elder body for appointment by the circuit overseer.
Particular roles within the body of elders include:
Coordinator of the Body of Elders: chairs elders' meetings, assigns duties and speakers for most congregation meetings, and cares for certain financial matters.
Service Overseer: organizes matters related to public preaching, and oversees those handling Witness literature and territories.[58]
Congregation Secretary: maintains congregation records, reports congregation activity to the branch office, advises the congregation about conventions and assemblies, and oversees those handling accounts.[59]
Watchtower Study Conductor: leads the weekly study of The Watchtower.[60]
Theocratic Ministry School Overseer: conducts the Theocratic Ministry School, assigns student assignments, counsels students with a goal to improving their preaching skills, and conducts bi-monthly question-and-answer reviews.[61][62]
Auxiliary Counselor: responsible for providing private counsel, as needed, to elders or ministerial servants that handle meeting parts.
Operating Committee Members: responsible for the care of the building and property of Kingdom Halls that are shared by two or more congregations.
Group Overseers: oversees groups for public preaching and pastoral care.[63]
Public Talk Coordinator: schedules speakers and talks for public meetings and co-ordinates traveling speakers from his congregation.
Ministerial servants[edit]
Ministerial servants, equivalent to deacons, are appointed to assist the elders with routine work, including the supply of literature to the congregation, accounts, maintaining the Kingdom Hall, and operating audio equipment. They also present various parts at the meetings. Ministerial servants are appointed in a similar manner to elders.[2]
The following roles are normally filled by ministerial servants:
Accounts Servant: collects donations from contribution boxes after each meeting, deposits moneys, pays bills.
Sound Servant:[64] coordinates and schedules others to run microphones, handle the stage and podium and operate audio equipment; in large congregations, a separate Platform Servant may also be assigned.
Literature Servant: distributes literature in stock, takes requests for special items, or yearly items for use by congregation members. May place special request orders for publishers in their own Kingdom Hall.
Literature Coordinator: orders and receives stock and bulk literature for multiple congregations meeting at a single Kingdom Hall.
Magazine Servant: arranges orders of study, simplified, foreign language, and non-print editions of The Watchtower and Awake! magazines.
Magazine Coordinator: orders and receives all magazines for congregations meeting at a single Kingdom Hall, and stocks them in a designated magazine pickup area.
Territory Servant: distributes territory maps for preaching and keeps records of all territories within the local congregation's area.
Attendant Servant: greets visitors, seats latecomers, takes attendance count, and is responsible for climate control of the Kingdom Hall and parking lot security.
Theocratic Ministry School Assistant: distributes assignments to Ministry School students, times student talks; may make reminder phone calls to students with upcoming talks and conduct auxiliary schools.
Group Servant: assumes role of Group Overseer when a sufficient number of elders is not available, under supervision of the body of elders.
Baptized publishers[edit]
Baptized publishers are members who have been publicly baptized following conversion to the faith. Jehovah's Witnesses do not practice infant baptism,[65] and previous baptisms performed by other denominations are not considered valid.[66] Prior to baptism, they are required to respond to a series of questions to assess their suitability, and to make a personal dedication to serve God.[67] Baptisms are typically performed at assemblies and conventions. From the moment of baptism, the organization officially considers the person to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and an ordained minister.[68]
Regular publishers do not have a specific quota of hours for preaching each month, although publishers are requested to "set goals such as reaching [the] national average of hours for publishers".[69] Publishers are typically each required to report at least one hour per month to be counted as a 'regular publisher'. Only whole hours are reported; incomplete hours are carried over to the next month.[70] Elders may allow certain publishers to count fifteen-minute increments if limited by special circumstances such as advanced age or serious health conditions. Publishers who fail to report for one month are termed "irregular";[71] those who do not report for six consecutive months are classed as "inactive".[72] The terms irregular and inactive are used to indicate members in need of 'spiritual assistance' from the local congregation elders. Yearly reports of congregation activity are compiled and published annually in a Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Those habitually 'irregular' or 'inactive' are usually restricted from serving in any special capacity.
Baptized publishers in 'good standing' may serve in various special preaching capacities:
Auxiliary pioneers: make a commitment of thirty or fifty hours of preaching activities for a given month. This can be performed on a per month or ongoing basis.
Regular pioneers: make a commitment of an average of seventy hours of preaching activity each month, totaling 840 hours for the year.[73] For congregation elders to recommend appointment of a regular pioneer, a publisher must be baptized for at least six months and be considered an exemplary member of the congregation. Members who have been reproved or reinstated in the last year may not serve as regular pioneers.[74]
Special pioneers: assigned by a branch to perform special activity, such as preaching in remote areas, which may require at least 130 hours per month. Special pioneers receive a stipend for basic living expenses.
Missionaries: sent to foreign countries to preach. They spend at least 130 hours per month in preaching. Before assignment to a location, missionaries may receive training at Gilead School. Missionaries receive a stipend for basic living expenses.
Children[edit]
When accompanied by adults, children of baptized Witnesses may participate in organized preaching without formally qualifying. However, only those recognized as publishers are counted in the religion's official membership statistics.[75] Children of Witness parents may be asked to participate in demonstrations at congregation meetings and assemblies, or as models and actors in materials published by the Watch Tower Society.[76]
Unbaptized publishers[edit]
Unbaptized publishers are persons who are not yet baptized, but who have requested and been granted approval to join in the congregation's formal ministry. They must demonstrate a basic knowledge of Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrines to the elders, state their desire to be one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and conform to the organization's moral standards.[77] To qualify as an unbaptized publisher, an individual must already be "an active associate of Jehovah's Witnesses", regularly attending congregation meetings.[78]
Prior to 1988, unbaptized publishers were referred to as "approved associates", "unbaptized associates" or "regularly associating".[79][80] The terms were discontinued on the basis that meeting attendance on its own does not constitute approval of or commitment to the faith.[78][81][82]
Students[edit]
The term Bible student, sometimes informally referred to as a "Bible study",[83] is generally used by Witnesses to refer to an individual who takes part in their religious study program. The purpose of the Bible study program is for the student to become baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.[84]
Students usually have their study with the same Witness for the duration of the study program, often being the member who first encounters them while preaching. Interested individuals initially contacted by a member of the opposite sex are typically assigned a study conductor of their own gender.[85] A student typically meets with his or her study conductor once each week at the student's home or other suitable location. The study program involves consideration of a Bible-based publication that addresses Jehovah's Witnesses' core beliefs. Each paragraph is read aloud by the conductor or student, and the student answers pre-printed questions from the material in the paragraph. Students are encouraged to look up cited scriptures in the Bible and include them in their responses.[86] Each Bible study is typically conducted with an individual or family,[87][88] though in some cases many people may take part.[89]
Students are invited to attend and even comment at congregation meetings.[90][91][92] If they attend meetings regularly and are considered to demonstrate progress toward becoming an unbaptized publisher, they may receive a copy of the monthly newsletter Our Kingdom Ministry,[93] and may also qualify to join the congregation's Theocratic Ministry School. Students may also attend reading-improvement or literacy classes in congregations where these additional courses are held.[94][95][96]
Associates[edit]
Individuals who attend meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses but are not involved in preaching are occasionally referred to in Watch Tower Society publications as "associates" or as being "associated with the congregation".[97][98][99] Attendance figures for Witness events include "Jehovah's Witnesses and associates";[100][101] such statistics may be cited for comparison of Witness numbers with membership figures of other religions,[102][103][104] but only those sharing in their ministry are counted by Jehovah's Witnesses when reporting their official statistics.
Unbaptized individuals who attend meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses are not subject to congregation discipline, though elders may privately warn members of the congregation about individuals considered to constitute "an unusual threat to the flock."[105]
See also[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs
Jehovah's Witnesses practices
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Court Trial Testimony Redwood City" (PDF). Superior Court of the State of California. February 22, 2012. "I am general counsel for the National Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses out of Brooklyn, New York. ... We are a hierarchical religion structured just like the Catholic Church."
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 211–252. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
3.Jump up ^ Twelve members as of September 2005 (The Watchtower, March 15, 2006, page 26)
 Schroeder died March 8, 2006 (The Watchtower, September 15, 2006, page 31)
 Sydlik died April 18, 2006 (The Watchtower, January 1, 2007, page 8)
 Barber died April 8, 2007 (The Watchtower, October 15, 2007, page 31)
 Jaracz died June 9, 2010 (The Watchtower, November 15, 2010, page 23)
 Barr died December 4, 2010 (The Watchtower, May 15, 2011, page 6)
 Pierce died March 18, 2014 ("Guy H. Pierce, Member of the Governing Body, Dies at 79")
4.Jump up ^ Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 2007 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. pp. 4, 6.
5.Jump up ^ Botting, Heather & Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 178. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7.
6.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. p. 123. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
7.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. 1975. p. 250.
8.Jump up ^ "Seek God's guidance in all things", The Watchtower, April 15, 2008, page 11.
9.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Is Organized", The Watchtower, May 15, 2008, page 29.
10.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. p. 153. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
11.Jump up ^ 2011 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide Report 2010 Grand Totals, page 31
12.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. pp. 154–164. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
13.Jump up ^ "The faithful steward and its governing body", The Watchtower, June 15, 2009, page 24.
14.Jump up ^ "Annual Meeting Report".
15.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, November 1, 1944, as cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience, p.74 footnote.
16.Jump up ^ 1970 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watchtower Society, page 65
17.Jump up ^ "A Governing Body as Different from a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower: 755. 15 December 1971. Article discusses formal definition of Governing Body, and makes first use of capitalized term.
18.Jump up ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 703. November 15, 1972.
19.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2000). "3-4". Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press, Third edition, Second printing. pp. 42–108. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
20.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 44–110. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
21.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, pages 14-15
22.Jump up ^ "Jehovah’s Glory Shines on His People", The Watchtower, July 1, 2002, page 17
23.Jump up ^ "New Corporations Formed", Our Kingdom Ministry, January 2002, page 7
24.Jump up ^ 2014 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 2014. p. 176.
25.Jump up ^ 1978 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses p. 20
26.Jump up ^ "Declaring the Good News Without Letup", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 101.
27.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, 1 August 1997, p. 9
28.Jump up ^ 2003 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 24; "In all, the United States Bethel family numbers 5,465."
29.Jump up ^ Jehovah’s Witnesses—Unitedly Doing God’s Will Worldwide, p. 25-27
30.Jump up ^ "Trust in Jehovah!", The Watchtower, December 15, 1993, page 13.
31.Jump up ^ "Positions of Responsibility in the Organization", Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, ©2005 Watch Tower, page 45
32.Jump up ^ "“God Is Not Partial”", Bearing Witness, ©2009 Watch Tower, page 76, "Branch Committees quickly organize the formation of relief committees to look after our brothers who may be affected by natural disasters, including hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis."
33.Jump up ^ The Watchtower: 20. 15 March 1990. Missing or empty |title= (help)
34.Jump up ^ African American Religious Cultures: A-R by Stephen C. Finley, Torin Alexander, Greenwood Publishing, ABC-CLIO, 2009, page 201
35.Jump up ^ "Jehovah’s Witnesses—1996 Yearbook Report", 1996 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©1995 Watch Tower, page 9, "4,374 care for assignments that require them to travel from one assembly to another in an assigned district or from one congregation to another in a circuit"
36.Jump up ^ "Traveling Overseers—Gifts in Men", The Watchtower, November 15, 1996, page 10
37.Jump up ^ Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom p. 19.
38.Jump up ^ "Development of the Organization Structure", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 223.
39.Jump up ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 28–30. 15 November 2014.
40.Jump up ^ "An Interchange of Encouragement for All", Our Kingdom Ministry, October 2007, ©CCJW, page 8
41.Jump up ^ (1 Timothy 5:17-18, NWT) "Let the older men who preside in a fine way be reckoned worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in speaking and teaching. 18 For the scripture says: “You must not muzzle a bull when it threshes out the grain”".
42.Jump up ^ "The “Divine Peace” District Convention—Just What We Needed!", The Watchtower, January 15, 1987, page 29, "[T]raveling overseers...are, indeed, worthy of double honor because of their many duties. These include giving talks, helping out with problems, training brothers in witnessing, and visiting the physically or spiritually sick. Truly, all traveling overseers deserve our full cooperation and Lydialike hospitality."
43.Jump up ^ "Honor", Insight on the Scriptures, Vol 1, ©1988 Watch Tower, page 1136, "Elders who worked hard in teaching were to be given “double honor,” which evidently included material aid. (1Ti 5:17, 18)"
44.Jump up ^ "Traveling Overseers—Fellow Workers in the Truth", Doing God's Will, ©1986 Watch Tower, page 21
45.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses in the Twentieth Century, page 25
46.Jump up ^ 1983 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, p. 118, "Australia"
47.Jump up ^ It is recommended but not required that members attend the congregation of the territory in which they reside. See "What are the advantages of attending the congregation that holds the territory where we live?", Our Kingdom Ministry, November 2002, page 7
48.Jump up ^ "Methods of Preaching the Good News", Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, ©2005 Watch Tower, page 106-107
49.Jump up ^ "What are the advantages of attending the congregation that holds the territory where we live?", Our Kingdom Ministry, November 2002, page 7
50.Jump up ^ "New Congregation Meeting Schedule", Our Kingdom Ministry, October 2008, page 1.
51.Jump up ^ Botting, Heather; Botting, Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 52. ISBN 0-8020-2537-4.
52.Jump up ^ Watchtower 10/15/62 p. 626 "Is Every Witness a Minister?"
53.Jump up ^ True Worship Means Action The Watchtower September 1, 1965, p. 533.
54.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 2/02 p. 5 par. 18 “Preach the Word of God Fully”
55.Jump up ^ Watchtower 1/1/72 p. 9 par. 1
56.Jump up ^ Watchtower 10/15/74 p. 630 How Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Different?
57.Jump up ^ "Questions From Readers", The Watchtower, July 15, 2002, page 27, "While sharing in certain congregation activities, Christian women may need to wear a head covering. At a midweek meeting for field service, for example, there may only be Christian sisters present, no baptized males. There may be other occasions when no baptized males are present at a congregation meeting. If a sister has to handle duties usually performed by a brother at a congregationally arranged meeting or meeting for field service, she should wear a head covering."
58.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 9/98 p. 3 pars. 1-4 Overseers Taking the Lead
59.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 10/98 p. 7 par. 1-2 Overseers Taking the Lead—The Secretary, "As a member of the Congregation Service Committee, he cares for the congregation’s communications and important records. ... He directly oversees those handling accounts and subscriptions as well as all convention-related matters."
60.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 12/98 p. 8 Overseers Taking the Lead—The Watchtower Study Conductor
61.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 11/98 p. 8 Overseers Taking the Lead—The Theocratic Ministry School Overseer
62.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, 10/07 p. 3 Theocratic Ministry School Schedule for 2008'
63.Jump up ^ The Congregation Book Study—Why We Need It, Our Kingdom Ministry June 2004, p. 4 pars. 4-5.
64.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, September 1, 2000 page 26; and September 1, 1997, page 26
65.Jump up ^ "Should Babies Be Baptized?". The Watchtower. March 15, 1986, page=4–7. Check date values in: |date= (help)
66.Jump up ^ "Why One Must Be Baptized". The Watchtower: 406. July 1, 1956.
67.Jump up ^ "Why Be Baptized?", The Watchtower, April 1, 2002, p. 13.
68.Jump up ^ "Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 12, "At their baptism, new disciples are ordained as ministers of Jehovah God. Who ordains them? ...Jehovah God himself!"
69.Jump up ^ "Meetings to Help Us Make Disciples", Our Kingdom Ministry, November 1987, page 2, "...set goals such as reaching national average of hours for publishers"
70.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 9/88 p. 3 Report Field Service Accurately'
71.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry December 1987, p. 7.
72.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry October 1982, p. 1.
73.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry 8/99 p. 3 par. 3 " regular pioneers need to devote 70 hours to the ministry each month for a total of 840 hours per service year."
74.Jump up ^ "Continued Increase Calls for Simplification of Procedures", Our Kingdom Ministry, August 1986, page 6, "A full year must have passed from the time a judicial reproof was given or since reinstatement following disfellowshipping before one could be considered for auxiliary or regular pioneer service. Furthermore, a person who is currently under any restrictions by a judicial committee would not qualify for such pioneer service privileges until all restrictions are removed."
75.Jump up ^ "Question Box: To what extent may young children of Christian parents share in the field ministry before they are recognized as unbaptized publishers?", Our Kingdom Ministry, October 1992, page 7, "[Witness] parents can decide to what extent a child can share in giving a witness as they work together. Children who are not yet recognized as unbaptized publishers should not make calls on their own or accompany other children in field service."
76.Jump up ^ "Meetings that Incite to Love and Fine Works", Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, ©2005 Watch Tower, page 66
77.Jump up ^ Questions From Readers, The Watchtower, December 1, 1989, p. 31.
78.^ Jump up to: a b "Ministers of the Good News", Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, ©2005 Watch Tower, page 81
79.Jump up ^ "Subheading: Approved Associates", Organized to Accomplish Our Ministry, ©1983 Watch Tower, pages 97-100
80.Jump up ^ "Question Box", Our Kingdom Ministry, October 1975, page 8, "Rather, the persons referred to as "regularly associating" are those who have made some progress in the way of truth and who have been attending meetings regularly over a period of time."
81.Jump up ^ "Helping Others to Worship God", The Watchtower, November 15, 1988, page 17, "Previously, an unbaptized person who qualified to share in the field ministry was termed an "approved associate." However, "unbaptized publisher" is a more accurate designation"
82.Jump up ^ "Questions From Readers", The Watchtower, February 15, 1989, page 29
83.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, November 1, 1992, page 26, "See What Jehovah Has Done for Us!"
84.Jump up ^ "Conduct Progressive Doorstep and Telephone Bible Studies", Our Kingdom Ministry, April 2006, page 3
85.Jump up ^ "Question Box". Our Kingdom Ministry: 2. May 1997.
86.Jump up ^ What Does The Bible Really Teach? © Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania 2005. | p. 7 Is This What God Purposed?”
87.Jump up ^ "FAQ: What Is a Bible Study?", JW.org, Retrieved 2012-09-06
88.Jump up ^ Our Ministry: Person-to-person ministry, JW-Media.org, Retrieved 2012-09-06, "If a Witness finds someone who is interested in learning more about the Bible, further discussions can be arranged, or an appointment for a weekly home Bible study can be made."
89.Jump up ^ "Russia", 2008 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 231
90.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, October 1986, page 7
91.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, April 1997, page 3-4
92.Jump up ^ "Pay Attention to Your “Art of Teaching”", The Watchtower, January 15, 2008, page 11
93.Jump up ^ "Question Box", Our Kingdom Ministry, February 1987, page 8, "All baptized publishers and approved associates should receive a copy. Those who regularly attend the Service Meeting and who are making progress toward sharing in the field ministry should also receive a copy."
94.Jump up ^ "Chapter 7 Meetings that 'Incite to Love and Fine Works'", Organized to Do Jehovah's Will, ©2005 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, subheading "Theocratic Ministry School", page 68
95.Jump up ^ "Guidelines for School Overseers", Benefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education, ©2002 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, page 282
96.Jump up ^ "Apply Yourself to Reading", Benefit From Theocratic Ministry School Education, ©2002 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, page 21
97.Jump up ^ "Do Not Forget Those Who Are Inactive", Our Kingdom Ministry, February 2007, page 8
98.Jump up ^ "Unitedly Building to Praise God", The Watchtower, November 1, 2006, page 20
99.Jump up ^ "Are You Ready to Attend?", Awake!, May 8, 1986, page 24
100.Jump up ^ "Press release June 24, 2000", JW-Media.org Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site, As Retrieved 2010-08-12, "Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have more than 14 million members and associates worldwide"
101.Jump up ^ "‘Blessings Are for the Righteous One’", The Watchtower, July 15, 2001, page 25, "In the year 2000, over 14 million attended the Memorial of Jesus’ death [as commemorated by Jehovah's Witnesses]"
102.Jump up ^ "Note about JW adherent/member/publisher statistics", Adherents.com, Retrieved 2010-08-12, "[Their own] standard for being counted as a "member" means the Jehovah's Witness statistics are perhaps the most conservative figures presented by any religious group. A more realistic measure of how many "adherents" the group has can probably be obtained by looking at their Memorial attendance figures. These figures are simply the count of people at their yearly communion meeting. Attendance at a yearly meeting may not seem like a high standard for being counted as an adherent, but it is actually the standard used by groups such as Anglicans to issue estimates of "active" membership."
103.Jump up ^ Only about half the number who self-identified as Jehovah's Witnesses in independent demographic studies are considered "active" by the faith itself. See The Association of Religion Data Archives
104.Jump up ^ "U.S. Religious Landscape Survey Religious Affiliation: Diverse and Dynamic". Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. February 2008. pp. 9, 30.
105.Jump up ^ "Helping Others to Worship God", The Watchtower, November 15, 1988, page 19
External links[edit]
Official Website of Jehovah's Witnesses
Watchtower Online Library, searchable editions of most current Jehovah's Witnesses publications
BBC: Jehovah's Witnesses - Structure
  


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Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses

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Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is the ruling council of Jehovah's Witnesses[1] based in Brooklyn, New York. The body formulates doctrines, oversees the production of written material for publications and conventions, and administers the group's worldwide operations.[2][3] Official publications refer to members of the Governing Body as followers of Christ rather than religious leaders.[4]
Its size has varied, from seven (2014–present)[5][6] to eighteen (1974–1980)[7] members.[8][9] New members of the Governing Body are selected by existing members.[10]


Contents  [hide]
1 History 1.1 Reorganization
1.2 Headquarters purge
1.3 Helpers
1.4 2000 and beyond
2 Committees
3 Representatives
4 Relationship with "faithful and discreet slave"
5 Governing Body members 5.1 Current
5.2 Former
6 See also
7 References

History
Since its incorporation in 1884, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania has been directed by a president and board of directors. Until January 1976, the president exercised complete control of doctrines, publications and activities of the Watch Tower Society and the religious denominations with which it was connected—the Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses.[11][12][13] When the Society's second president, J.F. Rutherford, encountered opposition from directors in 1917, he dismissed them. In 1925 he overruled the Watch Tower Society's editorial committee when it opposed publication of an article about disputed doctrines regarding the year 1914. In 1931, the editorial committee was dissolved.[14][15]
In 1943 The Watchtower described the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society as the "legal governing body" of anointed Jehovah's Witnesses.[16] A year later, in an article opposing the democratic election of congregation elders, the magazine said the appointment of such ones was the duty of "a visible governing body under Jehovah God and his Christ."[17] For several years, the role and specific identity of the governing body remained otherwise undefined. A 1955 organizational handbook stated that "the visible governing body has been closely identified with the board of directors of this corporation."[18] Referring to events related to their 1957 convention, a 1959 publication said "the spiritual governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses watched the developments [then] the president of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society [acted]."[19] The 1970 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses noted that the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania was the organization used to plan the activity of Jehovah's Witnesses and provide them with "spiritual food", then declared: "So really the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses is the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania."[20]



Frederick Franz at Watch Tower Society headquarters in Brooklyn.
On October 1, 1971, Watch Tower Society vice-president Frederick Franz addressed the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania corporation in Buckingham, Pennsylvania, stating that the legal corporation of the Watch Tower Society was an "agency" or "temporary instrument" used by the Governing Body on behalf of the "faithful and discreet slave".[21] Three weeks later, on October 20, four additional men joined the seven members of the Society's board of directors on what became known as a separate, expanded Governing Body.[22] The board of directors had until then met only sporadically, usually to discuss the purchase of property or new equipment, leaving decisions about Watch Tower Society literature to the president and vice-president, Nathan Knorr and Fred Franz.[21][23] The Watchtower of December 15, 1971 was the first to unambiguously capitalize the term "Governing Body of Jehovah's witnesses" as the defined group leading the religion, with a series of articles explaining its role and its relationship with the Watch Tower Society.[2][24]
The focus on the new concept of "theocratic" leadership was accompanied by statements that the structure was not actually new: The Watch Tower declared that "a governing body made its appearance" some time after the formation of Zion's Watch Tower Society in 1884,[25] though it had not been referred to as such at the time.[11] The article stated that Watch Tower Society president Charles Taze Russell had been a member of the governing body.[25] The 1972 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses stated that following Rutherford's death in 1942 "one of the first things that the governing body decided upon was the inauguration of the Theocratic Ministry School" and added that the "governing body" had published millions of books and Bibles in the previous thirty years.[26] Former member of the Governing Body, Raymond Franz, stated that the actions of presidents Russell, Rutherford and Knorr in overriding and failing to consult with directors proved the Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses had been under a monarchical rule until 1976, leaving no decisions to any "governing body".[27]
In 1972, a Question From Readers article in The Watchtower further reinforced the concept of the "Governing Body"; the magazine said the term referred to an agency that administers policy and provides organizational direction, guidance and regulation and was therefore "appropriate, fitting and Scriptural."[24][28] Organizational changes at the highest levels of the Watch Tower Society in 1976 significantly increased the powers and authority of the Governing Body.[29] The body has never had a legal corporate existence and operates through the Watch Tower Society and its board of directors.[30]
Reorganization
After its formal establishment in 1971, the Governing Body met regularly but, according to Raymond Franz, only briefly; Franz claims meetings were sometimes as short as seven minutes,[31] to make decisions about branch appointments and conduct that should be considered disfellowshipping offenses.[32][33] Franz claims that in 1971 and again in 1975, the Governing Body debated the extent of the authority it should be given.[34] The Governing Body voted in December 1975 to establish six operating committees to oversee the various administrative requirement of the organization's worldwide activities that formerly had been under the direction of the president; furthermore, each branch overseer was to be replaced by a branch committee of at least three members.[35] The change, which took effect on January 1, 1976, was described in the Watch Tower Society's 1993 history book, Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, as "one of the most significant organizational readjustments in the modern-day history of Jehovah's Witnesses."[36]
Headquarters purge
In 1980, dissent arose among members of the Governing Body regarding the significance of 1914 in Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrines. According to former Witnesses James Penton and Heather and Gary Botting, internal dissatisfaction with official doctrines continued to grow, leading to a series of secret investigations and judicial hearings. Consequently, dissenting members were expelled from the Brooklyn headquarters staff in the same year.[37][38][39] Raymond Franz claimed he was forced to resign from the Governing Body, and he was later disfellowshipped from the religion.
The Watch Tower Society responded to the dissent with a more severe attitude regarding the treatment of expelled Witnesses.[37][38][40] In his 1997 study of the religion, Penton concluded that since Raymond Franz's expulsion in 1980, the Governing Body displayed an increased level of conservatism, sturdy resistance to changes of policy and doctrines, and an increased tendency to isolate dissidents within the organization by means of disfellowshipping.[41]
Helpers
The April 15, 1992 issue of The Watchtower carried an article entitled Jehovah’s Provision, the “Given Ones” which drew a parallel between ancient non-Israelites who had been assigned temple duties (the "Nethinim" and "sons of the servants of Solomon") and Witness elders in positions of responsibility immediately under the oversight of the Governing Body who did not profess to be "anointed".[42]
Both that issue of The Watchtower and the 1993 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses carried the same announcement:

In view of the tremendous increase worldwide, it seems appropriate at this time to provide the Governing Body with some additional assistance. Therefore it has been decided to invite several helpers, mainly from among the great crowd, to share in the meetings of each of the Governing Body Committees, that is, the Personnel, Publishing, Service, Teaching, and Writing Committees. Thus, the number attending the meetings of each of these committees will be increased to seven or eight. Under the direction of the Governing Body committee members, these assistants will take part in discussions and will carry out various assignments given them by the committee. This new arrangement goes into effect May 1, 1992. For many years now, the number of the remnant of anointed Witnesses has been decreasing, while the number of the great crowd has increased beyond our grandest expectations.[43][44]
Each of the current Governing Body members served as a committee "helper" before being appointed to the Governing Body itself.[45][46][47] The appointment of helpers to the Governing Body committees was described in 2006 as "still another refinement."[48]
2000 and beyond
Until 2000, the directors and officers of the Watch Tower Society were members of the Governing Body. Since then, members of the ecclesiastical Governing Body have not served as directors of any of the various corporations used by Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Governing Body has delegated such administrative responsibilities to other members of the religion.[49]
Committees
The Governing Body functions by means of its six committees, which carry out various administrative functions.[50] Each committee is assisted by "helpers," who do not necessarily profess to be of the "anointed". Governing Body meetings are held weekly in closed session.[51] According to Raymond Franz, decisions of the body were required to be unanimous until 1975, after which a two-thirds majority of the full body was required, regardless of the number present.[52][53]
The Personnel Committee arranges for volunteers to serve in the organization's headquarters and worldwide branch offices, which are each referred to as Bethel. It oversees arrangements for the personal and spiritual assistance of Bethel staff, as well as the selection and invitation of new Bethel members.
The Publishing Committee supervises the printing, publishing and shipping of literature, as well as legal matters involved in printing, such as obtaining property for printing facilities. It is responsible for overseeing factories, properties, and financial operations of corporations used by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The Service Committee supervises the evangelical activity of Jehovah's Witnesses, which includes traveling overseers, pioneers, and the activities of congregation publishers. It oversees communication between the international headquarters, branch offices, and the congregations. It examines annual reports of preaching activity from the branches. It is responsible for inviting members to attend the Gilead school, the Bible School for Single Brothers,[54] and the Traveling Overseers’ School, and for assigning postgraduate students of these schools to their places of service.[55][56]
The Teaching Committee arranges congregation meetings, special assembly days, circuit assemblies, and district and international conventions as well as various schools for elders, ministerial servants, pioneers and missionaries, such as Gilead school. It supervises preparation of material to be used in teaching, and oversees the development of new audio and video programs.
The Writing Committee supervises the writing and translation of all material published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, including scripts for dramas and talk outlines. It responds to questions about scriptural, doctrinal, and moral issues, specific problems in the congregations, and the standing of members in congregations.
The Coordinator's Committee deals with emergencies, disaster relief and other matters, such as investigations. It comprises the coordinators, or a representative, from each of the other Governing Body committees and a secretary who is also a member of the Governing Body. It is responsible for the efficient operation of the other committees.
Representatives
Initially, the Governing Body directly appointed all congregation elders.[57] By 1975, the appointment of elders and ministerial servants was said to be "made directly by a governing body of spirit-anointed elders or by them through other elders representing this body."[58] In 2001, The Watchtower, stated that recommendations for such appointments were submitted to branch offices.[59] As of September 2014, circuit overseers appoint elders and ministerial servants after discussion with congregation elders, without consulting with the branch office.[60]
The Governing Body continues to directly appoint branch office committee members and traveling overseers,[60][61] and only such direct appointees are described as "representatives of the Governing Body."[62][63]
Relationship with "faithful and discreet slave"
Main article: Faithful and discreet slave
The Governing Body is said to provide "spiritual food" for Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide.[64][65][66] Until late 2012, the Governing Body described itself as the representative[50][67] and "spokesman" for God's "faithful and discreet slave class" (approximately 11,800 Witnesses who profess to be anointed) who are collectively said to be God's "prophet"[68] and "channel for new spiritual light".[69][70] The Governing Body does not consult with the other anointed Witnesses whom it was said to represent when formulating policy and doctrines or approving material for publications and conventions; the authority of the Governing Body was presumed to be analogous to that of the older men of Jerusalem in cases such as the first-century circumcision issue.[71] The majority of Witnesses who profess to be anointed have no authority to contribute to the development or change of doctrines.[72][73][74] Anointed Witnesses are instructed to remain modest and avoid "wildly speculating about things that are still unclear," instead waiting for God to reveal his purposes[74] in The Watchtower.[75]
In 2009, The Watchtower indicated that the dissemination of "new spiritual light" is the responsibility of only "a limited number" of the "slave class", asking: "Are all these anointed ones throughout the earth part of a global network that is somehow involved in revealing new spiritual truths? No."[76] In 2010 the society said that "deep truths" were discerned by "responsible representatives" of the "faithful and discreet slave class" at the religion's headquarters, and then considered by the entire Governing Body before making doctrinal decisions.[77] In August 2011, the Governing Body cast doubt on other members' claims of being anointed, stating that "A number of factors—including past religious beliefs or even mental or emotional imbalance—might cause some to assume mistakenly that they have the heavenly calling." The Governing Body also stated that "we have no way of knowing the exact number of anointed ones on earth; nor do we need to know", and that it "does not maintain a global network of anointed ones."[78] At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Watch Tower Society, the "faithful and discreet slave" was redefined as referring to the Governing Body only and the terms are now synonymous.[79]
Governing Body members
Current
As of March 2014, the following people are members of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses[8] (year appointed in parentheses):
Samuel Herd (1999)[80]
Geoffrey Jackson (2005)[81]
M. Stephen Lett (1999)[80]
Gerrit Lösch (1994)[82][83]
Anthony Morris III (2005)[81]
Mark Sanderson (2012)[84][85]
David H. Splane (1999)[80]
Former
Prior to 1971, various Watch Tower Society directors were informally identified as members of the "governing body". Jehovah's Witnesses publications began capitalizing Governing Body as a proper noun in 1971; The Watchtower that year announced "The present Governing Body comprises eleven anointed witnesses of Jehovah." These eleven members are indicated in italics in the list below.[86][87] Years active are shown in parentheses. All members served until their deaths unless specified.
Thomas J. Sullivan (1932–1974)[88][89][90]
Grant Suiter (1938–1983)[91][92]
Nathan Homer Knorr (1940–1977)—4th President of Watch Tower Society[93][94]
Frederick William Franz (1944–1992)—5th President of Watch Tower Society[95][96]
Lyman Alexander Swingle (1945–2001)[97]
Milton George Henschel (1947–2003)—6th President of Watch Tower Society[88]
John O. Groh (1965–1975)[88]
Raymond Franz (1971–1980)[39][88][98][99][100] – Resigned
George D. Gangas (1971–1994)[101]
Leo K. Greenlees (1971–1984)[102][103] – Resigned
William K. Jackson (1971–1981)[88]
William Lloyd Barry (1974–1999)[104][105]
John C. Booth (1974–1996)[106]
Ewart Chitty (1974–1979)[107][108] – Resigned
Charles J. Fekel (1974–1977)[109]
Theodore Jaracz (1974–2010)[110][111][112]
Karl F. Klein (1974–2001)[113]
Albert D. Schroeder (1974–2006)[114]
Daniel Sydlik (1974–2006)[115]
Carey W. Barber (1977–2007)[116]
John E. Barr (1977–2010)[117][118]
Martin Pötzinger (1977–1988)[119]
Guy Hollis Pierce (1999–2014) [6][120]
See also
Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
References
1.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 216. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
2.^ Jump up to: a b "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 703. November 15, 1972.
3.Jump up ^ "Our active leader today", The Watchtower, September 15, 2010, page 27, "They recognize, however, that Christ is using a small group of anointed Christian men as a Governing Body to lead and direct his disciples on earth."
4.Jump up ^ "Bearing Thorough Witness" About God's Kingdom. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. 2009. p. 110.
5.Jump up ^ As of September 2005, twelve members listed (See The Watchtower, March 15, 2006, page 26)
 Schroeder died March 8, 2006. (See The Watchtower, September 15, 2006, page 31)
 Sydlik died April 18, 2006. (See The Watchtower, January 1, 2007, page 8)
 Barber died April 8, 2007. (See The Watchtower, October 15, 2007, page 31)
 Jaracz died June 9, 2010. (See The Watchtower, November 15, 2010, page 23)
 Barr died December 4, 2010. (See The Watchtower, May 15, 2011, page 6)
 Mark Sanderson appointed in September 2012 "A New Member of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, July 15, 2013, page 26.[1]
6.^ Jump up to: a b "Guy H. Pierce, Member of the Governing Body, Dies at 79"
7.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 217. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (2007). Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. pp. 4, 6.
9.Jump up ^ Botting, Heather & Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 178. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7.
10.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. p. 123. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. p. 58. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
12.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. pp. 186, footnote. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
13.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 162–163, 214. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
14.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 61–62. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
15.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 59. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
16.Jump up ^ The Watchtower: 216, paragraph 24. July 15, 1943. Missing or empty |title= (help)
17.Jump up ^ The Watchtower: 328, paragraph 32. November 1, 1944. Missing or empty |title= (help)
18.Jump up ^ Qualified to be Ministers. Watch Tower Society. 1955. p. 381. cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience, page 74
19.Jump up ^ "Divine Will International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses", The Watchtower, February 15, 1959, page 115, "So with intense interest the spiritual governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses watched the developments... Without delay the president of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society closed a contract with the owners to use the Polo Grounds simultaneously with Yankee Stadium."
20.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society. 1970. p. 65.
21.^ Jump up to: a b Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. p. 57. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
22.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond. Crisis of Conscience. p. 44. The seven directors at October 20 were Nathan Knorr, Fred Franz, Grant Suiter, Thomas Sullivan, Milton Henschel, Lyman Swingle and John Groh. The additional four to form the Governing Body were William Jackson, Leo Greenlees, George Gangas and Raymond Franz.
23.Jump up ^ Testimony by Fred Franz, Lord Strachan vs. Douglas Walsh Transcript, Lord Strachan vs. Douglas Walsh, 1954, as cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience, 2007, page 75-76.
24.^ Jump up to: a b "Theocratic Organization with Which to Move Forward Now; A Governing Body as Different from a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower. December 15, 1971.
25.^ Jump up to: a b "A Governing Body as Different from a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower: 761. December 15, 1971.
26.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. 1972. pp. 254–257.
27.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. p. 78. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
28.Jump up ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 703. November 15, 1972.
29.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 44–110. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
30.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 228. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
31.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. p. 45. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
32.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. p. 46. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
33.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 215. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
34.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 81–105. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
35.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 80–107. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
36.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses–Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. pp. 108–109.
37.^ Jump up to: a b Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 117–123. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
38.^ Jump up to: a b Botting, Heather & Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 158–165. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7.
39.^ Jump up to: a b "Witness Under Prosecution", Richard H. Ostling, Anne Constable, Time Magazine, February 22, 1982.
40.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). "11-12". Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press.
41.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 219, 297–302, 319. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
42.Jump up ^ "Jehovah’s Provision, the “Given Ones”", The Watchtower, April 15, 1992, pages 16-17
43.Jump up ^ "Announcement", The Watchtower, April 15, 1992, page 31
44.Jump up ^ "Organizing for Further Expansion", 1993 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©Watch Tower, pages 253-254
45.Jump up ^ "Governing Body Addition", The Watchtower, November 1, 1994, page 29, "The new member is Gerrit Lösch. ... Lösch has served in the Executive Offices and as an assistant to the Service Committee."
46.Jump up ^ "New Members of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, January 1, 2000, page 29, "The new members, all anointed Christians, are Samuel F. Herd; M. Stephen Lett; Guy H. Pierce; and David H. Splane. Samuel Herd ... was also serving as a helper to the Service Committee. Stephen Lett ... was a helper to the Teaching Committee. Guy Pierce ... had been serving as a helper to the Personnel Committee. David Splane ... had been a helper to the Writing Committee."
47.Jump up ^ "New Members of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, March 15, 2006, page 26, "Geoffrey W. Jackson and Anthony Morris III—would be added to the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. ... In April 2003, [Jackson] became part of the United States Bethel family and began to work in the Translation Services Department. Soon thereafter, Brother Jackson was made a helper to the Teaching Committee of the Governing Body ... 2002 [Morris] worked in the Service Department at Patterson and later as a helper to the Service Committee of the Governing Body."
48.Jump up ^ "Walking in the Path of Increasing Light", The Watchtower, February 15, 2006, page 28
49.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower: 29. 15 January 2001.
50.^ Jump up to: a b The Watchtower, May 15, 2008, page 29
51.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body is Organized", The Watchtower, May 15, 2008, page 29.
52.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 218. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
53.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 85, 115. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
54.Jump up ^ "A History-Making Meeting", The Watchtower, Aug. 15, 2011, page 21.
55.Jump up ^ "Schools That Teach Jehovah's Ways", 2012 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 13-17.
56.Jump up ^ "Theocratic Schools-Evidence of Jehovah's Love", The Watchtower, September 15, 2012, page 13-17.
57.Jump up ^ "A “Body of Elders” with Rotating Chairmanship", The Watchtower, November 15, 1971, pages 699,700, "how will the “body of elders” in each congregation be selected? The governing body through the Watch Tower Society will send out a letter asking the committee that now looks after each congregation’s activity to...prayerfully consider who within your congregation really meets the qualifications of an elder or overseer. ...Then recommendations will be made to the governing body. ...After the governing body receives recommendations from the congregation, then proper appointments will be made. The governing body will do the appointing of elders in every congregation and this information will be sent out by the governing body through the various offices of the Society throughout the world."
58.Jump up ^ Hope Based on the Unfolding Purpose of God", The Watchtower, February 1, 1975, page 86
59.Jump up ^ "Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 15
60.^ Jump up to: a b "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 28–30. 15 November 2014.
61.Jump up ^ "Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 15, "In addition to appointing Branch Committee members, the Governing Body appoints Bethel elders and traveling overseers. However, they do commission responsible brothers to act for them in making certain other appointments."
62.Jump up ^ "“Keep Holding Men of That Sort Dear”", The Watchtower, October 1, 1988, page 18-19, "[The] traveling overseers sent forth by the Governing Body to preach the good news and help the congregations should be received hospitably and with respect. ...Elders, in particular, should show proper respect for these visiting representatives of the Governing Body. They are sent to the congregations because of their spiritual qualities and their experience, which is usually more extensive than that of many local elders." [emph added]
63.Jump up ^ "Cooperating With the Governing Body Today", The Watchtower, March 15, 1990, pages 19-20, "Since February 1, 1976, each of the branches of the Watch Tower Society has had a Branch Committee made up of capable men appointed by the Governing Body. As representatives of the Governing Body for the country or countries under the supervision of their branch, these brothers must be faithful, loyal men. ...Branch Committees recommend mature, spiritual men to serve as circuit and district overseers. After being appointed directly by the Governing Body, they serve as traveling overseers. These brothers visit circuits and congregations in order to build them up spiritually and help them apply instructions received from the Governing Body." [emph added]
64.Jump up ^ "The Watchtower and Awake!—Timely Journals of Truth". The Watchtower: 21. January 1, 1994.
65.Jump up ^ "Building for an Eternal Future". The Watchtower: 25. January 1, 1986.
66.Jump up ^ 2012 Annual Meeting Program (Gov. Body is "Faithful & Discreet Slave" explained in 8 minute clip)
67.Jump up ^ "Seek God's guidance in all things", The Watchtower, April 15, 2008, page 11.
68.Jump up ^ "‘They Shall Know that a Prophet Was Among Them’". The Watchtower: 200. April 1, 1972. "the modern-day “prophet,” the spirit-begotten, anointed ones who are the nucleus of Jehovah’s witnesses today"
69.Jump up ^ "The Things Revealed Belong to Us", The Watchtower, May 15, 1986, page 13.
70.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. p. 153. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
71.Jump up ^ The Faithful Steward and Its Governing Body, The Watchtower, June 15, 2009, page 24 ¶18
72.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 211. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
73.Jump up ^ "The faithful slave and its governing body", The Watchtower, June 15, 2009, pages 23-24, "They do not believe that their being of the anointed gives them special insights beyond what even some experienced members of the "great crowd" may have. They do not believe that they necessarily have more holy spirit than their companions of the 'other sheep' have. They do not expect special treatment; nor do they claim that their partaking of the emblems places them above the appointed elders in the congregation."
74.^ Jump up to: a b "A Secret Christians Dare Not Keep!", The Watchtower, June 1, 1997, page 14.
75.Jump up ^ "Insight That Jehovah Has Given", The Watchtower, March 15, 1989, page 22, "It is through the columns of The Watchtower that explanations of vital Scriptural truths have been provided for us by Jehovah’s 'faithful and discreet slave.' The Watchtower is the principal instrument used by the 'slave' class for dispensing spiritual food."
76.Jump up ^ "The faithful slave and its governing body", The Watchtower, June 15, 2009, pages 23-24.
77.Jump up ^ "The Spirit Searches into the Deep Things of God", The Watchtower, July 15, 2010, page 23, "When the time comes to clarify a spiritual matter in our day, holy spirit helps responsible representatives of 'the faithful and discreet slave' at world headquarters to discern deep truths that were not previously understood. The Governing Body as a whole considers adjusted explanations. What they learn, they publish for the benefit of all."
78.Jump up ^ "Question From Readers", "The Watchtower", August 15, 2011, page 22
79.Jump up ^ "Annual Meeting Report".
80.^ Jump up to: a b c "New Members of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, January 1, 2000, page 29
81.^ Jump up to: a b "New Members of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, March 15, 2006, page 26
82.Jump up ^ "Governing Body Addition", The Watchtower, November 1, 1994, page 29
83.Jump up ^ "Losing a Father—Finding a Father", The Watchtower, July 15, 2014, page 17-22
84.Jump up ^ "A New Member of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, July 15, 2013, page 26.
85.Jump up ^ Interviews - 133rd Gilead Class (stated at video b. Mark Sanderson of Gov. Body)
86.Jump up ^ "A Governing Body as Different from a Legal Corporation", The Watchtower, December 15, 1971, page 762
87.Jump up ^ "The Governing Body", 1973 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©Watch Tower, page 257, "The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses consists of eleven brothers, all anointed of God. They are as follows: Frederick W. Franz, Raymond V. Franz, George D. Gangas, Leo K. Greenlees, John O. Groh, Milton G. Henschel, William K. Jackson, Nathan H. Knorr, Grant Suiter, Thomas J. Sullivan and Lyman A. Swingle."
88.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 273–336. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
89.Jump up ^ "He Ran for “The Prize of the Upward Call” and Won!", The Watchtower, September 15, 1974, page 554, "On October 31, 1932, he [Sullivan] was made a member of the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; he was also one of the eleven-member governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses."
90.Jump up ^ "A Time of Testing (1914-1918)", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, ©1993 Watch Tower, page 71, "Thomas (Bud) Sullivan, who later served as a member of the Governing Body, recalled: “It was my privilege to visit Brooklyn Bethel in the late summer of 1918 during the brothers’ incarceration."
91.Jump up ^ "The corporation, the WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY, pursuant to its charter and by-laws, and the laws of the State of Pennsylvania, held its annual meeting at Pittsburgh, North Side, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on the first day of October, A.D. 1938, at which annual meeting a Board of Directors was elected as follows, to wit: J. F. Rutherford, C. A. Wise, W. E. Van Amburgh, H. H. Riemer, T. J. Sullivan, Wm. P. Heath, Jr., and Grant Suiter, to hold office for a period of three years, or until their successors are duly elected." - 1939 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, "Election", page 195
92.Jump up ^ "A Loyal Fighter Passes On", The Watchtower, February 1, 1984, page 9.
93.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, "Background of N. H. Knorr", page 91: "On June 10, 1940, he became the vice-president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (Pennsylvania corporation)."
94.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, July 15, 1977, "Firm to the End", page 441.
95.Jump up ^ "Service Assembly and Annual Meeting—Pittsburg", The Watchtower, November 1, 1944, page 334.
96.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 28.
97.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses–Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. p. 91.
98.Jump up ^ "Announcements", Our Kingdom Ministry, August 1980, page 2, "Raymond Victor Franz is no longer a member of the Governing Body and of the Brooklyn Bethel family as of May 22, 1980."
99.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
100.Jump up ^ Beverley, James A. (1986). Crisis of Allegiance. Burlington, Ontario: Welch Publishing Company. p. 71. ISBN 0-920413-37-4.
101.Jump up ^ "His Deeds Follow Him", The Watchtower, December 1, 1994, page 31.
102.Jump up ^ 1986 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©Watch Tower, page 255
103.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 322, 393. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
104.Jump up ^ "Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses Enlarged", The Watchtower, January 15, 1975, page 60
105.Jump up ^ "We Were a Team", The Watchtower, April 1, 2001, page 24.
106.Jump up ^ "He Humbly Served Jehovah", The Watchtower, June 15, 1996, page 32.
107.Jump up ^ "Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses Enlarged", 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©Watch Tower, page 60
108.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. 1980. pp. 257–258.
109.Jump up ^ "A Joyful Perseverer in Good Work", The Watchtower, July 1, 1977, page 399.
110.Jump up ^ "Gilead Sends Missionaries “to the Most Distant Part of the Earth”", The Watchtower, December 15, 1999, page 28, "Theodore Jaracz, a member of the Governing Body, who himself graduated with Gilead’s seventh class in 1946"
111.Jump up ^ "Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses Enlarged", The Watchtower, January 15, 1975, page 60
112.Jump up ^ Theodore Jaracz Memorial Service Brochure (1.4MB)
113.Jump up ^ "Jehovah Has Dealt Rewardingly With Me", The Watchtower, October 1, 1984, page 21.
114.Jump up ^ "His Delight Was in the Law of Jehovah", The Watchtower, September 15, 2006, page 31.
115.Jump up ^ "How Priceless Your Friendship, O God!", The Watchtower, June 1, 1985, page 27.
116.Jump up ^ "Rejoicing Over "Victory With the Lamb", The Watchtower, October 15, 2007, page 31.
117.Jump up ^ "Britain", 2000 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©Watch Tower, page 130
118.Jump up ^ "New Members of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, November 15, 1977, page 680
119.Jump up ^ "A Staunch Fighter for the Truth", The Watchtower, September 15, 1988, page 31.
120.Jump up ^ "He ‘Knew the Way’", The Watchtower, December 15, 2014, page 3.
  


Categories: Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
Governing assemblies of religious organizations





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Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses

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Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is the ruling council of Jehovah's Witnesses[1] based in Brooklyn, New York. The body formulates doctrines, oversees the production of written material for publications and conventions, and administers the group's worldwide operations.[2][3] Official publications refer to members of the Governing Body as followers of Christ rather than religious leaders.[4]
Its size has varied, from seven (2014–present)[5][6] to eighteen (1974–1980)[7] members.[8][9] New members of the Governing Body are selected by existing members.[10]


Contents  [hide]
1 History 1.1 Reorganization
1.2 Headquarters purge
1.3 Helpers
1.4 2000 and beyond
2 Committees
3 Representatives
4 Relationship with "faithful and discreet slave"
5 Governing Body members 5.1 Current
5.2 Former
6 See also
7 References

History
Since its incorporation in 1884, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania has been directed by a president and board of directors. Until January 1976, the president exercised complete control of doctrines, publications and activities of the Watch Tower Society and the religious denominations with which it was connected—the Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses.[11][12][13] When the Society's second president, J.F. Rutherford, encountered opposition from directors in 1917, he dismissed them. In 1925 he overruled the Watch Tower Society's editorial committee when it opposed publication of an article about disputed doctrines regarding the year 1914. In 1931, the editorial committee was dissolved.[14][15]
In 1943 The Watchtower described the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society as the "legal governing body" of anointed Jehovah's Witnesses.[16] A year later, in an article opposing the democratic election of congregation elders, the magazine said the appointment of such ones was the duty of "a visible governing body under Jehovah God and his Christ."[17] For several years, the role and specific identity of the governing body remained otherwise undefined. A 1955 organizational handbook stated that "the visible governing body has been closely identified with the board of directors of this corporation."[18] Referring to events related to their 1957 convention, a 1959 publication said "the spiritual governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses watched the developments [then] the president of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society [acted]."[19] The 1970 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses noted that the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania was the organization used to plan the activity of Jehovah's Witnesses and provide them with "spiritual food", then declared: "So really the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses is the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania."[20]



Frederick Franz at Watch Tower Society headquarters in Brooklyn.
On October 1, 1971, Watch Tower Society vice-president Frederick Franz addressed the annual meeting of the Pennsylvania corporation in Buckingham, Pennsylvania, stating that the legal corporation of the Watch Tower Society was an "agency" or "temporary instrument" used by the Governing Body on behalf of the "faithful and discreet slave".[21] Three weeks later, on October 20, four additional men joined the seven members of the Society's board of directors on what became known as a separate, expanded Governing Body.[22] The board of directors had until then met only sporadically, usually to discuss the purchase of property or new equipment, leaving decisions about Watch Tower Society literature to the president and vice-president, Nathan Knorr and Fred Franz.[21][23] The Watchtower of December 15, 1971 was the first to unambiguously capitalize the term "Governing Body of Jehovah's witnesses" as the defined group leading the religion, with a series of articles explaining its role and its relationship with the Watch Tower Society.[2][24]
The focus on the new concept of "theocratic" leadership was accompanied by statements that the structure was not actually new: The Watch Tower declared that "a governing body made its appearance" some time after the formation of Zion's Watch Tower Society in 1884,[25] though it had not been referred to as such at the time.[11] The article stated that Watch Tower Society president Charles Taze Russell had been a member of the governing body.[25] The 1972 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses stated that following Rutherford's death in 1942 "one of the first things that the governing body decided upon was the inauguration of the Theocratic Ministry School" and added that the "governing body" had published millions of books and Bibles in the previous thirty years.[26] Former member of the Governing Body, Raymond Franz, stated that the actions of presidents Russell, Rutherford and Knorr in overriding and failing to consult with directors proved the Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses had been under a monarchical rule until 1976, leaving no decisions to any "governing body".[27]
In 1972, a Question From Readers article in The Watchtower further reinforced the concept of the "Governing Body"; the magazine said the term referred to an agency that administers policy and provides organizational direction, guidance and regulation and was therefore "appropriate, fitting and Scriptural."[24][28] Organizational changes at the highest levels of the Watch Tower Society in 1976 significantly increased the powers and authority of the Governing Body.[29] The body has never had a legal corporate existence and operates through the Watch Tower Society and its board of directors.[30]
Reorganization
After its formal establishment in 1971, the Governing Body met regularly but, according to Raymond Franz, only briefly; Franz claims meetings were sometimes as short as seven minutes,[31] to make decisions about branch appointments and conduct that should be considered disfellowshipping offenses.[32][33] Franz claims that in 1971 and again in 1975, the Governing Body debated the extent of the authority it should be given.[34] The Governing Body voted in December 1975 to establish six operating committees to oversee the various administrative requirement of the organization's worldwide activities that formerly had been under the direction of the president; furthermore, each branch overseer was to be replaced by a branch committee of at least three members.[35] The change, which took effect on January 1, 1976, was described in the Watch Tower Society's 1993 history book, Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, as "one of the most significant organizational readjustments in the modern-day history of Jehovah's Witnesses."[36]
Headquarters purge
In 1980, dissent arose among members of the Governing Body regarding the significance of 1914 in Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrines. According to former Witnesses James Penton and Heather and Gary Botting, internal dissatisfaction with official doctrines continued to grow, leading to a series of secret investigations and judicial hearings. Consequently, dissenting members were expelled from the Brooklyn headquarters staff in the same year.[37][38][39] Raymond Franz claimed he was forced to resign from the Governing Body, and he was later disfellowshipped from the religion.
The Watch Tower Society responded to the dissent with a more severe attitude regarding the treatment of expelled Witnesses.[37][38][40] In his 1997 study of the religion, Penton concluded that since Raymond Franz's expulsion in 1980, the Governing Body displayed an increased level of conservatism, sturdy resistance to changes of policy and doctrines, and an increased tendency to isolate dissidents within the organization by means of disfellowshipping.[41]
Helpers
The April 15, 1992 issue of The Watchtower carried an article entitled Jehovah’s Provision, the “Given Ones” which drew a parallel between ancient non-Israelites who had been assigned temple duties (the "Nethinim" and "sons of the servants of Solomon") and Witness elders in positions of responsibility immediately under the oversight of the Governing Body who did not profess to be "anointed".[42]
Both that issue of The Watchtower and the 1993 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses carried the same announcement:

In view of the tremendous increase worldwide, it seems appropriate at this time to provide the Governing Body with some additional assistance. Therefore it has been decided to invite several helpers, mainly from among the great crowd, to share in the meetings of each of the Governing Body Committees, that is, the Personnel, Publishing, Service, Teaching, and Writing Committees. Thus, the number attending the meetings of each of these committees will be increased to seven or eight. Under the direction of the Governing Body committee members, these assistants will take part in discussions and will carry out various assignments given them by the committee. This new arrangement goes into effect May 1, 1992. For many years now, the number of the remnant of anointed Witnesses has been decreasing, while the number of the great crowd has increased beyond our grandest expectations.[43][44]
Each of the current Governing Body members served as a committee "helper" before being appointed to the Governing Body itself.[45][46][47] The appointment of helpers to the Governing Body committees was described in 2006 as "still another refinement."[48]
2000 and beyond
Until 2000, the directors and officers of the Watch Tower Society were members of the Governing Body. Since then, members of the ecclesiastical Governing Body have not served as directors of any of the various corporations used by Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Governing Body has delegated such administrative responsibilities to other members of the religion.[49]
Committees
The Governing Body functions by means of its six committees, which carry out various administrative functions.[50] Each committee is assisted by "helpers," who do not necessarily profess to be of the "anointed". Governing Body meetings are held weekly in closed session.[51] According to Raymond Franz, decisions of the body were required to be unanimous until 1975, after which a two-thirds majority of the full body was required, regardless of the number present.[52][53]
The Personnel Committee arranges for volunteers to serve in the organization's headquarters and worldwide branch offices, which are each referred to as Bethel. It oversees arrangements for the personal and spiritual assistance of Bethel staff, as well as the selection and invitation of new Bethel members.
The Publishing Committee supervises the printing, publishing and shipping of literature, as well as legal matters involved in printing, such as obtaining property for printing facilities. It is responsible for overseeing factories, properties, and financial operations of corporations used by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The Service Committee supervises the evangelical activity of Jehovah's Witnesses, which includes traveling overseers, pioneers, and the activities of congregation publishers. It oversees communication between the international headquarters, branch offices, and the congregations. It examines annual reports of preaching activity from the branches. It is responsible for inviting members to attend the Gilead school, the Bible School for Single Brothers,[54] and the Traveling Overseers’ School, and for assigning postgraduate students of these schools to their places of service.[55][56]
The Teaching Committee arranges congregation meetings, special assembly days, circuit assemblies, and district and international conventions as well as various schools for elders, ministerial servants, pioneers and missionaries, such as Gilead school. It supervises preparation of material to be used in teaching, and oversees the development of new audio and video programs.
The Writing Committee supervises the writing and translation of all material published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, including scripts for dramas and talk outlines. It responds to questions about scriptural, doctrinal, and moral issues, specific problems in the congregations, and the standing of members in congregations.
The Coordinator's Committee deals with emergencies, disaster relief and other matters, such as investigations. It comprises the coordinators, or a representative, from each of the other Governing Body committees and a secretary who is also a member of the Governing Body. It is responsible for the efficient operation of the other committees.
Representatives
Initially, the Governing Body directly appointed all congregation elders.[57] By 1975, the appointment of elders and ministerial servants was said to be "made directly by a governing body of spirit-anointed elders or by them through other elders representing this body."[58] In 2001, The Watchtower, stated that recommendations for such appointments were submitted to branch offices.[59] As of September 2014, circuit overseers appoint elders and ministerial servants after discussion with congregation elders, without consulting with the branch office.[60]
The Governing Body continues to directly appoint branch office committee members and traveling overseers,[60][61] and only such direct appointees are described as "representatives of the Governing Body."[62][63]
Relationship with "faithful and discreet slave"
Main article: Faithful and discreet slave
The Governing Body is said to provide "spiritual food" for Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide.[64][65][66] Until late 2012, the Governing Body described itself as the representative[50][67] and "spokesman" for God's "faithful and discreet slave class" (approximately 11,800 Witnesses who profess to be anointed) who are collectively said to be God's "prophet"[68] and "channel for new spiritual light".[69][70] The Governing Body does not consult with the other anointed Witnesses whom it was said to represent when formulating policy and doctrines or approving material for publications and conventions; the authority of the Governing Body was presumed to be analogous to that of the older men of Jerusalem in cases such as the first-century circumcision issue.[71] The majority of Witnesses who profess to be anointed have no authority to contribute to the development or change of doctrines.[72][73][74] Anointed Witnesses are instructed to remain modest and avoid "wildly speculating about things that are still unclear," instead waiting for God to reveal his purposes[74] in The Watchtower.[75]
In 2009, The Watchtower indicated that the dissemination of "new spiritual light" is the responsibility of only "a limited number" of the "slave class", asking: "Are all these anointed ones throughout the earth part of a global network that is somehow involved in revealing new spiritual truths? No."[76] In 2010 the society said that "deep truths" were discerned by "responsible representatives" of the "faithful and discreet slave class" at the religion's headquarters, and then considered by the entire Governing Body before making doctrinal decisions.[77] In August 2011, the Governing Body cast doubt on other members' claims of being anointed, stating that "A number of factors—including past religious beliefs or even mental or emotional imbalance—might cause some to assume mistakenly that they have the heavenly calling." The Governing Body also stated that "we have no way of knowing the exact number of anointed ones on earth; nor do we need to know", and that it "does not maintain a global network of anointed ones."[78] At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Watch Tower Society, the "faithful and discreet slave" was redefined as referring to the Governing Body only and the terms are now synonymous.[79]
Governing Body members
Current
As of March 2014, the following people are members of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses[8] (year appointed in parentheses):
Samuel Herd (1999)[80]
Geoffrey Jackson (2005)[81]
M. Stephen Lett (1999)[80]
Gerrit Lösch (1994)[82][83]
Anthony Morris III (2005)[81]
Mark Sanderson (2012)[84][85]
David H. Splane (1999)[80]
Former
Prior to 1971, various Watch Tower Society directors were informally identified as members of the "governing body". Jehovah's Witnesses publications began capitalizing Governing Body as a proper noun in 1971; The Watchtower that year announced "The present Governing Body comprises eleven anointed witnesses of Jehovah." These eleven members are indicated in italics in the list below.[86][87] Years active are shown in parentheses. All members served until their deaths unless specified.
Thomas J. Sullivan (1932–1974)[88][89][90]
Grant Suiter (1938–1983)[91][92]
Nathan Homer Knorr (1940–1977)—4th President of Watch Tower Society[93][94]
Frederick William Franz (1944–1992)—5th President of Watch Tower Society[95][96]
Lyman Alexander Swingle (1945–2001)[97]
Milton George Henschel (1947–2003)—6th President of Watch Tower Society[88]
John O. Groh (1965–1975)[88]
Raymond Franz (1971–1980)[39][88][98][99][100] – Resigned
George D. Gangas (1971–1994)[101]
Leo K. Greenlees (1971–1984)[102][103] – Resigned
William K. Jackson (1971–1981)[88]
William Lloyd Barry (1974–1999)[104][105]
John C. Booth (1974–1996)[106]
Ewart Chitty (1974–1979)[107][108] – Resigned
Charles J. Fekel (1974–1977)[109]
Theodore Jaracz (1974–2010)[110][111][112]
Karl F. Klein (1974–2001)[113]
Albert D. Schroeder (1974–2006)[114]
Daniel Sydlik (1974–2006)[115]
Carey W. Barber (1977–2007)[116]
John E. Barr (1977–2010)[117][118]
Martin Pötzinger (1977–1988)[119]
Guy Hollis Pierce (1999–2014) [6][120]
See also
Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
References
1.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 216. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
2.^ Jump up to: a b "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 703. November 15, 1972.
3.Jump up ^ "Our active leader today", The Watchtower, September 15, 2010, page 27, "They recognize, however, that Christ is using a small group of anointed Christian men as a Governing Body to lead and direct his disciples on earth."
4.Jump up ^ "Bearing Thorough Witness" About God's Kingdom. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. 2009. p. 110.
5.Jump up ^ As of September 2005, twelve members listed (See The Watchtower, March 15, 2006, page 26)
 Schroeder died March 8, 2006. (See The Watchtower, September 15, 2006, page 31)
 Sydlik died April 18, 2006. (See The Watchtower, January 1, 2007, page 8)
 Barber died April 8, 2007. (See The Watchtower, October 15, 2007, page 31)
 Jaracz died June 9, 2010. (See The Watchtower, November 15, 2010, page 23)
 Barr died December 4, 2010. (See The Watchtower, May 15, 2011, page 6)
 Mark Sanderson appointed in September 2012 "A New Member of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, July 15, 2013, page 26.[1]
6.^ Jump up to: a b "Guy H. Pierce, Member of the Governing Body, Dies at 79"
7.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 217. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
8.^ Jump up to: a b Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (2007). Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. pp. 4, 6.
9.Jump up ^ Botting, Heather & Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 178. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7.
10.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. p. 123. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. p. 58. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
12.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. pp. 186, footnote. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
13.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 162–163, 214. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
14.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 61–62. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
15.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 59. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
16.Jump up ^ The Watchtower: 216, paragraph 24. July 15, 1943. Missing or empty |title= (help)
17.Jump up ^ The Watchtower: 328, paragraph 32. November 1, 1944. Missing or empty |title= (help)
18.Jump up ^ Qualified to be Ministers. Watch Tower Society. 1955. p. 381. cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience, page 74
19.Jump up ^ "Divine Will International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses", The Watchtower, February 15, 1959, page 115, "So with intense interest the spiritual governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses watched the developments... Without delay the president of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society closed a contract with the owners to use the Polo Grounds simultaneously with Yankee Stadium."
20.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society. 1970. p. 65.
21.^ Jump up to: a b Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. p. 57. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
22.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond. Crisis of Conscience. p. 44. The seven directors at October 20 were Nathan Knorr, Fred Franz, Grant Suiter, Thomas Sullivan, Milton Henschel, Lyman Swingle and John Groh. The additional four to form the Governing Body were William Jackson, Leo Greenlees, George Gangas and Raymond Franz.
23.Jump up ^ Testimony by Fred Franz, Lord Strachan vs. Douglas Walsh Transcript, Lord Strachan vs. Douglas Walsh, 1954, as cited by Raymond Franz, Crisis of Conscience, 2007, page 75-76.
24.^ Jump up to: a b "Theocratic Organization with Which to Move Forward Now; A Governing Body as Different from a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower. December 15, 1971.
25.^ Jump up to: a b "A Governing Body as Different from a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower: 761. December 15, 1971.
26.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. 1972. pp. 254–257.
27.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. p. 78. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
28.Jump up ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 703. November 15, 1972.
29.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 44–110. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
30.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 228. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
31.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. p. 45. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
32.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. p. 46. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
33.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 215. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
34.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 81–105. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
35.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 80–107. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
36.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses–Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. pp. 108–109.
37.^ Jump up to: a b Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 117–123. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
38.^ Jump up to: a b Botting, Heather & Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 158–165. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7.
39.^ Jump up to: a b "Witness Under Prosecution", Richard H. Ostling, Anne Constable, Time Magazine, February 22, 1982.
40.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). "11-12". Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press.
41.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 219, 297–302, 319. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
42.Jump up ^ "Jehovah’s Provision, the “Given Ones”", The Watchtower, April 15, 1992, pages 16-17
43.Jump up ^ "Announcement", The Watchtower, April 15, 1992, page 31
44.Jump up ^ "Organizing for Further Expansion", 1993 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©Watch Tower, pages 253-254
45.Jump up ^ "Governing Body Addition", The Watchtower, November 1, 1994, page 29, "The new member is Gerrit Lösch. ... Lösch has served in the Executive Offices and as an assistant to the Service Committee."
46.Jump up ^ "New Members of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, January 1, 2000, page 29, "The new members, all anointed Christians, are Samuel F. Herd; M. Stephen Lett; Guy H. Pierce; and David H. Splane. Samuel Herd ... was also serving as a helper to the Service Committee. Stephen Lett ... was a helper to the Teaching Committee. Guy Pierce ... had been serving as a helper to the Personnel Committee. David Splane ... had been a helper to the Writing Committee."
47.Jump up ^ "New Members of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, March 15, 2006, page 26, "Geoffrey W. Jackson and Anthony Morris III—would be added to the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. ... In April 2003, [Jackson] became part of the United States Bethel family and began to work in the Translation Services Department. Soon thereafter, Brother Jackson was made a helper to the Teaching Committee of the Governing Body ... 2002 [Morris] worked in the Service Department at Patterson and later as a helper to the Service Committee of the Governing Body."
48.Jump up ^ "Walking in the Path of Increasing Light", The Watchtower, February 15, 2006, page 28
49.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower: 29. 15 January 2001.
50.^ Jump up to: a b The Watchtower, May 15, 2008, page 29
51.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body is Organized", The Watchtower, May 15, 2008, page 29.
52.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 218. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
53.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 85, 115. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
54.Jump up ^ "A History-Making Meeting", The Watchtower, Aug. 15, 2011, page 21.
55.Jump up ^ "Schools That Teach Jehovah's Ways", 2012 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 13-17.
56.Jump up ^ "Theocratic Schools-Evidence of Jehovah's Love", The Watchtower, September 15, 2012, page 13-17.
57.Jump up ^ "A “Body of Elders” with Rotating Chairmanship", The Watchtower, November 15, 1971, pages 699,700, "how will the “body of elders” in each congregation be selected? The governing body through the Watch Tower Society will send out a letter asking the committee that now looks after each congregation’s activity to...prayerfully consider who within your congregation really meets the qualifications of an elder or overseer. ...Then recommendations will be made to the governing body. ...After the governing body receives recommendations from the congregation, then proper appointments will be made. The governing body will do the appointing of elders in every congregation and this information will be sent out by the governing body through the various offices of the Society throughout the world."
58.Jump up ^ Hope Based on the Unfolding Purpose of God", The Watchtower, February 1, 1975, page 86
59.Jump up ^ "Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 15
60.^ Jump up to: a b "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower: 28–30. 15 November 2014.
61.Jump up ^ "Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 15, "In addition to appointing Branch Committee members, the Governing Body appoints Bethel elders and traveling overseers. However, they do commission responsible brothers to act for them in making certain other appointments."
62.Jump up ^ "“Keep Holding Men of That Sort Dear”", The Watchtower, October 1, 1988, page 18-19, "[The] traveling overseers sent forth by the Governing Body to preach the good news and help the congregations should be received hospitably and with respect. ...Elders, in particular, should show proper respect for these visiting representatives of the Governing Body. They are sent to the congregations because of their spiritual qualities and their experience, which is usually more extensive than that of many local elders." [emph added]
63.Jump up ^ "Cooperating With the Governing Body Today", The Watchtower, March 15, 1990, pages 19-20, "Since February 1, 1976, each of the branches of the Watch Tower Society has had a Branch Committee made up of capable men appointed by the Governing Body. As representatives of the Governing Body for the country or countries under the supervision of their branch, these brothers must be faithful, loyal men. ...Branch Committees recommend mature, spiritual men to serve as circuit and district overseers. After being appointed directly by the Governing Body, they serve as traveling overseers. These brothers visit circuits and congregations in order to build them up spiritually and help them apply instructions received from the Governing Body." [emph added]
64.Jump up ^ "The Watchtower and Awake!—Timely Journals of Truth". The Watchtower: 21. January 1, 1994.
65.Jump up ^ "Building for an Eternal Future". The Watchtower: 25. January 1, 1986.
66.Jump up ^ 2012 Annual Meeting Program (Gov. Body is "Faithful & Discreet Slave" explained in 8 minute clip)
67.Jump up ^ "Seek God's guidance in all things", The Watchtower, April 15, 2008, page 11.
68.Jump up ^ "‘They Shall Know that a Prophet Was Among Them’". The Watchtower: 200. April 1, 1972. "the modern-day “prophet,” the spirit-begotten, anointed ones who are the nucleus of Jehovah’s witnesses today"
69.Jump up ^ "The Things Revealed Belong to Us", The Watchtower, May 15, 1986, page 13.
70.Jump up ^ Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. p. 153. ISBN 0-914675-17-6.
71.Jump up ^ The Faithful Steward and Its Governing Body, The Watchtower, June 15, 2009, page 24 ¶18
72.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 211. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
73.Jump up ^ "The faithful slave and its governing body", The Watchtower, June 15, 2009, pages 23-24, "They do not believe that their being of the anointed gives them special insights beyond what even some experienced members of the "great crowd" may have. They do not believe that they necessarily have more holy spirit than their companions of the 'other sheep' have. They do not expect special treatment; nor do they claim that their partaking of the emblems places them above the appointed elders in the congregation."
74.^ Jump up to: a b "A Secret Christians Dare Not Keep!", The Watchtower, June 1, 1997, page 14.
75.Jump up ^ "Insight That Jehovah Has Given", The Watchtower, March 15, 1989, page 22, "It is through the columns of The Watchtower that explanations of vital Scriptural truths have been provided for us by Jehovah’s 'faithful and discreet slave.' The Watchtower is the principal instrument used by the 'slave' class for dispensing spiritual food."
76.Jump up ^ "The faithful slave and its governing body", The Watchtower, June 15, 2009, pages 23-24.
77.Jump up ^ "The Spirit Searches into the Deep Things of God", The Watchtower, July 15, 2010, page 23, "When the time comes to clarify a spiritual matter in our day, holy spirit helps responsible representatives of 'the faithful and discreet slave' at world headquarters to discern deep truths that were not previously understood. The Governing Body as a whole considers adjusted explanations. What they learn, they publish for the benefit of all."
78.Jump up ^ "Question From Readers", "The Watchtower", August 15, 2011, page 22
79.Jump up ^ "Annual Meeting Report".
80.^ Jump up to: a b c "New Members of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, January 1, 2000, page 29
81.^ Jump up to: a b "New Members of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, March 15, 2006, page 26
82.Jump up ^ "Governing Body Addition", The Watchtower, November 1, 1994, page 29
83.Jump up ^ "Losing a Father—Finding a Father", The Watchtower, July 15, 2014, page 17-22
84.Jump up ^ "A New Member of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, July 15, 2013, page 26.
85.Jump up ^ Interviews - 133rd Gilead Class (stated at video b. Mark Sanderson of Gov. Body)
86.Jump up ^ "A Governing Body as Different from a Legal Corporation", The Watchtower, December 15, 1971, page 762
87.Jump up ^ "The Governing Body", 1973 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©Watch Tower, page 257, "The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses consists of eleven brothers, all anointed of God. They are as follows: Frederick W. Franz, Raymond V. Franz, George D. Gangas, Leo K. Greenlees, John O. Groh, Milton G. Henschel, William K. Jackson, Nathan H. Knorr, Grant Suiter, Thomas J. Sullivan and Lyman A. Swingle."
88.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. pp. 273–336. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
89.Jump up ^ "He Ran for “The Prize of the Upward Call” and Won!", The Watchtower, September 15, 1974, page 554, "On October 31, 1932, he [Sullivan] was made a member of the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; he was also one of the eleven-member governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses."
90.Jump up ^ "A Time of Testing (1914-1918)", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, ©1993 Watch Tower, page 71, "Thomas (Bud) Sullivan, who later served as a member of the Governing Body, recalled: “It was my privilege to visit Brooklyn Bethel in the late summer of 1918 during the brothers’ incarceration."
91.Jump up ^ "The corporation, the WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY, pursuant to its charter and by-laws, and the laws of the State of Pennsylvania, held its annual meeting at Pittsburgh, North Side, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on the first day of October, A.D. 1938, at which annual meeting a Board of Directors was elected as follows, to wit: J. F. Rutherford, C. A. Wise, W. E. Van Amburgh, H. H. Riemer, T. J. Sullivan, Wm. P. Heath, Jr., and Grant Suiter, to hold office for a period of three years, or until their successors are duly elected." - 1939 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, "Election", page 195
92.Jump up ^ "A Loyal Fighter Passes On", The Watchtower, February 1, 1984, page 9.
93.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, "Background of N. H. Knorr", page 91: "On June 10, 1940, he became the vice-president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (Pennsylvania corporation)."
94.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, July 15, 1977, "Firm to the End", page 441.
95.Jump up ^ "Service Assembly and Annual Meeting—Pittsburg", The Watchtower, November 1, 1944, page 334.
96.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 28.
97.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses–Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. p. 91.
98.Jump up ^ "Announcements", Our Kingdom Ministry, August 1980, page 2, "Raymond Victor Franz is no longer a member of the Governing Body and of the Brooklyn Bethel family as of May 22, 1980."
99.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. p. 120. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
100.Jump up ^ Beverley, James A. (1986). Crisis of Allegiance. Burlington, Ontario: Welch Publishing Company. p. 71. ISBN 0-920413-37-4.
101.Jump up ^ "His Deeds Follow Him", The Watchtower, December 1, 1994, page 31.
102.Jump up ^ 1986 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©Watch Tower, page 255
103.Jump up ^ Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. pp. 322, 393. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
104.Jump up ^ "Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses Enlarged", The Watchtower, January 15, 1975, page 60
105.Jump up ^ "We Were a Team", The Watchtower, April 1, 2001, page 24.
106.Jump up ^ "He Humbly Served Jehovah", The Watchtower, June 15, 1996, page 32.
107.Jump up ^ "Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses Enlarged", 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©Watch Tower, page 60
108.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. 1980. pp. 257–258.
109.Jump up ^ "A Joyful Perseverer in Good Work", The Watchtower, July 1, 1977, page 399.
110.Jump up ^ "Gilead Sends Missionaries “to the Most Distant Part of the Earth”", The Watchtower, December 15, 1999, page 28, "Theodore Jaracz, a member of the Governing Body, who himself graduated with Gilead’s seventh class in 1946"
111.Jump up ^ "Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses Enlarged", The Watchtower, January 15, 1975, page 60
112.Jump up ^ Theodore Jaracz Memorial Service Brochure (1.4MB)
113.Jump up ^ "Jehovah Has Dealt Rewardingly With Me", The Watchtower, October 1, 1984, page 21.
114.Jump up ^ "His Delight Was in the Law of Jehovah", The Watchtower, September 15, 2006, page 31.
115.Jump up ^ "How Priceless Your Friendship, O God!", The Watchtower, June 1, 1985, page 27.
116.Jump up ^ "Rejoicing Over "Victory With the Lamb", The Watchtower, October 15, 2007, page 31.
117.Jump up ^ "Britain", 2000 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, ©Watch Tower, page 130
118.Jump up ^ "New Members of the Governing Body", The Watchtower, November 15, 1977, page 680
119.Jump up ^ "A Staunch Fighter for the Truth", The Watchtower, September 15, 1988, page 31.
120.Jump up ^ "He ‘Knew the Way’", The Watchtower, December 15, 2014, page 3.
  


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Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

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"Watch Tower Society" redirects here. For related corporations, including the Watchtower Society of New York, see Corporations of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
Watchtower.svg
Predecessor
Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society
Founded
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. (December 15, 1884)
Founder
Charles Taze Russell
Headquarters
New York City, New York, United States

Key people
 Don Adams (President)
Subsidiaries
Various
Part of a series on
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Overview

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History
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Unfulfilled predictions

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Bibliography

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People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

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The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is a non-stock, not-for-profit organization[1] headquartered in the New York City, New York borough of Brooklyn. It is the main legal entity used worldwide by Jehovah's Witnesses to direct, administer and develop doctrines for the religion and is often referred to by members of the religion simply as "the Society". It is the parent organization of a number of Watch Tower subsidiaries, including the Watchtower Society of New York and International Bible Students Association.[2] The number of voting shareholders of the corporation is limited to between 300 and 500 "mature, active and faithful" male Jehovah's Witnesses.[3] About 5800 Jehovah's Witnesses provide voluntary unpaid labour, as members of a religious order, in three large Watch Tower Society facilities in New York;[4] nearly 15,000 other members of the order work at the Watch Tower Society's other facilities worldwide.[4][5][6]
The organization was formed in 1881 as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society for the purpose of distributing religious tracts.[1] The society was incorporated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 15, 1884. In 1896, the society was renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.[7] Following a leadership dispute in the Bible Student movement, the Watch Tower Society remained associated with the branch of the movement that became known as Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1955, the corporation was renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.[8] In 1976, all activities of the Watch Tower Society were brought under the supervision of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.[9]


Contents  [hide]
1 History 1.1 Incorporation
1.2 Leadership dispute
1.3 Amendments to charter
1.4 Governing Body
1.5 Presidents
2 Operations
3 Property ownership 3.1 United States 3.1.1 Brooklyn property sales
3.2 Other countries
4 Directors 4.1 Current
4.2 Former
5 Criticism
6 See also
7 References
8 Bibliography

History[edit]
On February 16, 1881, Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society was formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, for the purpose of organizing the printing and distribution of religious tracts. William Henry Conley, a Pittsburgh industrialist and philanthropist, served as president, with Charles Taze Russell serving as secretary-treasurer.[10] The society's primary journal was Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christs Presence, first published in 1879 by Russell,[11] founder of the Bible Student movement.[12] Other early writers for the Watch Tower Society included J. H. Paton and W. I. Mann.[10][13] Formation of the society was announced in the April 1881 issue of Zion's Watch Tower.[14] That year, the society received donations of $35,391.18.[15]
Incorporation[edit]
On December 15, 1884, the society was incorporated as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in Pennsylvania as a non-profit, non-stock corporation with Russell as president. The corporation was located in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. In its charter, written by Russell, the society's purpose was stated as "the mental, moral and religious improvement of men and women, by teaching the Bible by means of the publication and distribution of Bibles, books, papers, pamphlets and other Bible literature, and by providing oral lectures free for the people".[16] The charter provided for a board of seven directors, three of who served as officers—a president, vice-president (initially William I. Mann) and secretary-treasurer (initially Maria Russell). The charter stipulated that the officers be chosen from the directors and be elected annually by ballot. Board members would hold office for life unless removed by a two-thirds vote by shareholders. Vacancies on the board resulting from death, resignation or removal would be filled by a majority vote of the remaining board members within 20 days; if such vacancies were not filled within 30 days an appointment could be made by the president, with the appointments lasting only until the next annual corporation meeting, when vacancies would be filled by election.[17]
Anyone subscribing to $10 or more of the society's Old Testament Tracts or donating $10 or more to the society was deemed a voting member and entitled to one vote per $10 donated.[17] Russell indicated that despite having a board and shareholders, the society would be directed by only two people—him and his wife Maria.[18] Russell said that as at December 1893 he and his wife owned 3705, or 58 percent, of the 6383 voting shares, "and thus control the Society; and this was fully understood by the directors from the first. Their usefulness, it was understood, would come to the front in the event of our death... For this reason, also, formal elections were not held; because it would be a mere farce, a deception, to call together voting shareholders from all over the world, at great expense, to find upon arrival that their coming was useless, Sister Russell and myself having more than a majority over all that could gather. However, no one was hindered from attending such elections." The influx of donations gradually diluted the proportion of the Russells' shares and in 1908 their voting shares constituted less than half the total.[19][20] Russell emphasized the limitations of the corporation, explaining: "Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society is not a 'religious society' in the ordinary meaning of this term"[21] He also stated, "This is a business association merely... It has no creed or confession. It is merely a business convenience in disseminating the truth."[17] Incorporation of the society meant that it would outlive Russell, so individuals who wished to bequeath their money or property to him would not have to alter their will if he died before they did.[22] On September 19, 1896, the name of the corporation was changed to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.[23]



Charles Taze Russell
From 1908 Russell required the directors to write out resignations when they were appointed so Russell could dismiss them by simply filling in the date.[19] In 1909, Russell instructed legal counsel Joseph Franklin Rutherford to determine whether the society's headquarters could be moved to Brooklyn, New York.[24] Rutherford reported that because it had been established under Pennsylvania law, the corporation could not be registered in New York state, but suggested that a new corporation be registered there to do the society's work. Rutherford subsequently organized the formation of the People's Pulpit Association, which was incorporated on February 23, 1909, and wrote the charter which gave the president—to be elected for life at the first meeting—"absolute power and control" of its activities in New York.[25][24] The society sold its buildings in Pittsburgh[26] and moved staff to its new base in Brooklyn. Although all New York property was bought in the name of the New York corporation and all legal affairs of the society done in its name, Russell insisted on the continued use of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society name on all correspondence and publications.[24]
The move from Pennsylvania to New York occurred during court proceedings over the breakdown of Russells' marriage. His wife Maria had been granted a "limited divorce" on March 4, 1908, but in 1909 returned to court in Pittsburgh to request an increase in alimony,[27] which her former husband refused.[28] Authors Barbara Grizzuti Harrison and Edmond C. Gruss have claimed Russell's move to Brooklyn was motivated by his desire to transfer from the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania courts. They claim he transferred all his assets to the Watch Tower Society so he could declare himself bankrupt and avoid being jailed for failure to pay alimony.[27][29][30]
In 1914, the International Bible Students Association was incorporated in Britain to administer affairs in that country. Like the People's Pulpit Association, it was subsidiary to the Pennsylvania parent organization and all work done through both subsidiaries was described as the work of the Watch Tower Society. The Watchtower noted: "The editor of The Watchtower is the President of all three of these Societies. All financial responsibility connected with the work proceeds from [the Pennsylvania corporation]. From it the other Societies and all the branches of the work receive their financial support... we use sometimes the one name and sometimes the other in various parts of our work—yet they all in the end mean the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, to which all donations should be made."[2]
Leadership dispute[edit]
Main article: Watch Tower Society presidency dispute (1917)
Russell died on October 31, 1916, in Pampa, Texas during a cross-country preaching trip. On January 6, 1917, board member and society legal counsel Joseph Franklin Rutherford, aged 47, was elected president of the Watch Tower Society, unopposed, at the Pittsburgh convention. Under his presidency, the role of the society underwent a major change.[31] By-laws passed by both the Pittsburgh convention and the board of directors stated that the president would be the executive officer and general manager of the society, giving him full charge of its affairs worldwide.[32]



Joseph Franklin Rutherford
By June 1917, four of the seven Watch Tower Society directors, Robert H. Hirsh, Alfred I. Ritchie, Isaac F. Hoskins and James D. Wright, had decided they had erred in endorsing Rutherford's expanded powers of management,[33] claiming Rutherford had become autocratic.[33] Hirsch attempted to rescind the new by-laws and reclaim the powers of management from the president,[34] but Rutherford later claimed he had by then detected a conspiracy among the directors to seize control of the society.[35] In July, Rutherford gained a legal opinion from a Philadelphia corporation lawyer that none of his opposers were legally directors of the society.
On July 12, 1917, Rutherford filled what he claimed were four vacancies on the board, appointing A. H. Macmillan and Pennsylvania Bible Students W. E. Spill, J. A. Bohnet and George H. Fisher as directors.[36] Between August and November the society and the four ousted directors published a series of pamphlets, with each side accusing the other of ambitious and reckless behavior. The former directors also claimed Rutherford had required all headquarters workers to sign a petition supporting him and threatened dismissal for any who refused to sign.[37] The former directors left the Brooklyn headquarters on August 8, 1917.[38] On January 5, 1918, Rutherford was returned to office.
In May 1918, Rutherford and seven other Watch Tower directors and officers were arrested on charges of sedition under the Espionage Act. On June 21, 1918, they were sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. Rutherford feared his opponents would gain control of the Society in his absence, but on January 2, 1919, he learned he had been re-elected president at the Pittsburgh convention the day before.[39] However, by mid-1919 about one in seven Bible Students had chosen to leave rather than accept Rutherford's leadership,[40] forming groups such as The Standfast Movement, Paul Johnson Movement, Dawn Bible Students Association, Pastoral Bible Institute of Brooklyn, Elijah Voice Movement and Eagle Society.[41]
Although formed as a "business convenience" with the purpose of publishing and distributing Bible-based literature and managing the funds necessary for that task, the corporation from the 1920s began its transformation into the "religious society" Russell had insisted it was not, introducing centralized control and regulation of Bible Student congregations worldwide.[42] In 1938, Rutherford introduced the term "theocracy" to describe the hierarchical leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses, with Consolation explaining: "The Theocracy is at present administered by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, of which Judge Rutherford is the president and general manager."[43] The society appointed "zone servants" to supervise congregations and in a Watchtower article Rutherford declared the need for congregations to "get in line" with the changed structure.[44][45]
Amendments to charter[edit]



Nathan Homer Knorr


Frederick William Franz


Milton George Henschel


Don Alden Adams
Following Rutherford's death in 1942, Nathan H. Knorr became president of the Watch Tower Society, and subsequently introduced further changes to the role of the society. At a series of talks given in Pittsburgh on September 30, 1944, coinciding with the society's annual meeting, it was announced that changes would be made to the 1884 charter to bring it into "closer harmony with theocratic principles". The amendments, most of which were passed unanimously,[46] significantly altered the terms of membership and stated for the first time that the society's purposes included preaching about God's kingdom, acting as a servant and governing agency of Jehovah's Witnesses, and sending missionaries and teachers for the public worship of God and Jesus Christ. The new charter, which took effect from January 1, 1945 included the following changes:
An altered and expanded explanation of article II, detailing the purpose of the society. This included the preaching of the gospel of God's kingdom to all nations; to print and distribute Bibles and disseminate Bible truths with literature explaining Bible truths and prophecy concerning the establishment of God's kingdom; to authorise and appoint agents, servants, employees, teachers evangelists, missionaries, ministers and others "to go all the world publicly and from house to house to preach Bible truths to persons willing to listen by leaving with such persons said literature and by conducting Bible studies thereon"; to improve people mentally and morally by instruction "on the Bible and incidental scientific, historical and literary subjects"; to establish and maintain Bible schools and classes; to "teach, train, prepare and equip men and women as ministers, missionaries, evangelists, preachers, teachers and instructors in the Bible and Bible literature, and for public Christian worship of Almighty God and Jesus Christ" and "to arrange for and hold local and worldwide assemblies for such worship".
An amendment to article V, detailing the qualifications for membership of the society. Each donation of $10 to the society funds had formerly entitled the contributor to one voting share; the amendment limited membership to "only men who are mature, active and faithful witnesses of Jehovah devoting full time to performance of one or more of its chartered purposes... or such men who are devoting part time as active presiding ministers or servants of congregations of Jehovah's witnesses". The amended article stipulated that "a man who is found to be in harmony with the purposes of the Society and who possesses the above qualifications may be elected as a member upon being nominated by a member, director or officer, or upon written application to the president or secretary. Such members shall be elected upon a finding by the Board of Directors that he possesses the necessary qualifications and by receiving a majority vote of the members." The amendment limited membership at any one time to between 300 and 500, including approximately seven residents of each of the 48 states of the US. It also introduced a clause providing for the suspension or expulsion of a member for wilfully violating the society's rules, or "becoming out of harmony with any of the Society's purposes or any of its work or for wilful conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Society and contrary to his duties as a member, or upon ceasing to be a full-time servant of the Society or a part-time servant of a congregation of Jehovah's witnesses".
An amendment to article VII, dealing with the governance of the society by its board of directors. The amendment deleted reference to adherence to the constitution and laws of Pennsylvania of the US. It also specified powers of the board including matters of finance and property.
An amendment to article VIII, detailing the office holders of the society and the terms of office and method of appointment of officers and directors. A clause stating that board members would hold office for life was deleted. The new clause provided for board membership for a maximum of three years, with directors qualifying for re-election at the expiration of their term.[47]
Governing Body[edit]
In 1976, direction of the Watch Tower Society and of the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide came under the control of the Governing Body, reducing the power of the society's president. The society has described the change as "one of the most significant organizational readjustments in the modern-day history of Jehovah's Witnesses."[48]
Following the death of Knorr in 1977, subsequent presidents of the Watch Tower Society have been Frederick W. Franz (June 1977 – December 1992); Milton G. Henschel (December 1992 – October 2000) and Don A. Adams (October 2000–).
Presidents[edit]

Name
Date of birth
Date of death
Started
Ended
William Henry Conley June 11, 1840 July 25, 1897 February 16, 1881 December, 1884
Incorporated
Charles Taze Russell February 16, 1852 October 31, 1916 December 15, 1884 October 31, 1916
Joseph Franklin Rutherford November 8, 1869 January 8, 1942 January 6, 1917 January 8, 1942
Nathan Homer Knorr April 23, 1905 June 8, 1977 January 13, 1942 June 8, 1977
Frederick William Franz September 12, 1893 December 22, 1992 June 22, 1977 December 22, 1992
Milton George Henschel August 9, 1920 March 22, 2003 December 30, 1992 October 7, 2000
Don Alden Adams 1925 – October 7, 2000 incumbent
Operations[edit]
The corporation is a major publisher of religious publications, including books, tracts, magazines and Bibles. By 1979, the society had 39 printing branches worldwide. In 1990, it was reported that in one year the society printed 696 million copies of its magazines, The Watchtower and Awake! as well as another 35,811,000 pieces of literature worldwide, which are offered door-to-door by Jehovah's Witnesses.[49] As of 2013, the Society prints more than 43 million of its public issues of these magazines each month, totaling over 1 billion annually.
The society describes its headquarters and branch office staff as volunteers rather than employees,[4] and identifies them as members of the Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses.[5] Workers receive a small monthly stipend[50] with meals and accommodation provided by the society. The "Bethel family" in the Brooklyn headquarters includes hairdressers, dentists, doctors, housekeepers and carpenters, as well as shops for repairing personal appliances, watches, shoes and clothing without charge for labor.[51]
The society files no publicly accessible financial figures, but reported in 2011 that it had spent more than $173 million that year "in caring for special pioneers, missionaries and traveling overseers in their field service assignments".[5][52] Donations obtained from the distribution of literature is a major source of income, most of which is used to promote its evangelical activities.[53]
Author James Beckford has claimed the status of voting members of the society is purely symbolic. He said they cannot be considered to be representatives of the mass of Jehovah's Witnesses and are in no position to challenge the actions or authority of the society's directors.[54]
Property ownership[edit]
United States[edit]
The corporation was first located at 44 Federal Street, Allegheny, Pennsylvania (the city was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907), but in 1889 moved to "Bible House", newly built premises at 56–60 Arch Street, Allegheny, owned by Russell's privately owned Tower Publishing Company. The new building contained an assembly hall seating about 200, as well as editorial, printing and shipping facilities and living quarters for some staff.[55] The title for the building was transferred in April 1898 to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
In 1909, the society moved its base to Brooklyn. A four-story brownstone parsonage formerly owned by Congregationalist clergyman and social reformer Henry Ward Beecher at 124 Columbia Heights was converted to a residence for a headquarters staff of 30, as well as an office for Russell. A former Plymouth church building at 13–17 Hicks Street was also purchased and converted into Watch Tower headquarters, with room for 350 staff. It contained an 800-seat assembly hall, shipping department and printing facilities.[56] The Watch Tower announced: "The new home we shall call 'Bethel,' and the new office and auditorium, 'The Brooklyn Tabernacle'; these names will supplant the term 'Bible House.'"[57] In October 1909, an adjoining building at 122 Columbia Heights was bought.[58] In 1911, a new nine-story residential block was built at the rear of the headquarters, fronting on Furman Street and overlooking the Brooklyn waterfront.[56] The Brooklyn Tabernacle was sold in 1918 or 1919.[59]
Printing facilities were established in Myrtle Street, Brooklyn in 1920 and from the February 1, 1920 issue The Watch Tower was printed by the society at the plant. Two months later the plant began printing The Golden Age. In 1922, the printing factory was moved to a six-story building at 18 Concord Street, Brooklyn; four years later it moved again to larger premises, a new eight-story building at 117 Adams Street, Brooklyn, at which time the society's headquarters was rebuilt and enlarged. In December 1926, a building at 126 Columbia Heights was bought, and a month later the three buildings from 122–126 Columbia Heights were demolished and rebuilt for accommodation and executive offices, using the official address of 124 Columbia Heights.[58]
In 1946, property surrounding the Adams Street factory was bought to expand printing operations (when completed in 1949 the factory occupied an entire block bounded by Adams, Sands Pearl and Prospect Streets) and five more properties adjoining 124 Columbia Heights were purchased for a 10-story building.[60][61] In the late 1950s a property at 107 Columbia Heights, across the road from 124 Columbia Heights, was bought[62] and by 1960 a residential building for staff was constructed there.[63][64] More residences were built at 119 Columbia Heights in 1969.[64]
The Watchtower detailed further expansion in the 1950s and 1960s: "In 1956, a 13-story building was constructed at 77 Sands Street. Then just across the street, another (10-story building) was purchased in 1958. In 1968, an adjoining 11-story new printing factory was completed. Along with the factory at 117 Adams Street, these fill out four city blocks of factories that are all tied together by overhead bridges. Then in November 1969, the Squibb complex located a few blocks away was purchased."[64]
The society bought the Towers Hotel at 79–99 Willow Street in 1974 for accommodation,[65] which is connected to the society's other Columbia Heights properties via underground tunnels.[66] In 1978, a property at 25 Columbia Heights underwent renovation for use as offices[64] and in the early 1980s properties were bought at 175 Pearl Street and 360 Furman Street for factory and office use.[67] A building at 360 Furman Street was bought in March 1983 and renovated, providing almost 9 hectares of floor space[65] for shipping, carpentry and construction.[68] The Bossert Hotel at 98 Montague Street was also bought in 1983 as a residence building.[69] 97 Columbia Heights, the former site of the Margaret Hotel, was purchased in 1986[65] as it was ideally located next to WTBTS residences at 107 and 124 Columbia Heights and it could easily tie in with the main complex on the other side of the street by means of an under-street tunnel. An 11-story residential building was erected on the site to house 250 workers.[70][71] A property at 90 Sands Street was also bought in December 1986 and a 30-story residential building[65] for 1000 workers was completed on the site in 1995. A 1996 publication listed other Watch Tower residential buildings in Brooklyn including the 12-story Bossert Hotel, 34 Orange Street (1945), Standish Arms Hotel at 169 Columbia Heights (1981), 67 Livingston Street (1989), and 108 Joralemon Street (1988).[65]
Two properties known as Watchtower Farms, at Wallkill, 160 km north of Brooklyn and totaling 1200 hectares, were bought in 1963 and 1967 and factories erected in 1973 and 1975.[64] 2012-2014 the Society is adding an office building, residence building and garage.[72] In 1984, the society paid $2.1 million for a 270 hectare farm at Patterson, New York[73] for a development that would include 624 apartments, garages for 800 cars and a 149-room hotel.[74] Other rural purchases included a 220 hectare farm near South Lansing, New York and a 60 hectare farm near Port Murray, New Jersey.[73]
In February 2009, the society paid $11.5 million for 100 hectares of land in Ramapo, Rockland County, New York for an administration and residential complex.[75] The site was reported to be planned as a base for about 850 Watch Tower workers, creating a compound combining residential and publishing facilities currently located in Brooklyn. A Witness spokesman said the land was currently zoned for residential uses, but an application would be made to rezone it, adding that "Construction is several years in the future."[76]
A year later, the Society announced it planned to move its world headquarters from Brooklyn to a proposed eight-building complex, replacing the pre-existing four-building complex on a 100-hectare Watch Tower property in Warwick, New York,[72] 1.5 km from its Ramapo site.[77][78] A Watch Tower presentation to Warwick planning authorities said the complex would house up to 850 people.[79][80] In July 2012, the Warwick planning commission approved the environmental impact statement for building the Warwick site.[81][82] In July 2013, Warwick approved building plans of the multiple building complex of the new headquarters, including four residence buildings of 588 rooms for about 1,000 people.[83] In August 2011, a 50-acre property was bought in Tuxedo, NY, with 184,000 square foot building, for $3.2 million, six miles from the Warwick site to facilitate the staging of machinery and building materials.[84][85][86] The Society bought a 48-unit apartment building in Suffern, NY near Warwick, NY for housing temporary construction workers in June 2013.[87] On December 3, 2014 the Society bought 250-unit Rivercrest Luxury Apartments in Fishkill, Dutchess County, NY. The sale price was not released, though taxes on the sale indicated a transaction of $57 million. The current leases will not be renewed.[88]
Brooklyn property sales[edit]



 Watch Tower headquarters in Columbia Heights, Brooklyn.
In 2004 the society began transferring its printing operations to its Wallkill factory complex.[89][90] The move triggered the sale of a number of Brooklyn factory and residential properties including:
360 Furman Street, sold in 2004 for $205 million;[91]
67 Livingston Street, (nicknamed the Sliver)[92] sold in 2006 for $18.6 million.[91]
89 Hicks Street, sold in 2006 for $14 million.[91]
Standish Arms Hotel, 169 Columbia Heights, sold in 2007 for $50 million.[93]
183 Columbia Heights, bought in 1986, offered for sale in 2007 and sold in April 2012 for $6.6 million.[90][94][95]
161 Columbia Heights, bought in 1988, offered for sale in 2007 and sold in March 2012 for $3 million.[90][94]
165 Columbia Heights, offered for sale in 2007 and sold in January 2012 for $4.1 million.[90][96]
105 Willow Street, offered for sale in 2007 and sold in April 2012 for $3.3 million.[90][97]
34 Orange Street, offered for sale in 2007 and sold in November 2012 for $2,825,000.[90][98]
Bossert Hotel, 98 Montague Street, bought in 1983,[69] offered for sale in 2008.[76] sold in 2012 to a hotel developer, Rosewood Realty Group, for $81 million.[99][100]
50 Orange Street, bought in 1988, renovated to sell 2006, and sold in December 2011 for $7.1 million.[101]
67 Remsen Street, offered for sale in July 2012,[102] and sold the same year for $3.25 million.[103]
Three adjoining properties (173 Front Street, 177 Front Street and 200 Water Street) sold together for 30.6 million in April 2013 to Urban Realty Partners.[104][105]
55 Furman Street, 400,000 sq. ft., is for sale as of June 2013.[106]
Five adjoining properties (175 Pearl Street, 55 Prospect Street, 81 Prospect Street, 117 Adams Street, and 77 Sands Street totaling 700,000 sq. ft.), offered for sale in September 2011,[107][108] under contract as of July 2013 to a three company buy-out. A sixth building (90 Sands Street, about 500,000 sq. ft., a 505 room, 30 story building) in this sale will be released in 2017, after the scheduled completion of the Jehovah's Witnesses' new headquarters in Warwick, NY. The properties are under contract for $375 million at completion of the sale.[106][109]
Two private parking lots are for sale as of June 2013.[106]
In 2011 the Watch Tower Society was reported to still own 34 properties in Brooklyn;[4][110] a 2009 report calculated "a dozen or more" properties in the Brooklyn area.[76] In a 2010 news report the Watch Tower Society said it was "not actively promoting" the sale of eight Brooklyn properties still on the market.[79] Watch Tower Society's remaining sixteen occupied Brooklyn properties are 25, 30, 50, 58, 97, 107, 119, and 124 Columbia Heights; 55 and 67 Furman Street; 80 and 86 Willow Street; 21 Clark Street; parking lots at 1 York Street and 85 Jay Street; and 90 Sands Street already arranged to sell in 2017.[111] The Furman Street properties and parking lots are for sale currently as stated above.
Other countries[edit]
In 1900, the Watch Tower Society opened its first overseas branch office in Britain.[112] Germany followed in 1903[113] and Australia in 1904.[114] By 1979 the society had 39 printing branches throughout the world, with facilities transferred to farming properties in many countries including Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Canada and Australia.[115] In 2011, the Watch Tower Society had 98 branch offices worldwide reporting to New York directly; other nations' offices report to large branches nearby.[116]
Directors[edit]
Current[edit]
Don Alden Adams, director since 2000, president since 2000
Danny L. Bland, director since 2000
William F. Malenfant, director since 2000, vice-president since 2000
Robert W. Wallen, director since 2000, vice-president since 2000
Philip D. Wilcox, director since 2000
John N. Wischuk, director since 2000
Former[edit]
Directors are listed generally from most to least recent. List may not be complete.
Richard E. Abrahamson (director 2000-2004, secretary-treasurer 2000-2004)
Milton George Henschel (director 1947–2000, vice-president 1977–1992, president 1992–2000)
Lyman Alexander Swingle (director 1945–2000)[117]
W. Lloyd Barry (director ?–1999, vice-president ?–1999)
Frederick William Franz (director 1945–1992, vice-president 1945–1977, president 1977–1992)[118]
Grant Suiter (director 1941–1983, secretary-treasurer)[119]
William K. Jackson (director 1973–1981)[120]
Nathan Homer Knorr (director 1940–1977, vice-president 1940–1942, president 1942–1977)[121]
John O. Groh (director 1965–1975)
Thomas J. Sullivan (director 1932–1973)[122][123]
Alexander Hugh Macmillan (director 1918–1938)
Hugo Henry Riemer (1943–1965)[124][125][126]
William Edwin Van Amburgh (director 1916–1947, secretary-treasurer)[127][128][129][130]
Hayden Cooper Covington (director 1940–1945, vice-president 1942–1945)[131]
Joseph Franklin Rutherford (director 1916–1942, acting president[132] 1916–1917, president 1917–1942)[133]
Charles A. Wise (director 1919–1940, vice-president 1919–1940)[134][135][136][137]
J. A. Baeuerlcin (director 1923 fl)[138]
R. H. Barber (director 1919)[139]
Charles H. Anderson (director 1918–?, vice-president 1918–1919)[133]
J. A. Bohnet (director 1917–?)[133]
George H. Fisher (director 1917–?)[133]
W. E. Spill (director 1917–?)[133]
Andrew N. Pierson (director 1916–1918, vice-president)[127]
Robert H. Hirsh (director 1917)
J. D. Wright (director fl1916–1917)[127]
Isaac F. Hoskins (director fl1916–1917)[127]
Alfred I. Ritchie (director 1916–1917, vice-president)[127][140]
Henry Clay Rockwell (director fl1916–1917)[127]
Charles Taze Russell (director 1884–1916, president 1884–1916)[141]
William M. Wright (?–1906)[142]
Henry Weber (director 1884–1904, vice-president 1884–1904)[143][144]
Maria Russell (née Ackley) (director 1884–1897, secretary-treasurer 1884–?, then-wife of Charles Taze Russell)[141][145][146]
J. B. Adamson (director 1884–?)[141]
Rose J. Ball (director 1884–?)[143]
Simon O. Blunden (director 1884–?)[143]
W. C. McMillan (director 1884–?)[141]
W. I. Mann (director 1884, vice-president 1884)[141]
J. F. Smith (director 1884)[141]
Criticism[edit]
Critics including Raymond Franz, Edmond C. Gruss and James Penton have accused the society of being authoritarian, controlling and coercive in its dealings with Witnesses. Franz, a former Governing Body member, has claimed the Watch Tower Society's emphasis of the term "theocratic organization" to describe the authority structure of Jehovah's Witnesses, which places God at the apex of its organization, is designed to exercise control over every aspect of the lives of Jehovah's Witnesses[147] and condition them to think it is wrong for them to question anything the society publishes as truth.[148][149] The Watch Tower Society has been accused of employing techniques of mind control on Witnesses including the direction to avoid reading criticism of the organization,[150][151] frequent and tightly controlled "indoctrination" meetings, regimentation, social alienation and elaborate promises of future rewards.[152][153] Apart from life stories, the authors of all Watch Tower Society magazine articles and other publications are anonymous and correspondence from the society does not typically indicate a specific author or personal signature.[154]
See also[edit]
Bible Student movement
Corporations of Jehovah's Witnesses
Criticism of Jehovah's Witnesses
Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses
History of Jehovah's Witnesses
Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Pennsylvania Department of State.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, p. 49
3.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. p. 229.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d "Jehovahs loses comp case: Church may be forced to pay millions", New York Daily News, January 6, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 2009.
6.Jump up ^ Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 2012, page 55.
7.Jump up ^ "Report for Fiscal Year", Watch Tower, December 1, 1896, page 301, Reprints page 2077 Retrieved 2010-03-30, "WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY. REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING DEC. 1, 1896. ALTHOUGH the above has been the recognized name of our Society for some four years, it was not until this year that the Board of Directors took the proper steps to have the name legally changed from ZION'S WATCH TOWER TRACT SOCIETY to that above. The new name seems to be in every way preferable."
8.Jump up ^ "Development of the Organization Structure", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 229, "Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society. First formed in 1881 and then legally incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania on December 15, 1884. In 1896, its name was changed to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Since 1955 it has been known as Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania."
9.Jump up ^ Franz 2007, pp. 80–107
10.^ Jump up to: a b Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1993, pp. 575–576
11.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower: 1. July 1879. Missing or empty |title= (help)
12.Jump up ^ "Encyclopædia Britannica – Russell, Charles Taze"
13.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, January 1881, Reprints page 1.]
14.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, April 1881, Reprints page 214.
15.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower: 2. January 1882. Missing or empty |title= (help)
16.Jump up ^ J. F. Rutherford, A Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens, 1915, p. 14.
17.^ Jump up to: a b c C.T. Russell, "A Conspiracy Exposed", Zion's Watch Tower Extra edition, April 25, 1894, page 55-60.
18.Jump up ^ C.T. Russell, "A Conspiracy Exposed", Zion's Watch Tower Extra edition, April 25, 1894, page 55-60, "The affairs of the Society are so arranged that its entire control rests in the care of Brother and Sister Russell as long as they shall live... The fact is that, by the grace of God, Sister R. and myself have been enabled not only to give our own time without charge to the service of the truth, in writing and overseeing, but also to contribute more money to the Tract Society's fund for the scattering of the good tidings, than all others combined."
19.^ Jump up to: a b Wills 2006, p. 91
20.Jump up ^ J. F. Rutherford, A Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens, 1915, p. 14., "While there are nearly two hundred thousand shares, and it would be an easy matter to elect some other man as president, there never has been cast a vote against Pastor Russell. At the last election he was absent, his own votes were not cast, yet more than one hundred thousand votes of others were cast for him as president."
21.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, October 1894, page 330.
22.Jump up ^ Wills 2006, pp. 75
23.Jump up ^ Pierson et al 1917, p. 22
24.^ Jump up to: a b c Rutherford August 1917, p. 16
25.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, p. 48
26.Jump up ^ Allegheny City was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1909.
27.^ Jump up to: a b Grizzuti Harrison 1978
28.Jump up ^ Penton 1997, p. 39
29.Jump up ^ Gruss 2003, p. 17
30.Jump up ^ "Girl's midnight visit to Pastor Russell", Brooklyn Eagle, August 14, 1909, "His wife, whom he married 30 years ago, when she was Maria F. Ackley, obtained a limited divorce from him in Pittsburg on the ground of cruelty. The judge who decided for Mrs Russell granted her $100 a month alimony. Pastor Russell was slow in coming to the front with payments and finally stopped paying alimony altogether. An order was ordered for the pastor's arrest in Pittsburg, but Brooklyn is a comfortable enough place and Pastor Russell didn't like going back to Pittsburg where a yawning prison awaited him. He said that his friends had paid the alimony, anyhow, and that he was purged of contempt of court thereby."
31.Jump up ^ Gruss 2003, pp. 25–27
32.Jump up ^ Pierson et al 1917, pp. 5,6
33.^ Jump up to: a b Pierson et al 1917, pp. 4
34.Jump up ^ Rutherford August 1917, pp. 12
35.Jump up ^ Rutherford August 1917, pp. 22–23
36.Jump up ^ Rutherford August 1917, pp. 14,15
37.Jump up ^ Pierson et al 1917, pp. 9
38.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1993, pp. 68
39.Jump up ^ Macmillan 1957, pp. 106
40.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1975, pp. 93–94
41.Jump up ^ Rogerson 1969, pp. 39
42.Jump up ^ Wills 2006, pp. 175, 176
43.Jump up ^ Consolation, September 4, 1940, pg 25, as cited by Penton, pg. 61.
44.Jump up ^ Wills 2006, pp. 201
45.Jump up ^ Watchtower, June 15, 1938.
46.Jump up ^ Amendments to articles II, III, VII, VIII and X were passed unanimously, with more than 225,000 votes cast; the amendments to article V of the Charter, affecting qualifications for membership of the society, were passed 225,255 to 47.
47.Jump up ^ Articles of amendment to Watch Tower Society charter, February 15, 1945. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
48.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1993, pp. 108–109
49.Jump up ^ Brooklyn Heights Press, March 15, 1990, page 1, as cited by Edmond C. Gruss, 2003, pages 72–73.
50.Jump up ^ A 1990 news report stated that Brooklyn workers received $80 per month to buy personal needs. See "A sect grows in Brooklyn", Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 1990.
51.Jump up ^ "A sect grows in Brooklyn", Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 1990.
52.Jump up ^ Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 2012, page 55.
53.Jump up ^ Penton 1997, p. 231
54.Jump up ^ Beckford, James A. (1975). The Trumpet of Prophecy: A Sociological Study of Jehovah's Witnesses. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 83. ISBN 0-631-16310-7.
55.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 27
56.^ Jump up to: a b Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 47–48
57.Jump up ^ Watch Tower March 1, 1909, pages 67,68.
58.^ Jump up to: a b Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, p. 115
59.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 97
60.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 234
61.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 253–255
62.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 292
63.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, September 1, 1989, page 29.
64.^ Jump up to: a b c d e The Watchtower, December 1, 1982, page 23.
65.^ Jump up to: a b c d e The Watchtower, April 15, 1996, page 24.
66.Jump up ^ Awake!, April 22, 1989, pages 25–27; "In fact, the Towers, 124 Columbia Heights, 107 Columbia Heights, and 119 Columbia Heights, which accommodate nearly 2000 of the family, are connected by underground tunnels."
67.Jump up ^ Centennial of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1984, pages 8–9.
68.Jump up ^ "New Shipping Facilities of Jehovah’s Witnesses", Awake!, August 22, 1987, pages 16–18.
69.^ Jump up to: a b Jehovah's Witnesses sell the former Hotel Bossert
70.Jump up ^ Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, page 25.
71.Jump up ^ Awake 1989, April 22, pp 23-24
72.^ Jump up to: a b "Wallkill and Warwick Projects Moving Ahead", JW.org News, May 13, 2013.
73.^ Jump up to: a b Awake!, February 22, 1987, pages 25–27.
74.Jump up ^ "Watchtower project grows in Patterson", New York Times, April 18, 1983, 1993. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
75.Jump up ^ "Watchtower Society may move some NY offices", WCAX website, March 26, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
76.^ Jump up to: a b c "A Witness to the future as Watchtower buys land upstate", The Brooklyn Paper, April 2, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
77.Jump up ^ "Watchtower's move to Warwick? 'Not anytime soon'", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 24, 2011.
78.Jump up ^ "The Watchtower is getting tired of being shown the door in Brooklyn Heights", The New York Observer, October 25, 2011.
79.^ Jump up to: a b "Historic Turning Point: After Century in Brooklyn, Watchtower Pulls Out of Heights", Brooklyn Heights, February 23, 2010.
80.Jump up ^ "The Witnesses Leave. Then What?", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 24, 2010.
81.Jump up ^ "Town OKs impact plan for Jehovah's Witnesses", Times Herald-Record, July 17, 2012.
82.Jump up ^ "Witnesses to Relocate World Headquarters", jw.org News, August 15, 2012.
83.Jump up ^ "Warwick OKs Watchtower Site", Recordonline.com, Times Herald Record, July 19, 2013.
84.Jump up ^ "Watchtower Buys Another Parcel", Times Herald-Record, August 25, 2011.
85.Jump up ^ "Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of NY Pay 3.2M for Flex Building", Costar Group, Sept. 21, 2011.
86.Jump up ^ "Annual Meeting Report", Aug. 15, 2012 Watchtower, page 17
87.Jump up ^ "Suffern tenants must move after Jehovah's Witnesses group buys building", Lohud.com, June 12, 2013.
88.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses buy Fishkill apartments", Poughkeepie Journal, December 22, 2014.
89.Jump up ^ "Increased Activity at United States Bethel", Our Kingdom Ministry, September 2003.
90.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Watchtower to sell 6 Brooklyn Heights properties", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 26, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
91.^ Jump up to: a b c "Selloff! But Witnesses say they will remain kings of Kings", The Brooklyn Paper, May 12, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
92.Jump up ^ Yearbook, 1991, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, page 10.
93.Jump up ^ "Have a seat in the Standish", The Brooklyn Paper, December 15, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
94.^ Jump up to: a b Different Building, Same Buyer for Witnesses
95.Jump up ^ Group with big Brooklyn plan snaps up property
96.Jump up ^ Second Witnesses property fetches $4.1M
97.Jump up ^ Praise God! Another Watchtower Property Sells
98.Jump up ^ Watchtower Sells Yet Another Heights Property, Brownstoner Brooklyn Inside and Out, November 30, 2012.
99.Jump up ^ New York Post, Brooklyn Blog, May 8, 2012, Brooklyn's Bossert Hotel could become a hotel again
100.Jump up ^ The Real Deal News, Nov. 12, 2012, Chetrit, Bistricer pay $81 million for Brooklyn's Bossert Hotel
101.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses Sell First Property for $7.1 million
102.Jump up ^ Latest Witnesses-owned property in Brooklyn Heights hits the market, THE REAL DEAL, July 24, 2012.
103.Jump up ^ "Watchtower Sells 67 Remsen Street for 3.25 million", Brooklyn Heights Blog, October 10, 2012.
104.Jump up ^ "Witnesses put prime Dumbo site on the block", Crain's New York Business, June 4, 2012.
105.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses Sell Latest Dumbo Development Site for $31M", The Real Deal, April 25, 2013.
106.^ Jump up to: a b c Brooklyn-Bridge-Park "Developers Jostling for a piece of Brooklyn Bridge Park", The Real Deal, June 10, 2013.
107.Jump up ^ Watchtower Society selling five more properties in Brooklyn, NY, THE REAL DEAL, Sept. 16, 2011.
108.Jump up ^ "Big Deal: Jehovah's Witnesses List Prime Properties, The New York Times – City Room, September 16, 2011.
109.Jump up ^ "Witnesses knocking on $375M bldg. sale", New York Post, July 7, 2013.
110.Jump up ^ Hallelujah! "Jehovah's Witnesses land sell-off has Brooklyn dreaming big", Crain's New York Business, October 16, 2011.
111.Jump up ^ "No longer 'Vatican City' for Watchtower, Brooklyn watches jehovahs retreat", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 9, 2013
112.Jump up ^ "Bible Truth Triumphs Amid Tradition", The Watchtower, May 15, 1985, page 27.
113.Jump up ^ "Your Will Be Done on Earth", The Watchtower, 1960, page 30.
114.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, p. 33
115.Jump up ^ "Building to Jehovah’s Glory", The Watchtower, May 1, 1979, pages 26–29.
116.Jump up ^ 2012 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses p.32, 33, 55.
117.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses–Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. p. 91.
118.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 28.
119.Jump up ^ "Moving Ahead With God’s Organization", The Watchtower, September 1, 1983, page 13.
120.Jump up ^ "The Governing Body", 1974 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watch Tower, page 258
121.Jump up ^ "Background of N. H. Knorr", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 91
122.Jump up ^ "He Ran for 'The Prize of the Upward Call' and Won!", The Watchtower, September 15, 1974, page 554, "On October 31, 1932, he [Sullivan] was made a member of the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; he was also one of the eleven-member governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses."
123.Jump up ^ "A Time of Testing (1914–1918)", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 71, "Thomas (Bud) Sullivan, who later served as a member of the Governing Body, recalled, "It was my privilege to visit Brooklyn Bethel in the late summer of 1918 during the brothers’ incarceration."
124.Jump up ^ "Happy are the dead who die in union with the Lord", The Watchtower, May 15, 1965, page 320.
125.Jump up ^ "Experiencing Jehovah’s Love", The Watchtower, September 15, 1964, page 571
126.Jump up ^ "Announcements", The Watchtower, May 15, 1965, page 320, "Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania announces herewith the death of Brother Hugo H. Riemer on March 31, 1965. After years of service as a pioneer publisher in the field, he was called to the Society’s Brooklyn headquarters in 1918, since which time he served with the Society’s headquarters till his death at eighty-six years of age. He was on the boards of directors of both the Society’s Pennsylvania corporation and its New York corporation, also serving in the official capacity of assistant secretary-treasurer of both corporations."
127.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Organization of the Work", Watch Tower, December 1, 1916, page 391, Reprints page 6024 Retrieved 2010-03-30, "Two days after his [C. T. Russell's 1916] death the Board met and elected Brother A. N. Pierson as a member of the Board to fill the vacancy caused by Brother Russell's change. The seven members of the Board as now constituted are A. I. Ritchie, W. E. Van Amburgh, H. C. Rockwell, J. D. Wright, I. F. Hoskins, A. N. Pierson and J. F. Rutherford."
128.Jump up ^ "A Time of Testing (1914–1918)", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 65, "So, two days after Russell’s death, the board of directors met and elected A. N. Pierson to be a member. The seven members of the board at that point were A. I. Ritchie, W. E. Van Amburgh, H. C. Rockwell, J. D. Wright, I. F. Hoskins, A. N. Pierson, and J. F. Rutherford."
129.Jump up ^ "Moving Ahead With God’s Organization", The Watchtower, September 1, 1983, page 14, "The Society's secretary and treasurer, W. E. Van Amburgh, had become incapacitated due to advanced age and illness and so resigned from his position. I was elected to succeed him on February 6, 1947, and Brother Van Amburgh died the following day."
130.Jump up ^ "Testing and Sifting From Within", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 622, "In 1916, W. E. Van Amburgh declared, "This great worldwide work is not the work of one person... It is God’s work." Although he saw others turn away, he remained firm in that conviction right down till his death in 1947, at 83 years of age."
131.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation", The Watchtower, January 1, 2001, page 28, "In 1940, Hayden C. Covington—then the Society's legal counsel and one of the "other sheep," with the earthly hope—was elected a director of the Society. (John 10:16) He served as the Society’s vice president from 1942 to 1945. At that time, Brother Covington stepped aside as a director"
132.Jump up ^ Rutherford chaired executive meetings in 1916 but was not formally elected president until 1917. During Rutherford's 1918–1919 incarceration, vice-presidents Anderson and Wise chaired executive meetings.
133.^ Jump up to: a b c d e "A Time of Testing (1914–1918)", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 68, "At the annual meeting held on January 5, 1918, the seven persons receiving the highest number of votes were J. F. Rutherford, C. H. Anderson, W. E. Van Amburgh, A. H. Macmillan, W. E. Spill, J. A. Bohnet, and G. H. Fisher. From these seven board members, the three officers were chosen—J. F. Rutherford as president, C. H. Anderson as vice president, and W. E. Van Amburgh as secretary-treasurer."
134.Jump up ^ Faith on the March by A. H. Macmillan, 1957, Prentice-Hall, pages 106, 110, "At New Year's time the Society held its [1919] annual election of officers in Pittsburgh... He [Rutherford] handed me a telegram saying that he had been elected president and C. A. Wise vice-president... C. A. Wise was there too. He had been elected vice-president while we were in prison."
135.Jump up ^ "Part 2—United States of America", 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watch Tower, pages 113–114, "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 2–5, 1919. This assembly was combined with the very significant annual meeting of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society on Saturday, January 4, 1919... There were nominations, a vote was taken and J. F. Rutherford was elected as president, C. A. Wise, as vice-president, and W. E. Van Amburgh, as secretary-treasurer."
136.Jump up ^ "Sweden", 1991 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watch Tower, page 135
137.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, October 15, 1939, pages 316–317
138.Jump up ^ Watch Tower, December 15, 1923, page 333
139.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, October 15, 1939, pages 316–317, "The Society’s annual meeting in 1919 Jan. 4 in Pittsburgh reelected J. F. Rutherford President and W. E. VanAmburgh Secretary-Treasurer. But the others elected to the Board of Directors, viz. C. A. Wise (Vice President), R. H. Barber [...] were freer to carry out their responsibilities. When the imprisoned leaders were released, Barber resigned"
140.Jump up ^ "Ritchie, A. I.", Watchtower Publications Index 1930–1985, "Ritchie, A. I. vice president of Watch Tower Society (1916)"
141.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Watch Tower, January 1885, Vol VI, No. 5, page 1, [Reprints page 707], "A charter of incorporation for Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society was granted December 13, 1884. ... The incorporators are the Directors, named below... Directors C. T. Russell, Pres., M. F. Russell, Sec and Treas., W. C. McMillan, W. I. Mann, Vice Pres., J. B. Adamson, J. F. Smith."
142.Jump up ^ "Passed Beyond the Vail", Watch Tower, April 15, 1906, page 126, Reprints page 3765, "ANOTHER member of the Board... Brother William M. Wright, passed beyond the vail, into the Most Holy, we trust, on April 3."
143.^ Jump up to: a b c "Harvest Gleanings III", Watch Tower, April 25, 1894, page 131, "The Corporation is to be managed by a Board of Directors consisting of seven members, and the names and residences of those already chosen directors are (we given names of the present board and officers) as follows: -Charles T Russell, President, W C McMillan, Henry Weber, Vice President, J B Adamson, Maria F Russell, Sec’y & Treas, Simon O Blunden. Rose J Ball."
144.Jump up ^ "Entered Into His Rest", Watch Tower, February 1, 1904, page 36, Reprints page 3314, Retrieved 2010-03-30, "PILGRIM Brother Henry Weber has passed beyond the vail, to be forever with the Lord. We rejoice on his behalf. He finished his earthly course on Thursday, January 21, at 2.15 pm, at his home --Oakland, Md.--and was buried on Saturday, the 23rd. A large gathering, composed of his family, friends and neighbors, was addressed by the Editor of this journal... we will sadly miss our dear Brother, as a friend and as a Pilgrim and as Vice-President of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society"
145.Jump up ^ "Part 1—United States of America", 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watch Tower, pages 65–66, "During the trouble in 1894, Mrs. C. T. Russell (the former Maria Frances Ackley, whom Russell had married in 1879) undertook a tour from New York to Chicago, meeting with Bible Students along the way and speaking in her husband’s behalf. Being an educated, intelligent woman, she was well received when visiting the congregations at that time. Mrs. Russell was a director of the Watch Tower Society and served as its secretary and treasurer for some years."
146.Jump up ^ The January 15, 1955 The Watchtower, page 46, referred to the former "Maria Frances Ackley, who had become a colaborer and a contributor of articles to the Watch Tower magazine. They came to have no children. Nearly eighteen years later, in 1897, due to Watch Tower Society members’ objecting to a woman’s teaching and being a member of the board of directors contrary to 1 Timothy 2:12, Russell and his wife disagreed about the management of the journal, Zion’s Watch Tower. Thereupon she voluntarily separated herself"
147.Jump up ^ Franz 2007, pp. 614–654
148.Jump up ^ Franz 2007, pp. 69–124
149.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, February 15, 1976, page 124, as cited by R. Franz, "In Search if Christian Freedom", page 107,"Would not a failure to respond to direction from God through his organization really indicate a rejection of divine rulership?"
150.Jump up ^ "Do not be quickly shaken from your reason", Watchtower, March 15, 1986
151.Jump up ^ "At which table are you feeding?" Watchtower, July 1, 1994
152.Jump up ^ Franz 2007, pp. 391–431
153.Jump up ^ Gruss 2003, pp. 110–114
154.Jump up ^ Holden 2002, p. 32
Bibliography[edit]
Penton, James M. (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses (2nd ed.). University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
Rogerson, Alan (1969). Millions Now Living Will Never Die. Constable, London.
Wills, Tony (2006). A People For His Name. Lulu Enterprises. ISBN 978-1-4303-0100-4.
Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society (1975). 1975 Yearbook. Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.
Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society (1959). Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose. Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.
Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society (1993). Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.
Macmillan, A. H. (1957). Faith on the March. Prentice-Hall.
Rutherford, J. F. (August 1, 1917). "Harvest Siftings" (PDF). Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
Rutherford, J. F. (October 1, 1917). "Harvest Siftings, Part II" (PDF). Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
Pierson, A. N. et al. (September 1, 1917). "Light After Darkness" (PDF). Retrieved July 21, 2009.
Johnson, Paul S. L. (November 1, 1917). "Harvest Siftings Reviewed" (PDF). Retrieved July 21, 2009.
Grizzuti Harrison, Barbara (1978). Visions of Glory – A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7091-8013-5.
Gruss, Edmond C. (2003). The Four Presidents of the Watch Tower Society. Xulon Press. ISBN 1-59467-131-1.
Holden, Andrew (2002). Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26609-2.
Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
Botting, Heather; Gary Botting (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7.
  


Categories: Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
Religious organizations established in 1881
1881 establishments in Pennsylvania






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Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

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"Watch Tower Society" redirects here. For related corporations, including the Watchtower Society of New York, see Corporations of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
Watchtower.svg
Predecessor
Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society
Founded
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. (December 15, 1884)
Founder
Charles Taze Russell
Headquarters
New York City, New York, United States

Key people
 Don Adams (President)
Subsidiaries
Various
Part of a series on
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Overview

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Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
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New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
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The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is a non-stock, not-for-profit organization[1] headquartered in the New York City, New York borough of Brooklyn. It is the main legal entity used worldwide by Jehovah's Witnesses to direct, administer and develop doctrines for the religion and is often referred to by members of the religion simply as "the Society". It is the parent organization of a number of Watch Tower subsidiaries, including the Watchtower Society of New York and International Bible Students Association.[2] The number of voting shareholders of the corporation is limited to between 300 and 500 "mature, active and faithful" male Jehovah's Witnesses.[3] About 5800 Jehovah's Witnesses provide voluntary unpaid labour, as members of a religious order, in three large Watch Tower Society facilities in New York;[4] nearly 15,000 other members of the order work at the Watch Tower Society's other facilities worldwide.[4][5][6]
The organization was formed in 1881 as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society for the purpose of distributing religious tracts.[1] The society was incorporated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on December 15, 1884. In 1896, the society was renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.[7] Following a leadership dispute in the Bible Student movement, the Watch Tower Society remained associated with the branch of the movement that became known as Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1955, the corporation was renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.[8] In 1976, all activities of the Watch Tower Society were brought under the supervision of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.[9]


Contents  [hide]
1 History 1.1 Incorporation
1.2 Leadership dispute
1.3 Amendments to charter
1.4 Governing Body
1.5 Presidents
2 Operations
3 Property ownership 3.1 United States 3.1.1 Brooklyn property sales
3.2 Other countries
4 Directors 4.1 Current
4.2 Former
5 Criticism
6 See also
7 References
8 Bibliography

History[edit]
On February 16, 1881, Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society was formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, for the purpose of organizing the printing and distribution of religious tracts. William Henry Conley, a Pittsburgh industrialist and philanthropist, served as president, with Charles Taze Russell serving as secretary-treasurer.[10] The society's primary journal was Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christs Presence, first published in 1879 by Russell,[11] founder of the Bible Student movement.[12] Other early writers for the Watch Tower Society included J. H. Paton and W. I. Mann.[10][13] Formation of the society was announced in the April 1881 issue of Zion's Watch Tower.[14] That year, the society received donations of $35,391.18.[15]
Incorporation[edit]
On December 15, 1884, the society was incorporated as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in Pennsylvania as a non-profit, non-stock corporation with Russell as president. The corporation was located in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. In its charter, written by Russell, the society's purpose was stated as "the mental, moral and religious improvement of men and women, by teaching the Bible by means of the publication and distribution of Bibles, books, papers, pamphlets and other Bible literature, and by providing oral lectures free for the people".[16] The charter provided for a board of seven directors, three of who served as officers—a president, vice-president (initially William I. Mann) and secretary-treasurer (initially Maria Russell). The charter stipulated that the officers be chosen from the directors and be elected annually by ballot. Board members would hold office for life unless removed by a two-thirds vote by shareholders. Vacancies on the board resulting from death, resignation or removal would be filled by a majority vote of the remaining board members within 20 days; if such vacancies were not filled within 30 days an appointment could be made by the president, with the appointments lasting only until the next annual corporation meeting, when vacancies would be filled by election.[17]
Anyone subscribing to $10 or more of the society's Old Testament Tracts or donating $10 or more to the society was deemed a voting member and entitled to one vote per $10 donated.[17] Russell indicated that despite having a board and shareholders, the society would be directed by only two people—him and his wife Maria.[18] Russell said that as at December 1893 he and his wife owned 3705, or 58 percent, of the 6383 voting shares, "and thus control the Society; and this was fully understood by the directors from the first. Their usefulness, it was understood, would come to the front in the event of our death... For this reason, also, formal elections were not held; because it would be a mere farce, a deception, to call together voting shareholders from all over the world, at great expense, to find upon arrival that their coming was useless, Sister Russell and myself having more than a majority over all that could gather. However, no one was hindered from attending such elections." The influx of donations gradually diluted the proportion of the Russells' shares and in 1908 their voting shares constituted less than half the total.[19][20] Russell emphasized the limitations of the corporation, explaining: "Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society is not a 'religious society' in the ordinary meaning of this term"[21] He also stated, "This is a business association merely... It has no creed or confession. It is merely a business convenience in disseminating the truth."[17] Incorporation of the society meant that it would outlive Russell, so individuals who wished to bequeath their money or property to him would not have to alter their will if he died before they did.[22] On September 19, 1896, the name of the corporation was changed to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.[23]



Charles Taze Russell
From 1908 Russell required the directors to write out resignations when they were appointed so Russell could dismiss them by simply filling in the date.[19] In 1909, Russell instructed legal counsel Joseph Franklin Rutherford to determine whether the society's headquarters could be moved to Brooklyn, New York.[24] Rutherford reported that because it had been established under Pennsylvania law, the corporation could not be registered in New York state, but suggested that a new corporation be registered there to do the society's work. Rutherford subsequently organized the formation of the People's Pulpit Association, which was incorporated on February 23, 1909, and wrote the charter which gave the president—to be elected for life at the first meeting—"absolute power and control" of its activities in New York.[25][24] The society sold its buildings in Pittsburgh[26] and moved staff to its new base in Brooklyn. Although all New York property was bought in the name of the New York corporation and all legal affairs of the society done in its name, Russell insisted on the continued use of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society name on all correspondence and publications.[24]
The move from Pennsylvania to New York occurred during court proceedings over the breakdown of Russells' marriage. His wife Maria had been granted a "limited divorce" on March 4, 1908, but in 1909 returned to court in Pittsburgh to request an increase in alimony,[27] which her former husband refused.[28] Authors Barbara Grizzuti Harrison and Edmond C. Gruss have claimed Russell's move to Brooklyn was motivated by his desire to transfer from the jurisdiction of the Pennsylvania courts. They claim he transferred all his assets to the Watch Tower Society so he could declare himself bankrupt and avoid being jailed for failure to pay alimony.[27][29][30]
In 1914, the International Bible Students Association was incorporated in Britain to administer affairs in that country. Like the People's Pulpit Association, it was subsidiary to the Pennsylvania parent organization and all work done through both subsidiaries was described as the work of the Watch Tower Society. The Watchtower noted: "The editor of The Watchtower is the President of all three of these Societies. All financial responsibility connected with the work proceeds from [the Pennsylvania corporation]. From it the other Societies and all the branches of the work receive their financial support... we use sometimes the one name and sometimes the other in various parts of our work—yet they all in the end mean the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, to which all donations should be made."[2]
Leadership dispute[edit]
Main article: Watch Tower Society presidency dispute (1917)
Russell died on October 31, 1916, in Pampa, Texas during a cross-country preaching trip. On January 6, 1917, board member and society legal counsel Joseph Franklin Rutherford, aged 47, was elected president of the Watch Tower Society, unopposed, at the Pittsburgh convention. Under his presidency, the role of the society underwent a major change.[31] By-laws passed by both the Pittsburgh convention and the board of directors stated that the president would be the executive officer and general manager of the society, giving him full charge of its affairs worldwide.[32]



Joseph Franklin Rutherford
By June 1917, four of the seven Watch Tower Society directors, Robert H. Hirsh, Alfred I. Ritchie, Isaac F. Hoskins and James D. Wright, had decided they had erred in endorsing Rutherford's expanded powers of management,[33] claiming Rutherford had become autocratic.[33] Hirsch attempted to rescind the new by-laws and reclaim the powers of management from the president,[34] but Rutherford later claimed he had by then detected a conspiracy among the directors to seize control of the society.[35] In July, Rutherford gained a legal opinion from a Philadelphia corporation lawyer that none of his opposers were legally directors of the society.
On July 12, 1917, Rutherford filled what he claimed were four vacancies on the board, appointing A. H. Macmillan and Pennsylvania Bible Students W. E. Spill, J. A. Bohnet and George H. Fisher as directors.[36] Between August and November the society and the four ousted directors published a series of pamphlets, with each side accusing the other of ambitious and reckless behavior. The former directors also claimed Rutherford had required all headquarters workers to sign a petition supporting him and threatened dismissal for any who refused to sign.[37] The former directors left the Brooklyn headquarters on August 8, 1917.[38] On January 5, 1918, Rutherford was returned to office.
In May 1918, Rutherford and seven other Watch Tower directors and officers were arrested on charges of sedition under the Espionage Act. On June 21, 1918, they were sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. Rutherford feared his opponents would gain control of the Society in his absence, but on January 2, 1919, he learned he had been re-elected president at the Pittsburgh convention the day before.[39] However, by mid-1919 about one in seven Bible Students had chosen to leave rather than accept Rutherford's leadership,[40] forming groups such as The Standfast Movement, Paul Johnson Movement, Dawn Bible Students Association, Pastoral Bible Institute of Brooklyn, Elijah Voice Movement and Eagle Society.[41]
Although formed as a "business convenience" with the purpose of publishing and distributing Bible-based literature and managing the funds necessary for that task, the corporation from the 1920s began its transformation into the "religious society" Russell had insisted it was not, introducing centralized control and regulation of Bible Student congregations worldwide.[42] In 1938, Rutherford introduced the term "theocracy" to describe the hierarchical leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses, with Consolation explaining: "The Theocracy is at present administered by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, of which Judge Rutherford is the president and general manager."[43] The society appointed "zone servants" to supervise congregations and in a Watchtower article Rutherford declared the need for congregations to "get in line" with the changed structure.[44][45]
Amendments to charter[edit]



Nathan Homer Knorr


Frederick William Franz


Milton George Henschel


Don Alden Adams
Following Rutherford's death in 1942, Nathan H. Knorr became president of the Watch Tower Society, and subsequently introduced further changes to the role of the society. At a series of talks given in Pittsburgh on September 30, 1944, coinciding with the society's annual meeting, it was announced that changes would be made to the 1884 charter to bring it into "closer harmony with theocratic principles". The amendments, most of which were passed unanimously,[46] significantly altered the terms of membership and stated for the first time that the society's purposes included preaching about God's kingdom, acting as a servant and governing agency of Jehovah's Witnesses, and sending missionaries and teachers for the public worship of God and Jesus Christ. The new charter, which took effect from January 1, 1945 included the following changes:
An altered and expanded explanation of article II, detailing the purpose of the society. This included the preaching of the gospel of God's kingdom to all nations; to print and distribute Bibles and disseminate Bible truths with literature explaining Bible truths and prophecy concerning the establishment of God's kingdom; to authorise and appoint agents, servants, employees, teachers evangelists, missionaries, ministers and others "to go all the world publicly and from house to house to preach Bible truths to persons willing to listen by leaving with such persons said literature and by conducting Bible studies thereon"; to improve people mentally and morally by instruction "on the Bible and incidental scientific, historical and literary subjects"; to establish and maintain Bible schools and classes; to "teach, train, prepare and equip men and women as ministers, missionaries, evangelists, preachers, teachers and instructors in the Bible and Bible literature, and for public Christian worship of Almighty God and Jesus Christ" and "to arrange for and hold local and worldwide assemblies for such worship".
An amendment to article V, detailing the qualifications for membership of the society. Each donation of $10 to the society funds had formerly entitled the contributor to one voting share; the amendment limited membership to "only men who are mature, active and faithful witnesses of Jehovah devoting full time to performance of one or more of its chartered purposes... or such men who are devoting part time as active presiding ministers or servants of congregations of Jehovah's witnesses". The amended article stipulated that "a man who is found to be in harmony with the purposes of the Society and who possesses the above qualifications may be elected as a member upon being nominated by a member, director or officer, or upon written application to the president or secretary. Such members shall be elected upon a finding by the Board of Directors that he possesses the necessary qualifications and by receiving a majority vote of the members." The amendment limited membership at any one time to between 300 and 500, including approximately seven residents of each of the 48 states of the US. It also introduced a clause providing for the suspension or expulsion of a member for wilfully violating the society's rules, or "becoming out of harmony with any of the Society's purposes or any of its work or for wilful conduct prejudicial to the best interests of the Society and contrary to his duties as a member, or upon ceasing to be a full-time servant of the Society or a part-time servant of a congregation of Jehovah's witnesses".
An amendment to article VII, dealing with the governance of the society by its board of directors. The amendment deleted reference to adherence to the constitution and laws of Pennsylvania of the US. It also specified powers of the board including matters of finance and property.
An amendment to article VIII, detailing the office holders of the society and the terms of office and method of appointment of officers and directors. A clause stating that board members would hold office for life was deleted. The new clause provided for board membership for a maximum of three years, with directors qualifying for re-election at the expiration of their term.[47]
Governing Body[edit]
In 1976, direction of the Watch Tower Society and of the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide came under the control of the Governing Body, reducing the power of the society's president. The society has described the change as "one of the most significant organizational readjustments in the modern-day history of Jehovah's Witnesses."[48]
Following the death of Knorr in 1977, subsequent presidents of the Watch Tower Society have been Frederick W. Franz (June 1977 – December 1992); Milton G. Henschel (December 1992 – October 2000) and Don A. Adams (October 2000–).
Presidents[edit]

Name
Date of birth
Date of death
Started
Ended
William Henry Conley June 11, 1840 July 25, 1897 February 16, 1881 December, 1884
Incorporated
Charles Taze Russell February 16, 1852 October 31, 1916 December 15, 1884 October 31, 1916
Joseph Franklin Rutherford November 8, 1869 January 8, 1942 January 6, 1917 January 8, 1942
Nathan Homer Knorr April 23, 1905 June 8, 1977 January 13, 1942 June 8, 1977
Frederick William Franz September 12, 1893 December 22, 1992 June 22, 1977 December 22, 1992
Milton George Henschel August 9, 1920 March 22, 2003 December 30, 1992 October 7, 2000
Don Alden Adams 1925 – October 7, 2000 incumbent
Operations[edit]
The corporation is a major publisher of religious publications, including books, tracts, magazines and Bibles. By 1979, the society had 39 printing branches worldwide. In 1990, it was reported that in one year the society printed 696 million copies of its magazines, The Watchtower and Awake! as well as another 35,811,000 pieces of literature worldwide, which are offered door-to-door by Jehovah's Witnesses.[49] As of 2013, the Society prints more than 43 million of its public issues of these magazines each month, totaling over 1 billion annually.
The society describes its headquarters and branch office staff as volunteers rather than employees,[4] and identifies them as members of the Worldwide Order of Special Full-Time Servants of Jehovah's Witnesses.[5] Workers receive a small monthly stipend[50] with meals and accommodation provided by the society. The "Bethel family" in the Brooklyn headquarters includes hairdressers, dentists, doctors, housekeepers and carpenters, as well as shops for repairing personal appliances, watches, shoes and clothing without charge for labor.[51]
The society files no publicly accessible financial figures, but reported in 2011 that it had spent more than $173 million that year "in caring for special pioneers, missionaries and traveling overseers in their field service assignments".[5][52] Donations obtained from the distribution of literature is a major source of income, most of which is used to promote its evangelical activities.[53]
Author James Beckford has claimed the status of voting members of the society is purely symbolic. He said they cannot be considered to be representatives of the mass of Jehovah's Witnesses and are in no position to challenge the actions or authority of the society's directors.[54]
Property ownership[edit]
United States[edit]
The corporation was first located at 44 Federal Street, Allegheny, Pennsylvania (the city was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907), but in 1889 moved to "Bible House", newly built premises at 56–60 Arch Street, Allegheny, owned by Russell's privately owned Tower Publishing Company. The new building contained an assembly hall seating about 200, as well as editorial, printing and shipping facilities and living quarters for some staff.[55] The title for the building was transferred in April 1898 to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
In 1909, the society moved its base to Brooklyn. A four-story brownstone parsonage formerly owned by Congregationalist clergyman and social reformer Henry Ward Beecher at 124 Columbia Heights was converted to a residence for a headquarters staff of 30, as well as an office for Russell. A former Plymouth church building at 13–17 Hicks Street was also purchased and converted into Watch Tower headquarters, with room for 350 staff. It contained an 800-seat assembly hall, shipping department and printing facilities.[56] The Watch Tower announced: "The new home we shall call 'Bethel,' and the new office and auditorium, 'The Brooklyn Tabernacle'; these names will supplant the term 'Bible House.'"[57] In October 1909, an adjoining building at 122 Columbia Heights was bought.[58] In 1911, a new nine-story residential block was built at the rear of the headquarters, fronting on Furman Street and overlooking the Brooklyn waterfront.[56] The Brooklyn Tabernacle was sold in 1918 or 1919.[59]
Printing facilities were established in Myrtle Street, Brooklyn in 1920 and from the February 1, 1920 issue The Watch Tower was printed by the society at the plant. Two months later the plant began printing The Golden Age. In 1922, the printing factory was moved to a six-story building at 18 Concord Street, Brooklyn; four years later it moved again to larger premises, a new eight-story building at 117 Adams Street, Brooklyn, at which time the society's headquarters was rebuilt and enlarged. In December 1926, a building at 126 Columbia Heights was bought, and a month later the three buildings from 122–126 Columbia Heights were demolished and rebuilt for accommodation and executive offices, using the official address of 124 Columbia Heights.[58]
In 1946, property surrounding the Adams Street factory was bought to expand printing operations (when completed in 1949 the factory occupied an entire block bounded by Adams, Sands Pearl and Prospect Streets) and five more properties adjoining 124 Columbia Heights were purchased for a 10-story building.[60][61] In the late 1950s a property at 107 Columbia Heights, across the road from 124 Columbia Heights, was bought[62] and by 1960 a residential building for staff was constructed there.[63][64] More residences were built at 119 Columbia Heights in 1969.[64]
The Watchtower detailed further expansion in the 1950s and 1960s: "In 1956, a 13-story building was constructed at 77 Sands Street. Then just across the street, another (10-story building) was purchased in 1958. In 1968, an adjoining 11-story new printing factory was completed. Along with the factory at 117 Adams Street, these fill out four city blocks of factories that are all tied together by overhead bridges. Then in November 1969, the Squibb complex located a few blocks away was purchased."[64]
The society bought the Towers Hotel at 79–99 Willow Street in 1974 for accommodation,[65] which is connected to the society's other Columbia Heights properties via underground tunnels.[66] In 1978, a property at 25 Columbia Heights underwent renovation for use as offices[64] and in the early 1980s properties were bought at 175 Pearl Street and 360 Furman Street for factory and office use.[67] A building at 360 Furman Street was bought in March 1983 and renovated, providing almost 9 hectares of floor space[65] for shipping, carpentry and construction.[68] The Bossert Hotel at 98 Montague Street was also bought in 1983 as a residence building.[69] 97 Columbia Heights, the former site of the Margaret Hotel, was purchased in 1986[65] as it was ideally located next to WTBTS residences at 107 and 124 Columbia Heights and it could easily tie in with the main complex on the other side of the street by means of an under-street tunnel. An 11-story residential building was erected on the site to house 250 workers.[70][71] A property at 90 Sands Street was also bought in December 1986 and a 30-story residential building[65] for 1000 workers was completed on the site in 1995. A 1996 publication listed other Watch Tower residential buildings in Brooklyn including the 12-story Bossert Hotel, 34 Orange Street (1945), Standish Arms Hotel at 169 Columbia Heights (1981), 67 Livingston Street (1989), and 108 Joralemon Street (1988).[65]
Two properties known as Watchtower Farms, at Wallkill, 160 km north of Brooklyn and totaling 1200 hectares, were bought in 1963 and 1967 and factories erected in 1973 and 1975.[64] 2012-2014 the Society is adding an office building, residence building and garage.[72] In 1984, the society paid $2.1 million for a 270 hectare farm at Patterson, New York[73] for a development that would include 624 apartments, garages for 800 cars and a 149-room hotel.[74] Other rural purchases included a 220 hectare farm near South Lansing, New York and a 60 hectare farm near Port Murray, New Jersey.[73]
In February 2009, the society paid $11.5 million for 100 hectares of land in Ramapo, Rockland County, New York for an administration and residential complex.[75] The site was reported to be planned as a base for about 850 Watch Tower workers, creating a compound combining residential and publishing facilities currently located in Brooklyn. A Witness spokesman said the land was currently zoned for residential uses, but an application would be made to rezone it, adding that "Construction is several years in the future."[76]
A year later, the Society announced it planned to move its world headquarters from Brooklyn to a proposed eight-building complex, replacing the pre-existing four-building complex on a 100-hectare Watch Tower property in Warwick, New York,[72] 1.5 km from its Ramapo site.[77][78] A Watch Tower presentation to Warwick planning authorities said the complex would house up to 850 people.[79][80] In July 2012, the Warwick planning commission approved the environmental impact statement for building the Warwick site.[81][82] In July 2013, Warwick approved building plans of the multiple building complex of the new headquarters, including four residence buildings of 588 rooms for about 1,000 people.[83] In August 2011, a 50-acre property was bought in Tuxedo, NY, with 184,000 square foot building, for $3.2 million, six miles from the Warwick site to facilitate the staging of machinery and building materials.[84][85][86] The Society bought a 48-unit apartment building in Suffern, NY near Warwick, NY for housing temporary construction workers in June 2013.[87] On December 3, 2014 the Society bought 250-unit Rivercrest Luxury Apartments in Fishkill, Dutchess County, NY. The sale price was not released, though taxes on the sale indicated a transaction of $57 million. The current leases will not be renewed.[88]
Brooklyn property sales[edit]



 Watch Tower headquarters in Columbia Heights, Brooklyn.
In 2004 the society began transferring its printing operations to its Wallkill factory complex.[89][90] The move triggered the sale of a number of Brooklyn factory and residential properties including:
360 Furman Street, sold in 2004 for $205 million;[91]
67 Livingston Street, (nicknamed the Sliver)[92] sold in 2006 for $18.6 million.[91]
89 Hicks Street, sold in 2006 for $14 million.[91]
Standish Arms Hotel, 169 Columbia Heights, sold in 2007 for $50 million.[93]
183 Columbia Heights, bought in 1986, offered for sale in 2007 and sold in April 2012 for $6.6 million.[90][94][95]
161 Columbia Heights, bought in 1988, offered for sale in 2007 and sold in March 2012 for $3 million.[90][94]
165 Columbia Heights, offered for sale in 2007 and sold in January 2012 for $4.1 million.[90][96]
105 Willow Street, offered for sale in 2007 and sold in April 2012 for $3.3 million.[90][97]
34 Orange Street, offered for sale in 2007 and sold in November 2012 for $2,825,000.[90][98]
Bossert Hotel, 98 Montague Street, bought in 1983,[69] offered for sale in 2008.[76] sold in 2012 to a hotel developer, Rosewood Realty Group, for $81 million.[99][100]
50 Orange Street, bought in 1988, renovated to sell 2006, and sold in December 2011 for $7.1 million.[101]
67 Remsen Street, offered for sale in July 2012,[102] and sold the same year for $3.25 million.[103]
Three adjoining properties (173 Front Street, 177 Front Street and 200 Water Street) sold together for 30.6 million in April 2013 to Urban Realty Partners.[104][105]
55 Furman Street, 400,000 sq. ft., is for sale as of June 2013.[106]
Five adjoining properties (175 Pearl Street, 55 Prospect Street, 81 Prospect Street, 117 Adams Street, and 77 Sands Street totaling 700,000 sq. ft.), offered for sale in September 2011,[107][108] under contract as of July 2013 to a three company buy-out. A sixth building (90 Sands Street, about 500,000 sq. ft., a 505 room, 30 story building) in this sale will be released in 2017, after the scheduled completion of the Jehovah's Witnesses' new headquarters in Warwick, NY. The properties are under contract for $375 million at completion of the sale.[106][109]
Two private parking lots are for sale as of June 2013.[106]
In 2011 the Watch Tower Society was reported to still own 34 properties in Brooklyn;[4][110] a 2009 report calculated "a dozen or more" properties in the Brooklyn area.[76] In a 2010 news report the Watch Tower Society said it was "not actively promoting" the sale of eight Brooklyn properties still on the market.[79] Watch Tower Society's remaining sixteen occupied Brooklyn properties are 25, 30, 50, 58, 97, 107, 119, and 124 Columbia Heights; 55 and 67 Furman Street; 80 and 86 Willow Street; 21 Clark Street; parking lots at 1 York Street and 85 Jay Street; and 90 Sands Street already arranged to sell in 2017.[111] The Furman Street properties and parking lots are for sale currently as stated above.
Other countries[edit]
In 1900, the Watch Tower Society opened its first overseas branch office in Britain.[112] Germany followed in 1903[113] and Australia in 1904.[114] By 1979 the society had 39 printing branches throughout the world, with facilities transferred to farming properties in many countries including Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, Canada and Australia.[115] In 2011, the Watch Tower Society had 98 branch offices worldwide reporting to New York directly; other nations' offices report to large branches nearby.[116]
Directors[edit]
Current[edit]
Don Alden Adams, director since 2000, president since 2000
Danny L. Bland, director since 2000
William F. Malenfant, director since 2000, vice-president since 2000
Robert W. Wallen, director since 2000, vice-president since 2000
Philip D. Wilcox, director since 2000
John N. Wischuk, director since 2000
Former[edit]
Directors are listed generally from most to least recent. List may not be complete.
Richard E. Abrahamson (director 2000-2004, secretary-treasurer 2000-2004)
Milton George Henschel (director 1947–2000, vice-president 1977–1992, president 1992–2000)
Lyman Alexander Swingle (director 1945–2000)[117]
W. Lloyd Barry (director ?–1999, vice-president ?–1999)
Frederick William Franz (director 1945–1992, vice-president 1945–1977, president 1977–1992)[118]
Grant Suiter (director 1941–1983, secretary-treasurer)[119]
William K. Jackson (director 1973–1981)[120]
Nathan Homer Knorr (director 1940–1977, vice-president 1940–1942, president 1942–1977)[121]
John O. Groh (director 1965–1975)
Thomas J. Sullivan (director 1932–1973)[122][123]
Alexander Hugh Macmillan (director 1918–1938)
Hugo Henry Riemer (1943–1965)[124][125][126]
William Edwin Van Amburgh (director 1916–1947, secretary-treasurer)[127][128][129][130]
Hayden Cooper Covington (director 1940–1945, vice-president 1942–1945)[131]
Joseph Franklin Rutherford (director 1916–1942, acting president[132] 1916–1917, president 1917–1942)[133]
Charles A. Wise (director 1919–1940, vice-president 1919–1940)[134][135][136][137]
J. A. Baeuerlcin (director 1923 fl)[138]
R. H. Barber (director 1919)[139]
Charles H. Anderson (director 1918–?, vice-president 1918–1919)[133]
J. A. Bohnet (director 1917–?)[133]
George H. Fisher (director 1917–?)[133]
W. E. Spill (director 1917–?)[133]
Andrew N. Pierson (director 1916–1918, vice-president)[127]
Robert H. Hirsh (director 1917)
J. D. Wright (director fl1916–1917)[127]
Isaac F. Hoskins (director fl1916–1917)[127]
Alfred I. Ritchie (director 1916–1917, vice-president)[127][140]
Henry Clay Rockwell (director fl1916–1917)[127]
Charles Taze Russell (director 1884–1916, president 1884–1916)[141]
William M. Wright (?–1906)[142]
Henry Weber (director 1884–1904, vice-president 1884–1904)[143][144]
Maria Russell (née Ackley) (director 1884–1897, secretary-treasurer 1884–?, then-wife of Charles Taze Russell)[141][145][146]
J. B. Adamson (director 1884–?)[141]
Rose J. Ball (director 1884–?)[143]
Simon O. Blunden (director 1884–?)[143]
W. C. McMillan (director 1884–?)[141]
W. I. Mann (director 1884, vice-president 1884)[141]
J. F. Smith (director 1884)[141]
Criticism[edit]
Critics including Raymond Franz, Edmond C. Gruss and James Penton have accused the society of being authoritarian, controlling and coercive in its dealings with Witnesses. Franz, a former Governing Body member, has claimed the Watch Tower Society's emphasis of the term "theocratic organization" to describe the authority structure of Jehovah's Witnesses, which places God at the apex of its organization, is designed to exercise control over every aspect of the lives of Jehovah's Witnesses[147] and condition them to think it is wrong for them to question anything the society publishes as truth.[148][149] The Watch Tower Society has been accused of employing techniques of mind control on Witnesses including the direction to avoid reading criticism of the organization,[150][151] frequent and tightly controlled "indoctrination" meetings, regimentation, social alienation and elaborate promises of future rewards.[152][153] Apart from life stories, the authors of all Watch Tower Society magazine articles and other publications are anonymous and correspondence from the society does not typically indicate a specific author or personal signature.[154]
See also[edit]
Bible Student movement
Corporations of Jehovah's Witnesses
Criticism of Jehovah's Witnesses
Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses
History of Jehovah's Witnesses
Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Pennsylvania Department of State.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, p. 49
3.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. p. 229.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d "Jehovahs loses comp case: Church may be forced to pay millions", New York Daily News, January 6, 2006. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 2009.
6.Jump up ^ Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 2012, page 55.
7.Jump up ^ "Report for Fiscal Year", Watch Tower, December 1, 1896, page 301, Reprints page 2077 Retrieved 2010-03-30, "WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY. REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING DEC. 1, 1896. ALTHOUGH the above has been the recognized name of our Society for some four years, it was not until this year that the Board of Directors took the proper steps to have the name legally changed from ZION'S WATCH TOWER TRACT SOCIETY to that above. The new name seems to be in every way preferable."
8.Jump up ^ "Development of the Organization Structure", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 229, "Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society. First formed in 1881 and then legally incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania on December 15, 1884. In 1896, its name was changed to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Since 1955 it has been known as Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania."
9.Jump up ^ Franz 2007, pp. 80–107
10.^ Jump up to: a b Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1993, pp. 575–576
11.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower: 1. July 1879. Missing or empty |title= (help)
12.Jump up ^ "Encyclopædia Britannica – Russell, Charles Taze"
13.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, January 1881, Reprints page 1.]
14.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, April 1881, Reprints page 214.
15.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower: 2. January 1882. Missing or empty |title= (help)
16.Jump up ^ J. F. Rutherford, A Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens, 1915, p. 14.
17.^ Jump up to: a b c C.T. Russell, "A Conspiracy Exposed", Zion's Watch Tower Extra edition, April 25, 1894, page 55-60.
18.Jump up ^ C.T. Russell, "A Conspiracy Exposed", Zion's Watch Tower Extra edition, April 25, 1894, page 55-60, "The affairs of the Society are so arranged that its entire control rests in the care of Brother and Sister Russell as long as they shall live... The fact is that, by the grace of God, Sister R. and myself have been enabled not only to give our own time without charge to the service of the truth, in writing and overseeing, but also to contribute more money to the Tract Society's fund for the scattering of the good tidings, than all others combined."
19.^ Jump up to: a b Wills 2006, p. 91
20.Jump up ^ J. F. Rutherford, A Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens, 1915, p. 14., "While there are nearly two hundred thousand shares, and it would be an easy matter to elect some other man as president, there never has been cast a vote against Pastor Russell. At the last election he was absent, his own votes were not cast, yet more than one hundred thousand votes of others were cast for him as president."
21.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, October 1894, page 330.
22.Jump up ^ Wills 2006, pp. 75
23.Jump up ^ Pierson et al 1917, p. 22
24.^ Jump up to: a b c Rutherford August 1917, p. 16
25.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, p. 48
26.Jump up ^ Allegheny City was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1909.
27.^ Jump up to: a b Grizzuti Harrison 1978
28.Jump up ^ Penton 1997, p. 39
29.Jump up ^ Gruss 2003, p. 17
30.Jump up ^ "Girl's midnight visit to Pastor Russell", Brooklyn Eagle, August 14, 1909, "His wife, whom he married 30 years ago, when she was Maria F. Ackley, obtained a limited divorce from him in Pittsburg on the ground of cruelty. The judge who decided for Mrs Russell granted her $100 a month alimony. Pastor Russell was slow in coming to the front with payments and finally stopped paying alimony altogether. An order was ordered for the pastor's arrest in Pittsburg, but Brooklyn is a comfortable enough place and Pastor Russell didn't like going back to Pittsburg where a yawning prison awaited him. He said that his friends had paid the alimony, anyhow, and that he was purged of contempt of court thereby."
31.Jump up ^ Gruss 2003, pp. 25–27
32.Jump up ^ Pierson et al 1917, pp. 5,6
33.^ Jump up to: a b Pierson et al 1917, pp. 4
34.Jump up ^ Rutherford August 1917, pp. 12
35.Jump up ^ Rutherford August 1917, pp. 22–23
36.Jump up ^ Rutherford August 1917, pp. 14,15
37.Jump up ^ Pierson et al 1917, pp. 9
38.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1993, pp. 68
39.Jump up ^ Macmillan 1957, pp. 106
40.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1975, pp. 93–94
41.Jump up ^ Rogerson 1969, pp. 39
42.Jump up ^ Wills 2006, pp. 175, 176
43.Jump up ^ Consolation, September 4, 1940, pg 25, as cited by Penton, pg. 61.
44.Jump up ^ Wills 2006, pp. 201
45.Jump up ^ Watchtower, June 15, 1938.
46.Jump up ^ Amendments to articles II, III, VII, VIII and X were passed unanimously, with more than 225,000 votes cast; the amendments to article V of the Charter, affecting qualifications for membership of the society, were passed 225,255 to 47.
47.Jump up ^ Articles of amendment to Watch Tower Society charter, February 15, 1945. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
48.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1993, pp. 108–109
49.Jump up ^ Brooklyn Heights Press, March 15, 1990, page 1, as cited by Edmond C. Gruss, 2003, pages 72–73.
50.Jump up ^ A 1990 news report stated that Brooklyn workers received $80 per month to buy personal needs. See "A sect grows in Brooklyn", Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 1990.
51.Jump up ^ "A sect grows in Brooklyn", Philadelphia Inquirer, August 2, 1990.
52.Jump up ^ Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 2012, page 55.
53.Jump up ^ Penton 1997, p. 231
54.Jump up ^ Beckford, James A. (1975). The Trumpet of Prophecy: A Sociological Study of Jehovah's Witnesses. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 83. ISBN 0-631-16310-7.
55.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 27
56.^ Jump up to: a b Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 47–48
57.Jump up ^ Watch Tower March 1, 1909, pages 67,68.
58.^ Jump up to: a b Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, p. 115
59.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 97
60.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 234
61.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 253–255
62.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, pp. 292
63.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, September 1, 1989, page 29.
64.^ Jump up to: a b c d e The Watchtower, December 1, 1982, page 23.
65.^ Jump up to: a b c d e The Watchtower, April 15, 1996, page 24.
66.Jump up ^ Awake!, April 22, 1989, pages 25–27; "In fact, the Towers, 124 Columbia Heights, 107 Columbia Heights, and 119 Columbia Heights, which accommodate nearly 2000 of the family, are connected by underground tunnels."
67.Jump up ^ Centennial of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1984, pages 8–9.
68.Jump up ^ "New Shipping Facilities of Jehovah’s Witnesses", Awake!, August 22, 1987, pages 16–18.
69.^ Jump up to: a b Jehovah's Witnesses sell the former Hotel Bossert
70.Jump up ^ Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1988, page 25.
71.Jump up ^ Awake 1989, April 22, pp 23-24
72.^ Jump up to: a b "Wallkill and Warwick Projects Moving Ahead", JW.org News, May 13, 2013.
73.^ Jump up to: a b Awake!, February 22, 1987, pages 25–27.
74.Jump up ^ "Watchtower project grows in Patterson", New York Times, April 18, 1983, 1993. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
75.Jump up ^ "Watchtower Society may move some NY offices", WCAX website, March 26, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
76.^ Jump up to: a b c "A Witness to the future as Watchtower buys land upstate", The Brooklyn Paper, April 2, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
77.Jump up ^ "Watchtower's move to Warwick? 'Not anytime soon'", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 24, 2011.
78.Jump up ^ "The Watchtower is getting tired of being shown the door in Brooklyn Heights", The New York Observer, October 25, 2011.
79.^ Jump up to: a b "Historic Turning Point: After Century in Brooklyn, Watchtower Pulls Out of Heights", Brooklyn Heights, February 23, 2010.
80.Jump up ^ "The Witnesses Leave. Then What?", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 24, 2010.
81.Jump up ^ "Town OKs impact plan for Jehovah's Witnesses", Times Herald-Record, July 17, 2012.
82.Jump up ^ "Witnesses to Relocate World Headquarters", jw.org News, August 15, 2012.
83.Jump up ^ "Warwick OKs Watchtower Site", Recordonline.com, Times Herald Record, July 19, 2013.
84.Jump up ^ "Watchtower Buys Another Parcel", Times Herald-Record, August 25, 2011.
85.Jump up ^ "Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of NY Pay 3.2M for Flex Building", Costar Group, Sept. 21, 2011.
86.Jump up ^ "Annual Meeting Report", Aug. 15, 2012 Watchtower, page 17
87.Jump up ^ "Suffern tenants must move after Jehovah's Witnesses group buys building", Lohud.com, June 12, 2013.
88.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses buy Fishkill apartments", Poughkeepie Journal, December 22, 2014.
89.Jump up ^ "Increased Activity at United States Bethel", Our Kingdom Ministry, September 2003.
90.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Watchtower to sell 6 Brooklyn Heights properties", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 26, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
91.^ Jump up to: a b c "Selloff! But Witnesses say they will remain kings of Kings", The Brooklyn Paper, May 12, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
92.Jump up ^ Yearbook, 1991, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, page 10.
93.Jump up ^ "Have a seat in the Standish", The Brooklyn Paper, December 15, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
94.^ Jump up to: a b Different Building, Same Buyer for Witnesses
95.Jump up ^ Group with big Brooklyn plan snaps up property
96.Jump up ^ Second Witnesses property fetches $4.1M
97.Jump up ^ Praise God! Another Watchtower Property Sells
98.Jump up ^ Watchtower Sells Yet Another Heights Property, Brownstoner Brooklyn Inside and Out, November 30, 2012.
99.Jump up ^ New York Post, Brooklyn Blog, May 8, 2012, Brooklyn's Bossert Hotel could become a hotel again
100.Jump up ^ The Real Deal News, Nov. 12, 2012, Chetrit, Bistricer pay $81 million for Brooklyn's Bossert Hotel
101.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses Sell First Property for $7.1 million
102.Jump up ^ Latest Witnesses-owned property in Brooklyn Heights hits the market, THE REAL DEAL, July 24, 2012.
103.Jump up ^ "Watchtower Sells 67 Remsen Street for 3.25 million", Brooklyn Heights Blog, October 10, 2012.
104.Jump up ^ "Witnesses put prime Dumbo site on the block", Crain's New York Business, June 4, 2012.
105.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses Sell Latest Dumbo Development Site for $31M", The Real Deal, April 25, 2013.
106.^ Jump up to: a b c Brooklyn-Bridge-Park "Developers Jostling for a piece of Brooklyn Bridge Park", The Real Deal, June 10, 2013.
107.Jump up ^ Watchtower Society selling five more properties in Brooklyn, NY, THE REAL DEAL, Sept. 16, 2011.
108.Jump up ^ "Big Deal: Jehovah's Witnesses List Prime Properties, The New York Times – City Room, September 16, 2011.
109.Jump up ^ "Witnesses knocking on $375M bldg. sale", New York Post, July 7, 2013.
110.Jump up ^ Hallelujah! "Jehovah's Witnesses land sell-off has Brooklyn dreaming big", Crain's New York Business, October 16, 2011.
111.Jump up ^ "No longer 'Vatican City' for Watchtower, Brooklyn watches jehovahs retreat", Brooklyn Daily Eagle, October 9, 2013
112.Jump up ^ "Bible Truth Triumphs Amid Tradition", The Watchtower, May 15, 1985, page 27.
113.Jump up ^ "Your Will Be Done on Earth", The Watchtower, 1960, page 30.
114.Jump up ^ Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society 1959, p. 33
115.Jump up ^ "Building to Jehovah’s Glory", The Watchtower, May 1, 1979, pages 26–29.
116.Jump up ^ 2012 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses p.32, 33, 55.
117.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses–Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. p. 91.
118.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation", The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 28.
119.Jump up ^ "Moving Ahead With God’s Organization", The Watchtower, September 1, 1983, page 13.
120.Jump up ^ "The Governing Body", 1974 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watch Tower, page 258
121.Jump up ^ "Background of N. H. Knorr", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 91
122.Jump up ^ "He Ran for 'The Prize of the Upward Call' and Won!", The Watchtower, September 15, 1974, page 554, "On October 31, 1932, he [Sullivan] was made a member of the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; he was also one of the eleven-member governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses."
123.Jump up ^ "A Time of Testing (1914–1918)", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 71, "Thomas (Bud) Sullivan, who later served as a member of the Governing Body, recalled, "It was my privilege to visit Brooklyn Bethel in the late summer of 1918 during the brothers’ incarceration."
124.Jump up ^ "Happy are the dead who die in union with the Lord", The Watchtower, May 15, 1965, page 320.
125.Jump up ^ "Experiencing Jehovah’s Love", The Watchtower, September 15, 1964, page 571
126.Jump up ^ "Announcements", The Watchtower, May 15, 1965, page 320, "Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania announces herewith the death of Brother Hugo H. Riemer on March 31, 1965. After years of service as a pioneer publisher in the field, he was called to the Society’s Brooklyn headquarters in 1918, since which time he served with the Society’s headquarters till his death at eighty-six years of age. He was on the boards of directors of both the Society’s Pennsylvania corporation and its New York corporation, also serving in the official capacity of assistant secretary-treasurer of both corporations."
127.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Organization of the Work", Watch Tower, December 1, 1916, page 391, Reprints page 6024 Retrieved 2010-03-30, "Two days after his [C. T. Russell's 1916] death the Board met and elected Brother A. N. Pierson as a member of the Board to fill the vacancy caused by Brother Russell's change. The seven members of the Board as now constituted are A. I. Ritchie, W. E. Van Amburgh, H. C. Rockwell, J. D. Wright, I. F. Hoskins, A. N. Pierson and J. F. Rutherford."
128.Jump up ^ "A Time of Testing (1914–1918)", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 65, "So, two days after Russell’s death, the board of directors met and elected A. N. Pierson to be a member. The seven members of the board at that point were A. I. Ritchie, W. E. Van Amburgh, H. C. Rockwell, J. D. Wright, I. F. Hoskins, A. N. Pierson, and J. F. Rutherford."
129.Jump up ^ "Moving Ahead With God’s Organization", The Watchtower, September 1, 1983, page 14, "The Society's secretary and treasurer, W. E. Van Amburgh, had become incapacitated due to advanced age and illness and so resigned from his position. I was elected to succeed him on February 6, 1947, and Brother Van Amburgh died the following day."
130.Jump up ^ "Testing and Sifting From Within", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 622, "In 1916, W. E. Van Amburgh declared, "This great worldwide work is not the work of one person... It is God’s work." Although he saw others turn away, he remained firm in that conviction right down till his death in 1947, at 83 years of age."
131.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation", The Watchtower, January 1, 2001, page 28, "In 1940, Hayden C. Covington—then the Society's legal counsel and one of the "other sheep," with the earthly hope—was elected a director of the Society. (John 10:16) He served as the Society’s vice president from 1942 to 1945. At that time, Brother Covington stepped aside as a director"
132.Jump up ^ Rutherford chaired executive meetings in 1916 but was not formally elected president until 1917. During Rutherford's 1918–1919 incarceration, vice-presidents Anderson and Wise chaired executive meetings.
133.^ Jump up to: a b c d e "A Time of Testing (1914–1918)", Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993 Watch Tower, page 68, "At the annual meeting held on January 5, 1918, the seven persons receiving the highest number of votes were J. F. Rutherford, C. H. Anderson, W. E. Van Amburgh, A. H. Macmillan, W. E. Spill, J. A. Bohnet, and G. H. Fisher. From these seven board members, the three officers were chosen—J. F. Rutherford as president, C. H. Anderson as vice president, and W. E. Van Amburgh as secretary-treasurer."
134.Jump up ^ Faith on the March by A. H. Macmillan, 1957, Prentice-Hall, pages 106, 110, "At New Year's time the Society held its [1919] annual election of officers in Pittsburgh... He [Rutherford] handed me a telegram saying that he had been elected president and C. A. Wise vice-president... C. A. Wise was there too. He had been elected vice-president while we were in prison."
135.Jump up ^ "Part 2—United States of America", 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watch Tower, pages 113–114, "Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 2–5, 1919. This assembly was combined with the very significant annual meeting of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society on Saturday, January 4, 1919... There were nominations, a vote was taken and J. F. Rutherford was elected as president, C. A. Wise, as vice-president, and W. E. Van Amburgh, as secretary-treasurer."
136.Jump up ^ "Sweden", 1991 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watch Tower, page 135
137.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, October 15, 1939, pages 316–317
138.Jump up ^ Watch Tower, December 15, 1923, page 333
139.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, October 15, 1939, pages 316–317, "The Society’s annual meeting in 1919 Jan. 4 in Pittsburgh reelected J. F. Rutherford President and W. E. VanAmburgh Secretary-Treasurer. But the others elected to the Board of Directors, viz. C. A. Wise (Vice President), R. H. Barber [...] were freer to carry out their responsibilities. When the imprisoned leaders were released, Barber resigned"
140.Jump up ^ "Ritchie, A. I.", Watchtower Publications Index 1930–1985, "Ritchie, A. I. vice president of Watch Tower Society (1916)"
141.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Watch Tower, January 1885, Vol VI, No. 5, page 1, [Reprints page 707], "A charter of incorporation for Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society was granted December 13, 1884. ... The incorporators are the Directors, named below... Directors C. T. Russell, Pres., M. F. Russell, Sec and Treas., W. C. McMillan, W. I. Mann, Vice Pres., J. B. Adamson, J. F. Smith."
142.Jump up ^ "Passed Beyond the Vail", Watch Tower, April 15, 1906, page 126, Reprints page 3765, "ANOTHER member of the Board... Brother William M. Wright, passed beyond the vail, into the Most Holy, we trust, on April 3."
143.^ Jump up to: a b c "Harvest Gleanings III", Watch Tower, April 25, 1894, page 131, "The Corporation is to be managed by a Board of Directors consisting of seven members, and the names and residences of those already chosen directors are (we given names of the present board and officers) as follows: -Charles T Russell, President, W C McMillan, Henry Weber, Vice President, J B Adamson, Maria F Russell, Sec’y & Treas, Simon O Blunden. Rose J Ball."
144.Jump up ^ "Entered Into His Rest", Watch Tower, February 1, 1904, page 36, Reprints page 3314, Retrieved 2010-03-30, "PILGRIM Brother Henry Weber has passed beyond the vail, to be forever with the Lord. We rejoice on his behalf. He finished his earthly course on Thursday, January 21, at 2.15 pm, at his home --Oakland, Md.--and was buried on Saturday, the 23rd. A large gathering, composed of his family, friends and neighbors, was addressed by the Editor of this journal... we will sadly miss our dear Brother, as a friend and as a Pilgrim and as Vice-President of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society"
145.Jump up ^ "Part 1—United States of America", 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, Watch Tower, pages 65–66, "During the trouble in 1894, Mrs. C. T. Russell (the former Maria Frances Ackley, whom Russell had married in 1879) undertook a tour from New York to Chicago, meeting with Bible Students along the way and speaking in her husband’s behalf. Being an educated, intelligent woman, she was well received when visiting the congregations at that time. Mrs. Russell was a director of the Watch Tower Society and served as its secretary and treasurer for some years."
146.Jump up ^ The January 15, 1955 The Watchtower, page 46, referred to the former "Maria Frances Ackley, who had become a colaborer and a contributor of articles to the Watch Tower magazine. They came to have no children. Nearly eighteen years later, in 1897, due to Watch Tower Society members’ objecting to a woman’s teaching and being a member of the board of directors contrary to 1 Timothy 2:12, Russell and his wife disagreed about the management of the journal, Zion’s Watch Tower. Thereupon she voluntarily separated herself"
147.Jump up ^ Franz 2007, pp. 614–654
148.Jump up ^ Franz 2007, pp. 69–124
149.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, February 15, 1976, page 124, as cited by R. Franz, "In Search if Christian Freedom", page 107,"Would not a failure to respond to direction from God through his organization really indicate a rejection of divine rulership?"
150.Jump up ^ "Do not be quickly shaken from your reason", Watchtower, March 15, 1986
151.Jump up ^ "At which table are you feeding?" Watchtower, July 1, 1994
152.Jump up ^ Franz 2007, pp. 391–431
153.Jump up ^ Gruss 2003, pp. 110–114
154.Jump up ^ Holden 2002, p. 32
Bibliography[edit]
Penton, James M. (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses (2nd ed.). University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3.
Rogerson, Alan (1969). Millions Now Living Will Never Die. Constable, London.
Wills, Tony (2006). A People For His Name. Lulu Enterprises. ISBN 978-1-4303-0100-4.
Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society (1975). 1975 Yearbook. Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.
Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society (1959). Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose. Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.
Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society (1993). Jehovah's Witnesses – Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.
Macmillan, A. H. (1957). Faith on the March. Prentice-Hall.
Rutherford, J. F. (August 1, 1917). "Harvest Siftings" (PDF). Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
Rutherford, J. F. (October 1, 1917). "Harvest Siftings, Part II" (PDF). Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
Pierson, A. N. et al. (September 1, 1917). "Light After Darkness" (PDF). Retrieved July 21, 2009.
Johnson, Paul S. L. (November 1, 1917). "Harvest Siftings Reviewed" (PDF). Retrieved July 21, 2009.
Grizzuti Harrison, Barbara (1978). Visions of Glory – A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-7091-8013-5.
Gruss, Edmond C. (2003). The Four Presidents of the Watch Tower Society. Xulon Press. ISBN 1-59467-131-1.
Holden, Andrew (2002). Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-26609-2.
Franz, Raymond (2007). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. ISBN 0-914675-23-0.
Botting, Heather; Gary Botting (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7.
  


Categories: Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
Religious organizations established in 1881
1881 establishments in Pennsylvania






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Corporations of Jehovah's Witnesses

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"Watchtower Society" redirects here. For the parent corporation, see Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
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 e
   



 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society logo
A number of corporations are in use by Jehovah's Witnesses. They publish literature and perform other operational and administrative functions, representing the interests of the religious organization. "The Society" has been used as a collective term for these corporations.
The oldest and most prominent of their corporation names, "Watch Tower Society", has also been used synonymously with the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, even in their own literature.[1] Particularly since 2000, Jehovah's Witnesses have maintained a distinction between their corporations and their religious organization.[2][3]


Contents  [hide]
1 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania 1.1 Personnel (as of September 1, 2005)
1.2 Name changes
2 United States corporations 2.1 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
2.2 Selected Personnel (as of April 1, 2012)
2.3 Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses
2.4 Other US corporations
3 Corporations outside the United States 3.1 International Bible Students Association
3.2 Other corporations
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania[edit]
Main article: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is a non-stock, not-for-profit organization[4] headquartered in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States. It is the main legal entity used worldwide by Jehovah's Witnesses, often referred to as "The Society". It holds the copyrights of most literature published by Jehovah's Witnesses. The society was founded in 1881 with William Henry Conley, a Pittsburgh businessman, as the first president and Charles Taze Russell as secretary-treasurer.[5] The society was incorporated as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in Pennsylvania on December 15, 1884, with Russell as president.[6] The corporation was officially renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1896; similar names had been in unofficial use since at least 1892.[7]
Personnel (as of September 1, 2005)[edit]
President: Don A. Adams
Vice Presidents: Robert W. Wallen, William F. Malenfant
Secretary/Treasurer: Richard E. Abrahamson
Directors: Danny L. Bland, Philip D. Wilcox, John N. Wischuk
Name changes[edit]
Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society (1881–1896)
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (1896–1955)
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (since 1955)
United States corporations[edit]
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.[edit]
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. is a corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses, which is responsible for administrative matters, such as real estate, especially within the United States. This corporation is typically cited as the publisher of Jehovah's Witnesses publications, though other publishers are sometimes cited. The corporation's stated purposes are: “Charitable, benevolent, scientific, historical, literary and religious purposes; the moral and mental improvement of men and women, the dissemination of Bible truths in various languages by means of the publication of tracts, pamphlets, papers and other religious documents, and for religious missionary work.”[8]
Selected Personnel (as of April 1, 2012)[edit]
President: Leon Weaver Jr.
Secretary: Gerry F. Simonis
Originally known as the Peoples Pulpit Association, the organization was incorporated in 1909 when the Society's principal offices moved to Brooklyn, New York. In 1939, it was renamed Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Inc., and in 1956 the name was changed to Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.[9] Until 2000, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses was president of both the Watch Tower (Pennsylvania) and Watchtower (New York) corporations, as well as Britain's International Bible Students Association corporation; in 2001, it was decided that the corporations' directors need not be members of the Governing Body.[2] In 2001 the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York was listed among the top forty revenue-generating companies in New York City, reporting an annual revenue of about 951 million US dollars.[10]
Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses[edit]
Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc. was established to organize and administer the congregational affairs of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States.[11][12] It filed for incorporation on August 21, 2000 in New York State as a “domestic non-profit corporation” in Putnam County, New York.[13] An incorporation record was also filed with the State of Florida on March 3, 2006, as a "foreign non profit corporation" with agency in Collier County, Florida.[14]
As announced to congregations in January 2001, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is a corporation used by their United States Branch Committee, which oversees the preaching work of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States, Bermuda, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.[15] All Branch Committee members are appointed by and report to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.[16][17]
As with other agencies of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses may correspond directly with any district overseer, circuit overseer, local body of elders, or individual, or it may assign someone else to communicate on its behalf. Any of these persons or groups may function as an agency acting at the explicit direction of the Governing Body.[18][19]
Other US corporations[edit]
Reorganization in 2000 resulted in the creation of several additional corporate entities to serve the needs of the United States branch of Jehovah's Witnesses. Since then, most written communication with congregations and individuals in the United States involves the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc; other corporations include:
Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses, New York, incorporated in 2000 for administration of full-time preaching activities.
Kingdom Support Services, Inc., New York, incorporated in 2000 for construction and fleet management.
Corporations outside the United States[edit]
International Bible Students Association[edit]
The International Bible Students Association (IBSA) is a corporate not-for-profit organization used by Jehovah's Witnesses in the United Kingdom for the production and distribution of religious literature. Its stated purpose is "to promote the Christian religion by supporting congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses and others in connection with their spiritual and material welfare in Britain and abroad within the charitable purposes of the Association."[20]
The IBSA was founded in 1914 as a corporation of the Bible Students by Charles Taze Russell in London, England, and was the first legal corporation representing Russell's ministry in Europe. The Watch Tower Society stated in 1917 that the IBSA, along with its Pennsylvania and New York based corporations "were organized for identical purposes and they harmoniously work together."[21] Other similarly named corporations operate in various countries to promote the interests of Jehovah's Witnesses.[22]
Other corporations[edit]
Since the formation of the International Bible Students Association, many other corporations sanctioned by the Governing Body have been used throughout the world to further the interests of Jehovah's Witnesses[23] by supporting the activities of their respective branch offices in different countries, for example:
Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses of East Africa
Los Testigos de Jehová en México
Wachtturm-Gesellschaft, Selters/Taunus (Germany)
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society Of Australia, Inc.
In some countries, Jehovah's Witnesses use the corporation name Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, or a similar name translated into the local language. In 2005, the branch office in Canada began using this name for a separate Canadian entity for most correspondence, while retaining Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada for other matters. In Mexico the corporation, Congregación Cristiana de los Testigos de Jehová, is used. Literature of Jehovah's Witnesses has also referred to the religion generally as the "Christian congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses".[24][25][26]
See also[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs
Jehovah's Witnesses practices
List of Watch Tower Society publications
Organizational Structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Such as in their book Worldwide Security Under the “Prince of Peace” (OCLC 15485620), ©1986 Watch Tower, pages 26-27, "That momentous date [that is, 1914] had been pointed forward to since 1876 by those who became associated with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. ... In all the warring nations [during World War I], the dedicated Christians who were associated with the Watch Tower Society came under tremendous pressure to abandon their resolve to keep free from bloodguilt."
2.^ Jump up to: a b "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower: 29. 15 January 2001.
3.Jump up ^ Isaiah’s Prophecy—Light for All Mankind, volume 2, ©2001 Watch Tower, page 317
4.Jump up ^ "Pennsylvania Department of State". Corporations.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
5.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (Watchtower, 1993), p. 576.
6.Jump up ^ J. Rutherford, A Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens, 1915, p. 14.
7.Jump up ^ "Printing and Distributing God’s Own Sacred Word", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 603
8.Jump up ^ "The Warning Work (1909-1914)", The Watchtower, March 1, 1955, page 141
9.Jump up ^ "Early Legal Corporations", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 229
10.Jump up ^ "Newsday.com article". Watchtowernews.org. 2001-09-17. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
11.Jump up ^ Letter from Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., to All Bodies of Elders in the United States, dated February 27, 2001.
12.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., 2002 January p7
13.Jump up ^ NYS Dept of State, Division of Corporations, site retrieved March 23, 2009
14.Jump up ^ "Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, site retrieved March 23, 2009". Sunbiz.org. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
15.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, September 2005, page 1
16.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 14-15
17.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, July 15, 2006, page 20
18.Jump up ^ Awake!, June 2006, page 19
19.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, April 1, 2007, page 25
20.Jump up ^ "Charity Commission (UK): International Bible Students Association.". Retrieved 2013-06-06.
21.Jump up ^ See “The History and Operations of Our Society,” Watch Tower, 1917, pp. 327-330, as referred by The Watchtower, March 1, 1955, page 141
22.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower: 29. January 15, 2001. "The International Bible Students Association is used in Britain. Other legal entities are used to promote Kingdom interests in other lands."
23.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, January 2002, page 7.
24.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, August 1, 2004, page 6
25.Jump up ^ Awake!, January 22, 2005, page 21
26.Jump up ^ Awake!, June 8, 2002, page 11
External links[edit]
 Media related to Jehovah's Witnesses at Wikimedia Commons
Official website
  


Categories: Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
Religious corporations


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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporations_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses









Corporations of Jehovah's Witnesses

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

"Watchtower Society" redirects here. For the parent corporation, see Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   



 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society logo
A number of corporations are in use by Jehovah's Witnesses. They publish literature and perform other operational and administrative functions, representing the interests of the religious organization. "The Society" has been used as a collective term for these corporations.
The oldest and most prominent of their corporation names, "Watch Tower Society", has also been used synonymously with the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, even in their own literature.[1] Particularly since 2000, Jehovah's Witnesses have maintained a distinction between their corporations and their religious organization.[2][3]


Contents  [hide]
1 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania 1.1 Personnel (as of September 1, 2005)
1.2 Name changes
2 United States corporations 2.1 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
2.2 Selected Personnel (as of April 1, 2012)
2.3 Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses
2.4 Other US corporations
3 Corporations outside the United States 3.1 International Bible Students Association
3.2 Other corporations
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania[edit]
Main article: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania is a non-stock, not-for-profit organization[4] headquartered in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, United States. It is the main legal entity used worldwide by Jehovah's Witnesses, often referred to as "The Society". It holds the copyrights of most literature published by Jehovah's Witnesses. The society was founded in 1881 with William Henry Conley, a Pittsburgh businessman, as the first president and Charles Taze Russell as secretary-treasurer.[5] The society was incorporated as Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in Pennsylvania on December 15, 1884, with Russell as president.[6] The corporation was officially renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1896; similar names had been in unofficial use since at least 1892.[7]
Personnel (as of September 1, 2005)[edit]
President: Don A. Adams
Vice Presidents: Robert W. Wallen, William F. Malenfant
Secretary/Treasurer: Richard E. Abrahamson
Directors: Danny L. Bland, Philip D. Wilcox, John N. Wischuk
Name changes[edit]
Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society (1881–1896)
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (1896–1955)
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (since 1955)
United States corporations[edit]
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.[edit]
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. is a corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses, which is responsible for administrative matters, such as real estate, especially within the United States. This corporation is typically cited as the publisher of Jehovah's Witnesses publications, though other publishers are sometimes cited. The corporation's stated purposes are: “Charitable, benevolent, scientific, historical, literary and religious purposes; the moral and mental improvement of men and women, the dissemination of Bible truths in various languages by means of the publication of tracts, pamphlets, papers and other religious documents, and for religious missionary work.”[8]
Selected Personnel (as of April 1, 2012)[edit]
President: Leon Weaver Jr.
Secretary: Gerry F. Simonis
Originally known as the Peoples Pulpit Association, the organization was incorporated in 1909 when the Society's principal offices moved to Brooklyn, New York. In 1939, it was renamed Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Inc., and in 1956 the name was changed to Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.[9] Until 2000, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses was president of both the Watch Tower (Pennsylvania) and Watchtower (New York) corporations, as well as Britain's International Bible Students Association corporation; in 2001, it was decided that the corporations' directors need not be members of the Governing Body.[2] In 2001 the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York was listed among the top forty revenue-generating companies in New York City, reporting an annual revenue of about 951 million US dollars.[10]
Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses[edit]
Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc. was established to organize and administer the congregational affairs of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States.[11][12] It filed for incorporation on August 21, 2000 in New York State as a “domestic non-profit corporation” in Putnam County, New York.[13] An incorporation record was also filed with the State of Florida on March 3, 2006, as a "foreign non profit corporation" with agency in Collier County, Florida.[14]
As announced to congregations in January 2001, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses is a corporation used by their United States Branch Committee, which oversees the preaching work of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States, Bermuda, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.[15] All Branch Committee members are appointed by and report to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.[16][17]
As with other agencies of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses may correspond directly with any district overseer, circuit overseer, local body of elders, or individual, or it may assign someone else to communicate on its behalf. Any of these persons or groups may function as an agency acting at the explicit direction of the Governing Body.[18][19]
Other US corporations[edit]
Reorganization in 2000 resulted in the creation of several additional corporate entities to serve the needs of the United States branch of Jehovah's Witnesses. Since then, most written communication with congregations and individuals in the United States involves the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Inc; other corporations include:
Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses, New York, incorporated in 2000 for administration of full-time preaching activities.
Kingdom Support Services, Inc., New York, incorporated in 2000 for construction and fleet management.
Corporations outside the United States[edit]
International Bible Students Association[edit]
The International Bible Students Association (IBSA) is a corporate not-for-profit organization used by Jehovah's Witnesses in the United Kingdom for the production and distribution of religious literature. Its stated purpose is "to promote the Christian religion by supporting congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses and others in connection with their spiritual and material welfare in Britain and abroad within the charitable purposes of the Association."[20]
The IBSA was founded in 1914 as a corporation of the Bible Students by Charles Taze Russell in London, England, and was the first legal corporation representing Russell's ministry in Europe. The Watch Tower Society stated in 1917 that the IBSA, along with its Pennsylvania and New York based corporations "were organized for identical purposes and they harmoniously work together."[21] Other similarly named corporations operate in various countries to promote the interests of Jehovah's Witnesses.[22]
Other corporations[edit]
Since the formation of the International Bible Students Association, many other corporations sanctioned by the Governing Body have been used throughout the world to further the interests of Jehovah's Witnesses[23] by supporting the activities of their respective branch offices in different countries, for example:
Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses of East Africa
Los Testigos de Jehová en México
Wachtturm-Gesellschaft, Selters/Taunus (Germany)
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society Of Australia, Inc.
In some countries, Jehovah's Witnesses use the corporation name Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses, or a similar name translated into the local language. In 2005, the branch office in Canada began using this name for a separate Canadian entity for most correspondence, while retaining Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada for other matters. In Mexico the corporation, Congregación Cristiana de los Testigos de Jehová, is used. Literature of Jehovah's Witnesses has also referred to the religion generally as the "Christian congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses".[24][25][26]
See also[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs
Jehovah's Witnesses practices
List of Watch Tower Society publications
Organizational Structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Such as in their book Worldwide Security Under the “Prince of Peace” (OCLC 15485620), ©1986 Watch Tower, pages 26-27, "That momentous date [that is, 1914] had been pointed forward to since 1876 by those who became associated with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. ... In all the warring nations [during World War I], the dedicated Christians who were associated with the Watch Tower Society came under tremendous pressure to abandon their resolve to keep free from bloodguilt."
2.^ Jump up to: a b "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower: 29. 15 January 2001.
3.Jump up ^ Isaiah’s Prophecy—Light for All Mankind, volume 2, ©2001 Watch Tower, page 317
4.Jump up ^ "Pennsylvania Department of State". Corporations.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
5.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (Watchtower, 1993), p. 576.
6.Jump up ^ J. Rutherford, A Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens, 1915, p. 14.
7.Jump up ^ "Printing and Distributing God’s Own Sacred Word", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 603
8.Jump up ^ "The Warning Work (1909-1914)", The Watchtower, March 1, 1955, page 141
9.Jump up ^ "Early Legal Corporations", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, page 229
10.Jump up ^ "Newsday.com article". Watchtowernews.org. 2001-09-17. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
11.Jump up ^ Letter from Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., to All Bodies of Elders in the United States, dated February 27, 2001.
12.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., 2002 January p7
13.Jump up ^ NYS Dept of State, Division of Corporations, site retrieved March 23, 2009
14.Jump up ^ "Florida Department of State, Division of Corporations, site retrieved March 23, 2009". Sunbiz.org. Retrieved 2012-12-31.
15.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, September 2005, page 1
16.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, page 14-15
17.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, July 15, 2006, page 20
18.Jump up ^ Awake!, June 2006, page 19
19.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, April 1, 2007, page 25
20.Jump up ^ "Charity Commission (UK): International Bible Students Association.". Retrieved 2013-06-06.
21.Jump up ^ See “The History and Operations of Our Society,” Watch Tower, 1917, pp. 327-330, as referred by The Watchtower, March 1, 1955, page 141
22.Jump up ^ "How the Governing Body Differs From a Legal Corporation". The Watchtower: 29. January 15, 2001. "The International Bible Students Association is used in Britain. Other legal entities are used to promote Kingdom interests in other lands."
23.Jump up ^ Our Kingdom Ministry, January 2002, page 7.
24.Jump up ^ The Watchtower, August 1, 2004, page 6
25.Jump up ^ Awake!, January 22, 2005, page 21
26.Jump up ^ Awake!, June 8, 2002, page 11
External links[edit]
 Media related to Jehovah's Witnesses at Wikimedia Commons
Official website
  


Categories: Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses
Religious corporations


Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Français
Bahasa Indonesia
Italiano
Bahasa Melayu
Polski
Português
中文
Edit links
This page was last modified on 18 January 2015, at 20:39.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
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Powered by MediaWiki
 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporations_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses









Demographics of Jehovah's Witnesses

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

JWStats1931-2010.png
Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
As of August 2014, Jehovah's Witnesses report an average membership of approximately 7.86 million actively involved in preaching, with a peak of 8.2 million.[1] Jehovah's Witnesses have an active presence in most countries, though they do not form a large part of the population of any country.
To be counted, an individual must be a publisher, and report some amount of time preaching to non-members, normally at least an hour per month. Under certain circumstances, such as chronic and debilitating illness, members may report increments of 15 minutes. Jehovah's Witnesses' preaching activity is self-reported, and members are directed to submit a 'Field Service Report' each month. Baptized members who fail to submit a report every month are termed 'irregular'. Those who do not submit a report for six continuous months are termed 'inactive'.[2] In 2014, these reports indicated a total of more than 1.945 billion hours of preaching, and an increase of 275,581 baptized members. Over 9.5 million were also reported as studying the Bible in their homes with Jehovah's Witnesses,[1] which includes Bible studies conducted by Witness parents with their children.[3][4]
Jehovah's Witnesses' official statistics only count as members those who submit reports for preaching activity, usually resulting in lower membership numbers than those found by external surveys. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses report approximately 1.2 million active publishers in the United States (including some children), whereas the Pew Research Center reported that Jehovah's Witnesses make up 0.8% of the US population (approximately 2.5 million).[5] Their official statistics indicate membership according to territories, some of which are not independent countries.
The number of people who attend Jehovah's Witnesses' annual commemoration of the Memorial of Christ's death (also termed the Lord's Evening Meal) includes active Witnesses, their children, and others who are invited to attend. According to the 2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, worldwide attendance at the 2014 celebration of the Memorial was 19,950,019.[1] In the United States, 2.5 million people were present. In Zambia 790,528 attended, or 1 person for every 19 in the population. Of those attending worldwide, over 14,000 partook of the memorial emblems of unleavened bread and wine.[1] Those who partake profess to be of the 144,000 "anointed" and hope to go to heaven, based on their interpretation of Revelation 14:1.
Congregations are generally organized geographically, and members are requested to attend the Kingdom Hall to which their neighborhood has been assigned, resulting in an ethnic mix generally representative of local population, though congregations based on language and ethnicity have also been formed.[6][7][8] In the United States, 37% of adults who self-identify as Jehovah's Witnesses are African Americans. This is the highest proportion among the 22 largest religious identifications in the United States.[9]

Countries/Territories
Peak Publishers
Congregations
Average Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance
239 8,201,545 115,416 9,499,933 19,950,019
[10]
See also[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses by country
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d 2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. 2014. p. 176.
2.Jump up ^ "Keep the Word of Jehovah Moving Speedily". Our Kingdom Ministry: 1. October 1982.
3.Jump up ^ "Question Box–Should a family Bible study be reported to the congregation?". Our Kingdom Ministry (Watch Tower Society): 3. November 2003.
4.Jump up ^ "Question Box—May both parents report the time used for the regular family study?". Our Kingdom Ministry: 3. September 2008.
5.Jump up ^ "Religious Landscape Study". PewResearchCenter.
6.Jump up ^ "My Love for the Earth Will Be Satisfied Forever". Awake!: 15. August 22, 1998. "Additionally, congregations of Aboriginal people have been formed in Adelaide, Cairns, Ipswich, Perth, and Townsville."
7.Jump up ^ "My Love for the Earth Will Be Satisfied Forever", Awake!, August 22, 1998, ©Watch Tower, page 12-15
8.Jump up ^ "I Have Found Many Good Things". The Watchtower: 32. April 15, 2011. "Today, Ibarra has six Spanish-speaking congregations, one Quichua-speaking congregation, and one sign-language congregation"
9.Jump up ^ American Religious Identification Survey, 2001, City University of New York
10.Jump up ^ Fast Facts—Worldwide
External links[edit]
Interactive map showing JW adherents in individual lands in service years 2002-2008
  


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Demographics of Jehovah's Witnesses

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

JWStats1931-2010.png
Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
As of August 2014, Jehovah's Witnesses report an average membership of approximately 7.86 million actively involved in preaching, with a peak of 8.2 million.[1] Jehovah's Witnesses have an active presence in most countries, though they do not form a large part of the population of any country.
To be counted, an individual must be a publisher, and report some amount of time preaching to non-members, normally at least an hour per month. Under certain circumstances, such as chronic and debilitating illness, members may report increments of 15 minutes. Jehovah's Witnesses' preaching activity is self-reported, and members are directed to submit a 'Field Service Report' each month. Baptized members who fail to submit a report every month are termed 'irregular'. Those who do not submit a report for six continuous months are termed 'inactive'.[2] In 2014, these reports indicated a total of more than 1.945 billion hours of preaching, and an increase of 275,581 baptized members. Over 9.5 million were also reported as studying the Bible in their homes with Jehovah's Witnesses,[1] which includes Bible studies conducted by Witness parents with their children.[3][4]
Jehovah's Witnesses' official statistics only count as members those who submit reports for preaching activity, usually resulting in lower membership numbers than those found by external surveys. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses report approximately 1.2 million active publishers in the United States (including some children), whereas the Pew Research Center reported that Jehovah's Witnesses make up 0.8% of the US population (approximately 2.5 million).[5] Their official statistics indicate membership according to territories, some of which are not independent countries.
The number of people who attend Jehovah's Witnesses' annual commemoration of the Memorial of Christ's death (also termed the Lord's Evening Meal) includes active Witnesses, their children, and others who are invited to attend. According to the 2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, worldwide attendance at the 2014 celebration of the Memorial was 19,950,019.[1] In the United States, 2.5 million people were present. In Zambia 790,528 attended, or 1 person for every 19 in the population. Of those attending worldwide, over 14,000 partook of the memorial emblems of unleavened bread and wine.[1] Those who partake profess to be of the 144,000 "anointed" and hope to go to heaven, based on their interpretation of Revelation 14:1.
Congregations are generally organized geographically, and members are requested to attend the Kingdom Hall to which their neighborhood has been assigned, resulting in an ethnic mix generally representative of local population, though congregations based on language and ethnicity have also been formed.[6][7][8] In the United States, 37% of adults who self-identify as Jehovah's Witnesses are African Americans. This is the highest proportion among the 22 largest religious identifications in the United States.[9]

Countries/Territories
Peak Publishers
Congregations
Average Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance
239 8,201,545 115,416 9,499,933 19,950,019
[10]
See also[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses by country
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d 2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. 2014. p. 176.
2.Jump up ^ "Keep the Word of Jehovah Moving Speedily". Our Kingdom Ministry: 1. October 1982.
3.Jump up ^ "Question Box–Should a family Bible study be reported to the congregation?". Our Kingdom Ministry (Watch Tower Society): 3. November 2003.
4.Jump up ^ "Question Box—May both parents report the time used for the regular family study?". Our Kingdom Ministry: 3. September 2008.
5.Jump up ^ "Religious Landscape Study". PewResearchCenter.
6.Jump up ^ "My Love for the Earth Will Be Satisfied Forever". Awake!: 15. August 22, 1998. "Additionally, congregations of Aboriginal people have been formed in Adelaide, Cairns, Ipswich, Perth, and Townsville."
7.Jump up ^ "My Love for the Earth Will Be Satisfied Forever", Awake!, August 22, 1998, ©Watch Tower, page 12-15
8.Jump up ^ "I Have Found Many Good Things". The Watchtower: 32. April 15, 2011. "Today, Ibarra has six Spanish-speaking congregations, one Quichua-speaking congregation, and one sign-language congregation"
9.Jump up ^ American Religious Identification Survey, 2001, City University of New York
10.Jump up ^ Fast Facts—Worldwide
External links[edit]
Interactive map showing JW adherents in individual lands in service years 2002-2008
  


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Jehovah's Witnesses by country

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Jehovah's Witnesses have a presence in most countries in the world. These are the most recent statistics by nation and by continent or region, based on active members, or "publishers" as reported by the Watch Tower Society of Pennsylvania.
Bible study figures include studies conducted by Witness parents with their unbaptized children,[1][2] which can be counted as one hour per week and one Bible study per month, per child.[3]
The Society reports its active presence in various dependencies and states as separate 'lands', as noted.
Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   


Contents  [hide]
1 Africa
2 North America 2.1 Caribbean
3 South America
4 Asia
5 Europe
6 Oceania
7 Other
8 Total
9 See also
10 Notes
11 Source
12 References

Africa[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Angola 19,813,180 102,753 1,432 449,984 414,639
Benin 10,703,000 11,352 175 27,927 43,619
Botswana 2,039,000 2,122 48 4,404 6,531
Burkina Faso 17,581,000 1,598 44 3,235 5,425
Burundi 9,069,000 11,852 256 34,599 55,203
Cameroon 20,653,254 37,319 329 72,194 97,497
Cape Verde 538,535 2,042 35 4,410 8,119
Central African Republic 4,616,417 2,471 53 6,778 12,736
Chad 12,825,314 646 17 1,178 4,328
Congo (Democratic Republic) 69,360,118 180,343 3,515 559,642 1,152,535
Congo (Republic) 4,558,594 6,193 77 21,412 27,932
Côte d’Ivoire 21,752,000 9,781 286 27,695 70,244
Equatorial Guinea 722,254 1,574 15 5,264 5,851
Ethiopia 87,500,000 9,768 214 7,465 25,896
Gabon 1,672,597 3,816 37 8,319 12,367
Gambia 1,915,226 208 4 420 643
Ghana 26,781,812 119,199 1,757 382,408 347,725
Guinea 11,750,000 737 18 1,845 3,280
Guinea-Bissau 1,762,595 133 2 467 702
Kenya 44,611,800 25,820 596 44,736 67,780
Lesotho 2,098,000 3,871 87 6,641 9,946
Liberia 3,958,000 6,022 125 20,357 76,130
Madagascar 22,752,887 29,385 659 77,984 135,122
Madeira[note 1] 263,091 1,134 17 752 2,007
Malawi 16,888,569 82,671 1,398 113,332 289,499
Mali 15,963,616 286 7 772 1,309
Mauritius 1,296,000 1,749 25 2,170 4,245
Mayotte[note 2] 224,282 130 2 251 300
Mozambique 24,600,000 51,637 1,136 83,548 272,108
Namibia 2,348,000 2,208 43 4,362 8,198
Niger 18,530,000 282 7 413 1,121
Nigeria 159,708,000 329,757 5,966 763,158 737,926
Réunion[note 3] 837,617 2,961 36 2,401 6,034
Rodrigues[note 4] 37,922 43 1 67 122
Rwanda 11,000,000 23,507 563 61,621 86,975
Saint Helena[note 5] 4,000 115 3 78 282
São Tomé and Principe 190,428 708 10 2,750 3,552
Senegal 13,508,715 1,150 26 1,927 2,840
Seychelles 91,359 331 4 435 907
Sierra Leone 6,092,000 1,937 36 4,622 9,061
South Africa 53,140,000 95,369 2,052 134,980 245,324
South Sudan 10,727,600 1,201 30 3,117 4,389
Sudan 26,507,000 515 17 1,172 2,055
Swaziland 1,268,000 2,983 92 4,045 8,075
Tanzania 49,483,000 15,761 472 30,039 55,183
Togo 7,020,000 18,158 269 56,659 65,503
Uganda 37,579,000 6,468 141 18,142 23,192
Zambia 14,638,640 168,693 2,698 362,651 790,528
Zimbabwe 13,323,770 41,688 1,123 92,569 110,570

North America[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Azores[note 1][note 6] 247,599 748 15 861 1,761
Canada 35,427,524 113,617 1,390 53,048 188,202
Costa Rica 4,943,000 29,086 433 35,203 71,037
El Salvador 6,387,000 39,346 676 45,744 96,113
Greenland[note 7] 56,295 145 6 133 308
Mexico 123,921,000 802,903 12,833 1,091,008 2,306,486
Nicaragua 6,176,000 26,169 418 45,664 88,389
Panama 3,931,000 15,626 306 23,666 50,847
Rota[note 8] 2,527 10 1 15 30
Saint Pierre and Miquelon[note 2] 6,311 15 1 6 15
Saipan[note 8] 48,220 198 2 349 641
Tinian[note 8] 3,136 15 1 30 36
United States 322,583,000 1,186,598 13,871 721,884 2,505,825

Caribbean[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Anguilla[note 5] 13,400 64 2 90 315
Antigua 81,000 478 7 512 1,308
Aruba[note 9] 107,397 931 12 999 2,772
Bahamas 382,600 1,630 27 2,106 4,604
Barbados 285,916 2,524 30 2,371 6,608
Belize 340,400 2,425 59 4,176 8,599
Bermuda[note 5] 65,500 463 5 334 1,036
Bonaire[note 10] 18,779 116 2 162 347
Cayman Islands[note 5] 59,200 228 3 236 703
Cuba 11,167,325 95,592 1,486 177,524 238,497
Curaçao[note 9] 154,843 1,931 25 2,326 5,444
Dominica 74,000 423 10 694 1,448
Dominican Republic 10,404,000 36,240 538 69,964 132,760
Grenada 111,000 578 10 719 1,677
Guadeloupe[note 3] 411,507 8,025 125 8,588 19,528
Guatemala 15,892,000 37,192 775 49,355 99,410
Haiti 9,993,000 18,899 258 39,490 82,240
Honduras 8,274,000 22,077 398 35,287 69,777
Jamaica 2,798,800 11,889 187 13,530 37,981
Martinique[note 3] 398,864 4,749 63 5,379 10,592
Montserrat[note 5] 5,103 18 1 55 94
Nevis[note 11] 12,100 53 1 57 245
Puerto Rico[note 12] 3,683,600 25,709 328 16,659 57,081
Saba[note 10] 2,000 7  12 24
Saint Barthélemy[note 2] 9,171 24 1 30 86
Saint Kitts[note 11] 51,300 203 4 294 774
Saint Lucia 182,000 740 10 1,186 2,349
Saint Martin[note 2] 36,992 311 5 535 1,112
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 109,400 332 8 503 1,226
Sint Eustatius[note 10] 4,000 22 1 45 95
Sint Maarten[note 9] 46,500 336 5 479 1,128
Trinidad & Tobago 1,334,824 9,503 119 11,481 25,269
Turks and Caicos[note 5] 33,700 323 6 675 1,084
Virgin Islands (British)[note 5] 28,600 260 4 264 804
Virgin Islands (US)[note 13] 106,800 602 10 663 1,692

South America[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Argentina 42,670,000 145,277 1,984 126,661 307,654
Bolivia 10,027,254 23,976 305 41,357 76,283
Brazil 203,067,835 767,449 11,562 841,136 1,728,208
Chile 17,556,815 74,498 933 65,537 178,353
Colombia 48,771,000 161,876 2,477 229,723 510,217
Ecuador 15,983,000 82,547 951 142,223 271,240
Falkland Islands[note 5] 2,840 10 1 9 23
French Guiana[note 3] 239,849 2,288 43 4,975 8,635
Guyana 787,503 2,846 45 4,723 12,002
Paraguay 6,800,236 9,309 192 14,682 22,962
Peru 30,769,000 117,211 1,387 194,860 366,023
Suriname 540,000 2,765 54 4,989 9,500
Uruguay 3,304,000 11,471 156 9,175 23,531
Venezuela 30,206,307 134,913 1,709 196,232 467,390

Asia[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Armenia 3,026,900 10,978 135 7,570 23,844
Azerbaijan 9,477,100 1,220 12 1,864 2,616
Bangladesh 151,125,475 211 5 464 764
Cambodia 14,364,931 802 14 2,147 2,012
Cyprus 885,600 2,467 36 1,763 4,683
Georgia 4,490,500 18,100 220 9,021 32,731
Hong Kong[note 14] 7,234,800 5,557 68 6,382 10,061
India 1,264,216,000 39,355 542 49,681 116,674
Indonesia 250,000,000 24,489 424 30,910 57,016
Israel 8,357,855 1,450 23 1,163 2,657
Japan 127,352,833 215,294 3,057 166,209 307,071
Kazakhstan 17,098,546 17,475 240 13,425 31,870
Korea (South) 49,512,000 100,289 1,371 81,384 137,865
Kyrgyzstan 5,776,600 4,936 69 5,090 10,663
Lebanon 4,831,233 3,659 57 2,171 6,575
Macau[note 14] 607,500 298 4 401 737
Malaysia 30,273,416 4,668 113 8,700 12,659
Mongolia 2,712,738 405 6 751 1,208
Myanmar 51,419,420 3,941 73 3,982 8,094
Nepal 27,153,225 2,004 34 4,224 6,595
Pakistan 196,174,380 928 18 1,234 5,857
Palestinian Territory[note 15] 4,550,368 70 2 65 142
Philippines 98,909,981 190,930 3,186 242,504 552,942
Russia 143,930,000 165,322 2,480 116,549 292,058
Sri Lanka 20,480,000 5,615 100 8,131 14,195
Taiwan 23,404,243 9,256 128 14,716 19,449
Thailand 67,741,000 4,022 97 6,240 8,123
Turkey 75,600,000 2,408 30 1,590 4,619

Europe[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Albania 3,204,000 5,190 82 6,349 13,151
Andorra 78,000 169 3 101 328
Austria 8,504,850 20,990 298 11,668 34,521
Belarus 9,468,000 5,579 72 5,008 10,247
Belgium 11,132,269 24,531 374 10,598 44,635
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3,871,643 1,180 16 593 2,123
Bulgaria 7,284,500 2,149 50 3,019 5,954
Croatia 4,470,534 5,412 67 2,344 9,315
Czech Republic 10,521,646 15,407 234 7,215 26,386
Denmark 5,639,719 14,462 178 5,850 21,814
Estonia 1,315,819 4,091 53 2,708 6,875
Faeroe Islands[note 7] 49,947 117 4 94 197
Finland 5,451,270 18,588 304 10,573 26,669
France 63,928,608 124,298 1,666 56,777 220,643
Germany 80,780,728 163,246 2,201 76,740 270,683
Gibraltar[note 5] 29,000 124 2 52 203
Greece 10,787,690 28,677 387 13,483 48,218
Hungary 9,877,000 22,444 293 12,825 41,952
Iceland 317,351 368 7 270 670
Ireland
(incl. Northern Ireland) 6,632,765 6,210 116 3,488 11,856
Italy 60,782,668 248,871 3,019 122,354 458,329
Kosovo[note 16] 2,350,000 237 6 422 609
Latvia 2,001,468 2,296 36 2,058 3,725
Liechtenstein 37,132 88 1 45 136
Lithuania 2,928,897 3,130 51 2,698 5,451
Luxembourg 549,680 2,028 32 1,112 3,939
Macedonia 2,091,719 1,323 24 1,122 3,146
Malta 425,000 623 7 216 1,164
Moldova 3,466,000 19,846 239 13,450 38,324
Montenegro 631,490 265 6 192 700
Netherlands 16,859,353 29,495 359 12,098 52,452
Norway 5,137,679 11,359 164 5,535 18,150
Poland 38,485,779 122,381 1,350 52,719 201,135
Portugal 9,976,649 48,706 642 28,788 95,575
Romania 21,290,000 40,371 541 25,866 83,419
San Marino 32,000 204 2 116 350
Serbia 8,118,146 3,857 61 2,300 8,552
Slovakia 5,417,750 11,105 153 3,938 21,345
Slovenia 2,054,000 1,930 30 1,000 3,160
Spain 46,182,000 108,900 1,545 58,728 195,673
Sweden 9,705,005 22,156 318 10,329 36,270
Switzerland 8,139,631 18,323 271 9,075 32,145
Ukraine 44,770,717 149,787 1,708 86,994 262,321
United Kingdom
(excl. Northern Ireland) 62,300,000 134,308 1,571 58,890 230,577

Oceania[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

American Samoa[note 13] 56,608 218 3 331 832
Australia 23,595,521 66,484 788 29,431 117,122
Chuuk[note 17] 48,651 48 1 154 233
Cook Islands[note 18] 13,979 194 3 202 559
East Timor 1,202,107 242 4 520 905
Fiji 881,065 2,938 73 4,676 12,334
Guam[note 13] 159,358 733 9 982 1,908
Kiribati 103,618 142 3 409 418
Kosrae[note 17] 6,616 17 1 54 91
Marshall Islands 69,747 171 4 456 815
Nauru 10,388 15 1 19 114
New Caledonia[note 2] 266,447 2,047 29 2,620 6,551
New Zealand 4,526,561 13,884 186 8,457 26,909
Niue[note 18] 1,398 25 1 20 64
Norfolk Island[note 19] 2,165 8 1 3 20
Palau 21,108 78 2 137 241
Papua New Guinea 7,677,264 3,868 104 6,496 33,621
Pohnpei[note 17] 35,981 74 1 173 274
Samoa 192,067 522 12 808 2,171
Solomon Islands 609,883 1,787 51 2,154 9,764
Tahiti[note 2] 268,207 2,990 38 4,363 9,714
Tonga 105,502 216 5 263 563
Tuvalu 10,016 60 1 71 322
Vanuatu 264,938 525 10 1,300 3,308
Wallis and Futuna[note 2] 13,936 46 1 76 242
Yap[note 17] 11,376 28 1 106 119

Other[edit]
In addition to the published figures for individual countries, statistics are also published collectively for countries where Jehovah's Witnesses operate covertly under ban,[4][5] including several Islamic and communist states.[6]

Country
Publishers
Congregations
Average Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance
30 "Other Lands" 33,372 764 61,451 67,963
Total[edit]

Countries/Territories
Publishers
Congregations
Average Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance
239 7,867,958 115,416 9,499,933 19,950,019
See also[edit]
Demographics of Jehovah's Witnesses
Notes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Portuguese autonomous region
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g French overseas collectivity
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Overseas department of France
4.Jump up ^ Dependency of Mauritius
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i British overseas territory
6.Jump up ^ Located on the North American plate in the Atlantic Ocean.
7.^ Jump up to: a b Danish autonomous region
8.^ Jump up to: a b c United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
9.^ Jump up to: a b c Constituent country of the Netherlands
10.^ Jump up to: a b c Special municipality of the Netherlands
11.^ Jump up to: a b Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
12.Jump up ^ Self-governing US territory
13.^ Jump up to: a b c US insular area
14.^ Jump up to: a b Chinese special administrative region
15.Jump up ^ Disputed territory comprising West Bank and Gaza Strip under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority and the Hamas Government in Gaza
16.Jump up ^ Disputed territory within Serbia
17.^ Jump up to: a b c d Federated States of Micronesia
18.^ Jump up to: a b Self-governing in free association with New Zealand
19.Jump up ^ Australian external territory
Source[edit]
2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, pages 178–187, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania.[7]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Question Box–Should a family Bible study be reported to the congregation?". Our Kingdom Ministry (Watch Tower Society): 3. November 2003.
2.Jump up ^ "Question Box—May both parents report the time used for the regular family study?". Our Kingdom Ministry: 3. September 2008.
3.Jump up ^ Organized To Do Jehovah´s Will. 2005–2011. pp. 98–99, 85–87, 87.
4.Jump up ^ "Keep Conquering the Evil With the Good". The Watchtower: 29–30. July 1, 2007.
5.Jump up ^ "Global Support for the Kingdom Issue". The Watchtower: 23. January 1, 1983. "Due to the viciousness of the enemy, and to protect our brothers, some of these places are not listed individually in the tabulated report, but the totals of their service appear in the line above the grand total, headed ... Other Countries"
6.Jump up ^ Map indicating countries in which JW activities are banned
7.Jump up ^ 2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses (PDF). 2014. pp. 178–187.
  


Categories: Jehovah's Witnesses by nationality


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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_by_country









Jehovah's Witnesses by country

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Jehovah's Witnesses have a presence in most countries in the world. These are the most recent statistics by nation and by continent or region, based on active members, or "publishers" as reported by the Watch Tower Society of Pennsylvania.
Bible study figures include studies conducted by Witness parents with their unbaptized children,[1][2] which can be counted as one hour per week and one Bible study per month, per child.[3]
The Society reports its active presence in various dependencies and states as separate 'lands', as noted.
Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   


Contents  [hide]
1 Africa
2 North America 2.1 Caribbean
3 South America
4 Asia
5 Europe
6 Oceania
7 Other
8 Total
9 See also
10 Notes
11 Source
12 References

Africa[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Angola 19,813,180 102,753 1,432 449,984 414,639
Benin 10,703,000 11,352 175 27,927 43,619
Botswana 2,039,000 2,122 48 4,404 6,531
Burkina Faso 17,581,000 1,598 44 3,235 5,425
Burundi 9,069,000 11,852 256 34,599 55,203
Cameroon 20,653,254 37,319 329 72,194 97,497
Cape Verde 538,535 2,042 35 4,410 8,119
Central African Republic 4,616,417 2,471 53 6,778 12,736
Chad 12,825,314 646 17 1,178 4,328
Congo (Democratic Republic) 69,360,118 180,343 3,515 559,642 1,152,535
Congo (Republic) 4,558,594 6,193 77 21,412 27,932
Côte d’Ivoire 21,752,000 9,781 286 27,695 70,244
Equatorial Guinea 722,254 1,574 15 5,264 5,851
Ethiopia 87,500,000 9,768 214 7,465 25,896
Gabon 1,672,597 3,816 37 8,319 12,367
Gambia 1,915,226 208 4 420 643
Ghana 26,781,812 119,199 1,757 382,408 347,725
Guinea 11,750,000 737 18 1,845 3,280
Guinea-Bissau 1,762,595 133 2 467 702
Kenya 44,611,800 25,820 596 44,736 67,780
Lesotho 2,098,000 3,871 87 6,641 9,946
Liberia 3,958,000 6,022 125 20,357 76,130
Madagascar 22,752,887 29,385 659 77,984 135,122
Madeira[note 1] 263,091 1,134 17 752 2,007
Malawi 16,888,569 82,671 1,398 113,332 289,499
Mali 15,963,616 286 7 772 1,309
Mauritius 1,296,000 1,749 25 2,170 4,245
Mayotte[note 2] 224,282 130 2 251 300
Mozambique 24,600,000 51,637 1,136 83,548 272,108
Namibia 2,348,000 2,208 43 4,362 8,198
Niger 18,530,000 282 7 413 1,121
Nigeria 159,708,000 329,757 5,966 763,158 737,926
Réunion[note 3] 837,617 2,961 36 2,401 6,034
Rodrigues[note 4] 37,922 43 1 67 122
Rwanda 11,000,000 23,507 563 61,621 86,975
Saint Helena[note 5] 4,000 115 3 78 282
São Tomé and Principe 190,428 708 10 2,750 3,552
Senegal 13,508,715 1,150 26 1,927 2,840
Seychelles 91,359 331 4 435 907
Sierra Leone 6,092,000 1,937 36 4,622 9,061
South Africa 53,140,000 95,369 2,052 134,980 245,324
South Sudan 10,727,600 1,201 30 3,117 4,389
Sudan 26,507,000 515 17 1,172 2,055
Swaziland 1,268,000 2,983 92 4,045 8,075
Tanzania 49,483,000 15,761 472 30,039 55,183
Togo 7,020,000 18,158 269 56,659 65,503
Uganda 37,579,000 6,468 141 18,142 23,192
Zambia 14,638,640 168,693 2,698 362,651 790,528
Zimbabwe 13,323,770 41,688 1,123 92,569 110,570

North America[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Azores[note 1][note 6] 247,599 748 15 861 1,761
Canada 35,427,524 113,617 1,390 53,048 188,202
Costa Rica 4,943,000 29,086 433 35,203 71,037
El Salvador 6,387,000 39,346 676 45,744 96,113
Greenland[note 7] 56,295 145 6 133 308
Mexico 123,921,000 802,903 12,833 1,091,008 2,306,486
Nicaragua 6,176,000 26,169 418 45,664 88,389
Panama 3,931,000 15,626 306 23,666 50,847
Rota[note 8] 2,527 10 1 15 30
Saint Pierre and Miquelon[note 2] 6,311 15 1 6 15
Saipan[note 8] 48,220 198 2 349 641
Tinian[note 8] 3,136 15 1 30 36
United States 322,583,000 1,186,598 13,871 721,884 2,505,825

Caribbean[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Anguilla[note 5] 13,400 64 2 90 315
Antigua 81,000 478 7 512 1,308
Aruba[note 9] 107,397 931 12 999 2,772
Bahamas 382,600 1,630 27 2,106 4,604
Barbados 285,916 2,524 30 2,371 6,608
Belize 340,400 2,425 59 4,176 8,599
Bermuda[note 5] 65,500 463 5 334 1,036
Bonaire[note 10] 18,779 116 2 162 347
Cayman Islands[note 5] 59,200 228 3 236 703
Cuba 11,167,325 95,592 1,486 177,524 238,497
Curaçao[note 9] 154,843 1,931 25 2,326 5,444
Dominica 74,000 423 10 694 1,448
Dominican Republic 10,404,000 36,240 538 69,964 132,760
Grenada 111,000 578 10 719 1,677
Guadeloupe[note 3] 411,507 8,025 125 8,588 19,528
Guatemala 15,892,000 37,192 775 49,355 99,410
Haiti 9,993,000 18,899 258 39,490 82,240
Honduras 8,274,000 22,077 398 35,287 69,777
Jamaica 2,798,800 11,889 187 13,530 37,981
Martinique[note 3] 398,864 4,749 63 5,379 10,592
Montserrat[note 5] 5,103 18 1 55 94
Nevis[note 11] 12,100 53 1 57 245
Puerto Rico[note 12] 3,683,600 25,709 328 16,659 57,081
Saba[note 10] 2,000 7  12 24
Saint Barthélemy[note 2] 9,171 24 1 30 86
Saint Kitts[note 11] 51,300 203 4 294 774
Saint Lucia 182,000 740 10 1,186 2,349
Saint Martin[note 2] 36,992 311 5 535 1,112
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 109,400 332 8 503 1,226
Sint Eustatius[note 10] 4,000 22 1 45 95
Sint Maarten[note 9] 46,500 336 5 479 1,128
Trinidad & Tobago 1,334,824 9,503 119 11,481 25,269
Turks and Caicos[note 5] 33,700 323 6 675 1,084
Virgin Islands (British)[note 5] 28,600 260 4 264 804
Virgin Islands (US)[note 13] 106,800 602 10 663 1,692

South America[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Argentina 42,670,000 145,277 1,984 126,661 307,654
Bolivia 10,027,254 23,976 305 41,357 76,283
Brazil 203,067,835 767,449 11,562 841,136 1,728,208
Chile 17,556,815 74,498 933 65,537 178,353
Colombia 48,771,000 161,876 2,477 229,723 510,217
Ecuador 15,983,000 82,547 951 142,223 271,240
Falkland Islands[note 5] 2,840 10 1 9 23
French Guiana[note 3] 239,849 2,288 43 4,975 8,635
Guyana 787,503 2,846 45 4,723 12,002
Paraguay 6,800,236 9,309 192 14,682 22,962
Peru 30,769,000 117,211 1,387 194,860 366,023
Suriname 540,000 2,765 54 4,989 9,500
Uruguay 3,304,000 11,471 156 9,175 23,531
Venezuela 30,206,307 134,913 1,709 196,232 467,390

Asia[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Armenia 3,026,900 10,978 135 7,570 23,844
Azerbaijan 9,477,100 1,220 12 1,864 2,616
Bangladesh 151,125,475 211 5 464 764
Cambodia 14,364,931 802 14 2,147 2,012
Cyprus 885,600 2,467 36 1,763 4,683
Georgia 4,490,500 18,100 220 9,021 32,731
Hong Kong[note 14] 7,234,800 5,557 68 6,382 10,061
India 1,264,216,000 39,355 542 49,681 116,674
Indonesia 250,000,000 24,489 424 30,910 57,016
Israel 8,357,855 1,450 23 1,163 2,657
Japan 127,352,833 215,294 3,057 166,209 307,071
Kazakhstan 17,098,546 17,475 240 13,425 31,870
Korea (South) 49,512,000 100,289 1,371 81,384 137,865
Kyrgyzstan 5,776,600 4,936 69 5,090 10,663
Lebanon 4,831,233 3,659 57 2,171 6,575
Macau[note 14] 607,500 298 4 401 737
Malaysia 30,273,416 4,668 113 8,700 12,659
Mongolia 2,712,738 405 6 751 1,208
Myanmar 51,419,420 3,941 73 3,982 8,094
Nepal 27,153,225 2,004 34 4,224 6,595
Pakistan 196,174,380 928 18 1,234 5,857
Palestinian Territory[note 15] 4,550,368 70 2 65 142
Philippines 98,909,981 190,930 3,186 242,504 552,942
Russia 143,930,000 165,322 2,480 116,549 292,058
Sri Lanka 20,480,000 5,615 100 8,131 14,195
Taiwan 23,404,243 9,256 128 14,716 19,449
Thailand 67,741,000 4,022 97 6,240 8,123
Turkey 75,600,000 2,408 30 1,590 4,619

Europe[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

Albania 3,204,000 5,190 82 6,349 13,151
Andorra 78,000 169 3 101 328
Austria 8,504,850 20,990 298 11,668 34,521
Belarus 9,468,000 5,579 72 5,008 10,247
Belgium 11,132,269 24,531 374 10,598 44,635
Bosnia and Herzegovina 3,871,643 1,180 16 593 2,123
Bulgaria 7,284,500 2,149 50 3,019 5,954
Croatia 4,470,534 5,412 67 2,344 9,315
Czech Republic 10,521,646 15,407 234 7,215 26,386
Denmark 5,639,719 14,462 178 5,850 21,814
Estonia 1,315,819 4,091 53 2,708 6,875
Faeroe Islands[note 7] 49,947 117 4 94 197
Finland 5,451,270 18,588 304 10,573 26,669
France 63,928,608 124,298 1,666 56,777 220,643
Germany 80,780,728 163,246 2,201 76,740 270,683
Gibraltar[note 5] 29,000 124 2 52 203
Greece 10,787,690 28,677 387 13,483 48,218
Hungary 9,877,000 22,444 293 12,825 41,952
Iceland 317,351 368 7 270 670
Ireland
(incl. Northern Ireland) 6,632,765 6,210 116 3,488 11,856
Italy 60,782,668 248,871 3,019 122,354 458,329
Kosovo[note 16] 2,350,000 237 6 422 609
Latvia 2,001,468 2,296 36 2,058 3,725
Liechtenstein 37,132 88 1 45 136
Lithuania 2,928,897 3,130 51 2,698 5,451
Luxembourg 549,680 2,028 32 1,112 3,939
Macedonia 2,091,719 1,323 24 1,122 3,146
Malta 425,000 623 7 216 1,164
Moldova 3,466,000 19,846 239 13,450 38,324
Montenegro 631,490 265 6 192 700
Netherlands 16,859,353 29,495 359 12,098 52,452
Norway 5,137,679 11,359 164 5,535 18,150
Poland 38,485,779 122,381 1,350 52,719 201,135
Portugal 9,976,649 48,706 642 28,788 95,575
Romania 21,290,000 40,371 541 25,866 83,419
San Marino 32,000 204 2 116 350
Serbia 8,118,146 3,857 61 2,300 8,552
Slovakia 5,417,750 11,105 153 3,938 21,345
Slovenia 2,054,000 1,930 30 1,000 3,160
Spain 46,182,000 108,900 1,545 58,728 195,673
Sweden 9,705,005 22,156 318 10,329 36,270
Switzerland 8,139,631 18,323 271 9,075 32,145
Ukraine 44,770,717 149,787 1,708 86,994 262,321
United Kingdom
(excl. Northern Ireland) 62,300,000 134,308 1,571 58,890 230,577

Oceania[edit]

Country
Population
Publishers
Congregations
Av. Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance

American Samoa[note 13] 56,608 218 3 331 832
Australia 23,595,521 66,484 788 29,431 117,122
Chuuk[note 17] 48,651 48 1 154 233
Cook Islands[note 18] 13,979 194 3 202 559
East Timor 1,202,107 242 4 520 905
Fiji 881,065 2,938 73 4,676 12,334
Guam[note 13] 159,358 733 9 982 1,908
Kiribati 103,618 142 3 409 418
Kosrae[note 17] 6,616 17 1 54 91
Marshall Islands 69,747 171 4 456 815
Nauru 10,388 15 1 19 114
New Caledonia[note 2] 266,447 2,047 29 2,620 6,551
New Zealand 4,526,561 13,884 186 8,457 26,909
Niue[note 18] 1,398 25 1 20 64
Norfolk Island[note 19] 2,165 8 1 3 20
Palau 21,108 78 2 137 241
Papua New Guinea 7,677,264 3,868 104 6,496 33,621
Pohnpei[note 17] 35,981 74 1 173 274
Samoa 192,067 522 12 808 2,171
Solomon Islands 609,883 1,787 51 2,154 9,764
Tahiti[note 2] 268,207 2,990 38 4,363 9,714
Tonga 105,502 216 5 263 563
Tuvalu 10,016 60 1 71 322
Vanuatu 264,938 525 10 1,300 3,308
Wallis and Futuna[note 2] 13,936 46 1 76 242
Yap[note 17] 11,376 28 1 106 119

Other[edit]
In addition to the published figures for individual countries, statistics are also published collectively for countries where Jehovah's Witnesses operate covertly under ban,[4][5] including several Islamic and communist states.[6]

Country
Publishers
Congregations
Average Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance
30 "Other Lands" 33,372 764 61,451 67,963
Total[edit]

Countries/Territories
Publishers
Congregations
Average Bible Studies
Memorial Attendance
239 7,867,958 115,416 9,499,933 19,950,019
See also[edit]
Demographics of Jehovah's Witnesses
Notes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Portuguese autonomous region
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g French overseas collectivity
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Overseas department of France
4.Jump up ^ Dependency of Mauritius
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i British overseas territory
6.Jump up ^ Located on the North American plate in the Atlantic Ocean.
7.^ Jump up to: a b Danish autonomous region
8.^ Jump up to: a b c United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
9.^ Jump up to: a b c Constituent country of the Netherlands
10.^ Jump up to: a b c Special municipality of the Netherlands
11.^ Jump up to: a b Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
12.Jump up ^ Self-governing US territory
13.^ Jump up to: a b c US insular area
14.^ Jump up to: a b Chinese special administrative region
15.Jump up ^ Disputed territory comprising West Bank and Gaza Strip under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian National Authority and the Hamas Government in Gaza
16.Jump up ^ Disputed territory within Serbia
17.^ Jump up to: a b c d Federated States of Micronesia
18.^ Jump up to: a b Self-governing in free association with New Zealand
19.Jump up ^ Australian external territory
Source[edit]
2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, pages 178–187, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania.[7]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Question Box–Should a family Bible study be reported to the congregation?". Our Kingdom Ministry (Watch Tower Society): 3. November 2003.
2.Jump up ^ "Question Box—May both parents report the time used for the regular family study?". Our Kingdom Ministry: 3. September 2008.
3.Jump up ^ Organized To Do Jehovah´s Will. 2005–2011. pp. 98–99, 85–87, 87.
4.Jump up ^ "Keep Conquering the Evil With the Good". The Watchtower: 29–30. July 1, 2007.
5.Jump up ^ "Global Support for the Kingdom Issue". The Watchtower: 23. January 1, 1983. "Due to the viciousness of the enemy, and to protect our brothers, some of these places are not listed individually in the tabulated report, but the totals of their service appear in the line above the grand total, headed ... Other Countries"
6.Jump up ^ Map indicating countries in which JW activities are banned
7.Jump up ^ 2015 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses (PDF). 2014. pp. 178–187.
  


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William Henry Conley

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Jump to: navigation, search


William Henry Conley
W.H. Conley.png
William Henry Conley

Born
11 June 1840
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died
25 July 1897 (aged 57)
Occupation
Industrialist, philanthropist
Spouse(s)
Sarah Shaffer
William Henry Conley (11 June 1840 – 25 July 1897), was a Pittsburgh philanthropist and industrialist.[1] He was married to Sarah Shaffer (1841–1908). Together, they provided organizational and financial support to religious institutions in the United States. William Conley was trained by his uncle in the printing business for ten years.[2] Conley was co-owner of the Riter Conley Company, which provided steel and manufactured goods during the Second Industrial Revolution.[3]


Contents  [hide]
1 Support for religious groups 1.1 Bethel Home Mission
1.2 Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society
1.3 Christian and Missionary Alliance
2 Business and charitable interests
3 Death
4 References

Support for religious groups[edit]



 Home of William Henry Conley
Bethel Home Mission[edit]
The Conleys frequently held prayer meetings and events in their home ministry.[1] The Conley home was sometimes kept open for weeks at a time in support of religious and charity efforts.[4][5] According to Zion's Watch Tower, annual celebrations of the Memorial of Christ's death were held at the Conleys' home.[6][7] Conley's home mission was described as Bethel (literally, "house of God"). The first recorded mention of Bethel in association with Conley appeared in 1890, in reference to the missionary house of Miss Lucy Dunne, established by William and Sarah Conley in Jerusalem.[8]
Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society[edit]
Conley was the first president of Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, from 1881 to 1884. In December 1884, the Society was incorporated with Charles Taze Russell as president.[9] In 1896, the Society was renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and later became associated with Jehovah's Witnesses.[10]
While president of the Society, Conley provided assistance for the three-volume series, Theocratic Kingdom by George N. H. Peters; Peters dedicated the work partially to Conley, claiming to be "deeply indebted for sympathy and pecuniary aid in the prosecution and publication of the work."[11] However, the May 1883 issue of Zion’s Watch Tower criticized Peters' work, recommending that readers not purchase the title.[12]
In 1894, Russell introduced a letter from Conley by briefly referencing him as "a member of the early Allegheny Bible Class."[13] Following Conley's death in July 1897, Zion's Watch Tower provided no obituary, nor any statement that specifically mentioned his name and his involvement with the Society.
Christian and Missionary Alliance[edit]
Conley was a member of the board of managers of the non denominational Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA), and was instrumental in funding and organizing it at local, state and national levels through the International Missionary Alliance (IMA).[14] In 1889, Conley funded and organized the CMA mission in Jerusalem under control of his home mission which would later come under the auspices of the IMA and eventually the CMA.[15] In the same year, the International Missionary Alliance was legally incorporated with W. H. Conley's $5000 contribution.[16][17][18] The Pittsburgh branch of the Christian and Missionary Alliance was formally established in 1894. Conley was elected president of both the Pittsburgh branch and at the state level, an office which he retained until his death in 1897.[1]
Business and charitable interests[edit]
William Conley worked his way from bookkeeper to co-owner of the Riter Conley Company, a worldwide supplier to the drilling, mining, manufacturing, and marine industries.[citation needed] Conley was also director and a stockholder of the Third National Bank of Allegheny.[2]
William and his wife were active in several Pittsburgh charities, including an orphanage and school for African-American children, as well as a local hospital.[citation needed]
Death[edit]
William Henry Conley contracted influenza (indicated in one obituary as "La Grippe") early in 1897, from which he never fully recovered. His health was relatively stable until June, at which time he suffered a relapse, after which he seldom left his home. He became bedridden in the last week of his life; on the evening of July 25, 1897, his health rapidly declined, and he died at about 8:30pm. A funeral service was conducted at his home in Pittsburgh.[1][5]
William Conley was survived by his wife Sarah. After a period of prolonged illness, Sarah Conley died October 1, 1908.[5][19] In honor of her husband's memory, Mrs Conley left much of her estate—estimated at a value of nearly $500,000 (current equivalent, about $13.12 million)—to the Wylie Avenue Church and the Pittsburg Bible Institute.[1]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e The Christian and Missionary Alliance, Volume 19, Number 6, August 4, 1897, page 132
2.^ Jump up to: a b National Cyclopedia of American Biography volume 14, part 1, James Terry White, 1910
3.Jump up ^ National Cyclopedia of American Biography volume 14, part 1, James Terry White, 1910
4.Jump up ^ The Christian Alliance and Foreign Missionary Weekly - Pittsburgh presidency April 13, 1894, Vol XII No. 15.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c The World's Hope, August 1, 1897, pages 234-235
6.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, April, 1880, R 94:Page 8
7.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, April, 1881 issue, R. 207: page 2
8.Jump up ^ The Story of The Christian and Missionary Alliance 1900, page 33.
9.Jump up ^ "Legal Incorporation", Zion's Watch Tower, October 1884, p. 671 (reprint).
10.Jump up ^ "Development of the Organization Structure", Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, page 229, "Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society. First formed in 1881 and then legally incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania on December 15, 1884. In 1896 its name was changed to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Since 1955 it has been known as Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania."
11.Jump up ^ The Theocratic Kingdom, volume 3 by George N. H. Peters, Funk & Wagnalls, 1884, page 3, online, "This volume is respectfully dedicated to W. H. Conley, Esq., and Dr. J. T. McLaughlin, to whom the author is deeply indebted for sympathy and pecuniary aid in the prosecution and publication of the work." [a footnote listed additional dedication names]
12.Jump up ^ "The Theocratic Kingdom", Zion's Watch Tower, May 1883, p. 2 (reprint), "Brother G. N. H. Peters of Springfield, Ohio, is an old acquaintance and friend. ... We regret to have it to state, however, that he is not free from Babylon's shackles... hence has been hindered from a fuller development in grace and knowledge... While the author does not ignore the teachings of the Apostles, he lays greater stress and value on the opinions of the "Fathers" (the Christian teachers of the first five centuries) than we could acknowledge as proper. ... While we cannot recommend it ... you should address [book orders to] our brother and friend as above."
13.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, "The Voice of the Church", June 11, 1894, p. 176 (reprint).
14.Jump up ^ The Christian Alliance and Foreign Missionary Weekly - Pittsburgh presidency June 19, 1896, page 594
15.Jump up ^ To see a promised land: Americans and the Holy Land in the nineteenth century, Lester Irwin Vogel, page 115
16.Jump up ^ To see a promised land: Americans and the Holy Land in the nineteenth century, Lester Irwin Vogel, page 115
17.Jump up ^ The Christian Alliance and Foreign Missionary Weekly March 21–28, 1890 Vol IV No. 9-10.
18.Jump up ^ Twenty-five wonderful years, 1889-1914: a popular sketch of the Christian, George Palmer Pardington 1914, page 208
19.Jump up ^ Notes From the Home Field: Mr and Mrs. W. H. Conley: The Christian and Missionary Alliance, November 21, 1908, page 131: "After a prolonged illness borne with hopefulness and courage, Sister Conley entered into rest October 1, leaving the whispered message behind—"It is all right.""
Preceded by
None President of Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society
 February 16, 1881-December 15, 1884 Succeeded by
Charles Taze Russell



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  


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1897 deaths
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William Henry Conley

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William Henry Conley
W.H. Conley.png
William Henry Conley

Born
11 June 1840
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Died
25 July 1897 (aged 57)
Occupation
Industrialist, philanthropist
Spouse(s)
Sarah Shaffer
William Henry Conley (11 June 1840 – 25 July 1897), was a Pittsburgh philanthropist and industrialist.[1] He was married to Sarah Shaffer (1841–1908). Together, they provided organizational and financial support to religious institutions in the United States. William Conley was trained by his uncle in the printing business for ten years.[2] Conley was co-owner of the Riter Conley Company, which provided steel and manufactured goods during the Second Industrial Revolution.[3]


Contents  [hide]
1 Support for religious groups 1.1 Bethel Home Mission
1.2 Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society
1.3 Christian and Missionary Alliance
2 Business and charitable interests
3 Death
4 References

Support for religious groups[edit]



 Home of William Henry Conley
Bethel Home Mission[edit]
The Conleys frequently held prayer meetings and events in their home ministry.[1] The Conley home was sometimes kept open for weeks at a time in support of religious and charity efforts.[4][5] According to Zion's Watch Tower, annual celebrations of the Memorial of Christ's death were held at the Conleys' home.[6][7] Conley's home mission was described as Bethel (literally, "house of God"). The first recorded mention of Bethel in association with Conley appeared in 1890, in reference to the missionary house of Miss Lucy Dunne, established by William and Sarah Conley in Jerusalem.[8]
Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society[edit]
Conley was the first president of Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, from 1881 to 1884. In December 1884, the Society was incorporated with Charles Taze Russell as president.[9] In 1896, the Society was renamed Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and later became associated with Jehovah's Witnesses.[10]
While president of the Society, Conley provided assistance for the three-volume series, Theocratic Kingdom by George N. H. Peters; Peters dedicated the work partially to Conley, claiming to be "deeply indebted for sympathy and pecuniary aid in the prosecution and publication of the work."[11] However, the May 1883 issue of Zion’s Watch Tower criticized Peters' work, recommending that readers not purchase the title.[12]
In 1894, Russell introduced a letter from Conley by briefly referencing him as "a member of the early Allegheny Bible Class."[13] Following Conley's death in July 1897, Zion's Watch Tower provided no obituary, nor any statement that specifically mentioned his name and his involvement with the Society.
Christian and Missionary Alliance[edit]
Conley was a member of the board of managers of the non denominational Christian and Missionary Alliance (CMA), and was instrumental in funding and organizing it at local, state and national levels through the International Missionary Alliance (IMA).[14] In 1889, Conley funded and organized the CMA mission in Jerusalem under control of his home mission which would later come under the auspices of the IMA and eventually the CMA.[15] In the same year, the International Missionary Alliance was legally incorporated with W. H. Conley's $5000 contribution.[16][17][18] The Pittsburgh branch of the Christian and Missionary Alliance was formally established in 1894. Conley was elected president of both the Pittsburgh branch and at the state level, an office which he retained until his death in 1897.[1]
Business and charitable interests[edit]
William Conley worked his way from bookkeeper to co-owner of the Riter Conley Company, a worldwide supplier to the drilling, mining, manufacturing, and marine industries.[citation needed] Conley was also director and a stockholder of the Third National Bank of Allegheny.[2]
William and his wife were active in several Pittsburgh charities, including an orphanage and school for African-American children, as well as a local hospital.[citation needed]
Death[edit]
William Henry Conley contracted influenza (indicated in one obituary as "La Grippe") early in 1897, from which he never fully recovered. His health was relatively stable until June, at which time he suffered a relapse, after which he seldom left his home. He became bedridden in the last week of his life; on the evening of July 25, 1897, his health rapidly declined, and he died at about 8:30pm. A funeral service was conducted at his home in Pittsburgh.[1][5]
William Conley was survived by his wife Sarah. After a period of prolonged illness, Sarah Conley died October 1, 1908.[5][19] In honor of her husband's memory, Mrs Conley left much of her estate—estimated at a value of nearly $500,000 (current equivalent, about $13.12 million)—to the Wylie Avenue Church and the Pittsburg Bible Institute.[1]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e The Christian and Missionary Alliance, Volume 19, Number 6, August 4, 1897, page 132
2.^ Jump up to: a b National Cyclopedia of American Biography volume 14, part 1, James Terry White, 1910
3.Jump up ^ National Cyclopedia of American Biography volume 14, part 1, James Terry White, 1910
4.Jump up ^ The Christian Alliance and Foreign Missionary Weekly - Pittsburgh presidency April 13, 1894, Vol XII No. 15.
5.^ Jump up to: a b c The World's Hope, August 1, 1897, pages 234-235
6.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, April, 1880, R 94:Page 8
7.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, April, 1881 issue, R. 207: page 2
8.Jump up ^ The Story of The Christian and Missionary Alliance 1900, page 33.
9.Jump up ^ "Legal Incorporation", Zion's Watch Tower, October 1884, p. 671 (reprint).
10.Jump up ^ "Development of the Organization Structure", Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, page 229, "Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society. First formed in 1881 and then legally incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania on December 15, 1884. In 1896 its name was changed to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Since 1955 it has been known as Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania."
11.Jump up ^ The Theocratic Kingdom, volume 3 by George N. H. Peters, Funk & Wagnalls, 1884, page 3, online, "This volume is respectfully dedicated to W. H. Conley, Esq., and Dr. J. T. McLaughlin, to whom the author is deeply indebted for sympathy and pecuniary aid in the prosecution and publication of the work." [a footnote listed additional dedication names]
12.Jump up ^ "The Theocratic Kingdom", Zion's Watch Tower, May 1883, p. 2 (reprint), "Brother G. N. H. Peters of Springfield, Ohio, is an old acquaintance and friend. ... We regret to have it to state, however, that he is not free from Babylon's shackles... hence has been hindered from a fuller development in grace and knowledge... While the author does not ignore the teachings of the Apostles, he lays greater stress and value on the opinions of the "Fathers" (the Christian teachers of the first five centuries) than we could acknowledge as proper. ... While we cannot recommend it ... you should address [book orders to] our brother and friend as above."
13.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower, "The Voice of the Church", June 11, 1894, p. 176 (reprint).
14.Jump up ^ The Christian Alliance and Foreign Missionary Weekly - Pittsburgh presidency June 19, 1896, page 594
15.Jump up ^ To see a promised land: Americans and the Holy Land in the nineteenth century, Lester Irwin Vogel, page 115
16.Jump up ^ To see a promised land: Americans and the Holy Land in the nineteenth century, Lester Irwin Vogel, page 115
17.Jump up ^ The Christian Alliance and Foreign Missionary Weekly March 21–28, 1890 Vol IV No. 9-10.
18.Jump up ^ Twenty-five wonderful years, 1889-1914: a popular sketch of the Christian, George Palmer Pardington 1914, page 208
19.Jump up ^ Notes From the Home Field: Mr and Mrs. W. H. Conley: The Christian and Missionary Alliance, November 21, 1908, page 131: "After a prolonged illness borne with hopefulness and courage, Sister Conley entered into rest October 1, leaving the whispered message behind—"It is all right.""
Preceded by
None President of Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society
 February 16, 1881-December 15, 1884 Succeeded by
Charles Taze Russell



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  


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Help

Category:Watch Tower Society presidents

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Jump to: navigation, search

In former times Watchtower Society presidents have been important persons for Jehovah's Witnesses, still they are presidents of the most important of their legal instruments, called Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
  

Pages in category "Watch Tower Society presidents"
The following 8 pages are in this category, out of 8 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).



*
Watch Tower Society presidency dispute (1917)

A
Don Alden Adams

C
William Henry Conley

F
Frederick William Franz

H
Milton George Henschel

K
Nathan Homer Knorr

R
Charles Taze Russell
Joseph Franklin Rutherford



Categories: Leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses


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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Watch_Tower_Society_presidents








Help

Category:Watch Tower Society presidents

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

In former times Watchtower Society presidents have been important persons for Jehovah's Witnesses, still they are presidents of the most important of their legal instruments, called Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
  

Pages in category "Watch Tower Society presidents"
The following 8 pages are in this category, out of 8 total. This list may not reflect recent changes (learn more).



*
Watch Tower Society presidency dispute (1917)

A
Don Alden Adams

C
William Henry Conley

F
Frederick William Franz

H
Milton George Henschel

K
Nathan Homer Knorr

R
Charles Taze Russell
Joseph Franklin Rutherford



Categories: Leaders of Jehovah's Witnesses


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Jehovah's Witnesses Association of Romania

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 A Kingdom Hall in Târgovişte
Jehovah's Witnesses Association of Romania (Romanian: Organizaţia Religioasă "Martorii lui Iehova" din România) is the formal name used by Jehovah's Witnesses for their operations in Romania, with a branch office located in Bucharest. It is one of eighteen officially recognised religious denominations in the country. According to a national census held in 2011, it has 49,820 adherents, making it the country's tenth-largest denomination. Each congregation is supervised by a group of elders appointed by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. The magazines The Watchtower and Awake! are both published in Romanian.[1][2]


Contents  [hide]
1 History 1.1 Founding and interwar period
1.2 Communist era and subsequent developments
2 Notes
3 References

History[edit]
Founding and interwar period[edit]
Bible Student groups first appeared in present-day Romania through Hungarian missionaries in Transylvania.[3] In particular, two emigrants who in 1911 returned from the United States to their hometown of Târgu Mureș (Marosvásárhely) managed to convert local Hungarians to their creed. They published the first edition of The Watchtower in Hungarian in 1914, with the first Romanian version coming out two years later, also in Târgu Mureș.[4] Similar groups were also active in the Romanian Old Kingdom prior to World War I, and there remain groups under the "Bible Student" name in Romania today. In 1920, Ioan B. Sima, a former Greek-Catholic, was sent from the United States to organise the community, which was divided into four groups in the 1930s.[3] After the Union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918, the headquarters moved to Cluj, with the first Watch Tower Society set up there two years later, its congregation mainly Hungarian. The society functioned as a regional hub, coordinating activities for Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania.[4] Following a leadership dispute in the Bible Student movement in the United States, those who remained associated with the Watch Tower Society became known as Jehovah's witnesses in 1931.[1]
During the interwar period of Greater Romania the government imposed successive bans on the group's operations. The first came in 1926: the group was considered a deviation from mainstream Christianity and an extra headache for authorities busy dealing with new extremist movements.[4] At that point, The Watchtower was banned, part of a wider move to curtail the group's publications.[5] By the early 1930s, pressure had eased and the headquarters moved to Bucharest,[4] as part of a shift into eastern and southern Romania.[5] Orthodox Ukrainians and Serbs were converted, followed by Romanian Seventh-day Adventists in Moldavia and inroads into Dobruja, Oltenia and Muntenia.[4] The group was legalised again in 1933; its application to register as a joint-stock company claimed 2000 members at the time.[4][5] The following ban came in 1937, as the rule of King Carol II was sliding into authoritarianism. In the piece of legislation passed to this effect by the Gheorghe Tătărescu cabinet, they were defined as one of the "religious associations and sects" whose activity on Romanian soil was prohibited; the list also included the Pentecostals, the Apostolic Faith Church of God, the Nazarenes, the Old Calendar Orthodox, the Inochentist church and Bible societies.[6][4]
As a result of their conscientious objection, Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted during World War II under the Ion Antonescu regime.[7] Meanwhile, the leadership withdrew to Northern Transylvania after the area was ceded to Hungary in 1940.[4] One leader, Martin Magyarosi, was arrested in September 1942, followed later by another, Pamfil Albu.[5] A number of Witnesses from Northern Transylvania were interned in a prison camp in the Serbian town of Bor, alongside Jews and Adventists.[4][5]
Communist era and subsequent developments[edit]



 A Kingdom Hall in Turda
In the aftermath of the August 1944 King Michael Coup, the Witnesses reverted to their 1933 status, and were given enhanced protections when they registered as a "legal entity" in July 1945.[8] In 1945–46, the Witnesses were permitted to openly publish their literature in Romanian; however, in 1948, their operations were again banned when the new Romanian Communist regime excluded them from its list of official religious communities;[3][4] another account places the ban in 1949, by governmental decree.[4] In August of that year, the Bucharest office was closed, its subsidiary buildings and equipment seized.[9] The group presented forthright critiques of ecclesiastical, social and political institutions, as well as apocalyptic pronouncements that were considered subversive by the Communist regime. Even more than their radical millenarianism, their opposition to military service and what officials understood as the Witnesses' attitude to the Romanian state were also considered unacceptable. Stories claiming that Jehovah's Witnesses were prepared to become personally involved in overcoming the powers of darkness and to bring to a consummation the climactic eschatological moment were circulated, increasing pressure on the group.[10] Its close ties to the United States also proved problematic, with members accused of espionage on behalf of the Cold War superpower. At the time of the ban, the group had some 15,000 members. A number of leaders, as well as ordinary faithful, were imprisoned on charges including public instigation, distribution of banned material and conspiracy against the social order, as well as draft evasion.[4] Among those arrested were the leadership; Albu, Magyarosi and Petre Ranca were convicted of spying on behalf of an "Anglo-American network".[9]
Officials maintained close surveillance of the Witness community, subjected its members to intense harassment and discrimination, and deprived them of their civil rights on various occasions. The media and other methods were also employed against the Witnesses. Religious scholar Earl A. Pope cites an American report which stated that in 1975 there were "heavy persecutions" in a number of major cities, including brutal beatings, continuous questioning in excess of fifty hours at a time, and physical torture, as well as many hundreds of house searches throughout the country and seizure of religious literature.[3] However, repression began to diminish somewhat at that point, although sentences for draft evasion continued to be pronounced.[9] The Governing Body tried to negotiate with the Romanian government, but their communications were unanswered. No precise figures are available as to the size of the movement under Communism, but it was large enough to create considerable apprehension for officials.[3] It is estimated there were 17,000 adherents in 1989.[4]
While repressive measures were relaxed starting in the mid-1970s, gaining new converts proved difficult. One method involved members traveling in pairs by train, starting a conversation on religious topics and beginning to proselytize after gaining the interest of others in their compartment. Another strategy was to start religious discussions in cemeteries or in crowded areas like rail and bus stations. The Watchtower was sent into Romania in English, translated by Witnesses into Romanian, the manuscript sent into Austria and copies then brought back into Romania, distributed to members and used in conversion efforts.[4] According to British political scientist Tom Gallagher, by the 1980s, one source of converts to the Witnesses, as well as to Protestant denominations, was the new working class housed in urban high-rise settlements, as the Orthodox hierarchy was reluctant to take care of this group's religious needs.[11] In an interview with the World Council of Churches' official magazine, Metropolitan Antonie Plămădeală of the dominant Romanian Orthodox Church said that gaining official recognition would have been very difficult for Jehovah's Witnesses in Romania because of their attitude toward the Communist state and to military service, but it would not have been impossible if the state had better understood their views and been less paranoid. He claimed that if they kept a low profile and were not active against the state, the authorities would be unconcerned about them.[3]
Following the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Jehovah's Witnesses in Romania received legal status as a religious association on April 9, 1990.[12][13][9] That year, their first congresses took place at Brașov and then Bucharest, resulting in the baptism of 1500 new members; they claimed 35,000 adherents by 1996.[4] Since its legalization, opposition has come from the Orthodox Church, which considers the group to be a heretical sect that employs "aggressive proselytism". In July 1996, the Orthodox Church influenced the authorities to cancel a planned international convention of Jehovah's Witnesses that had been scheduled to take place in Bucharest in July 1996.[14][12][13] In 1997, at a time when they were encountering difficulty obtaining authorization for new buildings and cemeteries, the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs rejected a request for the Witnesses' recognition as a religious denomination. In 2000, fourteen young members were involved in cases before the military authorities, having refused both obligatory army service and two years of community service in exchange for a year of conscription duty. They received suspended prison sentences, drawing condemnation from Amnesty International, but these were subsequently annulled by the Supreme Court of Justice.[4] Pursuant to a ruling by the same court in 2000, the Culture Ministry granted the group official recognition in 2003,[1] making it the first denomination to be recognised since the aftermath of the Revolution.[15] As of 2012, there were an estimated 300 Kingdom Halls serving some 500 congregations; the group claimed 100,000 members that year, of whom 20,000 were living abroad.[4] The census held the prior year, the country's first to record Witnesses, found 49,820 adherents or 0.26% of the population for whom data were available. The highest numbers were found in the counties of Mureș (6981), Maramureș (5960), Cluj (5783), Satu Mare (3841) and Brașov (2455), all in Transylvania.[2]
Notes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c (Romanian) "Organizaţia Religioasă 'Martorii Lui Iehova'" ("The Jehovah's Witnesses Religious Body"), at the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, Under-Secretariat for Culture and Religious Affairs; accessed July 6, 2010
2.^ Jump up to: a b (Romanian) Populaţia stabilă după religie - judeţe, municipii, oraşe, comune, National Institute of Statistics; accessed September 6, 2014
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Pope, p.190
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q (Romanian) Ilarion Țiu, "Martorii lui Iehova aşteaptă cu răbdare bătălia Armaghedonului", Adevărul, November 4, 2012; accessed November 6, 2012
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Pintilie, Fătu-Tutoveanu, p.106
6.Jump up ^ (Romanian) "Interzicerea sectelor şi asociaţiilor religioase" ("The Banning of Sects and Religious Associations"), in Vestitorul, Nr. 17-18/1937, p.165 (digitized by the Babeş-Bolyai University Transsylvanica Online Library)
7.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses in East Central, South Eastern and Southern Europe. The Fate of a Religious Minority (book reviews)", in LIT Verlag's Religion-Staat-Gesellschaft, 1/2007
8.Jump up ^ Pintilie, Fătu-Tutoveanu, p.106-07
9.^ Jump up to: a b c d Pintilie, Fătu-Tutoveanu, p.107
10.Jump up ^ Pope, p.189-90
11.Jump up ^ Gallagher, p.65
12.^ Jump up to: a b (Romanian) Mirela Corlăţan, "Martorii lui Iehova au intrat în legalitate" ("Jehovah's Witnesses Legalised"), in Ziarul de Iaşi, June 20, 2003
13.^ Jump up to: a b Ramet, p.289
14.Jump up ^ Human Rights Watch World Report 1997: Events of 1996, Human Rights Watch, 1996, p.230. ISBN 1-56432-207-6
15.Jump up ^ "Romania", International Religious Freedom Report 2005, United States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
References[edit]
Tom Gallagher, Modern Romania: The End of Communism, the Failure of Democratic Reform, and the Theft of a Nation, NYU Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8147-3172-4
Corneliu Pintilescu and Andrada Fătu-Tutoveanu, "Jehovah's Witnesses in Post-Communist Romania: The Relationship between the Religious Minority and the State (1989-2010)", in Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, vol. 10, issue 30 (Winter 2011): 102-126
Earl A. Pope, "Protestantism in Romania", in Sabrina P. Ramet (ed.), Christianity under Stress. Vol. III: Protestantism and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia: The Communist and Postcommunist Eras, Duke University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-8223-1241-7
Sabrina P. Ramet, "Church and State in Romania", in Henry F. Carey (ed.), Romania since 1989: Politics, Economics, and Society, Lexington Books, 2004. ISBN 0-7391-0592-2


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Principal religions of Romania


State-recognised
Romanian Orthodox Church (Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate) ·
 Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Timişoara ·
 Roman Catholic Church (Armenian-Catholic Vicariate) ·
 Romanian Greek-Catholic Church ·
 Armenian Apostolic Church ·
 Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church ·
 Reformed Church in Romania ·
 Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession ·
 Evangelical Lutheran Church ·
 Unitarian Church of Transylvania ·
 Baptist Union of Romania (Hungarian Baptist Convention) ·
 Christian Evangelical ·
 Evangelical ·
 Pentecostal Union of Romania ·
 Seventh-day Adventist Church ·
 Judaism ·
 Islam ·
 Jehovah's Witnesses
 
Main religions in the localities (2002)


Not state-recognised
Old Calendar Romanian Orthodox Church ·
 Inochentism ·
 Hinduism
 

  


Categories: Jehovah's Witnesses
Religion in Romania
Religious organizations established in the 1920s





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Jehovah's Witnesses Association of Romania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search




 A Kingdom Hall in Târgovişte
Jehovah's Witnesses Association of Romania (Romanian: Organizaţia Religioasă "Martorii lui Iehova" din România) is the formal name used by Jehovah's Witnesses for their operations in Romania, with a branch office located in Bucharest. It is one of eighteen officially recognised religious denominations in the country. According to a national census held in 2011, it has 49,820 adherents, making it the country's tenth-largest denomination. Each congregation is supervised by a group of elders appointed by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. The magazines The Watchtower and Awake! are both published in Romanian.[1][2]


Contents  [hide]
1 History 1.1 Founding and interwar period
1.2 Communist era and subsequent developments
2 Notes
3 References

History[edit]
Founding and interwar period[edit]
Bible Student groups first appeared in present-day Romania through Hungarian missionaries in Transylvania.[3] In particular, two emigrants who in 1911 returned from the United States to their hometown of Târgu Mureș (Marosvásárhely) managed to convert local Hungarians to their creed. They published the first edition of The Watchtower in Hungarian in 1914, with the first Romanian version coming out two years later, also in Târgu Mureș.[4] Similar groups were also active in the Romanian Old Kingdom prior to World War I, and there remain groups under the "Bible Student" name in Romania today. In 1920, Ioan B. Sima, a former Greek-Catholic, was sent from the United States to organise the community, which was divided into four groups in the 1930s.[3] After the Union of Transylvania with Romania in 1918, the headquarters moved to Cluj, with the first Watch Tower Society set up there two years later, its congregation mainly Hungarian. The society functioned as a regional hub, coordinating activities for Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and Albania.[4] Following a leadership dispute in the Bible Student movement in the United States, those who remained associated with the Watch Tower Society became known as Jehovah's witnesses in 1931.[1]
During the interwar period of Greater Romania the government imposed successive bans on the group's operations. The first came in 1926: the group was considered a deviation from mainstream Christianity and an extra headache for authorities busy dealing with new extremist movements.[4] At that point, The Watchtower was banned, part of a wider move to curtail the group's publications.[5] By the early 1930s, pressure had eased and the headquarters moved to Bucharest,[4] as part of a shift into eastern and southern Romania.[5] Orthodox Ukrainians and Serbs were converted, followed by Romanian Seventh-day Adventists in Moldavia and inroads into Dobruja, Oltenia and Muntenia.[4] The group was legalised again in 1933; its application to register as a joint-stock company claimed 2000 members at the time.[4][5] The following ban came in 1937, as the rule of King Carol II was sliding into authoritarianism. In the piece of legislation passed to this effect by the Gheorghe Tătărescu cabinet, they were defined as one of the "religious associations and sects" whose activity on Romanian soil was prohibited; the list also included the Pentecostals, the Apostolic Faith Church of God, the Nazarenes, the Old Calendar Orthodox, the Inochentist church and Bible societies.[6][4]
As a result of their conscientious objection, Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted during World War II under the Ion Antonescu regime.[7] Meanwhile, the leadership withdrew to Northern Transylvania after the area was ceded to Hungary in 1940.[4] One leader, Martin Magyarosi, was arrested in September 1942, followed later by another, Pamfil Albu.[5] A number of Witnesses from Northern Transylvania were interned in a prison camp in the Serbian town of Bor, alongside Jews and Adventists.[4][5]
Communist era and subsequent developments[edit]



 A Kingdom Hall in Turda
In the aftermath of the August 1944 King Michael Coup, the Witnesses reverted to their 1933 status, and were given enhanced protections when they registered as a "legal entity" in July 1945.[8] In 1945–46, the Witnesses were permitted to openly publish their literature in Romanian; however, in 1948, their operations were again banned when the new Romanian Communist regime excluded them from its list of official religious communities;[3][4] another account places the ban in 1949, by governmental decree.[4] In August of that year, the Bucharest office was closed, its subsidiary buildings and equipment seized.[9] The group presented forthright critiques of ecclesiastical, social and political institutions, as well as apocalyptic pronouncements that were considered subversive by the Communist regime. Even more than their radical millenarianism, their opposition to military service and what officials understood as the Witnesses' attitude to the Romanian state were also considered unacceptable. Stories claiming that Jehovah's Witnesses were prepared to become personally involved in overcoming the powers of darkness and to bring to a consummation the climactic eschatological moment were circulated, increasing pressure on the group.[10] Its close ties to the United States also proved problematic, with members accused of espionage on behalf of the Cold War superpower. At the time of the ban, the group had some 15,000 members. A number of leaders, as well as ordinary faithful, were imprisoned on charges including public instigation, distribution of banned material and conspiracy against the social order, as well as draft evasion.[4] Among those arrested were the leadership; Albu, Magyarosi and Petre Ranca were convicted of spying on behalf of an "Anglo-American network".[9]
Officials maintained close surveillance of the Witness community, subjected its members to intense harassment and discrimination, and deprived them of their civil rights on various occasions. The media and other methods were also employed against the Witnesses. Religious scholar Earl A. Pope cites an American report which stated that in 1975 there were "heavy persecutions" in a number of major cities, including brutal beatings, continuous questioning in excess of fifty hours at a time, and physical torture, as well as many hundreds of house searches throughout the country and seizure of religious literature.[3] However, repression began to diminish somewhat at that point, although sentences for draft evasion continued to be pronounced.[9] The Governing Body tried to negotiate with the Romanian government, but their communications were unanswered. No precise figures are available as to the size of the movement under Communism, but it was large enough to create considerable apprehension for officials.[3] It is estimated there were 17,000 adherents in 1989.[4]
While repressive measures were relaxed starting in the mid-1970s, gaining new converts proved difficult. One method involved members traveling in pairs by train, starting a conversation on religious topics and beginning to proselytize after gaining the interest of others in their compartment. Another strategy was to start religious discussions in cemeteries or in crowded areas like rail and bus stations. The Watchtower was sent into Romania in English, translated by Witnesses into Romanian, the manuscript sent into Austria and copies then brought back into Romania, distributed to members and used in conversion efforts.[4] According to British political scientist Tom Gallagher, by the 1980s, one source of converts to the Witnesses, as well as to Protestant denominations, was the new working class housed in urban high-rise settlements, as the Orthodox hierarchy was reluctant to take care of this group's religious needs.[11] In an interview with the World Council of Churches' official magazine, Metropolitan Antonie Plămădeală of the dominant Romanian Orthodox Church said that gaining official recognition would have been very difficult for Jehovah's Witnesses in Romania because of their attitude toward the Communist state and to military service, but it would not have been impossible if the state had better understood their views and been less paranoid. He claimed that if they kept a low profile and were not active against the state, the authorities would be unconcerned about them.[3]
Following the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Jehovah's Witnesses in Romania received legal status as a religious association on April 9, 1990.[12][13][9] That year, their first congresses took place at Brașov and then Bucharest, resulting in the baptism of 1500 new members; they claimed 35,000 adherents by 1996.[4] Since its legalization, opposition has come from the Orthodox Church, which considers the group to be a heretical sect that employs "aggressive proselytism". In July 1996, the Orthodox Church influenced the authorities to cancel a planned international convention of Jehovah's Witnesses that had been scheduled to take place in Bucharest in July 1996.[14][12][13] In 1997, at a time when they were encountering difficulty obtaining authorization for new buildings and cemeteries, the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs rejected a request for the Witnesses' recognition as a religious denomination. In 2000, fourteen young members were involved in cases before the military authorities, having refused both obligatory army service and two years of community service in exchange for a year of conscription duty. They received suspended prison sentences, drawing condemnation from Amnesty International, but these were subsequently annulled by the Supreme Court of Justice.[4] Pursuant to a ruling by the same court in 2000, the Culture Ministry granted the group official recognition in 2003,[1] making it the first denomination to be recognised since the aftermath of the Revolution.[15] As of 2012, there were an estimated 300 Kingdom Halls serving some 500 congregations; the group claimed 100,000 members that year, of whom 20,000 were living abroad.[4] The census held the prior year, the country's first to record Witnesses, found 49,820 adherents or 0.26% of the population for whom data were available. The highest numbers were found in the counties of Mureș (6981), Maramureș (5960), Cluj (5783), Satu Mare (3841) and Brașov (2455), all in Transylvania.[2]
Notes[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c (Romanian) "Organizaţia Religioasă 'Martorii Lui Iehova'" ("The Jehovah's Witnesses Religious Body"), at the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs, Under-Secretariat for Culture and Religious Affairs; accessed July 6, 2010
2.^ Jump up to: a b (Romanian) Populaţia stabilă după religie - judeţe, municipii, oraşe, comune, National Institute of Statistics; accessed September 6, 2014
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Pope, p.190
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q (Romanian) Ilarion Țiu, "Martorii lui Iehova aşteaptă cu răbdare bătălia Armaghedonului", Adevărul, November 4, 2012; accessed November 6, 2012
5.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Pintilie, Fătu-Tutoveanu, p.106
6.Jump up ^ (Romanian) "Interzicerea sectelor şi asociaţiilor religioase" ("The Banning of Sects and Religious Associations"), in Vestitorul, Nr. 17-18/1937, p.165 (digitized by the Babeş-Bolyai University Transsylvanica Online Library)
7.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses in East Central, South Eastern and Southern Europe. The Fate of a Religious Minority (book reviews)", in LIT Verlag's Religion-Staat-Gesellschaft, 1/2007
8.Jump up ^ Pintilie, Fătu-Tutoveanu, p.106-07
9.^ Jump up to: a b c d Pintilie, Fătu-Tutoveanu, p.107
10.Jump up ^ Pope, p.189-90
11.Jump up ^ Gallagher, p.65
12.^ Jump up to: a b (Romanian) Mirela Corlăţan, "Martorii lui Iehova au intrat în legalitate" ("Jehovah's Witnesses Legalised"), in Ziarul de Iaşi, June 20, 2003
13.^ Jump up to: a b Ramet, p.289
14.Jump up ^ Human Rights Watch World Report 1997: Events of 1996, Human Rights Watch, 1996, p.230. ISBN 1-56432-207-6
15.Jump up ^ "Romania", International Religious Freedom Report 2005, United States Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
References[edit]
Tom Gallagher, Modern Romania: The End of Communism, the Failure of Democratic Reform, and the Theft of a Nation, NYU Press, 2005. ISBN 0-8147-3172-4
Corneliu Pintilescu and Andrada Fătu-Tutoveanu, "Jehovah's Witnesses in Post-Communist Romania: The Relationship between the Religious Minority and the State (1989-2010)", in Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, vol. 10, issue 30 (Winter 2011): 102-126
Earl A. Pope, "Protestantism in Romania", in Sabrina P. Ramet (ed.), Christianity under Stress. Vol. III: Protestantism and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia: The Communist and Postcommunist Eras, Duke University Press, 1992. ISBN 0-8223-1241-7
Sabrina P. Ramet, "Church and State in Romania", in Henry F. Carey (ed.), Romania since 1989: Politics, Economics, and Society, Lexington Books, 2004. ISBN 0-7391-0592-2


[hide]
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Principal religions of Romania


State-recognised
Romanian Orthodox Church (Ukrainian Orthodox Vicariate) ·
 Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Timişoara ·
 Roman Catholic Church (Armenian-Catholic Vicariate) ·
 Romanian Greek-Catholic Church ·
 Armenian Apostolic Church ·
 Lipovan Orthodox Old-Rite Church ·
 Reformed Church in Romania ·
 Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession ·
 Evangelical Lutheran Church ·
 Unitarian Church of Transylvania ·
 Baptist Union of Romania (Hungarian Baptist Convention) ·
 Christian Evangelical ·
 Evangelical ·
 Pentecostal Union of Romania ·
 Seventh-day Adventist Church ·
 Judaism ·
 Islam ·
 Jehovah's Witnesses
 
Main religions in the localities (2002)


Not state-recognised
Old Calendar Romanian Orthodox Church ·
 Inochentism ·
 Hinduism
 

  


Categories: Jehovah's Witnesses
Religion in Romania
Religious organizations established in the 1920s





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Jehovah's Witnesses in Mozambique

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Jump to: navigation, search




[hide]This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.


Wiki letter w.svg

This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find links tool for suggestions. (March 2015)




This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling.  (March 2015)


Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
Jehovah's Witnesses have over 56,682 publishers in Mozambique, with an approximate amount of 1,136 congregations and an equal number of supporters. The figure is in reference to the Yearbook of 2015 Jehovah's Witnesses where 272,108 people participated in its main Celebration, the Memorial of Christ's death 2014.[1]


Contents  [hide]
1 First contact
2 Religious history in 1925
3 Government recognition as a religious organization
4 References
5 External links

First contact[edit]
Mozambican, Albino Mhelembe became acquainted with the Jehovah's Witnesses' message while working in the mines of Johannesburg, South Africa. Mhelembe was baptized in 1925 before returning home to Mozambique. Mhelembe began to preach to members of a former church of the Swiss Mission in Louise village (today Maracuene), in the most southern province of Mozambique. A number of zealous Africans took great interest in the teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses'. They were often willing to travel as far as 30 km to reach the meetings. They formed groups, for example in Lourenço Marques, now Maputo.
Around this time the Bible message was starting to be spread to the north. Gresham Kwazirirah, an African in Nyasaland (now Malawi), had studied the book The Harp of God, with the help of John and Esther Hubson in South Africa. In 1927, Gresham, accompanied by Biliyati Kapacika, moved to Mozambique in search of employment. They entered the country by the Milange region, traveled south to Inhaminga, Sofala and found jobs working for the Trans-Zambezia railways.
Inhaminga had a congregation of a movement called Watch tower in 1929. Coming from southern Africa, the first European Jehovah's Witnesses, Henry and Edith Myrdal, began to bear witness to the Portuguese population. Four years later, they were joined by the Jager couple. As a result of their coming many seeds were released about biblical truths.[2]
Religious history in 1925[edit]
This denomination has been present in the country since 1925. When the existence of this group was discovered by Portuguese colonists, the group became subject to oppression, since the colonists professed the Catholic religion. However, even after independence in 1975, Jehovah's Witnesses were still being persecuted by the Frelimo government led by Samora Machel. The group was mistakenly seen as belonging to a particular political party, so during the period between September 1975 and February 1976 the followers were all deported to a refugee camp. The camp was located in the Milange village in the province of Zambezia. While there, the Jehovah's Witnesses were tortured and punished for their beliefs. ...[3]
At the time the state of Former head Armando Guebuza was the Minister of Internal Affairs of the transitional government, announced the creation of camps or rehabilitation centers. This type of program was characteristic of other socialist totalitarian regimes such as the former Soviet Union or China ... Jehovah's Witnesses were targets of this gruesome attack by not being part of the world as well as claim in their publications.[4] However, by refusing to perform compulsory military service, sing the National Anthem and others., Were caught on the streets of the main city of Mozambique, particularly in Maputo, Beira, Inhambane, according to reports in international newspapers.[5][6]
Government recognition as a religious organization[edit]
In the refugee camp or re-education camp, Jehovah's Witnesses were attacked by Renamo guerrillas in 1983. Many died, and these deaths led Jehovah's Witnesses to move on to Zambia and Malawi in September 1985 to look for a peaceful site. The Mozambican government realized that the group was not political but religious, due to the passivity shown as the group was oppressed and did not retaliate. On February 11, 1991, Jehovah's Witnesses were legally recognized as a religious organization and were allowed to diffuse the biblical teaching of their God Jehovah.[7]
The group soon created its headquarters in Maputo on September 1, 1992, in a large house which the Company (Watchtower) acquired and renovated in the area of many embassies. This awarded it the name of Bethel, which means "The house of God." The Mozambican affiliate began its work to supervise this vast field.[8][9]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, 2015, page 182
2.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1996 118,119 Page
3.Jump up ^ http://minhateca.com.br/elidiomatola/Documentos/Trapalho--Testemunha+de+Jeov*c3*a1,89582428.docx Accessed 13 March 2015
4.Jump up ^ Stay in God's Love; Chapter 5; page 51-61
5.Jump up ^ http://dw.de/as-feridas-abertas-pelo-processo-de-reeducação-em-moçambique/a-16948901 Accessed 13 March 2015
6.Jump up ^ triplov.com/miguel_garcia/mocambique/capitulo3/protestantes.htm Retrieved on 13 March 2015
7.Jump up ^ http://minhateca.com.br/elidiomatola/Documentos/Trapalho--Testemunha+de+Jeov*c3*a1,89582428.docx Retrieved on 13 March 2015
8.Jump up ^ Who is doing the will of Jehovah today, 2012, page 21
9.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1996, PP. 181.182
External links[edit]
Official site of Jehovah's Witnesses in Portuguese
Official site of Jehovah's Witnesses in Sena
yb96 146–147 Page accessed on 13 March 2015 in Portuguese]
  


Categories: Christianity in Mozambique
Jehovah's Witnesses








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Jehovah's Witnesses in Mozambique

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search




[hide]This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page.


Wiki letter w.svg

This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles; try the Find links tool for suggestions. (March 2015)




This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone, or spelling.  (March 2015)


Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
Jehovah's Witnesses have over 56,682 publishers in Mozambique, with an approximate amount of 1,136 congregations and an equal number of supporters. The figure is in reference to the Yearbook of 2015 Jehovah's Witnesses where 272,108 people participated in its main Celebration, the Memorial of Christ's death 2014.[1]


Contents  [hide]
1 First contact
2 Religious history in 1925
3 Government recognition as a religious organization
4 References
5 External links

First contact[edit]
Mozambican, Albino Mhelembe became acquainted with the Jehovah's Witnesses' message while working in the mines of Johannesburg, South Africa. Mhelembe was baptized in 1925 before returning home to Mozambique. Mhelembe began to preach to members of a former church of the Swiss Mission in Louise village (today Maracuene), in the most southern province of Mozambique. A number of zealous Africans took great interest in the teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses'. They were often willing to travel as far as 30 km to reach the meetings. They formed groups, for example in Lourenço Marques, now Maputo.
Around this time the Bible message was starting to be spread to the north. Gresham Kwazirirah, an African in Nyasaland (now Malawi), had studied the book The Harp of God, with the help of John and Esther Hubson in South Africa. In 1927, Gresham, accompanied by Biliyati Kapacika, moved to Mozambique in search of employment. They entered the country by the Milange region, traveled south to Inhaminga, Sofala and found jobs working for the Trans-Zambezia railways.
Inhaminga had a congregation of a movement called Watch tower in 1929. Coming from southern Africa, the first European Jehovah's Witnesses, Henry and Edith Myrdal, began to bear witness to the Portuguese population. Four years later, they were joined by the Jager couple. As a result of their coming many seeds were released about biblical truths.[2]
Religious history in 1925[edit]
This denomination has been present in the country since 1925. When the existence of this group was discovered by Portuguese colonists, the group became subject to oppression, since the colonists professed the Catholic religion. However, even after independence in 1975, Jehovah's Witnesses were still being persecuted by the Frelimo government led by Samora Machel. The group was mistakenly seen as belonging to a particular political party, so during the period between September 1975 and February 1976 the followers were all deported to a refugee camp. The camp was located in the Milange village in the province of Zambezia. While there, the Jehovah's Witnesses were tortured and punished for their beliefs. ...[3]
At the time the state of Former head Armando Guebuza was the Minister of Internal Affairs of the transitional government, announced the creation of camps or rehabilitation centers. This type of program was characteristic of other socialist totalitarian regimes such as the former Soviet Union or China ... Jehovah's Witnesses were targets of this gruesome attack by not being part of the world as well as claim in their publications.[4] However, by refusing to perform compulsory military service, sing the National Anthem and others., Were caught on the streets of the main city of Mozambique, particularly in Maputo, Beira, Inhambane, according to reports in international newspapers.[5][6]
Government recognition as a religious organization[edit]
In the refugee camp or re-education camp, Jehovah's Witnesses were attacked by Renamo guerrillas in 1983. Many died, and these deaths led Jehovah's Witnesses to move on to Zambia and Malawi in September 1985 to look for a peaceful site. The Mozambican government realized that the group was not political but religious, due to the passivity shown as the group was oppressed and did not retaliate. On February 11, 1991, Jehovah's Witnesses were legally recognized as a religious organization and were allowed to diffuse the biblical teaching of their God Jehovah.[7]
The group soon created its headquarters in Maputo on September 1, 1992, in a large house which the Company (Watchtower) acquired and renovated in the area of many embassies. This awarded it the name of Bethel, which means "The house of God." The Mozambican affiliate began its work to supervise this vast field.[8][9]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, 2015, page 182
2.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1996 118,119 Page
3.Jump up ^ http://minhateca.com.br/elidiomatola/Documentos/Trapalho--Testemunha+de+Jeov*c3*a1,89582428.docx Accessed 13 March 2015
4.Jump up ^ Stay in God's Love; Chapter 5; page 51-61
5.Jump up ^ http://dw.de/as-feridas-abertas-pelo-processo-de-reeducação-em-moçambique/a-16948901 Accessed 13 March 2015
6.Jump up ^ triplov.com/miguel_garcia/mocambique/capitulo3/protestantes.htm Retrieved on 13 March 2015
7.Jump up ^ http://minhateca.com.br/elidiomatola/Documentos/Trapalho--Testemunha+de+Jeov*c3*a1,89582428.docx Retrieved on 13 March 2015
8.Jump up ^ Who is doing the will of Jehovah today, 2012, page 21
9.Jump up ^ Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, 1996, PP. 181.182
External links[edit]
Official site of Jehovah's Witnesses in Portuguese
Official site of Jehovah's Witnesses in Sena
yb96 146–147 Page accessed on 13 March 2015 in Portuguese]
  


Categories: Christianity in Mozambique
Jehovah's Witnesses








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This page was last modified on 29 May 2015, at 13:55.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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Jehovah's Witnesses in Sweden

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Jump to: navigation, search


Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sweden
Riketssallund1b.jpg
The Kingdom Hall in Lund

Classification
Protestant
Orientation
Jehovah’s Witnesses
talesman (Speaker)
Georg Svensson
Headquarters
Denmark
Origin
1899[1] or 1909[2]
Members
23,000 (1992)[1]
Publications
Vakttornet
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sweden (Swedish: Jehovas vittnen i Sverige) is a branch of the international Jehovah's Witnesses organization, which is directed by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses in New York. The organization has been active in Sweden since 1909,[2] or 1899.[1] The Swedish branch had 23 thousand members in 1992, of which roughly one tenth were immigrants; immigrant members often conducted religious activities in other languages.[1]
The Swedish branch maintained its headquarters in Arboga,[1] before it moved to new Scandinavian headquarters in Holbaek, Denmark, in 2012.[3]
Criticism[edit]
The Swedish government and civil authorities have criticized Jehovah's Witnesses for their pacifism and refusal to become involved in military struggles. Conflicts were particularly severe during World War II.[2]
Swedish Jehovah's Witnesses have also been criticized for allegedly not following the Convention on the Rights of the Child.[4]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Jehovas vittnen", National Encyklopedin, Volume 10 (Issm-Kik), Bokförlaget Bra Bocker, 1993, page 114.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c "Värnpliktsvägrarrörelsen" (PDF) (in Swedish). SOU. 2002. p. 156. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
3.Jump up ^ "Därför lämnade Jehovas vittnen Sverige" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
4.Jump up ^ "Stark kritik mot barns situation i Jehovas Vittnen – svenska myndigheter maktlösa" (in Swedish). Metro. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
External links[edit]
Liedgren, Pernilla. 2007. Att bli, att vara och att ha varit - om ingångar i och utgångar ur Jehovas vittnen i Sverige (To become, to be and to have been: about the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sweden) Lund universitet, Socialhögskolan, 2007. 231 pages. Lund Dissertations in Social Work, Volume 28. ISSN 1650-3872. Lund University Dissertation, pdf
Official website


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Christianity in Sweden


Denominations
Church of Sweden (SK)  (Evangelical Mission (EFS))
   ·
 Uniting Church in Sweden ·
 Pentecostal Movement ·
 Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELKS) ·
 Evangelical Reformed Church in Sweden ·
 Concordia Lutheran Church ·
 Salvation Army ·
 Evangelical Free Church in Sweden (EFK) ·
 Swedish Alliance Mission (SAM) ·
 Catholic Church (RKK) ·
 Adventist Church (SDA) ·
 Orthodox Church ·
 LDS Church ·
 Jehovah's Witnesses
 

Former denominations
Mission Covenant Church (SMK) ·
 Baptist Union (SBF) ·
 United Methodist Church (MK) ·
 Örebro Mission (ÖM)
 

Churches
List of churches
 

Christian youth organizations
equmenia ·
 EFK Ung ·
 Ny Generation ·
 PingstUng ·
 Sveriges unga katoliker ·
 Church of Sweden Youth ·
 Swedish Evangelical Mission Youth
 

Ecumenical Agencies
Christian Council of Sweden ·
 Bilda ·
 Stadsmissionen ·
 Swedish Christian Peace Movement ·
 Gideons ·
 YWCA-YMCA
 

Christian-influenced political
 parties and groups
Christian Democratic Party ·
 Swedish Association of Christian Social Democrats
 

Development agencies
Diakonia ·
 PMU Interlife ·
 Svenska missionsrådet ·
 Church of Sweden
 

Holidays and traditions
Saint Lucy's Day ·
 Christmas  (Julotta)
   ·
 Easter
 

(Swedish)
  


Categories: 1909 establishments in Sweden
Jehovah's Witnesses
Protestantism in Sweden
Religious organizations established in 1909
Swedish Christian pacifists






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Jehovah's Witnesses in Sweden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search


Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sweden
Riketssallund1b.jpg
The Kingdom Hall in Lund

Classification
Protestant
Orientation
Jehovah’s Witnesses
talesman (Speaker)
Georg Svensson
Headquarters
Denmark
Origin
1899[1] or 1909[2]
Members
23,000 (1992)[1]
Publications
Vakttornet
The Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sweden (Swedish: Jehovas vittnen i Sverige) is a branch of the international Jehovah's Witnesses organization, which is directed by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses in New York. The organization has been active in Sweden since 1909,[2] or 1899.[1] The Swedish branch had 23 thousand members in 1992, of which roughly one tenth were immigrants; immigrant members often conducted religious activities in other languages.[1]
The Swedish branch maintained its headquarters in Arboga,[1] before it moved to new Scandinavian headquarters in Holbaek, Denmark, in 2012.[3]
Criticism[edit]
The Swedish government and civil authorities have criticized Jehovah's Witnesses for their pacifism and refusal to become involved in military struggles. Conflicts were particularly severe during World War II.[2]
Swedish Jehovah's Witnesses have also been criticized for allegedly not following the Convention on the Rights of the Child.[4]
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Jehovas vittnen", National Encyklopedin, Volume 10 (Issm-Kik), Bokförlaget Bra Bocker, 1993, page 114.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c "Värnpliktsvägrarrörelsen" (PDF) (in Swedish). SOU. 2002. p. 156. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
3.Jump up ^ "Därför lämnade Jehovas vittnen Sverige" (in Swedish). Sveriges Television. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
4.Jump up ^ "Stark kritik mot barns situation i Jehovas Vittnen – svenska myndigheter maktlösa" (in Swedish). Metro. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
External links[edit]
Liedgren, Pernilla. 2007. Att bli, att vara och att ha varit - om ingångar i och utgångar ur Jehovas vittnen i Sverige (To become, to be and to have been: about the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sweden) Lund universitet, Socialhögskolan, 2007. 231 pages. Lund Dissertations in Social Work, Volume 28. ISSN 1650-3872. Lund University Dissertation, pdf
Official website


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Christianity in Sweden


Denominations
Church of Sweden (SK)  (Evangelical Mission (EFS))
   ·
 Uniting Church in Sweden ·
 Pentecostal Movement ·
 Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELKS) ·
 Evangelical Reformed Church in Sweden ·
 Concordia Lutheran Church ·
 Salvation Army ·
 Evangelical Free Church in Sweden (EFK) ·
 Swedish Alliance Mission (SAM) ·
 Catholic Church (RKK) ·
 Adventist Church (SDA) ·
 Orthodox Church ·
 LDS Church ·
 Jehovah's Witnesses
 

Former denominations
Mission Covenant Church (SMK) ·
 Baptist Union (SBF) ·
 United Methodist Church (MK) ·
 Örebro Mission (ÖM)
 

Churches
List of churches
 

Christian youth organizations
equmenia ·
 EFK Ung ·
 Ny Generation ·
 PingstUng ·
 Sveriges unga katoliker ·
 Church of Sweden Youth ·
 Swedish Evangelical Mission Youth
 

Ecumenical Agencies
Christian Council of Sweden ·
 Bilda ·
 Stadsmissionen ·
 Swedish Christian Peace Movement ·
 Gideons ·
 YWCA-YMCA
 

Christian-influenced political
 parties and groups
Christian Democratic Party ·
 Swedish Association of Christian Social Democrats
 

Development agencies
Diakonia ·
 PMU Interlife ·
 Svenska missionsrådet ·
 Church of Sweden
 

Holidays and traditions
Saint Lucy's Day ·
 Christmas  (Julotta)
   ·
 Easter
 

(Swedish)
  


Categories: 1909 establishments in Sweden
Jehovah's Witnesses
Protestantism in Sweden
Religious organizations established in 1909
Swedish Christian pacifists






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This page was last modified on 5 March 2015, at 17:35.
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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_in_Sweden









Bibliography of Jehovah's Witnesses

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
This is a bibliography of works on the Jehovah's Witnesses.[1][2][3]


Contents  [hide]
1 General
2 Critiques and personal accounts
3 Persecution in Nazi Germany
4 See also
5 References

General[edit]
Bergman, Jerry (1984). Jehovah's Witnesses and kindred groups. New York: Garland Pub. ISBN 9780824091095.
Chryssides, George D. (2009). The A to Z of Jehovah's Witnesses. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810868915.
Gruss, Edmond C. (2001). Jehovah's Witnesses : their claims, doctrinal changes, and prophetic speculation : what does the record show?. Fairfax, VA: Xulon Press. ISBN 9781931232302.
Chryssides, George D. Historical Dictionary of Jehovah's Witnesses (2008)
Crompton, Robert. Counting the Days to Armageddon. James Clarke & Co, Cambridge, 1996. ISBN 0-227-67939-3[2][3] A detailed examination of the development of Jehovah's Witnesses' eschatology.
Holden, Andrew. Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement New York: Routledge, 2002, ISBN 0415266092[2] An academic study on the sociological aspects of Jehovah's Witnesses phenomenon.
Kaplan, William. State and Salvation Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989. ISBN 0-8020-5842-6 Documents the Witnesses' fight for civil rights in Canada and the US amid political persecution during World War II.
Rogerson, Alan (1969). Millions now living will never die: a study of Jehovah's Witnesses. Constable. Detailed history of the Watch Tower movement, particularly its early years, a summary of Witness doctrines and the organizational and personal framework in which Witnesses conduct their lives.
Schulz, B. W. (2014). A Separate Identity: Organizational Identity Among Readers of Zion's Watch Tower: 1870-1887. ISBN 978-1304969408. Detailed history of the Watch Tower movement's earliest years written to an academic standard. It is based on fresh research into original documents. This is volume one of a two volume work.
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (1993) Official history of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Whalen, William J. Armageddon Around the Corner: a report on Jehovah's Witnesses (1962) OCLC Number: 1261733
Wills, Tony. A People for His Name: A History of Jehovah's Witnesses and an Evaluation (2006) 2nd edition. ISBN 978-1-4303-0100-4.



Critiques and personal accounts[edit]
Answering Jehovah's Witnesses by Jason Evert
Answering Jehovas Witnesses: Subject by Subject by David A. Reed
Franz, Raymond. In Search of Christian Freedom. 2nd ed., 2007. ISBN 0-914675-17-6[2] Critique and analysis
Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. Visions of Glory: A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978. ISBN 0-7091-8013-6 An account by an American journalist and essayist of growing up in the Jehovah's Witnesses religion, which she left at age 22.
Macmillan, Alexander H. Faith on the March. An autobiography by a longtime director of the Watch Tower Society who was among the Watch Tower officials imprisoned during the First World War.
Penton, M. James. Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2nd ed., 1997. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3[3] Scholarly examination of Jehovah's Witnesses history and doctrines
Schnell, William J. Jehovah's Witnesses' Errors Exposed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, [ca. 1980], cop. 1959. N.B.: First published in 1959 under title: Into the Light of Christianity. ISBN 0-8010-8074-6
Schnell, William J. 30 Years a Watchtower Slave. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1956, 1971, reprinted 2001. ISBN 0-8010-6384-1 One of the first book-length critiques of the organization to be written by a disaffected former Witness
An Alarming Situation for Jehovah's Witnesses, by Ted Denscher. Christian Literature Crusade, 1974. Objections to teachings of the Wintesses, written by a former member. Without ISBN
Apostles of Denial by Edmond C. Gruss. ISBN 978-0-87552-305-7.
Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz. Commentary Press. 420 pages. Hardback ISBN 0-914675-24-9. Paperback ISBN 0-914675-23-0. 4th edition (June 2002)[3] Franz was a former Jehovah's Witness who was a member of the Governing Body of the Watch Tower Society for nine years, and nephew of the fourth president of the Watchtower Society. This book gives a detailed account of the authority structure, practices, doctrines and decision-making practices Franz experienced while serving on the Governing Body. It is a major critique of the organization. Sample chapters online: 1, 9, 10, 11, 12.
The Gentile Times Reconsidered: Chronology & Christ's Return by Carl O. Jonsson.[3] Jonsson considers the origin of the belief that the Gentile Times began in 607 B.C. and examines several lines of evidence and the methodology for deriving it. ISBN 0-914675-06-0 Publisher: Commentary Press (July, 1998, Fourth edition 2004)
I Was Raised a Jehovah's Witness by Joe Hewitt. 1997. Kregel Publications ISBN 0-8254-2876-9 Hewitt gives an account of his life as a Jehovah's Witness and his subsequent decision to leave the Jehovah's Witness movement. Read selections from: I Was Raised a Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah Himself Has Become King by Robert King. ISBN 978-1-4208-5498-5 / Publisher: AuthorHouse (September 14, 2005, First Edition) The author considers himself one of Jehovah's Witnesses but was excommunicated after publishing his review and criticisms of current Watchtower interpretations related to Bible prophecy, and documentation regarding the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society's involvement with the United Nations.
Jehovah's Witnesses Defended and Three Dissertations, both by Greg Stafford. The author considers himself one of Jehovah's Witnesses but has renounced affiliation with the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. These books review and thoroughly explore some of the most prevalent criticisms made about Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.
Botting, Heather; Botting, Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7.[2] Both authors were raised Jehovah's Witnesses and are trained scholars. The book is based on a doctoral dissertation by Heather Botting.
30 Years a Watchtower Slave: The Confessions of a Converted Jehovah's Witness by William J. Schnell. ISBN 978-0-8010-6384-8[2]
The Truth Book: Escaping a Childhood of Abuse Among Jehovah's Witnesses by Joy Castro adopted as a baby and raised by a devout Jehovah's Witness family. Read selections from: The Truth Book: Escaping a Childhood of Abuse Among Jehovah's Witnesses Published 2005 Arcade Publishing, ISBN 1-55970-787-9
Witnesses of Jehovah by Leonard & Marjorie Chretien. ISBN 978-0-89081-587-8.[3]
Wolves Among Sheep by James Kostelniuk. Harpercollins ISBN 978-0-00-639107-4
Persecution in Nazi Germany[edit]
For more details on this topic, see Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany.
Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
King, Christine Elizabeth (1983), The Nazi State and the New Religions: Five Case Studies in Non-Conformity. ISBN 0-889-468656
Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
See also[edit]
List of Watch Tower Society publications
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Bergman, Jerry (1999). Jehovah's Witnesses : a comprehensive and selectively annotated bibliography (1. publ ed.). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313305108.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Chryssides, George D. (2009). The A to Z of Jehovah's Witnesses. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. pp. 145–168. ISBN 9780810868915.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Gruss, Edmond C. (2001). "Selected bibliography". Jehovah's Witnesses : their claims, doctrinal changes, and prophetic speculation : what does the record show?. Fairfax, VA: Xulon Press. p. 357. ISBN 9781931232302.
  


Categories: Jehovah's Witnesses
Religious bibliographies


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This page was last modified on 7 October 2014, at 08:27.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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Contact Wikipedia
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Powered by MediaWiki
 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliography_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses














Bibliography of Jehovah's Witnesses

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
This is a bibliography of works on the Jehovah's Witnesses.[1][2][3]


Contents  [hide]
1 General
2 Critiques and personal accounts
3 Persecution in Nazi Germany
4 See also
5 References

General[edit]
Bergman, Jerry (1984). Jehovah's Witnesses and kindred groups. New York: Garland Pub. ISBN 9780824091095.
Chryssides, George D. (2009). The A to Z of Jehovah's Witnesses. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810868915.
Gruss, Edmond C. (2001). Jehovah's Witnesses : their claims, doctrinal changes, and prophetic speculation : what does the record show?. Fairfax, VA: Xulon Press. ISBN 9781931232302.
Chryssides, George D. Historical Dictionary of Jehovah's Witnesses (2008)
Crompton, Robert. Counting the Days to Armageddon. James Clarke & Co, Cambridge, 1996. ISBN 0-227-67939-3[2][3] A detailed examination of the development of Jehovah's Witnesses' eschatology.
Holden, Andrew. Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement New York: Routledge, 2002, ISBN 0415266092[2] An academic study on the sociological aspects of Jehovah's Witnesses phenomenon.
Kaplan, William. State and Salvation Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1989. ISBN 0-8020-5842-6 Documents the Witnesses' fight for civil rights in Canada and the US amid political persecution during World War II.
Rogerson, Alan (1969). Millions now living will never die: a study of Jehovah's Witnesses. Constable. Detailed history of the Watch Tower movement, particularly its early years, a summary of Witness doctrines and the organizational and personal framework in which Witnesses conduct their lives.
Schulz, B. W. (2014). A Separate Identity: Organizational Identity Among Readers of Zion's Watch Tower: 1870-1887. ISBN 978-1304969408. Detailed history of the Watch Tower movement's earliest years written to an academic standard. It is based on fresh research into original documents. This is volume one of a two volume work.
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (1993) Official history of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Whalen, William J. Armageddon Around the Corner: a report on Jehovah's Witnesses (1962) OCLC Number: 1261733
Wills, Tony. A People for His Name: A History of Jehovah's Witnesses and an Evaluation (2006) 2nd edition. ISBN 978-1-4303-0100-4.



Critiques and personal accounts[edit]
Answering Jehovah's Witnesses by Jason Evert
Answering Jehovas Witnesses: Subject by Subject by David A. Reed
Franz, Raymond. In Search of Christian Freedom. 2nd ed., 2007. ISBN 0-914675-17-6[2] Critique and analysis
Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. Visions of Glory: A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978. ISBN 0-7091-8013-6 An account by an American journalist and essayist of growing up in the Jehovah's Witnesses religion, which she left at age 22.
Macmillan, Alexander H. Faith on the March. An autobiography by a longtime director of the Watch Tower Society who was among the Watch Tower officials imprisoned during the First World War.
Penton, M. James. Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2nd ed., 1997. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3[3] Scholarly examination of Jehovah's Witnesses history and doctrines
Schnell, William J. Jehovah's Witnesses' Errors Exposed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, [ca. 1980], cop. 1959. N.B.: First published in 1959 under title: Into the Light of Christianity. ISBN 0-8010-8074-6
Schnell, William J. 30 Years a Watchtower Slave. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1956, 1971, reprinted 2001. ISBN 0-8010-6384-1 One of the first book-length critiques of the organization to be written by a disaffected former Witness
An Alarming Situation for Jehovah's Witnesses, by Ted Denscher. Christian Literature Crusade, 1974. Objections to teachings of the Wintesses, written by a former member. Without ISBN
Apostles of Denial by Edmond C. Gruss. ISBN 978-0-87552-305-7.
Crisis of Conscience by Raymond Franz. Commentary Press. 420 pages. Hardback ISBN 0-914675-24-9. Paperback ISBN 0-914675-23-0. 4th edition (June 2002)[3] Franz was a former Jehovah's Witness who was a member of the Governing Body of the Watch Tower Society for nine years, and nephew of the fourth president of the Watchtower Society. This book gives a detailed account of the authority structure, practices, doctrines and decision-making practices Franz experienced while serving on the Governing Body. It is a major critique of the organization. Sample chapters online: 1, 9, 10, 11, 12.
The Gentile Times Reconsidered: Chronology & Christ's Return by Carl O. Jonsson.[3] Jonsson considers the origin of the belief that the Gentile Times began in 607 B.C. and examines several lines of evidence and the methodology for deriving it. ISBN 0-914675-06-0 Publisher: Commentary Press (July, 1998, Fourth edition 2004)
I Was Raised a Jehovah's Witness by Joe Hewitt. 1997. Kregel Publications ISBN 0-8254-2876-9 Hewitt gives an account of his life as a Jehovah's Witness and his subsequent decision to leave the Jehovah's Witness movement. Read selections from: I Was Raised a Jehovah's Witness
Jehovah Himself Has Become King by Robert King. ISBN 978-1-4208-5498-5 / Publisher: AuthorHouse (September 14, 2005, First Edition) The author considers himself one of Jehovah's Witnesses but was excommunicated after publishing his review and criticisms of current Watchtower interpretations related to Bible prophecy, and documentation regarding the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society's involvement with the United Nations.
Jehovah's Witnesses Defended and Three Dissertations, both by Greg Stafford. The author considers himself one of Jehovah's Witnesses but has renounced affiliation with the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. These books review and thoroughly explore some of the most prevalent criticisms made about Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society.
Botting, Heather; Botting, Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7.[2] Both authors were raised Jehovah's Witnesses and are trained scholars. The book is based on a doctoral dissertation by Heather Botting.
30 Years a Watchtower Slave: The Confessions of a Converted Jehovah's Witness by William J. Schnell. ISBN 978-0-8010-6384-8[2]
The Truth Book: Escaping a Childhood of Abuse Among Jehovah's Witnesses by Joy Castro adopted as a baby and raised by a devout Jehovah's Witness family. Read selections from: The Truth Book: Escaping a Childhood of Abuse Among Jehovah's Witnesses Published 2005 Arcade Publishing, ISBN 1-55970-787-9
Witnesses of Jehovah by Leonard & Marjorie Chretien. ISBN 978-0-89081-587-8.[3]
Wolves Among Sheep by James Kostelniuk. Harpercollins ISBN 978-0-00-639107-4
Persecution in Nazi Germany[edit]
For more details on this topic, see Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany.
Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
King, Christine Elizabeth (1983), The Nazi State and the New Religions: Five Case Studies in Non-Conformity. ISBN 0-889-468656
Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
See also[edit]
List of Watch Tower Society publications
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Bergman, Jerry (1999). Jehovah's Witnesses : a comprehensive and selectively annotated bibliography (1. publ ed.). Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313305108.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Chryssides, George D. (2009). The A to Z of Jehovah's Witnesses. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. pp. 145–168. ISBN 9780810868915.
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Gruss, Edmond C. (2001). "Selected bibliography". Jehovah's Witnesses : their claims, doctrinal changes, and prophetic speculation : what does the record show?. Fairfax, VA: Xulon Press. p. 357. ISBN 9781931232302.
  


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Studies in the Scriptures

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Jump to: navigation, search




Studies in the Scriptures volumes 1–6
Studies in the Scriptures is a series of publications, intended as a Bible study aid, containing seven volumes of great importance to the history of the Bible Student movement, and the early history of Jehovah's Witnesses.


Contents  [hide]
1 Origin
2 Purpose
3 Contents
4 Viewpoint and theology
5 The Finished Mystery
6 Withdrawal
7 References
8 External links

Origin[edit]
The author of Studies in the Scriptures, Charles Taze Russell, reported that he did not write them "through visions and dreams, nor by God's audible voice," but that he sought "to bring together these long scattered fragments of truth".[1] The first volume was written in 1886. Originally titled The Plan of the Ages as part of a series called Millennial Dawn, it was later renamed The Divine Plan of the Ages. The name of the series was changed to Studies in the Scriptures in 1904 in order to clarify their nature as biblical textbooks.
Purpose[edit]



 Chart from Divine Plan of the Ages, Studies in Scriptures Vol 1.
The series was written as a Bible study aid. The intention was that by studying the Bible topically, rather than verse by verse, details of God's purpose might become clearer. The series progresses from elementary topics, such as the existence of God and promoting the Bible as God's word, to deeper subject matter throughout the series.

Part of a series on
Bible Students
Communities
Free Bible Students
Laymen's Home Missionary Movement
Publishing houses
Dawn Bible Students Association
Pastoral Bible Institute
Publications
The Dawn·The New Creation
Frank and Ernest (broadcast)
Studies in the Scriptures
The Photo-Drama of Creation

Biographies
Charles Taze Russell
Jonas Wendell · William Henry Conley
Nelson H. Barbour · Paul S. L. Johnson
A. H. Macmillan · J. F. Rutherford
Conrad C. Binkele
Beliefs
Jehovah · Nontrinitarianism · Atonement
Dispensationalism · Sheol and Hades
Resurrection · Annihilationism
This box: view ·
 talk ·
 edit
 

Contents[edit]
1.The Divine Plan of the Ages (1886)—elementary topics and attempts to show God has a clear purpose for mankind;
2.The Time is at Hand (1889)—an interpretation of biblical chronology, keys to time prophecies, the second advent of Christ, and the identification of the Antichrist;
3.Thy Kingdom Come (1891)—describes biblical prophecies in further detail, along with the fate of Israel and information on the Great Pyramid of Giza as being built under God's direction. The section on Pyramidology was influenced by the theories of Charles Piazzi Smyth, who also helped review it;
4.The Day of Vengeance (1897), later renamed The Battle of Armageddon—suggests causes of the dissolution of the present order, with the biblical remedy as God's kingdom;
5.The At-one-ment Between God and Men (1899)—discusses the nature of humanity, the work of redemption, and the Holy Spirit;
6.The New Creation (1904)—discusses the seven days of creation found in Genesis, and the duties and personal responsibilities of a Christians.
Viewpoint and theology[edit]
The series was criticized by some early 20th century ministers as an attempt to replace the Bible.[citation needed] Russell's view was that whilst the Bible had been studied by different methods, topical study was the best approach. In addition to other material, the six volumes contain commentary about biblical events and expressions. Russell did not claim infallibility, but declared that God's plan of salvation could not be understood independently from his writings. He stated, "if he then lays [the Studies in the Scriptures] aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness."[2] Studies in the Scriptures claimed to represent that humankind had reached the end of the current era, and that Jesus would soon separate the wheat from the weeds.
The Finished Mystery[edit]
Following Russell's death in 1916, a seventh volume—entitled The Finished Mystery—was published in 1917 and advertised as his "posthumous work".[3] This seventh volume was a detailed interpretation of the book of Book of Revelation, but also included interpretations of Ezekiel and the Song of Solomon. An advertisement for the book in Zion's Watch Tower called it "the true interpretation",[4] and it was promoted as being "of the Lord—prepared under his guidance."[5]
Immediate controversy surrounded both its publication and content. It was soon established that it was largely written and compiled by two of Russell's associates, Clayton J. Woodworth and George H. Fisher, and edited by Russell's successor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford.[6]
Withdrawal[edit]
In 1927, during Rutherford's presidency, the Watch Tower Society ceased publication of all seven volumes of Studies in the Scriptures, as several core doctrines had been changed from what Russell had taught.[7] Other publications of Jehovah's Witnesses, including Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (their official history) and Revelation—Its Grand Climax at Hand (their exposition of the Book of Revelation) make reference to Studies in the Scriptures.
The six original volumes of Studies in the Scriptures are still published by the Bible Student movement.
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower: 87. April 1, 1899. Missing or empty |title= (help)
2.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower: 297. September 15, 1910. Missing or empty |title= (help)
3.Jump up ^ The Finished Mystery. p. preface, p. 5. "This book may properly be said to be a posthumous publication of Pastor Russell."
4.Jump up ^ (The Finished Mystery, 1917, p. 334)
5.Jump up ^ (The Finished Mystery, 1917, p. 126)
6.Jump up ^ Wills, Tony (2006). A People For His Name. p. 97.
7.Jump up ^ "The Modern Fulfillment of the "Penny"". The Watchtower: 54. January 15, 1967. "But in 1927 The Finished Mystery and the other six volumes of the Studies in the Scriptures ceased to be published"
External links[edit]
[1] Studies in the Scriptures Online
[2] Studies in the Scriptures and other materials from Biblestudents.com
Searchable database of all Pastor Russell's writings
On-line copy of Volume 7, The Finished Mystery


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Studies in the Scriptures

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search




Studies in the Scriptures volumes 1–6
Studies in the Scriptures is a series of publications, intended as a Bible study aid, containing seven volumes of great importance to the history of the Bible Student movement, and the early history of Jehovah's Witnesses.


Contents  [hide]
1 Origin
2 Purpose
3 Contents
4 Viewpoint and theology
5 The Finished Mystery
6 Withdrawal
7 References
8 External links

Origin[edit]
The author of Studies in the Scriptures, Charles Taze Russell, reported that he did not write them "through visions and dreams, nor by God's audible voice," but that he sought "to bring together these long scattered fragments of truth".[1] The first volume was written in 1886. Originally titled The Plan of the Ages as part of a series called Millennial Dawn, it was later renamed The Divine Plan of the Ages. The name of the series was changed to Studies in the Scriptures in 1904 in order to clarify their nature as biblical textbooks.
Purpose[edit]



 Chart from Divine Plan of the Ages, Studies in Scriptures Vol 1.
The series was written as a Bible study aid. The intention was that by studying the Bible topically, rather than verse by verse, details of God's purpose might become clearer. The series progresses from elementary topics, such as the existence of God and promoting the Bible as God's word, to deeper subject matter throughout the series.

Part of a series on
Bible Students
Communities
Free Bible Students
Laymen's Home Missionary Movement
Publishing houses
Dawn Bible Students Association
Pastoral Bible Institute
Publications
The Dawn·The New Creation
Frank and Ernest (broadcast)
Studies in the Scriptures
The Photo-Drama of Creation

Biographies
Charles Taze Russell
Jonas Wendell · William Henry Conley
Nelson H. Barbour · Paul S. L. Johnson
A. H. Macmillan · J. F. Rutherford
Conrad C. Binkele
Beliefs
Jehovah · Nontrinitarianism · Atonement
Dispensationalism · Sheol and Hades
Resurrection · Annihilationism
This box: view ·
 talk ·
 edit
 

Contents[edit]
1.The Divine Plan of the Ages (1886)—elementary topics and attempts to show God has a clear purpose for mankind;
2.The Time is at Hand (1889)—an interpretation of biblical chronology, keys to time prophecies, the second advent of Christ, and the identification of the Antichrist;
3.Thy Kingdom Come (1891)—describes biblical prophecies in further detail, along with the fate of Israel and information on the Great Pyramid of Giza as being built under God's direction. The section on Pyramidology was influenced by the theories of Charles Piazzi Smyth, who also helped review it;
4.The Day of Vengeance (1897), later renamed The Battle of Armageddon—suggests causes of the dissolution of the present order, with the biblical remedy as God's kingdom;
5.The At-one-ment Between God and Men (1899)—discusses the nature of humanity, the work of redemption, and the Holy Spirit;
6.The New Creation (1904)—discusses the seven days of creation found in Genesis, and the duties and personal responsibilities of a Christians.
Viewpoint and theology[edit]
The series was criticized by some early 20th century ministers as an attempt to replace the Bible.[citation needed] Russell's view was that whilst the Bible had been studied by different methods, topical study was the best approach. In addition to other material, the six volumes contain commentary about biblical events and expressions. Russell did not claim infallibility, but declared that God's plan of salvation could not be understood independently from his writings. He stated, "if he then lays [the Studies in the Scriptures] aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness."[2] Studies in the Scriptures claimed to represent that humankind had reached the end of the current era, and that Jesus would soon separate the wheat from the weeds.
The Finished Mystery[edit]
Following Russell's death in 1916, a seventh volume—entitled The Finished Mystery—was published in 1917 and advertised as his "posthumous work".[3] This seventh volume was a detailed interpretation of the book of Book of Revelation, but also included interpretations of Ezekiel and the Song of Solomon. An advertisement for the book in Zion's Watch Tower called it "the true interpretation",[4] and it was promoted as being "of the Lord—prepared under his guidance."[5]
Immediate controversy surrounded both its publication and content. It was soon established that it was largely written and compiled by two of Russell's associates, Clayton J. Woodworth and George H. Fisher, and edited by Russell's successor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford.[6]
Withdrawal[edit]
In 1927, during Rutherford's presidency, the Watch Tower Society ceased publication of all seven volumes of Studies in the Scriptures, as several core doctrines had been changed from what Russell had taught.[7] Other publications of Jehovah's Witnesses, including Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (their official history) and Revelation—Its Grand Climax at Hand (their exposition of the Book of Revelation) make reference to Studies in the Scriptures.
The six original volumes of Studies in the Scriptures are still published by the Bible Student movement.
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower: 87. April 1, 1899. Missing or empty |title= (help)
2.Jump up ^ Zion's Watch Tower: 297. September 15, 1910. Missing or empty |title= (help)
3.Jump up ^ The Finished Mystery. p. preface, p. 5. "This book may properly be said to be a posthumous publication of Pastor Russell."
4.Jump up ^ (The Finished Mystery, 1917, p. 334)
5.Jump up ^ (The Finished Mystery, 1917, p. 126)
6.Jump up ^ Wills, Tony (2006). A People For His Name. p. 97.
7.Jump up ^ "The Modern Fulfillment of the "Penny"". The Watchtower: 54. January 15, 1967. "But in 1927 The Finished Mystery and the other six volumes of the Studies in the Scriptures ceased to be published"
External links[edit]
[1] Studies in the Scriptures Online
[2] Studies in the Scriptures and other materials from Biblestudents.com
Searchable database of all Pastor Russell's writings
On-line copy of Volume 7, The Finished Mystery


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Jehovah's Witnesses




















































































  


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This page was last modified on 8 February 2015, at 19:35.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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Jehovah's Witnesses and governments

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
Jehovah's Witnesses believe their allegiance belongs to God's Kingdom, which they view as an actual government. They refrain from saluting the flag of any country or singing nationalistic songs,[1] which they believe are forms of worship, although they may stand out of respect. They also refuse to participate in military service—even when it is compulsory—and do not become involved in politics. They believe Jesus' refusal to rule the kingdoms of the world as offered by the Devil, his refusal to be made king of Israel by the Jews, and his statements that he, his followers, and his kingdom are not part of the world, provide the bases for not being involved in politics or government.[2][3][4] Witnesses are taught that they should obey laws of the governments where they live unless such laws conflict with their beliefs, such as operating covertly in countries where their activities are banned.[5][6]


Contents  [hide]
1 Civil liberties
2 Government interactions 2.1 Australia
2.2 United States
2.3 Russia
2.4 Singapore
2.5 France 2.5.1 Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah
2.5.2 Other cases
2.6 Nazi Germany
2.7 Other
3 References
4 External links

Civil liberties[edit]
According to the book Judging Jehovah's Witnesses,[7] the Witnesses have helped to widen the definition of civil liberties in most western societies, hence broadening the rights of millions of people, due to their firm stand and determination. According to the preface to the book State and Salvation:[8] "One of the results of the Witnesses' legal battles was the long process of discussion and debate that led to the Charter of Rights, which is now part of the fundamental law of Canada. Other battles in countries around the world have involved the rights to decline military service or martial arts training, to decline to participate in political parties or governmental elections, to exercise free and anonymous speech, to exercise freedom of association, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, medical self-determination, etc. Witnesses continue to, in their words, 'defend and legally establish the Good News' around the world."
Government interactions[edit]
Australia[edit]
In 1930, the Watch Tower Society had controlling interests in several radio stations in Australia, including 5KA, where presenters were told to preach “the message of the Kingdom of Christ”, and in 1931 began broadcasting sermons of Joseph Franklin Rutherford. In 1933, the Australian government banned Rutherford's sermons, which included diatribes against the Catholic Church, the British Empire, and the United States. On 8 January, 1941, the Watch Tower Society's stations were closed down, being described as dangerous to national security. Jehovah's Witnesses was declared an illegal organization on 17 January, with World War II described as "an ideal opportunity to get rid of licensees long regarded as deviant".[9]
United States[edit]
Many United States Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses have shaped First Amendment law. Significant cases affirmed rights such as these:
Right to Refrain from Compulsory Flag Salute - West Virginia State Board of Education vs. Barnette
Conscientious objection to military service
Preaching in public
By 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court had reviewed 71 cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses as an organization, two-thirds of which were decided in their favor. In 2002, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society disputed an ordinance in Stratton, Ohio that required a permit in order to preach from door to door. The Supreme Court decided in favor of the Witnesses.[10]
Russia[edit]
In 2004, the Moscow City Court banned the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Moscow, their legal entity was liquidated.[11][12]
On August 7, 2013, the Tsentralniy District Court of the city of Tver, located 100 mi (approx. 160 km) north of Moscow, ruled that the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses should be banned throughout the Russian Federation. Jehovah's Witnesses appealed the decision to the Tver Regional Court, which on January 22, 2014, concluded that the decision of the Tsentralniy District Court was unjustified.[13]
Singapore[edit]
See Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses (Singapore)
In 1972 the Singapore government de-registered and banned the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses on the grounds that its members refuse to perform military service (which is obligatory for all male citizens), salute the flag, or swear oaths of allegiance to the state.[14][15] Singapore has banned all written materials (including Bibles) published by the International Bible Students Association and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, both publishing arms of the Jehovah's Witnesses. A person in possession of banned literature can be fined up to S$2,000 (US$1,460) and jailed up to 12 months for a first conviction.[citation needed]
France[edit]
In France, a number of court cases have involved Jehovah Witnesses and their organizations, especially on the question of their refusing blood transfusions to minor patients. These questions had far-reaching legal implications regarding the tax status of their organizations.
Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah[edit]


 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010)
Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah v. Direction des Services Fiscaux challenged the denial of tax-exempt status for Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah, the not-for-profit corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses in France. Religion-supporting organizations (associations cultuelles) in France can request exemption from certain taxes, including taxes on donations, if their purpose is solely to organize religious worship and they do not infringe on public order. According to the French tax administration, tax-exempt status was denied because:

The association of Jehovah's Witnesses forbids its members to defend the nation, to take part in public life, to give blood transfusions to their minor children and that the parliamentary commission on cults has listed them as a cult which can disturb public order.[16]
On October 5, 2004, the Court of Cassation—the highest court in France for cases outside of administrative law—rejected the Witnesses' recourse against taxation at 60% of the value of some of their contributions, which the fiscal services assimilated to a legal category of donations close to that of inheritance and subject to the same taxes between non-parents.[17] The court ruled that the tax administration could legally tax the corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses if they received donations in the form of dons gratuits and they were not recognized as associations cultuelles.
According to the Watch Tower Society, the taxed contributions include donations for the support of humanitarian relief efforts in Rwanda in 1994. French law makes a distinction between normal non-profit associations (whose donations for humanitarian aid are not tax-exempt), non-profit associations of public usefulness (whose donations for humanitarian aid are tax exempt), and associations supporting religious activities (whose donations are tax exempt). Humanitarian aid is not considered to support religious activities and thus, accordingly, is not considered to be tax-exempt under the rules governing associations supporting religious activities. Typically, religious organizations in France providing humanitarian aid found a separate association devoted to that purpose; it may then be declared of public usefulness.
The Conseil d'État, the supreme court for administrative matters, ruled that denying the statute of association cultuelle on grounds of accusations of infringement of public order was illegal unless substantiated by actual proofs of that infringement.[18]
On June 30, 2011, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) unanimously ruled that France's imposing a retroactive tax for the years 1993 and 1996 had violated Jehovah's Witnesses' right to freedom of religion[19][20] under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.[21] On July 5, 2012, the ECHR ordered the government of France to repay €4,590,295 in taxes, plus interest, and to reimburse legal costs of €55,000. On December 11, 2012, the government of France repaid €6,373,987.31 ($8,294,320).[22][23]
Other cases[edit]


 This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010)
Other court cases have concerned the rights for patients, or of minor patients' legal guardians, to refuse medical treatment even if there is a risk of death. For example, in a 2001 case, doctors at a French public hospital who gave blood products to a patient with an acute renal insufficiency were found not to have committed a mistake of a nature to involve the responsibility of the State (communiqué, English translation). The Council stated that "there does not exist, for the doctor, an abstract and unalterable hierarchy between the obligation to treat the patient, and that to respect the will of the patient," concluding that faced with a decision to treat patients against their will, doctors do not have a legally predefined obligation to treat the patient, nor do they have a legally predefined obligation to abide by their wishes.
In a child custody case following a divorce, a woman was denied custody of her children outside of holidays for various reasons, including her membership of Jehovah's Witnesses; the court of appeals of Nîmes considered that the educational rules applied by the Witnesses to their children were essentially inappropriate because of their hardness, their intolerance, and the obligation for children to practice proselytism. The case went before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) (request #64927/01), which ruled that the court should have based its decision on the mother's actual handling of her children and not on abstract, general notions pertaining to the mother's religious affiliation.
Some Witnesses requested that the National Union of the Associations for the Defense of Families and Individuals not be officially recognized as useful to the public because of its opposition to sectarian excesses which, the plaintiffs alleged persecuted Jehovah's Witnesses. Both the Conseil d'État and the ECHR rejected their claim.
Nazi Germany[edit]
Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany sent German and Austrian Jehovah's Witnesses who refused allegiance to the Nazi state and military service to concentration camps.
Other[edit]
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favour of the rights of Jehovah's Witnesses in many cases. For example:
Bayatyan v. Armenia. Grand Chamber of ECHR affirms right to conscientious objection to military service.(Amnesty International. 7 July 2011) See Amnesty International Statement
Efstratiou v. Greece (18 December 1996), Strasbourg 77/1996/696/888 (Eur. Ct. H.R.)
Manoussakis and Others v. Greece (26 September 1996), Strasbourg 59/1995/565/651 (Eur. Ct. H.R.)
Hoffmann v. Austria (23 June 1993), Strasbourg 15/1992/360/434 (Eur. Ct. H.R.)
Kokkinakis v. Greece (25 May 1993), Strasbourg 3/1992/348/421 (Eur. Ct. H.R.)
In 2005 the Presiding Judge of the Provincial Court in Ruhengeri, Rwanda ruled that Witnesses should not be imprisoned for refusing to bear arms in civil defense 'night patrols' since they were willing to participate and had participated in other forms of community service. 297 Witnesses had been imprisoned on such charges in an 8-month period of 2004. 143 of those imprisoned had been severely beaten.[24]
Government officials in various countries, including Brazil,[25] Burundi,[citation needed] Mexico,[26][27][28] Mozambique,[29] and Tuvalu[30] have commended Jehovah's Witnesses for conducting literacy classes and for providing religious educational materials.
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Salvation Belongs to Jehovah". Watchtower 104: 21. September 15, 2002.
2.Jump up ^ "Can You Make the World a Better Place?". The Watchtower: 3. 2001-10-15.
3.Jump up ^ "The Key to a Happy World". The Watchtower: 5–6. 2001-10-15.
4.Jump up ^ What Does God Require of Us?. Brooklyn, New York: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 1996. p. 27.
5.Jump up ^ "Watchtower" 11/15/00 p. 15 par. 18 Christians Find Happiness in Serving "There are many people who claim to worship God, but their worship is really directed to the gods of nationalism, tribalism, wealth, self, or some other deity"
6.Jump up ^ "Watchtower" 2/15/67 p. 115 par. 15 "(Dan. 2:44) "Thus the nationalistic governments on which the various religious systems depend so heavily for support are destined to be crushed by God's heavenly kingdom."
7.Jump up ^ Judging Jehovah's Witnesses, Shawn Francis Peters, University Press of Kansas: 2000
8.Jump up ^ State and Salvation, William Kaplan, University of Toronto Press: 1989
9.Jump up ^ Bridget Griffen-Foley, "Radio Ministries: Religion on Australian Commercial Radio from the 1920s to the 1960s," Journal of Religious History (2008) 32#1 pp: 31-54. online
10.Jump up ^ Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York v. Village of Stratton. See Supreme Court Website
11.Jump up ^ Proceedings in 2004
12.Jump up ^ NPR America Audio
13.Jump up ^ "Attempt to Ban JW.ORG Fails"
14.Jump up ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5732.htm
15.Jump up ^ "Singapore", International Religious Freedom Report 2004, U. S. Department of State, As Retrieved 2010-03-11
16.Jump up ^ Religious Intolerance In France
17.Jump up ^ text of the ruling (French)
18.Jump up ^ court case; translation)
19.Jump up ^ “French Tax of Jehovah’s Witnesses hinders rights: Court” (Canada.com, June 30, 2011) Ref Canada.com
20.Jump up ^ http://www.jw-media.org/fra/20110630.htm
21.Jump up ^ Chamber judgment Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah v. France 30.06.11 HUDOK
22.Jump up ^ http://www.jw.org/en/news/by-region/europe/france/france-returns-funds-collected-illegally/
23.Jump up ^ Judges order €4 million Jehovah’s Witnesses award Human Rights Europe
24.Jump up ^ http://www.jw-media.org/rwa/20050811.htm
25.Jump up ^ "Brazil", 1997 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 183
26.Jump up ^ "Educational Programs", Jehovah’s Witnesses and Education, ©2002 Watch Tower, page 11
27.Jump up ^ "Mexico", 1995 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 213
28.Jump up ^ "Witnesses to the Most Distant Part of the Earth", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, pages 466-467
29.Jump up ^ "Efforts That Promote Good Moral Standards", The Watchtower, November 15, 2002, page 32
30.Jump up ^ "A Far-Reaching Educational Program", Awake!, December 22, 2000, page 9
External links[edit]
Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses
  


Categories: Beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses
Religious abstentions








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Jehovah's Witnesses and governments

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
Jehovah's Witnesses believe their allegiance belongs to God's Kingdom, which they view as an actual government. They refrain from saluting the flag of any country or singing nationalistic songs,[1] which they believe are forms of worship, although they may stand out of respect. They also refuse to participate in military service—even when it is compulsory—and do not become involved in politics. They believe Jesus' refusal to rule the kingdoms of the world as offered by the Devil, his refusal to be made king of Israel by the Jews, and his statements that he, his followers, and his kingdom are not part of the world, provide the bases for not being involved in politics or government.[2][3][4] Witnesses are taught that they should obey laws of the governments where they live unless such laws conflict with their beliefs, such as operating covertly in countries where their activities are banned.[5][6]


Contents  [hide]
1 Civil liberties
2 Government interactions 2.1 Australia
2.2 United States
2.3 Russia
2.4 Singapore
2.5 France 2.5.1 Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah
2.5.2 Other cases
2.6 Nazi Germany
2.7 Other
3 References
4 External links

Civil liberties[edit]
According to the book Judging Jehovah's Witnesses,[7] the Witnesses have helped to widen the definition of civil liberties in most western societies, hence broadening the rights of millions of people, due to their firm stand and determination. According to the preface to the book State and Salvation:[8] "One of the results of the Witnesses' legal battles was the long process of discussion and debate that led to the Charter of Rights, which is now part of the fundamental law of Canada. Other battles in countries around the world have involved the rights to decline military service or martial arts training, to decline to participate in political parties or governmental elections, to exercise free and anonymous speech, to exercise freedom of association, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, medical self-determination, etc. Witnesses continue to, in their words, 'defend and legally establish the Good News' around the world."
Government interactions[edit]
Australia[edit]
In 1930, the Watch Tower Society had controlling interests in several radio stations in Australia, including 5KA, where presenters were told to preach “the message of the Kingdom of Christ”, and in 1931 began broadcasting sermons of Joseph Franklin Rutherford. In 1933, the Australian government banned Rutherford's sermons, which included diatribes against the Catholic Church, the British Empire, and the United States. On 8 January, 1941, the Watch Tower Society's stations were closed down, being described as dangerous to national security. Jehovah's Witnesses was declared an illegal organization on 17 January, with World War II described as "an ideal opportunity to get rid of licensees long regarded as deviant".[9]
United States[edit]
Many United States Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses have shaped First Amendment law. Significant cases affirmed rights such as these:
Right to Refrain from Compulsory Flag Salute - West Virginia State Board of Education vs. Barnette
Conscientious objection to military service
Preaching in public
By 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court had reviewed 71 cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses as an organization, two-thirds of which were decided in their favor. In 2002, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society disputed an ordinance in Stratton, Ohio that required a permit in order to preach from door to door. The Supreme Court decided in favor of the Witnesses.[10]
Russia[edit]
In 2004, the Moscow City Court banned the activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Moscow, their legal entity was liquidated.[11][12]
On August 7, 2013, the Tsentralniy District Court of the city of Tver, located 100 mi (approx. 160 km) north of Moscow, ruled that the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses should be banned throughout the Russian Federation. Jehovah's Witnesses appealed the decision to the Tver Regional Court, which on January 22, 2014, concluded that the decision of the Tsentralniy District Court was unjustified.[13]
Singapore[edit]
See Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses (Singapore)
In 1972 the Singapore government de-registered and banned the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses on the grounds that its members refuse to perform military service (which is obligatory for all male citizens), salute the flag, or swear oaths of allegiance to the state.[14][15] Singapore has banned all written materials (including Bibles) published by the International Bible Students Association and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, both publishing arms of the Jehovah's Witnesses. A person in possession of banned literature can be fined up to S$2,000 (US$1,460) and jailed up to 12 months for a first conviction.[citation needed]
France[edit]
In France, a number of court cases have involved Jehovah Witnesses and their organizations, especially on the question of their refusing blood transfusions to minor patients. These questions had far-reaching legal implications regarding the tax status of their organizations.
Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah[edit]


 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010)
Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah v. Direction des Services Fiscaux challenged the denial of tax-exempt status for Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah, the not-for-profit corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses in France. Religion-supporting organizations (associations cultuelles) in France can request exemption from certain taxes, including taxes on donations, if their purpose is solely to organize religious worship and they do not infringe on public order. According to the French tax administration, tax-exempt status was denied because:

The association of Jehovah's Witnesses forbids its members to defend the nation, to take part in public life, to give blood transfusions to their minor children and that the parliamentary commission on cults has listed them as a cult which can disturb public order.[16]
On October 5, 2004, the Court of Cassation—the highest court in France for cases outside of administrative law—rejected the Witnesses' recourse against taxation at 60% of the value of some of their contributions, which the fiscal services assimilated to a legal category of donations close to that of inheritance and subject to the same taxes between non-parents.[17] The court ruled that the tax administration could legally tax the corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses if they received donations in the form of dons gratuits and they were not recognized as associations cultuelles.
According to the Watch Tower Society, the taxed contributions include donations for the support of humanitarian relief efforts in Rwanda in 1994. French law makes a distinction between normal non-profit associations (whose donations for humanitarian aid are not tax-exempt), non-profit associations of public usefulness (whose donations for humanitarian aid are tax exempt), and associations supporting religious activities (whose donations are tax exempt). Humanitarian aid is not considered to support religious activities and thus, accordingly, is not considered to be tax-exempt under the rules governing associations supporting religious activities. Typically, religious organizations in France providing humanitarian aid found a separate association devoted to that purpose; it may then be declared of public usefulness.
The Conseil d'État, the supreme court for administrative matters, ruled that denying the statute of association cultuelle on grounds of accusations of infringement of public order was illegal unless substantiated by actual proofs of that infringement.[18]
On June 30, 2011, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) unanimously ruled that France's imposing a retroactive tax for the years 1993 and 1996 had violated Jehovah's Witnesses' right to freedom of religion[19][20] under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.[21] On July 5, 2012, the ECHR ordered the government of France to repay €4,590,295 in taxes, plus interest, and to reimburse legal costs of €55,000. On December 11, 2012, the government of France repaid €6,373,987.31 ($8,294,320).[22][23]
Other cases[edit]


 This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010)
Other court cases have concerned the rights for patients, or of minor patients' legal guardians, to refuse medical treatment even if there is a risk of death. For example, in a 2001 case, doctors at a French public hospital who gave blood products to a patient with an acute renal insufficiency were found not to have committed a mistake of a nature to involve the responsibility of the State (communiqué, English translation). The Council stated that "there does not exist, for the doctor, an abstract and unalterable hierarchy between the obligation to treat the patient, and that to respect the will of the patient," concluding that faced with a decision to treat patients against their will, doctors do not have a legally predefined obligation to treat the patient, nor do they have a legally predefined obligation to abide by their wishes.
In a child custody case following a divorce, a woman was denied custody of her children outside of holidays for various reasons, including her membership of Jehovah's Witnesses; the court of appeals of Nîmes considered that the educational rules applied by the Witnesses to their children were essentially inappropriate because of their hardness, their intolerance, and the obligation for children to practice proselytism. The case went before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) (request #64927/01), which ruled that the court should have based its decision on the mother's actual handling of her children and not on abstract, general notions pertaining to the mother's religious affiliation.
Some Witnesses requested that the National Union of the Associations for the Defense of Families and Individuals not be officially recognized as useful to the public because of its opposition to sectarian excesses which, the plaintiffs alleged persecuted Jehovah's Witnesses. Both the Conseil d'État and the ECHR rejected their claim.
Nazi Germany[edit]
Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany sent German and Austrian Jehovah's Witnesses who refused allegiance to the Nazi state and military service to concentration camps.
Other[edit]
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in favour of the rights of Jehovah's Witnesses in many cases. For example:
Bayatyan v. Armenia. Grand Chamber of ECHR affirms right to conscientious objection to military service.(Amnesty International. 7 July 2011) See Amnesty International Statement
Efstratiou v. Greece (18 December 1996), Strasbourg 77/1996/696/888 (Eur. Ct. H.R.)
Manoussakis and Others v. Greece (26 September 1996), Strasbourg 59/1995/565/651 (Eur. Ct. H.R.)
Hoffmann v. Austria (23 June 1993), Strasbourg 15/1992/360/434 (Eur. Ct. H.R.)
Kokkinakis v. Greece (25 May 1993), Strasbourg 3/1992/348/421 (Eur. Ct. H.R.)
In 2005 the Presiding Judge of the Provincial Court in Ruhengeri, Rwanda ruled that Witnesses should not be imprisoned for refusing to bear arms in civil defense 'night patrols' since they were willing to participate and had participated in other forms of community service. 297 Witnesses had been imprisoned on such charges in an 8-month period of 2004. 143 of those imprisoned had been severely beaten.[24]
Government officials in various countries, including Brazil,[25] Burundi,[citation needed] Mexico,[26][27][28] Mozambique,[29] and Tuvalu[30] have commended Jehovah's Witnesses for conducting literacy classes and for providing religious educational materials.
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Salvation Belongs to Jehovah". Watchtower 104: 21. September 15, 2002.
2.Jump up ^ "Can You Make the World a Better Place?". The Watchtower: 3. 2001-10-15.
3.Jump up ^ "The Key to a Happy World". The Watchtower: 5–6. 2001-10-15.
4.Jump up ^ What Does God Require of Us?. Brooklyn, New York: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. 1996. p. 27.
5.Jump up ^ "Watchtower" 11/15/00 p. 15 par. 18 Christians Find Happiness in Serving "There are many people who claim to worship God, but their worship is really directed to the gods of nationalism, tribalism, wealth, self, or some other deity"
6.Jump up ^ "Watchtower" 2/15/67 p. 115 par. 15 "(Dan. 2:44) "Thus the nationalistic governments on which the various religious systems depend so heavily for support are destined to be crushed by God's heavenly kingdom."
7.Jump up ^ Judging Jehovah's Witnesses, Shawn Francis Peters, University Press of Kansas: 2000
8.Jump up ^ State and Salvation, William Kaplan, University of Toronto Press: 1989
9.Jump up ^ Bridget Griffen-Foley, "Radio Ministries: Religion on Australian Commercial Radio from the 1920s to the 1960s," Journal of Religious History (2008) 32#1 pp: 31-54. online
10.Jump up ^ Watchtower Bible & Tract Society of New York v. Village of Stratton. See Supreme Court Website
11.Jump up ^ Proceedings in 2004
12.Jump up ^ NPR America Audio
13.Jump up ^ "Attempt to Ban JW.ORG Fails"
14.Jump up ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5732.htm
15.Jump up ^ "Singapore", International Religious Freedom Report 2004, U. S. Department of State, As Retrieved 2010-03-11
16.Jump up ^ Religious Intolerance In France
17.Jump up ^ text of the ruling (French)
18.Jump up ^ court case; translation)
19.Jump up ^ “French Tax of Jehovah’s Witnesses hinders rights: Court” (Canada.com, June 30, 2011) Ref Canada.com
20.Jump up ^ http://www.jw-media.org/fra/20110630.htm
21.Jump up ^ Chamber judgment Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah v. France 30.06.11 HUDOK
22.Jump up ^ http://www.jw.org/en/news/by-region/europe/france/france-returns-funds-collected-illegally/
23.Jump up ^ Judges order €4 million Jehovah’s Witnesses award Human Rights Europe
24.Jump up ^ http://www.jw-media.org/rwa/20050811.htm
25.Jump up ^ "Brazil", 1997 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 183
26.Jump up ^ "Educational Programs", Jehovah’s Witnesses and Education, ©2002 Watch Tower, page 11
27.Jump up ^ "Mexico", 1995 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 213
28.Jump up ^ "Witnesses to the Most Distant Part of the Earth", Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, pages 466-467
29.Jump up ^ "Efforts That Promote Good Moral Standards", The Watchtower, November 15, 2002, page 32
30.Jump up ^ "A Far-Reaching Educational Program", Awake!, December 22, 2000, page 9
External links[edit]
Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses
  


Categories: Beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses
Religious abstentions








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Create account
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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_and_governments









Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses by country

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
Numerous cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses have been heard by Supreme Courts throughout the world. The cases revolve around three main subjects:
practice of their religion,
displays of patriotism and military service, and
blood transfusions.
The Supreme Courts of many states have established the rights of Jehovah's Witnesses and other faiths to engage in the practice of evangelism.[1]


Contents  [hide]
1 Armenia
2 Canada
3 France
4 Germany
5 India
6 Japan
7 Philippines
8 Russia
9 United States
10 See also
11 References
12 External links

Armenia[edit]
On July 11, 2011, the Grand Chamber issued a ruling for Bayatyan v. Armenia; Armenia was found to be in violation of ECHR Article 9 (right to freedom of religion or belief) in the conviction of Mr. Vahan Bayatyan, a Jehovah's Witness and Armenian national, for draft evasion.[2]
Canada[edit]
The Supreme Court of Canada has made a number of important decisions concerning Jehovah's Witnesses. These include laws that affected activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in the 1950s and more recent cases dealing with whether Witness parents had the right to decide what medical treatment was in the best interest of their children based on their faith.
On November 15, 1955 (Chaput v Romain [1955] S.C.R. 834), one of Jehovah's Witnesses successfully brought action against police officers for disrupting a religious meeting and seizing articles. The entry and the seizure were made without a warrant. No charge was laid against any of the participants including the appellant and the items seized were not returned.[3]
On January 27, 1959, the Supreme Court of Canada found that Maurice Duplessis, the premier of Quebec, wrongfully caused the revocation of Frank Roncarelli's liquor licence. Roncarelli, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, was a restaurant owner in Montreal who offered bail security for members of his faith arrested by the Municipality. The Witnesses were frequently arrested for distributing magazines without the necessary permits under a city by-law. The Chief Prosecutor of the city, Oscar Gagnon, overwhelmed by the number of Witnesses being arrested and then released as a result of Roncarelli's intervention, contacted the Premier who spoke to Edouard Archambault, Chairman of the Quebec Liquor Commission. Extensive testimony showed the government actors believed Roncarelli was disrupting the court system, causing civil disorder, and was therefore not entitled to the liquor licence.[citation needed]
On June 26, 2009, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a 6-1 decision saying courts must take into account the maturity and decision-making capacity of minors before ruling on enforced medical treatment. The case involved a young Jehovah's Witness, identified only as A.C., who was admitted to a hospital in Winnipeg with internal bleeding as a complication of Crohn's Disease. Doctors sought a blood transfusion, but A.C. and her parents refused on religious grounds; child welfare officials moved to take her into care and a court ordered that she be given the transfusion. The judge said he was satisfied she was competent, but since she was under 16 the judge felt that her competence was immaterial to existing law.[4] Justice Rosalie Abella wrote for the majority, "A young person is entitled to a degree of decisional autonomy commensurate with his or her maturity."[5]
France[edit]
On October 5, 2004, the Court of Cassation—the highest court in France for cases outside of administrative law—rejected the Witnesses' recourse against taxation at 60% of the value of some of their contributions, which the fiscal services assimilated to a legal category of donations close to that of inheritance and subject to the same taxes between non-parents. The court ruled that the tax administration could legally tax the corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses if they received donations in the form of dons gratuits and they were not recognized as associations cultuelles.[6]
On June 30, 2011, the European Court of Human Rights found France to be guilty in violation of ECHR Article 9 (religious freedom) in regards to the 60% tax levied on all donations received from 1993-1996. The Court found that the tax assessment represented a cut in the association's operating resources sufficient to interfere with the free exercise of its members' religion in practical terms.[7] By 2011, the Government of France sought the Association to pay a sum of 58 million Euros. A representative of Jehovah's Witnesses in France stated that "no other major religion in France was subjected to this tax" and that "the Court saw that this was not a legitimate effort to collect revenue, but rather an attempt to use taxation as a means of restricting the worship of Jehovah's Witnesses."[8]
Germany[edit]
In December 2000, Germany's Supreme court ruled that Jehovah's Witnesses did not have to pass a test of "loyalty to the state".[9][10][11]
The Federal Constitutional Court held that transfusing blood to an unconscious Jehovah's Witness violated the person's will, but did not constitute a battery.[12]
India[edit]
In July 1985, in the state of Kerala, some of the Jehovah's Witnesses' children were expelled from school under the instructions of Deputy Inspector of Schools for having refused to sing the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. A parent, V. J. Emmanuel, appealed to the Supreme Court of India for legal remedy. On August 11, 1986, the Supreme Court overruled the Kerala High Court, and directed the respondent authorities to re-admit the children into the school. The decision went on to add, "Our tradition teaches tolerance, our philosophy teaches tolerance, our Constitution practices tolerance, let us not dilute it".[13]
Japan[edit]
In 1998, The Watchtower reported that, "On March 8, 1996, the Supreme Court of Japan [ruled that] ... Kobe Municipal Industrial Technical College violated the law by expelling Kunihito Kobayashi for his refusal to participate in martial arts training."[14][non-primary source needed]
According to Awake!, "Misae Takeda, a Jehovah's Witness, was given [a] blood transfusion in 1992, while still under sedation following surgery to remove a malignant tumor of the liver." On February 29, 2000, "the four judges of the Supreme Court unanimously decided that doctors were at fault because they failed to explain that they might give her a blood transfusion if deemed necessary during the operation, thus depriving her of the right to decide whether to accept the operation or not."[15]
Philippines[edit]
In 1993, the Supreme Court of the Philippines held that exemption may be accorded to Jehovah's Witnesses with regard to the observance of the flag ceremony out of respect for their religious beliefs.[16]
In 1995 and 1996, the Supreme Court of the Philippines granted an exception to laws regarding marriage to a practicing Jehovah's Witness because enforcement of those laws would have inhibited free exercise of religious beliefs.[17][18]
Russia[edit]
[icon] This section requires expansion. (October 2008)
After the fall of the communist bloc of nations in Eastern Europe and Asia, Jehovah's Witnesses were allowed to worship freely in those nations for the first time since World War II. However, in recent years political resistance to minority religions has prompted several court cases in the Moscow courts that have led to the denial of registration for Jehovah's Witnesses in the Moscow district.[19][20] Jehovah's Witnesses won a favorable verdict in the European Court of Human Rights on June 10 2010 in the case of Jehovah's Witnesses of Moscow v Russia.[21]
United States[edit]
In the United States, numerous cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses are now landmark decisions of First Amendment law. In all, Jehovah's Witnesses brought 23 separate First Amendment actions before the U.S. Supreme Court between 1938 and 1946. Supreme Court Justice Harlan Fiske Stone once quipped, "I think the Jehovah's Witnesses ought to have an endowment in view of the aid which they give in solving the legal problems of civil liberties."[22]
The most important U.S. Supreme Court legal victory won by the Witnesses was in the case West Virginia State Board of Education vs. Barnette (1943), in which the court ruled that school children could not be forced to pledge allegiance to or salute the U.S. flag. The Barnette decision overturned an earlier case, Minersville School District vs. Gobitis (1940), in which the court had held that Witnesses could be forced against their will to pay homage to the flag.
The fighting words doctrine was established by Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942). In that case, one of Jehovah's Witnesses had reportedly told a New Hampshire town marshal who was attempting to prevent him from preaching "You are a damned racketeer" and "a damned fascist" and was arrested. The court upheld the arrest, thus establishing that "insulting or 'fighting words', those that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace" are among the "well-defined and narrowly limited classes of speech [which] the prevention and punishment of...have never been thought to raise any constitutional problem."
On January 15, 1951, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the decision of a lower court in convicting two Jehovah's Witnesses lecturers of disorderly conduct of conducting public speeches in a city park of Harford County in Maryland without permits. The Supreme Court stated that the initial conviction was based on the lack of permits that were unconstitutionally denied, therefore convictions were not able to stand. The initial conviction was declined for review by the Maryland Court of Appeals under its normal appellate power, and further declined to take the case on certiorari, stating that the issues were not "matters of public interest" which made it desirable to review. Chief Justice Fred Vinson delivered the opinion of the Court, stating that rarely has any case been before this Court which shows so clearly an unwarranted discrimination in a refusal to issue such a license. It is true that the City Council held a hearing at which it considered the application. But we have searched the record in vain to discover any valid basis for the refusal.[23]
On March 9, 1953, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned and remanded the Supreme Court of Rhode Island's affirmation of the conviction of an Ordained Minister of Jehovah's Witnesses for a violation of holding a religious meeting in a city park of Pawtucket. The opinion of the court was that a religious service of Jehovah's Witnesses was treated differently from a religious service of other sects. That amounts to the state preferring some religious groups over this one. The court stated that the city had not prohibited church services in the park as Catholics could hold mass in the same park and Protestants could conduct their church services there without violating the ordinance.[24]
In a more recent case, Jehovah's Witnesses refused to get government permits to preach door-to-door in Stratton, Ohio. In 2002, the case was heard in the U.S. Supreme Court (Watchtower Society v. Village of Stratton — 536 U.S. 150 (2002)). The Court ruled in favor of Jehovah's Witnesses, holding that making it a misdemeanor (to engage in door-to-door advocacy without first registering with the mayor and receiving a permit) violates the first Amendment as it applies to religious proselytizing, anonymous political speech, and the distribution of handbills.
See also[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses and governments
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ “Jehovah’s Witnesses – Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom” –1993, chap. 30 pp. 679-701 | “Defending and Legally Establishing the Good News” | . © Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
2.Jump up ^ http://www.strasbourgconsortium.org/index.php?pageId=9&linkId=189&contentId=1636&blurbId=887
3.Jump up ^ http://csc.lexum.org/decisia-scc-csc/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/6697/index.do
4.Jump up ^ Edmonton Sun, 2009-06-27
5.Jump up ^ The Canadian Press, 2009-06-26
6.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses and governments
7.Jump up ^ http://www.strasbourgconsortium.org/index.php?pageId=9&linkId=189&contentId=1636&blurbId=1313
8.Jump up ^ http://www.tdgnews.it/en/2011/11/witnesses%E2%80%99-legal-victory-in-france-now-final-and-enforceable/
9.Jump up ^ "German high court defends rights of religious minorities" (Press release). Jehovah's Witnesses; Office of Public Information. December 19, 2000. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
10.Jump up ^ "Federal Administrative Court grants long-awaited recognition to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany" (Press release). Jehovah's Witnesses; Office of Public Information. February 17, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
11.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses Granted Legal Status". Deutsche Welle. March 25, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
12.Jump up ^ Decision of the German Federal Constitutional Court: [1] BVerfG, 1 BvR 618/93 vom 2.8.2001
13.Jump up ^ "Bijoe Emmanuel & Ors V. State of Kerala & Ors [1986] INSC 167". indiankanoon.org. August 11, 1986. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
14.Jump up ^ "Legally Protecting the Good News". The Watchtower: 22. December 1, 1998.
15.Jump up ^ Supreme Court of Japan Rules in Favor of Witness. Access date: April 10, 2014.
16.Jump up ^ "1993 RP Supreme Court ruling in Roel Ebralinag, et al. vs. Superintendent of Schools of Cebu". March 1, 1993.
17.Jump up ^ "2003 RP Supreme Court ruling in Estrada vs. Escritor". August 4, 2003. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
18.Jump up ^ "2006 RP Supreme Court ruling in Estrada vs. Escritor". June 22, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
19.Jump up ^ Criminal charge against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia continues, JW-Media.org (Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site)]
20.Jump up ^ 29 Forum 18.org, 2004-03-29
21.Jump up ^ ECHR exonerates Moscow Community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, JW-Media.org (Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site)]
22.Jump up ^ Melvin I. Urofsky (2002). Religious freedom: rights and liberties under the law. ABC-CLIO. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-57607-312-4.; citing Shawn Francis Peters (2002) [2000]. Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: Religious Persecution and the Dawn of the Rights Revolution (Reprint ed.). University Press of Kansas. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-7006-1182-9.
23.Jump up ^ http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/340/268/case.html
24.Jump up ^ http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/345/67/case.html
External links[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses news releases
  


Categories: Jehovah's Witnesses litigation









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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_cases_involving_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_by_country









Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses by country

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   
Numerous cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses have been heard by Supreme Courts throughout the world. The cases revolve around three main subjects:
practice of their religion,
displays of patriotism and military service, and
blood transfusions.
The Supreme Courts of many states have established the rights of Jehovah's Witnesses and other faiths to engage in the practice of evangelism.[1]


Contents  [hide]
1 Armenia
2 Canada
3 France
4 Germany
5 India
6 Japan
7 Philippines
8 Russia
9 United States
10 See also
11 References
12 External links

Armenia[edit]
On July 11, 2011, the Grand Chamber issued a ruling for Bayatyan v. Armenia; Armenia was found to be in violation of ECHR Article 9 (right to freedom of religion or belief) in the conviction of Mr. Vahan Bayatyan, a Jehovah's Witness and Armenian national, for draft evasion.[2]
Canada[edit]
The Supreme Court of Canada has made a number of important decisions concerning Jehovah's Witnesses. These include laws that affected activities of Jehovah's Witnesses in the 1950s and more recent cases dealing with whether Witness parents had the right to decide what medical treatment was in the best interest of their children based on their faith.
On November 15, 1955 (Chaput v Romain [1955] S.C.R. 834), one of Jehovah's Witnesses successfully brought action against police officers for disrupting a religious meeting and seizing articles. The entry and the seizure were made without a warrant. No charge was laid against any of the participants including the appellant and the items seized were not returned.[3]
On January 27, 1959, the Supreme Court of Canada found that Maurice Duplessis, the premier of Quebec, wrongfully caused the revocation of Frank Roncarelli's liquor licence. Roncarelli, one of Jehovah's Witnesses, was a restaurant owner in Montreal who offered bail security for members of his faith arrested by the Municipality. The Witnesses were frequently arrested for distributing magazines without the necessary permits under a city by-law. The Chief Prosecutor of the city, Oscar Gagnon, overwhelmed by the number of Witnesses being arrested and then released as a result of Roncarelli's intervention, contacted the Premier who spoke to Edouard Archambault, Chairman of the Quebec Liquor Commission. Extensive testimony showed the government actors believed Roncarelli was disrupting the court system, causing civil disorder, and was therefore not entitled to the liquor licence.[citation needed]
On June 26, 2009, the Supreme Court of Canada issued a 6-1 decision saying courts must take into account the maturity and decision-making capacity of minors before ruling on enforced medical treatment. The case involved a young Jehovah's Witness, identified only as A.C., who was admitted to a hospital in Winnipeg with internal bleeding as a complication of Crohn's Disease. Doctors sought a blood transfusion, but A.C. and her parents refused on religious grounds; child welfare officials moved to take her into care and a court ordered that she be given the transfusion. The judge said he was satisfied she was competent, but since she was under 16 the judge felt that her competence was immaterial to existing law.[4] Justice Rosalie Abella wrote for the majority, "A young person is entitled to a degree of decisional autonomy commensurate with his or her maturity."[5]
France[edit]
On October 5, 2004, the Court of Cassation—the highest court in France for cases outside of administrative law—rejected the Witnesses' recourse against taxation at 60% of the value of some of their contributions, which the fiscal services assimilated to a legal category of donations close to that of inheritance and subject to the same taxes between non-parents. The court ruled that the tax administration could legally tax the corporation used by Jehovah's Witnesses if they received donations in the form of dons gratuits and they were not recognized as associations cultuelles.[6]
On June 30, 2011, the European Court of Human Rights found France to be guilty in violation of ECHR Article 9 (religious freedom) in regards to the 60% tax levied on all donations received from 1993-1996. The Court found that the tax assessment represented a cut in the association's operating resources sufficient to interfere with the free exercise of its members' religion in practical terms.[7] By 2011, the Government of France sought the Association to pay a sum of 58 million Euros. A representative of Jehovah's Witnesses in France stated that "no other major religion in France was subjected to this tax" and that "the Court saw that this was not a legitimate effort to collect revenue, but rather an attempt to use taxation as a means of restricting the worship of Jehovah's Witnesses."[8]
Germany[edit]
In December 2000, Germany's Supreme court ruled that Jehovah's Witnesses did not have to pass a test of "loyalty to the state".[9][10][11]
The Federal Constitutional Court held that transfusing blood to an unconscious Jehovah's Witness violated the person's will, but did not constitute a battery.[12]
India[edit]
In July 1985, in the state of Kerala, some of the Jehovah's Witnesses' children were expelled from school under the instructions of Deputy Inspector of Schools for having refused to sing the national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. A parent, V. J. Emmanuel, appealed to the Supreme Court of India for legal remedy. On August 11, 1986, the Supreme Court overruled the Kerala High Court, and directed the respondent authorities to re-admit the children into the school. The decision went on to add, "Our tradition teaches tolerance, our philosophy teaches tolerance, our Constitution practices tolerance, let us not dilute it".[13]
Japan[edit]
In 1998, The Watchtower reported that, "On March 8, 1996, the Supreme Court of Japan [ruled that] ... Kobe Municipal Industrial Technical College violated the law by expelling Kunihito Kobayashi for his refusal to participate in martial arts training."[14][non-primary source needed]
According to Awake!, "Misae Takeda, a Jehovah's Witness, was given [a] blood transfusion in 1992, while still under sedation following surgery to remove a malignant tumor of the liver." On February 29, 2000, "the four judges of the Supreme Court unanimously decided that doctors were at fault because they failed to explain that they might give her a blood transfusion if deemed necessary during the operation, thus depriving her of the right to decide whether to accept the operation or not."[15]
Philippines[edit]
In 1993, the Supreme Court of the Philippines held that exemption may be accorded to Jehovah's Witnesses with regard to the observance of the flag ceremony out of respect for their religious beliefs.[16]
In 1995 and 1996, the Supreme Court of the Philippines granted an exception to laws regarding marriage to a practicing Jehovah's Witness because enforcement of those laws would have inhibited free exercise of religious beliefs.[17][18]
Russia[edit]
[icon] This section requires expansion. (October 2008)
After the fall of the communist bloc of nations in Eastern Europe and Asia, Jehovah's Witnesses were allowed to worship freely in those nations for the first time since World War II. However, in recent years political resistance to minority religions has prompted several court cases in the Moscow courts that have led to the denial of registration for Jehovah's Witnesses in the Moscow district.[19][20] Jehovah's Witnesses won a favorable verdict in the European Court of Human Rights on June 10 2010 in the case of Jehovah's Witnesses of Moscow v Russia.[21]
United States[edit]
In the United States, numerous cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses are now landmark decisions of First Amendment law. In all, Jehovah's Witnesses brought 23 separate First Amendment actions before the U.S. Supreme Court between 1938 and 1946. Supreme Court Justice Harlan Fiske Stone once quipped, "I think the Jehovah's Witnesses ought to have an endowment in view of the aid which they give in solving the legal problems of civil liberties."[22]
The most important U.S. Supreme Court legal victory won by the Witnesses was in the case West Virginia State Board of Education vs. Barnette (1943), in which the court ruled that school children could not be forced to pledge allegiance to or salute the U.S. flag. The Barnette decision overturned an earlier case, Minersville School District vs. Gobitis (1940), in which the court had held that Witnesses could be forced against their will to pay homage to the flag.
The fighting words doctrine was established by Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire (1942). In that case, one of Jehovah's Witnesses had reportedly told a New Hampshire town marshal who was attempting to prevent him from preaching "You are a damned racketeer" and "a damned fascist" and was arrested. The court upheld the arrest, thus establishing that "insulting or 'fighting words', those that by their very utterance inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace" are among the "well-defined and narrowly limited classes of speech [which] the prevention and punishment of...have never been thought to raise any constitutional problem."
On January 15, 1951, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the decision of a lower court in convicting two Jehovah's Witnesses lecturers of disorderly conduct of conducting public speeches in a city park of Harford County in Maryland without permits. The Supreme Court stated that the initial conviction was based on the lack of permits that were unconstitutionally denied, therefore convictions were not able to stand. The initial conviction was declined for review by the Maryland Court of Appeals under its normal appellate power, and further declined to take the case on certiorari, stating that the issues were not "matters of public interest" which made it desirable to review. Chief Justice Fred Vinson delivered the opinion of the Court, stating that rarely has any case been before this Court which shows so clearly an unwarranted discrimination in a refusal to issue such a license. It is true that the City Council held a hearing at which it considered the application. But we have searched the record in vain to discover any valid basis for the refusal.[23]
On March 9, 1953, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned and remanded the Supreme Court of Rhode Island's affirmation of the conviction of an Ordained Minister of Jehovah's Witnesses for a violation of holding a religious meeting in a city park of Pawtucket. The opinion of the court was that a religious service of Jehovah's Witnesses was treated differently from a religious service of other sects. That amounts to the state preferring some religious groups over this one. The court stated that the city had not prohibited church services in the park as Catholics could hold mass in the same park and Protestants could conduct their church services there without violating the ordinance.[24]
In a more recent case, Jehovah's Witnesses refused to get government permits to preach door-to-door in Stratton, Ohio. In 2002, the case was heard in the U.S. Supreme Court (Watchtower Society v. Village of Stratton — 536 U.S. 150 (2002)). The Court ruled in favor of Jehovah's Witnesses, holding that making it a misdemeanor (to engage in door-to-door advocacy without first registering with the mayor and receiving a permit) violates the first Amendment as it applies to religious proselytizing, anonymous political speech, and the distribution of handbills.
See also[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses and governments
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ “Jehovah’s Witnesses – Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom” –1993, chap. 30 pp. 679-701 | “Defending and Legally Establishing the Good News” | . © Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
2.Jump up ^ http://www.strasbourgconsortium.org/index.php?pageId=9&linkId=189&contentId=1636&blurbId=887
3.Jump up ^ http://csc.lexum.org/decisia-scc-csc/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/6697/index.do
4.Jump up ^ Edmonton Sun, 2009-06-27
5.Jump up ^ The Canadian Press, 2009-06-26
6.Jump up ^ Jehovah's Witnesses and governments
7.Jump up ^ http://www.strasbourgconsortium.org/index.php?pageId=9&linkId=189&contentId=1636&blurbId=1313
8.Jump up ^ http://www.tdgnews.it/en/2011/11/witnesses%E2%80%99-legal-victory-in-france-now-final-and-enforceable/
9.Jump up ^ "German high court defends rights of religious minorities" (Press release). Jehovah's Witnesses; Office of Public Information. December 19, 2000. Retrieved 2012-08-21.
10.Jump up ^ "Federal Administrative Court grants long-awaited recognition to Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany" (Press release). Jehovah's Witnesses; Office of Public Information. February 17, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
11.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses Granted Legal Status". Deutsche Welle. March 25, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
12.Jump up ^ Decision of the German Federal Constitutional Court: [1] BVerfG, 1 BvR 618/93 vom 2.8.2001
13.Jump up ^ "Bijoe Emmanuel & Ors V. State of Kerala & Ors [1986] INSC 167". indiankanoon.org. August 11, 1986. Retrieved 2011-03-31.
14.Jump up ^ "Legally Protecting the Good News". The Watchtower: 22. December 1, 1998.
15.Jump up ^ Supreme Court of Japan Rules in Favor of Witness. Access date: April 10, 2014.
16.Jump up ^ "1993 RP Supreme Court ruling in Roel Ebralinag, et al. vs. Superintendent of Schools of Cebu". March 1, 1993.
17.Jump up ^ "2003 RP Supreme Court ruling in Estrada vs. Escritor". August 4, 2003. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
18.Jump up ^ "2006 RP Supreme Court ruling in Estrada vs. Escritor". June 22, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
19.Jump up ^ Criminal charge against Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia continues, JW-Media.org (Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site)]
20.Jump up ^ 29 Forum 18.org, 2004-03-29
21.Jump up ^ ECHR exonerates Moscow Community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, JW-Media.org (Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site)]
22.Jump up ^ Melvin I. Urofsky (2002). Religious freedom: rights and liberties under the law. ABC-CLIO. p. 140. ISBN 978-1-57607-312-4.; citing Shawn Francis Peters (2002) [2000]. Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: Religious Persecution and the Dawn of the Rights Revolution (Reprint ed.). University Press of Kansas. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-7006-1182-9.
23.Jump up ^ http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/340/268/case.html
24.Jump up ^ http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/345/67/case.html
External links[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses news releases
  


Categories: Jehovah's Witnesses litigation









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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_cases_involving_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_by_country









Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Part of a series on
Jehovah's Witnesses

Overview

Organizational structure
Governing Body
Watch Tower Bible
 and Tract Society
Corporations

History
Bible Student movement
Leadership dispute
Splinter groups
Doctrinal development
Unfulfilled predictions

Demographics
By country


Beliefs ·
 Practices
 
Salvation ·
 Eschatology

The 144,000
Faithful and discreet slave
Hymns ·
 God's name

Blood ·
 Discipline


Literature

The Watchtower ·
 Awake!

New World Translation
List of publications
Bibliography

Teaching programs

Kingdom Hall ·
 Gilead School


People

Watch Tower presidents

W. H. Conley ·
 C. T. Russell

J. F. Rutherford ·
 N. H. Knorr

F. W. Franz ·
 M. G. Henschel

D. A. Adams

Formative influences

William Miller ·
 Henry Grew

George Storrs ·
 N. H. Barbour

John Nelson Darby


Notable former members

Raymond Franz ·
 Olin Moyle


Opposition

Criticism ·
 Persecution

Supreme Court cases
 by country

v ·
 t ·
 e
   

Freedom of religion


Concepts[show]





Status by country[show]













































































































Religious persecution[show]


























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See also: Jehovah's Witnesses and governments and Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses by country
Throughout Jehovah's Witnesses' history, their beliefs, doctrines, and practices have engendered controversy and opposition from local governments, communities, and religious groups.
Many Christian denominations consider the interpretations and doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses to be heretical. Some religious leaders have accused Jehovah's Witnesses of being a cult. According to law professor Archibald Cox, in the United States, Jehovah's Witnesses were "the principal victims of religious persecution … they began to attract attention and provoke repression in the 1930s, when their proselytizing and numbers rapidly increased."[1]
Political and religious animosity against Jehovah's Witnesses has at times led to mob action and government oppression in various countries, including Cuba, the United States, Canada, Singapore, and Nazi Germany. The religion's doctrine of political neutrality has led to imprisonment of members who refused conscription (for example in Britain during World War II and afterwards during the period of compulsory national service).
During the World Wars, Jehovah's Witnesses were targeted in the United States, Canada, and many other countries for their refusal to serve in the military or help with war efforts. In Canada, Jehovah's Witnesses were interned in camps[2] along with political dissidents and people of Japanese and Chinese descent. Activities of Jehovah's Witnesses have previously been banned in the Soviet Union and in Spain, partly due to their refusal to perform military service. Their religious activities are currently banned or restricted in some countries, for example in Singapore, China, Vietnam, and many Islamic states.
According to the journal, Social Compass, "Viewed globally, this persecution has been so persistent and of such an intensity that it would not be inaccurate to regard Jehovah's witnesses as the most persecuted religion of the twentieth century".[3] The claim is disputed, as deaths resulting from persecution of Christians of other denominations during the twentieth century are estimated to number 26 million.[4]


Contents  [hide]
1 Countries 1.1 Benin
1.2 Bulgaria
1.3 Cuba
1.4 Canada
1.5 Eritrea
1.6 France 1.6.1 French dependencies
1.7 Georgia
1.8 Germany
1.9 India
1.10 Malawi
1.11 Singapore
1.12 Soviet Union
1.13 Russian Federation
1.14 United States
2 Notes
3 References 3.1 Bibliography
4 Additional reading

Countries[edit]
Benin[edit]
During the first presidency of Mathieu Kérékou, activities of Jehovah's Witnesses were banned and members were forced to undergo "demystification training."[5][clarification needed]
Bulgaria[edit]
In Bulgaria, Jehovah's Witnesses have been targets of violence by right wing nationalist groups such as the Bulgarian National Movement. On April 17, 2011, a group of about sixty hooded men carrying BMPO flags besieged a Kingdom Hall in Burgas, during the annual memorial of Christ's death. Attackers threw stones, damaged furniture, and injured at least five of the people gathered inside.[6][7] The incident was recorded by a local television station.[8] Jehovah's Witnesses in Bulgaria have been fined for proselytizing without proper government permits, and some municipalities have legislation prohibiting or restricting their rights to preach.[9]
Cuba[edit]
Main article: Military Units to Aid Production
See also: Human rights in Cuba
Under Fidel Castro's communist regime, Jehovah's Witnesses were considered "social deviants", along with homosexuals, vagrants, and other groups, and were sent to forced labor concentration camps to be "reeducated".[10] Jehovah's Witnesses could not refuse blood transfusions on religious grounds, as the Cuban Healthcare system gave no right to refuse treatment (even on religious or animal rights grounds).[citation needed]
Canada[edit]
Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada
During both world wars, Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted for abhorrence of patriotic exercises and conscientious objection to military service.[11]
In 1984, Canada released a number of previously classified documents which revealed that in the 1940s, "able bodied young Jehovah's Witnesses" were sent to "camps", and "entire families who practiced the religion were imprisoned."[2] The 1984 report stated, "Recently declassified wartime documents suggest [World War II] was also a time of officially sanctioned religious bigotry, political intolerance and the suppression of ideas. The federal government described Jehovah's Witnesses as subversive and offensive 'religious zealots' … in secret reports given to special parliamentarian committees in 1942." It concluded that, "probably no other organization is so offensive in its methods, working as it does under the guise of Christianity. The documents prepared by the justice department were presented to a special House of Commons committee by the government of William Lyon Mackenzie King in an attempt to justify the outlawing of the organizations during the second world war."[12]
Eritrea[edit]
In Eritrea, the government stripped Jehovah's Witnesses of their civil and political rights in 1994 after their refusal to engage in voting and military service.[13][14][15] Members of all ages have been arrested for participating in religious meetings.[16][17] Paulos Eyassu, Negede Teklemariam, and Isaac Mogos were arrested without charges, and were not allowed a trial.[18][19] International rights groups are aware of the situation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Eritrea[20] and have repeatedly called for Eritrean authorities to end the persecution.[21]
France[edit]
See also: Jehovah's Witnesses and governments (France)
Prior to World War II, the French government banned the Association of Jehovah's Witnesses in France, and ordered that the French offices of the Watch Tower Society be vacated.[Note 1] After the war, Jehovah's Witnesses in France renewed their operations. In December 1952, France's Minister of the Interior banned The Watchtower magazine, citing its position on military service.[22] The ban was lifted on November 26, 1974.[23][24]
In the 1990s and 2000s, the French government included Jehovah's Witnesses on its list of "cults", and governmental ministers made derogatory public statements about Jehovah's Witnesses.[Note 2] Despite its century of activity in the country, France's Ministry of Finance opposed official recognition of the religion; it was not until June 23, 2000 that France's highest administrative court, the Council of State, ruled that Jehovah's Witnesses qualify as a religion under French law.[25] France's Ministry of the Interior sought to collect 60% of donations made to the religion's entities; Witnesses called the taxation "confiscatory" and appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.[Note 3][Note 4] On June 30, 2011, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that France’s actions violated the religious freedom of Jehovah’s Witnesses by demanding 58 million euros in taxes.[26]
Jehovah's Witnesses in France have reported hundreds of criminal attacks against their adherents and places of worship.[Note 5]
French dependencies[edit]
During the ban of the The Watchtower in France, publication of the magazine continued in various French territories. In French Polynesia, the magazine was covertly published under the name, La Sentinelle, though it was later learned that The Watchtower had not been banned locally.[27] In Réunion, the magazine was published under the name, Bulletin intérieur.[28]
Georgia[edit]
In 1996, one year after Georgia adopted its post-USSR Constitution,[29] the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs began a campaign to detain tons of religious literature belonging to Jehovah's Witnesses.[30][31] Government officials refused permits for Jehovah's Witnesses to organize assemblies, and law enforcement officials dispersed legal assemblies. In September 2000, "Georgian police and security officials fired blank anti-tank shells and used force to disperse an outdoor gathering of some 700 Jehovah's Witnesses in the town of Natuliki in northwestern Georgia on 8 September, AP and Caucasus Press reported." [32]
In cases when the instigators were formally charged, prosecution was impeded by a lack of cooperation by government and law enforcement.[Note 6] In 2004, Forum 18 News Service referred to the period since 1999 as a "five-year reign of terror" against Jehovah's Witnesses and certain other religious minorities.[33] Amnesty International noted: "Jehovah's Witnesses have frequently been a target for violence … in Georgia … In many of the incidents police are said to have failed to protect the believers, or even to have participated in physical and verbal abuse." [34] Individual Witnesses have fled Georgia seeking religious refugee status in other nations.[Note 7]
On May 3, 2007, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against the government of Georgia for its toleration of religious violence toward Jehovah's Witnesses and ordered the victims be compensated for moral damages and legal costs.[35][36][37]
Germany[edit]
Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany
During 1931 and 1932, more than 2000 legal actions were instigated against Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany and members of the religion were dismissed from employment.[38] Persecution intensified following Adolf Hitler's appointment as chancellor in 1933 and continued until 1945.[39] A "Declaration of Facts" was issued at a Jehovah's Witness convention in Berlin on June 25, 1933, asserting the religion's political neutrality and calling for an end to government opposition. More than 2.1 million copies of the statement were distributed throughout Germany,[40] but its distribution prompted a new wave of persecution against German Witnesses, whose refusal to give the Hitler salute, join Nazi organizations or perform military service demonstrated their opposition to the nationalist and totalitarian ideologies of National Socialism.[41]
On October 4, 1934, congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany sent telegrams of protest and warning to Hitler. According to one eyewitness account Hitler was shown a number of telegrams protesting against the Third Reich's persecution of the Bible Students. The eyewitness, Karl Wittig, reported: "Hitler jumped to his feet and with clenched fists hysterically screamed: 'This brood will be exterminated in Germany!' Four years after this discussion I was able, by my own observations, to convince myself … that Hitler's outburst of anger was not just an idle threat. No other group of prisoners of the named concentration-camps was exposed to the sadism of the SS-soldiery in such a fashion as the Bible Students were. It was a sadism marked by an unending chain of physical and mental tortures, the likes of which no language in the world can express."[42][43]
About 10,000 Witnesses were imprisoned, including 2000 sent to concentration camps, where they were identified by purple triangles; as many as 1200 died, including 250 who were executed.[44][45] From 1935 Gestapo officers offered members a document to sign indicating renouncement of their faith, submission to state authority, and support of the German military. Historian Detlef Garbe says a "relatively high number" of people signed the statement before the war, but "extremely low numbers" of Bible Student prisoners did so in concentration camps in later years.[46]
Despite more than a century of conspicuous activity in the country, Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany were not granted legal recognition until March 25, 2005, in Berlin;[Note 8] in 2006 Germany's Federal Administrative Court (BVerwG) in Leipzig extended the local decision to apply nationwide.[47]
India[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses' Office of Public Information has documented a number of mob attacks in India. It states that these instances of violence "reveal the country's hostility toward its own citizens who are Christians."[48][not in citation given] There have been reports that police assist mob attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses or lay charges against the Witnesses while failing to charge other participants in involved.[49] In the city of Davangere on December 20, 2010 a mob confronted two female Witnesses. The mob broke into the home of one of the Witnesses where they had taken refuge. Property was damaged and one of the Witnesses was assaulted. When the police arrived, the Witnesses were arrested and charged with blasphemy.[50]
In another incident, on December 6, 2011, three Witnesses were attacked by a mob in Madikeri, in the state of Karnataka. The male Witness "was kicked and pummeled by the mob" and then the mob dragged them towards a nearby temple; while making lewd remarks, the mob "tried to tear the clothes off of the female Witnesses." According to the report, the police came and "took the three Witnesses to the police station and filed charges against them rather than the mob."[51][not in citation given] During a July 2012 incident, a group of fifteen men assaulted four Witnesses in Madikeri. The group was taken to a police station and charged with "insulting the religion or religious beliefs of another class" before being released on bail.[52]
Malawi[edit]
In 1967, thousands of Witnesses in Malawi were beaten by police and citizens for refusing to purchase political party cards and become members of the Malawi Congress Party.[53] While their stand of not involving themselves in politics during the time of the old Colonial government was seen as an act of resistance their continued non-involvement with the new independent government was viewed as treasonous.[54] The organization was declared illegal in the penal code and the foreign members in the country were expelled. Persecution, both economic and physical, was intensified after a September 1972 Malawi Congress Party meeting which stated, in part, that "all Witnesses should be dismissed from their employment; any firm that failed to comply would have its license cancelled." By November 1973 some 21,000 Jehovah's Witness had fled to the neighboring country of Zambia.[55][56] In 1993, during the transition to a multiparty system and a change in leadership, the government's ban on the organization was lifted in the country.[57][58][59]
Singapore[edit]
In 1972 the Singapore government de-registered and banned the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses on the grounds that its members refuse to perform military service (which is obligatory for all male citizens), salute the flag, or swear oaths of allegiance to the state.[60][61] Singapore has banned all written materials (including Bibles) published by the International Bible Students Association and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, both publishing arms of the Jehovah's Witnesses. A person in possession of banned literature can be fined up to S$2,000 (US$1,333) and jailed up to 12 months for a first conviction.[62]
In February 1995, Singapore police raided private homes where group members were holding religious meetings, in an operation codenamed "Operation Hope". Officers seized Bibles, religious literature, documents and computers, and eventually brought charges against 69 Jehovah's Witnesses, many of whom went to jail.[63][64] In March 1995, 74-year-old Yu Nguk Ding was arrested for carrying two "undesirable publications"—one of them a Bible printed by the Watch Tower Society.[65]
In 1996, eighteen Jehovah's Witnesses were convicted for unlawfully meeting in a Singapore apartment and were given sentences from one to four weeks in jail.[66] Canadian Queen's Counsel Glen How flew to Singapore to defend the Jehovah's Witnesses and argued that the restrictions against the Jehovah's Witnesses violated their constitutional rights. Then-Chief Justice Yong Pung How questioned How's sanity, accused him of "living in a cartoon world" and referred to "funny, cranky religious groups" before denying the appeal.[63] In 1998, two Jehovah's Witnesses were charged in a Singapore court for possessing and distributing banned religious publications.[67]
In 1998 a Jehovah's Witness lost a law suit against a government school for wrongful dismissal for refusing to sing the national anthem or salute the flag. In March 1999, the Court of Appeals denied his appeal.[60] In 2000, public secondary schools indefinitely suspended at least fifteen Jehovah's Witness students for refusing to sing the national anthem or participate in the flag ceremony.[68] In April 2001, one public school teacher, also a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, resigned after being threatened with dismissal for refusing to participate in singing the national anthem.[60]
Singapore authorities have seized Jehovah's Witnesses' literature on various occasions from individuals attempting to cross the Malaysia-Singapore border. In thirteen cases, authorities warned the Jehovah's Witnesses, but did not press charges.[68][69][70]
As of 2008, there were 23 members of Jehovah's Witnesses incarcerated in the armed forces detention barracks for refusal to carry out mandatory military service. The initial sentence for failure to comply is 15 months' imprisonment, with an additional 24 months for a second refusal. All of the Jehovah's Witnesses in detention were incarcerated for failing to perform their initial military obligations and expect to serve a total of 39 months.[70] Failure to perform annual military reserve duty, which is required of all those who have completed their initial 2-year obligation, results in a 40-day sentence, with a 12-month sentence after four refusals.[70][71] There is no alternative civilian service for Jehovah's Witnesses.
In 2008–2009, the Singapore government declined to make data available to the public concerning arrests of Jehovah's Witnesses.[72][73]
Soviet Union[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses did not have a significant presence in the Soviet Union prior to 1939 when the Soviet Union forcibly incorporated eastern Poland, Moldavia, and Lithuania, each of which had a Jehovah's Witness movement. Although never large in number (estimated by the KGB to be 20,000 in 1968), the Jehovah's Witnesses became one of the most persecuted religious groups in the Soviet Union during the post-World War II era.[74] Members were arrested or deported; some were put in Soviet concentration camps. Witnesses in Moldavian SSR were deported to Tomsk Oblast; members from other regions of the Soviet Union were deported to Irkutsk Oblast.[75] KGB officials, who were tasked with dissolving the Jehovah's Witness movement, were disturbed to discover that the Witnesses continued to practice their faith even within the labor camps.[76]
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Viktor Semyonovich Abakumov proposed the deportation of the Jehovah's Witnesses to Stalin in October 1950. A resolution was voted by the Council of Minister and an order was issued by the Ministry for State Security in March 1951. The Moldavian SSR passed a decree "on the confiscation and selling of the property of individuals banished from the territory of the Moldavian SSR", which included the Jehovah's Witnesses.[75]
In April 1951, over 9,000 Jehovah's Witnesses were deported to Siberia under a plan called "Operation North".[77][78]
Importation of Jehovah's Witnesses' literature into the Soviet Union was strictly forbidden, and Soviet Jehovah's Witnesses received their religious literature from Brooklyn illegally. Literature from Brooklyn arrived regularly, through well-organized unofficial channels, not only in many cities, but also in Siberia, and even in the penal camps of Potma.[citation needed] The Soviet government was so disturbed by the Jehovah's Witnesses that the KGB was authorized to send agents to infiltrate the Brooklyn headquarters.[79]
In September 1965, a decree of the Presidium of the USSR Council of Ministers canceled the "special settlement" restriction of Jehovah's Witnesses, though the decree, signed by Anastas Mikoyan, stated that there would be no compensation for confiscated property. However, Jehovah's Witnesses remained the subject of state persecution due to their ideology being classified as anti-Soviet.[80]
Russian Federation[edit]

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On December 8, 2009 the Supreme Court of Russia upheld the ruling of the lower courts which pronounced 34 pieces of Jehovah's Witness literature extremist, including their magazine The Watchtower, in the Russian language, and the book for children, My Book of Bible Stories. Jehovah's Witnesses claim that this ruling affirms a misapplication of the Federal Law on Counteracting Extremist Activity to Jehovah's Witnesses. The ruling upheld the confiscation of property of Jehovah's Witnesses in Taganrog (Rostov Region) in Russia, and might set a precedent for similar cases in other areas of Russia, as well as placing literature of Jehovah's Witnesses on a list of literature unacceptable throughout Russia. The Chairman of the Presiding Committee of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Vasily Kalin, said: "I am very concerned that this decision will open a new era of opposition against Jehovah's Witnesses, whose right to meet in peace, to access religious literature and to share the Christian hope contained in the Gospels, is more and more limited." Kalin also stated, "When I was young I was sent to Siberia for being one of Jehovah's Witnesses and because my parents were reading The Watchtower, the same journal being unjustly declared 'extremist' in these proceedings."[81]
United States[edit]
Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States
During the 1930s and 1940s, some US states passed laws that made it illegal for Jehovah's Witnesses to distribute their literature, and children of Jehovah's Witnesses in some states were banned from attending state schools. Mob violence against Jehovah's Witnesses was not uncommon, and some were murdered for their beliefs. Those responsible for these attacks were seldom prosecuted.[need quotation to verify][82]
After a drawn-out litigation process in state courts and lower federal courts, lawyers for Jehovah's Witnesses convinced the Supreme Court to issue a series of landmark First Amendment rulings that confirmed their right to be excused from military service and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.[citation needed][when?]
The persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses for their refusal to salute the flag became known as the "Flag-Salute Cases".[83] Their refusal to salute the flag became considered as a test of the liberties for which the flag stands, namely the freedom to worship according to the dictates of one's own conscience. It was found that the United States, by making the flag salute compulsory in Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940), was impinging upon the individual's right to worship as one chooses — a violation of the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause in the constitution. Justice Frankfurter, speaking in behalf of the 8-to-1 majority view against the Witnesses, stated that the interests of "inculcating patriotism was of sufficient importance to justify a relatively minor infringement on religious belief."[84] The result of the ruling was a wave of persecution. Lillian Gobitas, the mother of the schoolchildren involved in the decision said, "It was like open season on Jehovah's Witnesses."[85]
The American Civil Liberties Union reported that by the end of 1940, "more than 1,500 Witnesses in the United States had been victimized in 335 separate attacks."[86] Such attacks included beatings, being tarred and feathered, hanged, shot, maimed, and even castrated, as well as other acts of violence.[87] As reports of these attacks against Jehovah's Witnesses continued, "several justices changed their minds, and in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), the Court declared that the state could not impinge on the First Amendment by compelling the observance of rituals."[84]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "THE ORGANIZATION IS BANNED In mid-October 1939, about six weeks after the beginning of the war, the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses was banned in France."[88]
2.Jump up ^ "[The French] Government has a stated policy of monitoring potentially 'dangerous' cult activity through the Inter-ministerial Monitoring Mission against Sectarian Abuses (MIVILUDES). … In January 2005, MIVILUDES published a guide for public servants instructing them how to spot and combat 'dangerous' sects. … The Jehovah's Witnesses were mentioned"[89]
3.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses awaited a ruling by the ECHR on the admissibility of a case contesting the government's assessment of their donations at a 60 percent tax rate. The government had imposed the high rate relative to other religious groups after ruling the group to be a harmful cult. If the assessed tax, which totaled more than 57 million euros (approximately $77.5 million) as of year's end, were to be paid, it would consume all of the group's buildings and assets in the country."[90]
4.Jump up ^ "France's highest court of appeal, the Cour de cassation, has handed down its decision in a case between the Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah, a not-for-profit religious association used by Jehovah's Witnesses in France, and the national tax department, the Direction des services fiscaux. Following a tax inspection lasting 18 months, the tax department established that Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah, whose sole revenue consists of religious donations by its adherents, was run in a completely benevolent fashion, and that its activities were not commercial or for profit. Nevertheless, the tax department levied a 60-percent tax on the religious donations made over a period of four years, between 1993 and 1996. … This is the first time in their 100-year existence in France that Jehovah's Witnesses have been taxed in this manner. … Furthermore, this tax has not been imposed on any other religious organization in France. The Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah has decided to institute proceedings against this confiscatory taxation before the European Court of Human Rights."[91]
5.Jump up ^ "According to representatives for the Jehovah's Witnesses community, there were 65 acts of vandalism against the group in the country through December including Molotov cocktails aimed at Jehovah's Witnesses' property. … According to the leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses community in the country, there were 98 acts against individuals for 2006 and 115 acts in 2007."[90]
6.Jump up ^ "[A lawyer for Jehovah's Witnesses] does not believe judge Chkheidze did enough. "He should have done more to protect the security of participants. Five policemen were present but left the courtroom before the hearing started. We don't know why. Maybe they were instructed to do so." In a statement issued after the trial, the Jehovah's Witnesses reported that about three hundred of Mkalavishvili's supporters, mostly men, armed with metal and wooden crosses, tried to invade the courtroom before the hearing began. "Many entered and occupied areas reserved for attorneys as they rang their religious bell and waved large anti-Jehovah's Witness banners. As the victims' attorneys made their way through the mob to Judge Ioseb Chkheidze's chambers, they overheard security police being ordered away from the scene. The courtroom was left with no security." Attorneys explained to Chkheidze that under these circumstances it was impossible to proceed with the trial as it was too dangerous for the victims or their attorneys to attend."[92]
7.Jump up ^ "On 12 May 1995 during the "status interview" conducted by the officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Office the applicant declared additionally that, among others, she could not return to the country, because since 1989 she had been the Jehovah Witness sic and she feared that she could be arrested for that reason."[93]
8.Jump up ^ "A Berlin court ruled on Thursday that Jehovah's Witnesses are entitled to the same privileges enjoyed by Germany's major Catholic and Protestant churches, ending a 15-year legal fight about the group's status."[94]
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Bibliography[edit]
Anonymous (1980). "France". 1980 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Brooklyn, NY: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
Hall, Kermit L. (1992). The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press.
Peters, Shawn Francis (2000). Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: Religious Persecution and the Dawn of the Rights Revolution. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.
Additional reading[edit]
Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi Regime Edited by Hans Hesse ISBN 3-86108-750-2
Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity, ISBN 0-689-10728-5


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Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses

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See also: Jehovah's Witnesses and governments and Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses by country
Throughout Jehovah's Witnesses' history, their beliefs, doctrines, and practices have engendered controversy and opposition from local governments, communities, and religious groups.
Many Christian denominations consider the interpretations and doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses to be heretical. Some religious leaders have accused Jehovah's Witnesses of being a cult. According to law professor Archibald Cox, in the United States, Jehovah's Witnesses were "the principal victims of religious persecution … they began to attract attention and provoke repression in the 1930s, when their proselytizing and numbers rapidly increased."[1]
Political and religious animosity against Jehovah's Witnesses has at times led to mob action and government oppression in various countries, including Cuba, the United States, Canada, Singapore, and Nazi Germany. The religion's doctrine of political neutrality has led to imprisonment of members who refused conscription (for example in Britain during World War II and afterwards during the period of compulsory national service).
During the World Wars, Jehovah's Witnesses were targeted in the United States, Canada, and many other countries for their refusal to serve in the military or help with war efforts. In Canada, Jehovah's Witnesses were interned in camps[2] along with political dissidents and people of Japanese and Chinese descent. Activities of Jehovah's Witnesses have previously been banned in the Soviet Union and in Spain, partly due to their refusal to perform military service. Their religious activities are currently banned or restricted in some countries, for example in Singapore, China, Vietnam, and many Islamic states.
According to the journal, Social Compass, "Viewed globally, this persecution has been so persistent and of such an intensity that it would not be inaccurate to regard Jehovah's witnesses as the most persecuted religion of the twentieth century".[3] The claim is disputed, as deaths resulting from persecution of Christians of other denominations during the twentieth century are estimated to number 26 million.[4]


Contents  [hide]
1 Countries 1.1 Benin
1.2 Bulgaria
1.3 Cuba
1.4 Canada
1.5 Eritrea
1.6 France 1.6.1 French dependencies
1.7 Georgia
1.8 Germany
1.9 India
1.10 Malawi
1.11 Singapore
1.12 Soviet Union
1.13 Russian Federation
1.14 United States
2 Notes
3 References 3.1 Bibliography
4 Additional reading

Countries[edit]
Benin[edit]
During the first presidency of Mathieu Kérékou, activities of Jehovah's Witnesses were banned and members were forced to undergo "demystification training."[5][clarification needed]
Bulgaria[edit]
In Bulgaria, Jehovah's Witnesses have been targets of violence by right wing nationalist groups such as the Bulgarian National Movement. On April 17, 2011, a group of about sixty hooded men carrying BMPO flags besieged a Kingdom Hall in Burgas, during the annual memorial of Christ's death. Attackers threw stones, damaged furniture, and injured at least five of the people gathered inside.[6][7] The incident was recorded by a local television station.[8] Jehovah's Witnesses in Bulgaria have been fined for proselytizing without proper government permits, and some municipalities have legislation prohibiting or restricting their rights to preach.[9]
Cuba[edit]
Main article: Military Units to Aid Production
See also: Human rights in Cuba
Under Fidel Castro's communist regime, Jehovah's Witnesses were considered "social deviants", along with homosexuals, vagrants, and other groups, and were sent to forced labor concentration camps to be "reeducated".[10] Jehovah's Witnesses could not refuse blood transfusions on religious grounds, as the Cuban Healthcare system gave no right to refuse treatment (even on religious or animal rights grounds).[citation needed]
Canada[edit]
Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada
During both world wars, Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted for abhorrence of patriotic exercises and conscientious objection to military service.[11]
In 1984, Canada released a number of previously classified documents which revealed that in the 1940s, "able bodied young Jehovah's Witnesses" were sent to "camps", and "entire families who practiced the religion were imprisoned."[2] The 1984 report stated, "Recently declassified wartime documents suggest [World War II] was also a time of officially sanctioned religious bigotry, political intolerance and the suppression of ideas. The federal government described Jehovah's Witnesses as subversive and offensive 'religious zealots' … in secret reports given to special parliamentarian committees in 1942." It concluded that, "probably no other organization is so offensive in its methods, working as it does under the guise of Christianity. The documents prepared by the justice department were presented to a special House of Commons committee by the government of William Lyon Mackenzie King in an attempt to justify the outlawing of the organizations during the second world war."[12]
Eritrea[edit]
In Eritrea, the government stripped Jehovah's Witnesses of their civil and political rights in 1994 after their refusal to engage in voting and military service.[13][14][15] Members of all ages have been arrested for participating in religious meetings.[16][17] Paulos Eyassu, Negede Teklemariam, and Isaac Mogos were arrested without charges, and were not allowed a trial.[18][19] International rights groups are aware of the situation of Jehovah's Witnesses in Eritrea[20] and have repeatedly called for Eritrean authorities to end the persecution.[21]
France[edit]
See also: Jehovah's Witnesses and governments (France)
Prior to World War II, the French government banned the Association of Jehovah's Witnesses in France, and ordered that the French offices of the Watch Tower Society be vacated.[Note 1] After the war, Jehovah's Witnesses in France renewed their operations. In December 1952, France's Minister of the Interior banned The Watchtower magazine, citing its position on military service.[22] The ban was lifted on November 26, 1974.[23][24]
In the 1990s and 2000s, the French government included Jehovah's Witnesses on its list of "cults", and governmental ministers made derogatory public statements about Jehovah's Witnesses.[Note 2] Despite its century of activity in the country, France's Ministry of Finance opposed official recognition of the religion; it was not until June 23, 2000 that France's highest administrative court, the Council of State, ruled that Jehovah's Witnesses qualify as a religion under French law.[25] France's Ministry of the Interior sought to collect 60% of donations made to the religion's entities; Witnesses called the taxation "confiscatory" and appealed to the European Court of Human Rights.[Note 3][Note 4] On June 30, 2011, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that France’s actions violated the religious freedom of Jehovah’s Witnesses by demanding 58 million euros in taxes.[26]
Jehovah's Witnesses in France have reported hundreds of criminal attacks against their adherents and places of worship.[Note 5]
French dependencies[edit]
During the ban of the The Watchtower in France, publication of the magazine continued in various French territories. In French Polynesia, the magazine was covertly published under the name, La Sentinelle, though it was later learned that The Watchtower had not been banned locally.[27] In Réunion, the magazine was published under the name, Bulletin intérieur.[28]
Georgia[edit]
In 1996, one year after Georgia adopted its post-USSR Constitution,[29] the country's Ministry of Internal Affairs began a campaign to detain tons of religious literature belonging to Jehovah's Witnesses.[30][31] Government officials refused permits for Jehovah's Witnesses to organize assemblies, and law enforcement officials dispersed legal assemblies. In September 2000, "Georgian police and security officials fired blank anti-tank shells and used force to disperse an outdoor gathering of some 700 Jehovah's Witnesses in the town of Natuliki in northwestern Georgia on 8 September, AP and Caucasus Press reported." [32]
In cases when the instigators were formally charged, prosecution was impeded by a lack of cooperation by government and law enforcement.[Note 6] In 2004, Forum 18 News Service referred to the period since 1999 as a "five-year reign of terror" against Jehovah's Witnesses and certain other religious minorities.[33] Amnesty International noted: "Jehovah's Witnesses have frequently been a target for violence … in Georgia … In many of the incidents police are said to have failed to protect the believers, or even to have participated in physical and verbal abuse." [34] Individual Witnesses have fled Georgia seeking religious refugee status in other nations.[Note 7]
On May 3, 2007, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against the government of Georgia for its toleration of religious violence toward Jehovah's Witnesses and ordered the victims be compensated for moral damages and legal costs.[35][36][37]
Germany[edit]
Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany
During 1931 and 1932, more than 2000 legal actions were instigated against Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany and members of the religion were dismissed from employment.[38] Persecution intensified following Adolf Hitler's appointment as chancellor in 1933 and continued until 1945.[39] A "Declaration of Facts" was issued at a Jehovah's Witness convention in Berlin on June 25, 1933, asserting the religion's political neutrality and calling for an end to government opposition. More than 2.1 million copies of the statement were distributed throughout Germany,[40] but its distribution prompted a new wave of persecution against German Witnesses, whose refusal to give the Hitler salute, join Nazi organizations or perform military service demonstrated their opposition to the nationalist and totalitarian ideologies of National Socialism.[41]
On October 4, 1934, congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany sent telegrams of protest and warning to Hitler. According to one eyewitness account Hitler was shown a number of telegrams protesting against the Third Reich's persecution of the Bible Students. The eyewitness, Karl Wittig, reported: "Hitler jumped to his feet and with clenched fists hysterically screamed: 'This brood will be exterminated in Germany!' Four years after this discussion I was able, by my own observations, to convince myself … that Hitler's outburst of anger was not just an idle threat. No other group of prisoners of the named concentration-camps was exposed to the sadism of the SS-soldiery in such a fashion as the Bible Students were. It was a sadism marked by an unending chain of physical and mental tortures, the likes of which no language in the world can express."[42][43]
About 10,000 Witnesses were imprisoned, including 2000 sent to concentration camps, where they were identified by purple triangles; as many as 1200 died, including 250 who were executed.[44][45] From 1935 Gestapo officers offered members a document to sign indicating renouncement of their faith, submission to state authority, and support of the German military. Historian Detlef Garbe says a "relatively high number" of people signed the statement before the war, but "extremely low numbers" of Bible Student prisoners did so in concentration camps in later years.[46]
Despite more than a century of conspicuous activity in the country, Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany were not granted legal recognition until March 25, 2005, in Berlin;[Note 8] in 2006 Germany's Federal Administrative Court (BVerwG) in Leipzig extended the local decision to apply nationwide.[47]
India[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses' Office of Public Information has documented a number of mob attacks in India. It states that these instances of violence "reveal the country's hostility toward its own citizens who are Christians."[48][not in citation given] There have been reports that police assist mob attacks on Jehovah's Witnesses or lay charges against the Witnesses while failing to charge other participants in involved.[49] In the city of Davangere on December 20, 2010 a mob confronted two female Witnesses. The mob broke into the home of one of the Witnesses where they had taken refuge. Property was damaged and one of the Witnesses was assaulted. When the police arrived, the Witnesses were arrested and charged with blasphemy.[50]
In another incident, on December 6, 2011, three Witnesses were attacked by a mob in Madikeri, in the state of Karnataka. The male Witness "was kicked and pummeled by the mob" and then the mob dragged them towards a nearby temple; while making lewd remarks, the mob "tried to tear the clothes off of the female Witnesses." According to the report, the police came and "took the three Witnesses to the police station and filed charges against them rather than the mob."[51][not in citation given] During a July 2012 incident, a group of fifteen men assaulted four Witnesses in Madikeri. The group was taken to a police station and charged with "insulting the religion or religious beliefs of another class" before being released on bail.[52]
Malawi[edit]
In 1967, thousands of Witnesses in Malawi were beaten by police and citizens for refusing to purchase political party cards and become members of the Malawi Congress Party.[53] While their stand of not involving themselves in politics during the time of the old Colonial government was seen as an act of resistance their continued non-involvement with the new independent government was viewed as treasonous.[54] The organization was declared illegal in the penal code and the foreign members in the country were expelled. Persecution, both economic and physical, was intensified after a September 1972 Malawi Congress Party meeting which stated, in part, that "all Witnesses should be dismissed from their employment; any firm that failed to comply would have its license cancelled." By November 1973 some 21,000 Jehovah's Witness had fled to the neighboring country of Zambia.[55][56] In 1993, during the transition to a multiparty system and a change in leadership, the government's ban on the organization was lifted in the country.[57][58][59]
Singapore[edit]
In 1972 the Singapore government de-registered and banned the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses on the grounds that its members refuse to perform military service (which is obligatory for all male citizens), salute the flag, or swear oaths of allegiance to the state.[60][61] Singapore has banned all written materials (including Bibles) published by the International Bible Students Association and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, both publishing arms of the Jehovah's Witnesses. A person in possession of banned literature can be fined up to S$2,000 (US$1,333) and jailed up to 12 months for a first conviction.[62]
In February 1995, Singapore police raided private homes where group members were holding religious meetings, in an operation codenamed "Operation Hope". Officers seized Bibles, religious literature, documents and computers, and eventually brought charges against 69 Jehovah's Witnesses, many of whom went to jail.[63][64] In March 1995, 74-year-old Yu Nguk Ding was arrested for carrying two "undesirable publications"—one of them a Bible printed by the Watch Tower Society.[65]
In 1996, eighteen Jehovah's Witnesses were convicted for unlawfully meeting in a Singapore apartment and were given sentences from one to four weeks in jail.[66] Canadian Queen's Counsel Glen How flew to Singapore to defend the Jehovah's Witnesses and argued that the restrictions against the Jehovah's Witnesses violated their constitutional rights. Then-Chief Justice Yong Pung How questioned How's sanity, accused him of "living in a cartoon world" and referred to "funny, cranky religious groups" before denying the appeal.[63] In 1998, two Jehovah's Witnesses were charged in a Singapore court for possessing and distributing banned religious publications.[67]
In 1998 a Jehovah's Witness lost a law suit against a government school for wrongful dismissal for refusing to sing the national anthem or salute the flag. In March 1999, the Court of Appeals denied his appeal.[60] In 2000, public secondary schools indefinitely suspended at least fifteen Jehovah's Witness students for refusing to sing the national anthem or participate in the flag ceremony.[68] In April 2001, one public school teacher, also a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, resigned after being threatened with dismissal for refusing to participate in singing the national anthem.[60]
Singapore authorities have seized Jehovah's Witnesses' literature on various occasions from individuals attempting to cross the Malaysia-Singapore border. In thirteen cases, authorities warned the Jehovah's Witnesses, but did not press charges.[68][69][70]
As of 2008, there were 23 members of Jehovah's Witnesses incarcerated in the armed forces detention barracks for refusal to carry out mandatory military service. The initial sentence for failure to comply is 15 months' imprisonment, with an additional 24 months for a second refusal. All of the Jehovah's Witnesses in detention were incarcerated for failing to perform their initial military obligations and expect to serve a total of 39 months.[70] Failure to perform annual military reserve duty, which is required of all those who have completed their initial 2-year obligation, results in a 40-day sentence, with a 12-month sentence after four refusals.[70][71] There is no alternative civilian service for Jehovah's Witnesses.
In 2008–2009, the Singapore government declined to make data available to the public concerning arrests of Jehovah's Witnesses.[72][73]
Soviet Union[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses did not have a significant presence in the Soviet Union prior to 1939 when the Soviet Union forcibly incorporated eastern Poland, Moldavia, and Lithuania, each of which had a Jehovah's Witness movement. Although never large in number (estimated by the KGB to be 20,000 in 1968), the Jehovah's Witnesses became one of the most persecuted religious groups in the Soviet Union during the post-World War II era.[74] Members were arrested or deported; some were put in Soviet concentration camps. Witnesses in Moldavian SSR were deported to Tomsk Oblast; members from other regions of the Soviet Union were deported to Irkutsk Oblast.[75] KGB officials, who were tasked with dissolving the Jehovah's Witness movement, were disturbed to discover that the Witnesses continued to practice their faith even within the labor camps.[76]
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Viktor Semyonovich Abakumov proposed the deportation of the Jehovah's Witnesses to Stalin in October 1950. A resolution was voted by the Council of Minister and an order was issued by the Ministry for State Security in March 1951. The Moldavian SSR passed a decree "on the confiscation and selling of the property of individuals banished from the territory of the Moldavian SSR", which included the Jehovah's Witnesses.[75]
In April 1951, over 9,000 Jehovah's Witnesses were deported to Siberia under a plan called "Operation North".[77][78]
Importation of Jehovah's Witnesses' literature into the Soviet Union was strictly forbidden, and Soviet Jehovah's Witnesses received their religious literature from Brooklyn illegally. Literature from Brooklyn arrived regularly, through well-organized unofficial channels, not only in many cities, but also in Siberia, and even in the penal camps of Potma.[citation needed] The Soviet government was so disturbed by the Jehovah's Witnesses that the KGB was authorized to send agents to infiltrate the Brooklyn headquarters.[79]
In September 1965, a decree of the Presidium of the USSR Council of Ministers canceled the "special settlement" restriction of Jehovah's Witnesses, though the decree, signed by Anastas Mikoyan, stated that there would be no compensation for confiscated property. However, Jehovah's Witnesses remained the subject of state persecution due to their ideology being classified as anti-Soviet.[80]
Russian Federation[edit]

Question book-new.svg
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On December 8, 2009 the Supreme Court of Russia upheld the ruling of the lower courts which pronounced 34 pieces of Jehovah's Witness literature extremist, including their magazine The Watchtower, in the Russian language, and the book for children, My Book of Bible Stories. Jehovah's Witnesses claim that this ruling affirms a misapplication of the Federal Law on Counteracting Extremist Activity to Jehovah's Witnesses. The ruling upheld the confiscation of property of Jehovah's Witnesses in Taganrog (Rostov Region) in Russia, and might set a precedent for similar cases in other areas of Russia, as well as placing literature of Jehovah's Witnesses on a list of literature unacceptable throughout Russia. The Chairman of the Presiding Committee of the Administrative Center of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia, Vasily Kalin, said: "I am very concerned that this decision will open a new era of opposition against Jehovah's Witnesses, whose right to meet in peace, to access religious literature and to share the Christian hope contained in the Gospels, is more and more limited." Kalin also stated, "When I was young I was sent to Siberia for being one of Jehovah's Witnesses and because my parents were reading The Watchtower, the same journal being unjustly declared 'extremist' in these proceedings."[81]
United States[edit]
Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States
During the 1930s and 1940s, some US states passed laws that made it illegal for Jehovah's Witnesses to distribute their literature, and children of Jehovah's Witnesses in some states were banned from attending state schools. Mob violence against Jehovah's Witnesses was not uncommon, and some were murdered for their beliefs. Those responsible for these attacks were seldom prosecuted.[need quotation to verify][82]
After a drawn-out litigation process in state courts and lower federal courts, lawyers for Jehovah's Witnesses convinced the Supreme Court to issue a series of landmark First Amendment rulings that confirmed their right to be excused from military service and the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.[citation needed][when?]
The persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses for their refusal to salute the flag became known as the "Flag-Salute Cases".[83] Their refusal to salute the flag became considered as a test of the liberties for which the flag stands, namely the freedom to worship according to the dictates of one's own conscience. It was found that the United States, by making the flag salute compulsory in Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940), was impinging upon the individual's right to worship as one chooses — a violation of the First Amendment Free Exercise Clause in the constitution. Justice Frankfurter, speaking in behalf of the 8-to-1 majority view against the Witnesses, stated that the interests of "inculcating patriotism was of sufficient importance to justify a relatively minor infringement on religious belief."[84] The result of the ruling was a wave of persecution. Lillian Gobitas, the mother of the schoolchildren involved in the decision said, "It was like open season on Jehovah's Witnesses."[85]
The American Civil Liberties Union reported that by the end of 1940, "more than 1,500 Witnesses in the United States had been victimized in 335 separate attacks."[86] Such attacks included beatings, being tarred and feathered, hanged, shot, maimed, and even castrated, as well as other acts of violence.[87] As reports of these attacks against Jehovah's Witnesses continued, "several justices changed their minds, and in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), the Court declared that the state could not impinge on the First Amendment by compelling the observance of rituals."[84]
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "THE ORGANIZATION IS BANNED In mid-October 1939, about six weeks after the beginning of the war, the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses was banned in France."[88]
2.Jump up ^ "[The French] Government has a stated policy of monitoring potentially 'dangerous' cult activity through the Inter-ministerial Monitoring Mission against Sectarian Abuses (MIVILUDES). … In January 2005, MIVILUDES published a guide for public servants instructing them how to spot and combat 'dangerous' sects. … The Jehovah's Witnesses were mentioned"[89]
3.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses awaited a ruling by the ECHR on the admissibility of a case contesting the government's assessment of their donations at a 60 percent tax rate. The government had imposed the high rate relative to other religious groups after ruling the group to be a harmful cult. If the assessed tax, which totaled more than 57 million euros (approximately $77.5 million) as of year's end, were to be paid, it would consume all of the group's buildings and assets in the country."[90]
4.Jump up ^ "France's highest court of appeal, the Cour de cassation, has handed down its decision in a case between the Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah, a not-for-profit religious association used by Jehovah's Witnesses in France, and the national tax department, the Direction des services fiscaux. Following a tax inspection lasting 18 months, the tax department established that Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah, whose sole revenue consists of religious donations by its adherents, was run in a completely benevolent fashion, and that its activities were not commercial or for profit. Nevertheless, the tax department levied a 60-percent tax on the religious donations made over a period of four years, between 1993 and 1996. … This is the first time in their 100-year existence in France that Jehovah's Witnesses have been taxed in this manner. … Furthermore, this tax has not been imposed on any other religious organization in France. The Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah has decided to institute proceedings against this confiscatory taxation before the European Court of Human Rights."[91]
5.Jump up ^ "According to representatives for the Jehovah's Witnesses community, there were 65 acts of vandalism against the group in the country through December including Molotov cocktails aimed at Jehovah's Witnesses' property. … According to the leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses community in the country, there were 98 acts against individuals for 2006 and 115 acts in 2007."[90]
6.Jump up ^ "[A lawyer for Jehovah's Witnesses] does not believe judge Chkheidze did enough. "He should have done more to protect the security of participants. Five policemen were present but left the courtroom before the hearing started. We don't know why. Maybe they were instructed to do so." In a statement issued after the trial, the Jehovah's Witnesses reported that about three hundred of Mkalavishvili's supporters, mostly men, armed with metal and wooden crosses, tried to invade the courtroom before the hearing began. "Many entered and occupied areas reserved for attorneys as they rang their religious bell and waved large anti-Jehovah's Witness banners. As the victims' attorneys made their way through the mob to Judge Ioseb Chkheidze's chambers, they overheard security police being ordered away from the scene. The courtroom was left with no security." Attorneys explained to Chkheidze that under these circumstances it was impossible to proceed with the trial as it was too dangerous for the victims or their attorneys to attend."[92]
7.Jump up ^ "On 12 May 1995 during the "status interview" conducted by the officer of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Office the applicant declared additionally that, among others, she could not return to the country, because since 1989 she had been the Jehovah Witness sic and she feared that she could be arrested for that reason."[93]
8.Jump up ^ "A Berlin court ruled on Thursday that Jehovah's Witnesses are entitled to the same privileges enjoyed by Germany's major Catholic and Protestant churches, ending a 15-year legal fight about the group's status."[94]
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Cox, Archibald (1987). The Court and the Constitution. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co. p. 189. ISBN 0-395-48071-X.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Yaffee, Barbara (9 September 1984). "Witnesses Seek Apology for Wartime Persecution". The Globe in Mail. p. 4.
3.Jump up ^ Jubber, Ken (1977). "The Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Southern Africa". Social Compass, 24 (1): 121,. doi:10.1177/003776867702400108.
4.Jump up ^ "More martyrs now than then".
5.Jump up ^ Lamb, David. The Africans. Page 109.
6.Jump up ^ http://www.jw-media.org/bgr/20110421.htm
7.Jump up ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy9lQjwwbEM
8.Jump up ^ "Brawl between Bulgarian Nationalists, Jehovah Witnesses Injures 5". The Journal of Turkish Weekly.
9.Jump up ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2010/148922.htm
10.Jump up ^ Philip Brenner, Marguerite Rose Jiménez, John M. Kirk, William M LeoGrande. A contemporary Cuba reader.
11.Jump up ^ Marsh, James H. (1988). The Canadian Encyclopedia (2 ed.). Hurtig. p. 1107. ISBN 0-88830-328-9.
12.Jump up ^ "Secret Files Reveal Bigotry, Suppression". The Globe and Mail. 4 September 1984.
13.Jump up ^ "Eritrea: Torture fears for 28 Jehovah's Witnesses arrested, including 90-year-old man". Amnesty International UK. 19 February 2004. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
14.Jump up ^ Fisher, Jonah (17 September 2004). "Religious persecution in Eritrea". BBC News. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
15.Jump up ^ Plaut, Martin (28 June 2007). "Christians protest over Eritrea". BBC News. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
16.Jump up ^ "Imprisoned for Their Faith". jw.org.
17.Jump up ^ "Eritrea - No Progress on Key Human Rights Concerns". Amnesty International Submission to the UN Universal Periodic Review. Amnesty International. January – February 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2014. Check date values in: |date= (help)
18.Jump up ^ "Twenty Years of Imprisonment in Eritrea—Will It Ever End?". 24 September 2014.
19.Jump up ^ Hendricks III, Robert J. (July–August 2010). "Aliens for Their Faith". Liberty magazine. North American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
20.Jump up ^ http://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/by-region/eritrea/jehovahs-witnesses-unjust-imprisonment-20-years/
21.Jump up ^ http://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Eritrea%202014.pdf |url= missing title (help) (PDF). USCIRF Annual Report 2014. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. 2014. pp. 54–57. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
22.Jump up ^ Anonymous (1980), p. 128
23.Jump up ^ 1976 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses
24.Jump up ^ "Announcements", Our Kingdom Ministry, February 1975, page 3
25.Jump up ^ "Highest administrative court in France rules that Jehovah's Witnesses are a religion", News release June 23, 2000, Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses, As Retrieved 2009-08-19
26.Jump up ^ http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=45917
27.Jump up ^ 2005 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. pp. 88–89.
28.Jump up ^ 2007 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 255
29.Jump up ^ That is, 'the year after 1995'. See Parliament of Georgia website, As Retrieved 2009-08-26, "THE CONSTITUTION OF GEORGIA Adopted on 24 August 1995"
30.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses in Georgia: Chronology of Acts of Violence and Intimidation", Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses, As Retrieved 2009-08-26
31.Jump up ^ "Georgia Country Reports on Human Rights Practices", U. S. State Department, February 23, 2000, As Retrieved 2009-08-26
32.Jump up ^ Encyclopedia.com, As Retrieved 2009-08-26
33.Jump up ^ "GEORGIA: Will violent attackers of religious minorities be punished?" by Felix Corley, F18News, Forum 18 News Service, published 16 August 2004, As Retrieved 2009-08-26
34.Jump up ^ AmnestyUSA.org, As Retrieved 2009-08-26
35.Jump up ^ "CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF JUDGMENTS AND PUBLISHED DECISIONS", EUROPEAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS,As Retrieved 2009-08-26, page 203 of 285, May 3, 2007, Listing "7148 3.5.2007 Membres de la Congrégation des témoins de Jéhovah de Gldani et autres c. Géorgie/Members of the Gldani Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses and Others v. Georgia, no/no. 71156/01 (Sect. 2), CEDH/ECHR 2007-V"
36.Jump up ^ As Retrieved 2009-08-26, pages 13–14 (of 53)
37.Jump up ^ "European Court rules against Georgia's campaign of terror", Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses, As Retrieved 2009-08-26
38.Jump up ^ "Firm in Faith Despite Opposition", The Watchtower, June 15, 1967, pages 366–367
39.Jump up ^ "Germany", 1974 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, pages 116–117
40.Jump up ^ Penton, M.J. (1997). Apocalypse Delayed. University of Toronto Press. pp. 147–149. ISBN 9780802079732.
41.Jump up ^ Garbe (2008), pp. 512–524
42.Jump up ^ "Foreign Activities Under Fascist-Nazi Persecution", The Watchtower, August 1, 1955, page 462
43.Jump up ^ "Germany", 1974 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, page 138
44.Jump up ^ Garbe (2008), p. 484
45.Jump up ^ [1].
46.Jump up ^ Garbe (2008), pp. 286–291
47.Jump up ^ "Germany Federal Administrative Court Upholds Witnesses' Full Exercise of Faith", Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses, As Retrieved 2009-08-26
48.Jump up ^ http://www.jw-media.org/ind/index.htm
49.Jump up ^ "July-December, 2010 International Religious Freedom Report". U.S. Department of State - Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. September 13, 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
50.Jump up ^ Jess, Kevin (February 16, 2011). "Hindu mob attacks Christian women, police back mob". Digital Journal. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
51.Jump up ^ "Violence against Jehovah’s Witnesses in India escalates as police assist mob attacks", Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses, [2]
52.Jump up ^ "USCIRF Annual Report 2013 - Tier 2: India". refworld. UNHCR The UN Refugee Agency. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
53.Jump up ^ Jubber, Ken (1977). "The Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Southern Africa". Social Compass 24 (1): 121–134. doi:10.1177/003776867702400108.
54.Jump up ^ Tengatenga, James (2006). Church, State, and Society in Malawi: An Analysis of Anglican Ecclesiology. Kachere Series. p. 113. ISBN 9990876517.
55.Jump up ^ Carver, Richard (1990). Where Silence Rules: The Suppression of Dissent in Malawi. Human Rights Watch. pp. 64–66. ISBN 9780929692739.
56.Jump up ^ Howard-Hassmann, Rhoda E. (1986). Human Rights in Commonwealth Africa. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 110. ISBN 0847674339.
57.Jump up ^ https://books.google.com/books?id=_FQb4Ulgz0sC&pg=RA6-PA499&lpg=RA6-PA499&dq=malawi+jehovah%27s+witnesses+ban+lifted&source=bl&ots=vGjE0mS2Ii&sig=qqGzoAXiDjQNrKdaKbtSg-dtTj0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=E6eeVLyANcfjgwSAlYO4Aw&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=malawi%20jehovah's%20witnesses%20ban%20lifted&f=false |url= missing title (help). Kenya National Assembly Official Record (Hansard). 19 April 1995. p. 499. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
58.Jump up ^ "Malawi Human Rights Practices, 1993". U.S. Department Of State. January 31, 1994. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
59.Jump up ^ "Malawi A new future for human rights" (PDF). Amnesty International. February 1994. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
60.^ Jump up to: a b c http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5732.htm
61.Jump up ^ "Singapore", International Religious Freedom Report 2004, U. S. Department of State, As Retrieved 2010-03-11
62.Jump up ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2009/127287.htm
63.^ Jump up to: a b http://www.singapore-window.org/80411sm.htm
64.Jump up ^ http://www.jehovah.com.au/jehovah-articles/1995/2/27/singapore-police-swoop-on-jehovahs-witnesses/
65.Jump up ^ http://www.chrislydgate.com/webclips/jehovah.htm
66.Jump up ^ http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/1996/january8/6t164b.html
67.Jump up ^ http://www.singapore-window.org/80330up.htm
68.^ Jump up to: a b http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2002/13909.htm
69.Jump up ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2003/27788.htm
70.^ Jump up to: a b c http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2007/90153.htm
71.Jump up ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108423.htm
72.Jump up ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/eap/119056.htm
73.Jump up ^ http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/eap/136008.htm
74.Jump up ^ Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, The Sword and the Shield, New York: Basic Books, 1999, ISBN 0-465-00310-9, p.503.
75.^ Jump up to: a b Pavel Polian. "Against Their Will: The History and Geography of Forced Migrations in the USSR", Central European University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-963-9241-68-8. p.169-171
76.Jump up ^ Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, The Sword and the Shield, New York: Basic Books, 1999, ISBN 0-465-00310-9, p.505.
77.Jump up ^ "Recalling Operation North", by Vitali Kamyshev, "Русская мысль", Париж, N 4363, 26 April 2001 (Russian)
78.Jump up ^ Валерий Пасат ."Трудные страницы истории Молдовы (1940–1950)". Москва: Изд. Terra, 1994 (Russian)
79.Jump up ^ Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, The Sword and the Shield, New York: Basic Books, 1999, ISBN 0-465-00310-9, p.506.
80.Jump up ^ "Christan Believers Were Persecuted by All Tolatitarian Regimes" Prava Lyudini ("Rights of a Person"), the newspaper of a Ukrainian human rights organization, Kharkiv, December 2001 (Russian)
81.Jump up ^ "Russian Supreme Court rules against Jehovah's Witnesses and religious freedom" December 8, 2009
82.Jump up ^ cf. Peters (2000), p. 11
83.Jump up ^ Hall (1992), p. 394
84.^ Jump up to: a b Hall (1992), p. 395
85.Jump up ^ Irons, Peter. A People's History of the Supreme Courtp. 341. New York: Viking Penguin, 1999.
86.Jump up ^ Peters (2000), p. 10
87.Jump up ^ Peters (2000), p. 8
88.Jump up ^ Anonymous (1980), pp. 87–89
89.Jump up ^ "France: International Religious Freedom Report 2006", U.S. Department of State, As Retrieved 2009-08-19
90.^ Jump up to: a b "France: International Religious Freedom Report 2008", U.S. Department of State, As Retrieved 2009-08-19
91.Jump up ^ "French High Court confirms 60-percent confiscatory tax measure on religious donations", News release October 6, 2004, Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses, As Retrieved 2009-08-19
92.Jump up ^ "GEORGIA: INTIMIDATION SABOTAGES TRIAL OF VIOLENT PRIEST" by Felix Corley, Keston News Service, February 7, 2002, Keston Institute, Oxford, UK, as cited by Eurasianet.org, As Retrieved 2009-08-26
93.Jump up ^ T. L. v. Ministry of Internal Affairs, V SA 1969/95, Poland: High Administrative Court, 17 September 1996, As Retrieved 2009-08-26
94.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses Granted Legal Status", Deutsche Welle, March 25, 2005, http://www.dw-world.de/popups/popup_printcontent/0,,1530197,00.html As Retrieved 2009-08-26, As Retrieved 2009-08-26
Bibliography[edit]
Anonymous (1980). "France". 1980 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Brooklyn, NY: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
Hall, Kermit L. (1992). The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press.
Peters, Shawn Francis (2000). Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: Religious Persecution and the Dawn of the Rights Revolution. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.
Additional reading[edit]
Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi Regime Edited by Hans Hesse ISBN 3-86108-750-2
Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity, ISBN 0-689-10728-5


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Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada

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Jump to: navigation, search

Jehovah's Witnesses experienced religious persecution in Canada during both world wars because of their evangelical fervour, conspicuous abstinence from patriotic exercises and conscientious objection to military service.





Contents  [hide]
1 World War I
2 World War II
3 Duplessis era 3.1 Saumur v. The City of Quebec
3.2 Other cases
4 Canadian Bill of Rights
5 See also
6 References

World War I[edit]
During World War I Jehovah's Witnesses were targeted because of their anti-war attitudes and refusal to take part in military service. Rather than being banned directly, Jehovah’s Witnesses had to deal with censorship of their literature during the war and the court’s refusal to recognize them as a legitimate religion, thus rendering unable to claim the status of conscientious objectors.
World War II[edit]
During the late 1930s, Witnesses were tried for sedition because their literature attacked the clergy and political leaders of the country.
In 1940, one year following Canada's entry into World War II, the Jehovah's Witnesses religion was banned under the War Measures Act. This ban continued until 1943. During this period, some of their children were expelled from school; other children were placed in foster homes; members were jailed; men who refused to enter the army were sent to work camps. In 1940, twenty-nine Witnesses were convicted and sentenced to terms averaging one year.
In his book State and Salvation, William Kaplan wrote:

In July 1940 the government of Canada banned the Jehovah's Witnesses. Overnight it became illegal to be a member of this sect. The law, passed under the War Measures Act, was vigorously enforced. Beatings, mob action, police persecution, and state prosecution confronted the Jehovah's Witnesses as they ignored the ban and continued to go about their work spreading the word of God... The struggle was bitter indeed. Jehovah's Witness children who refused to sing the national anthem and salute the flag during patriotic exercises in public schools were often expelled from class, and in a few cases, removed from their parents' care and placed in foster homes and juvenile detention centres. Men of military service age who refused to fight spent the war trying to get out of alternative service camps established across Canada for conscientious objectors. Jehovah's Witness spent a good deal of time in the courts during the war years; they challenged government policies with which they disagreed, and were arrested in the hundreds and charged with being members of an illegal group.[1]
Duplessis era[edit]
From 1936 to 1959, Jehovah's Witnesses faced religious and civil opposition in Quebec. Historically, the Roman Catholic Church had been the dominant institution in the life of the province of Quebec and a major influence on French Canadian culture. It nurtured the young people of Quebec, in language and faith; and at the same time it endorsed the legitimacy of British rule and of the established economic order.
For generations, the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec worked with the government, schools, and the courts to maintain the values and attitudes that supported the Church. This encouraged people to vote for politicians who favoured the status quo, the existing political, economic and social order.
Under the premiership of Maurice Duplessis, politics and the Church were intertwined as the latter continued to maintain a firm and influential hold on the people of Quebec. Throughout his political career, Duplessis courted the support of the Church.
After World War II, the Church came under attack by the Jehovah's Witnesses who challenged its doctrines. They were determined to seek Catholic converts. In response, the Duplessis regime mounted a campaign persecuting of Jehovah's witnesses and communists. The result was a legal struggle taking place here between the Duplessis regime and lawyers such as Frank Scott and Pierre Trudeau who argued in defence of the rights of minorities.
The clash between the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church became an issue of the competing ideas of freedom of speech and the freedom of religion. The Jehovah's Witnesses went to court to establish the right to distribute their literature on the streets of Quebec. They also became political dissenters because during the Duplessis era, a challenge to the Church was tantamount to challenging the government. Any limitation of the Church's authority would mean limiting Duplessis's authority.
Duplessis' efforts to rid the streets of Jehovah's Witnesses took the issue all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The legal issues concerned freedom of speech as much as it concerned freedom of religion. The Supreme Court held that there can be no freedom of religion without freedom of speech.
Saumur v. The City of Quebec[edit]
Main article: Saumur v. The City of Quebec
In 1953 the case of Saumur v. The City of Quebec (1953) 25 CR 299 (in which a Jehovah's Witness challenged a Quebec City bylaw prohibiting public distribution of literature without a permit) left the question of religious freedom undecided, with some judges actually arguing that: "both Parliament and the provinces could validly limit freedom of worship providing they did so in the course of legislating on some other subject which lay within their respective powers."
This decision was part of a series of cases the Supreme Court dealt with concerning the rights of Jehovah's Witnesses under the Duplessis government of Quebec. Previous to this there was the case of R. v. Boucher [1951] S.C.R. 265 that upheld the right to distribute pamphlets. Subsequent to Saumur was the case of Roncarelli v. Duplessis [1959] S.C.R. 121 which punished Duplessis for revoking a Jehovah's Witness liquor license.
Other cases[edit]
In several other cases, including Chaput v. Romain (1955) and Lamb v. Benoit (1959), Jehovah’s Witnesses successfully sued the police for damages. In Chaput v. Romain, police had raided a home where a religious service by Jehovah’s Witnesses was being conducted, seized bibles and other religious paraphernalia, and disrupted the service despite not having a warrant and no charges being laid. In Lamb v. Benoit, a Jehovah’s Witness was detained for a weekend for distributing seditious pamphlets on city streets, and was offered freedom from jail if she agreed to sign a release form absolving police from charges of wrongful detention. After she refused, she was charged with sedition but later acquitted. In each case, the accused were successful in defending their rights in civil court.
Canadian Bill of Rights[edit]
Main articles: Canadian Bill of Rights and Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
In order to obtain religious freedom the Jehovah's Witnesses popularized the idea of a Canadian Bill of Rights and established numerous libertarian precedents before Canada's highest courts (see Human rights).
On June 9, 1947, they presented a petition to Parliament for the enactment of a Bill of Rights with 625,510 signatures. John Diefenbaker became an advocate of the Canadian Bill of Rights and eventually introduced the Canadian Bill of Rights to Parliament during his tenure as Prime Minister.
The Canadian Bill of Rights was the precursor of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which is part of the Canadian constitution.
See also[edit]
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Kaplan, William (1989). State and Salvation. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press.
  


Categories: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
Canadian freedom of religion case law
Religion in Canada
Christian nonviolence


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Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search

Jehovah's Witnesses experienced religious persecution in Canada during both world wars because of their evangelical fervour, conspicuous abstinence from patriotic exercises and conscientious objection to military service.





Contents  [hide]
1 World War I
2 World War II
3 Duplessis era 3.1 Saumur v. The City of Quebec
3.2 Other cases
4 Canadian Bill of Rights
5 See also
6 References

World War I[edit]
During World War I Jehovah's Witnesses were targeted because of their anti-war attitudes and refusal to take part in military service. Rather than being banned directly, Jehovah’s Witnesses had to deal with censorship of their literature during the war and the court’s refusal to recognize them as a legitimate religion, thus rendering unable to claim the status of conscientious objectors.
World War II[edit]
During the late 1930s, Witnesses were tried for sedition because their literature attacked the clergy and political leaders of the country.
In 1940, one year following Canada's entry into World War II, the Jehovah's Witnesses religion was banned under the War Measures Act. This ban continued until 1943. During this period, some of their children were expelled from school; other children were placed in foster homes; members were jailed; men who refused to enter the army were sent to work camps. In 1940, twenty-nine Witnesses were convicted and sentenced to terms averaging one year.
In his book State and Salvation, William Kaplan wrote:

In July 1940 the government of Canada banned the Jehovah's Witnesses. Overnight it became illegal to be a member of this sect. The law, passed under the War Measures Act, was vigorously enforced. Beatings, mob action, police persecution, and state prosecution confronted the Jehovah's Witnesses as they ignored the ban and continued to go about their work spreading the word of God... The struggle was bitter indeed. Jehovah's Witness children who refused to sing the national anthem and salute the flag during patriotic exercises in public schools were often expelled from class, and in a few cases, removed from their parents' care and placed in foster homes and juvenile detention centres. Men of military service age who refused to fight spent the war trying to get out of alternative service camps established across Canada for conscientious objectors. Jehovah's Witness spent a good deal of time in the courts during the war years; they challenged government policies with which they disagreed, and were arrested in the hundreds and charged with being members of an illegal group.[1]
Duplessis era[edit]
From 1936 to 1959, Jehovah's Witnesses faced religious and civil opposition in Quebec. Historically, the Roman Catholic Church had been the dominant institution in the life of the province of Quebec and a major influence on French Canadian culture. It nurtured the young people of Quebec, in language and faith; and at the same time it endorsed the legitimacy of British rule and of the established economic order.
For generations, the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec worked with the government, schools, and the courts to maintain the values and attitudes that supported the Church. This encouraged people to vote for politicians who favoured the status quo, the existing political, economic and social order.
Under the premiership of Maurice Duplessis, politics and the Church were intertwined as the latter continued to maintain a firm and influential hold on the people of Quebec. Throughout his political career, Duplessis courted the support of the Church.
After World War II, the Church came under attack by the Jehovah's Witnesses who challenged its doctrines. They were determined to seek Catholic converts. In response, the Duplessis regime mounted a campaign persecuting of Jehovah's witnesses and communists. The result was a legal struggle taking place here between the Duplessis regime and lawyers such as Frank Scott and Pierre Trudeau who argued in defence of the rights of minorities.
The clash between the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Church became an issue of the competing ideas of freedom of speech and the freedom of religion. The Jehovah's Witnesses went to court to establish the right to distribute their literature on the streets of Quebec. They also became political dissenters because during the Duplessis era, a challenge to the Church was tantamount to challenging the government. Any limitation of the Church's authority would mean limiting Duplessis's authority.
Duplessis' efforts to rid the streets of Jehovah's Witnesses took the issue all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The legal issues concerned freedom of speech as much as it concerned freedom of religion. The Supreme Court held that there can be no freedom of religion without freedom of speech.
Saumur v. The City of Quebec[edit]
Main article: Saumur v. The City of Quebec
In 1953 the case of Saumur v. The City of Quebec (1953) 25 CR 299 (in which a Jehovah's Witness challenged a Quebec City bylaw prohibiting public distribution of literature without a permit) left the question of religious freedom undecided, with some judges actually arguing that: "both Parliament and the provinces could validly limit freedom of worship providing they did so in the course of legislating on some other subject which lay within their respective powers."
This decision was part of a series of cases the Supreme Court dealt with concerning the rights of Jehovah's Witnesses under the Duplessis government of Quebec. Previous to this there was the case of R. v. Boucher [1951] S.C.R. 265 that upheld the right to distribute pamphlets. Subsequent to Saumur was the case of Roncarelli v. Duplessis [1959] S.C.R. 121 which punished Duplessis for revoking a Jehovah's Witness liquor license.
Other cases[edit]
In several other cases, including Chaput v. Romain (1955) and Lamb v. Benoit (1959), Jehovah’s Witnesses successfully sued the police for damages. In Chaput v. Romain, police had raided a home where a religious service by Jehovah’s Witnesses was being conducted, seized bibles and other religious paraphernalia, and disrupted the service despite not having a warrant and no charges being laid. In Lamb v. Benoit, a Jehovah’s Witness was detained for a weekend for distributing seditious pamphlets on city streets, and was offered freedom from jail if she agreed to sign a release form absolving police from charges of wrongful detention. After she refused, she was charged with sedition but later acquitted. In each case, the accused were successful in defending their rights in civil court.
Canadian Bill of Rights[edit]
Main articles: Canadian Bill of Rights and Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
In order to obtain religious freedom the Jehovah's Witnesses popularized the idea of a Canadian Bill of Rights and established numerous libertarian precedents before Canada's highest courts (see Human rights).
On June 9, 1947, they presented a petition to Parliament for the enactment of a Bill of Rights with 625,510 signatures. John Diefenbaker became an advocate of the Canadian Bill of Rights and eventually introduced the Canadian Bill of Rights to Parliament during his tenure as Prime Minister.
The Canadian Bill of Rights was the precursor of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms which is part of the Canadian constitution.
See also[edit]
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Kaplan, William (1989). State and Salvation. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press.
  


Categories: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
Canadian freedom of religion case law
Religion in Canada
Christian nonviolence


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Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States

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Jump to: navigation, search


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Throughout the history of Jehovah's Witnesses, their beliefs, doctrines, policies and practices have engendered controversy and opposition from governments, communities, and religious groups. Many Christian denominations consider their doctrines to be heretical, and some religious leaders have labeled Jehovah's Witnesses a cult. Members of the religion have also met with objection from governments for refusing to serve in the military, particularly in times of war. Many individuals consider their door-to-door preaching to be intrusive. These issues have led to persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in various countries, including the United States.
Political and religious animosity against the Witnesses has occasionally led to mob action and government oppression. According to former United States Solicitor General, Archibald Cox, Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States were "the principal victims of religious persecution ... in the twentieth century," and added that, "they began to attract attention and provoke repression in the 1930s, when their proselytizing and numbers rapidly increased."[1]


Contents  [hide]
1 Negative attitudes towards Jehovah's Witnesses
2 Background
3 1930s and 1940s 3.1 World War II
3.2 Pledge of Allegiance
4 Cold War
5 See also
6 References
7 Further reading

Negative attitudes towards Jehovah's Witnesses[edit]
In his 1964 study of prejudice toward minorities, Seymour Martin Lipset found that the Jehovah's Witnesses were among the most disliked of all religious minorities he researched; 41% of respondents expressed open dislike of them.[2] In 1984, authors Merlin Brinkerhoff and Marlene Mackie concluded that after the so-called new cults, Jehovah's Witnesses were among the least accepted religious groups in the United States.[3]
Background[edit]
See also: History of Jehovah's Witnesses
In the 1910s and 1920s, the Watch Tower Society, then associated with the Bible Student movement, was outspoken in its statements against other religious groups and of the Catholic Church in particular.[4] The Bible Students believed religion to be a "racket and a snare" and refused to be identified as a specific religion for some time. It was not uncommon for members to carry placards outside churches and in the streets, proclaiming the imminent destruction of church members along with church and government institutions if they did not flee from "false religion". The Watch Tower Society's 1917 book, The Finished Mystery, stated, "Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by millions, it shall be that any that escape shall come to the works of Pastor Russell to learn the meaning of the downfall of 'Christianity'."[5]
Citing The Finished Mystery, the United States federal government indicted the Watch Tower Society's board of directors for violating the Espionage Act on May 7, 1918 for condemning the war effort. They were found guilty and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment; however, in March 1919, the judgment against them was reversed, and they were released from prison. The charges were later dropped.[6] Patriotic fervor during World War I fueled persecution of the Bible Students both in America and in Europe.[7]
In 1917, following the death of Charles Taze Russell—the founder of the Bible Student movement—Joseph Franklin Rutherford became president of the Watch Tower Society, and a leadership dispute within the society ensued; those who remained associated with the society became known as Jehovah's witnesses in 1931.
1930s and 1940s[edit]
During the late 1930s and the 1940s, Jehovah's Witnesses attacked the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian denominations so vigorously that many states and municipalities passed laws against their inflammatory preaching.[8]
World War II[edit]
[icon] This section requires expansion. (August 2010)
During World War II, Witnesses experienced mob violence in America because they were perceived as being against the war effort.[9]
Pledge of Allegiance[edit]
Main articles: Minersville School District v. Gobitis and West Virginia v. Barnette
Mandatory flag pledges in public schools were motivated by patriotic fervor in wartime America.[citation needed] The first known mandatory flag pledges were instituted in a number of states during the Spanish–American War. During World War I, many more states instituted mandatory flag pledges with only a few dissents recorded by the American Civil Liberties Union. It was not until World War II was drawing to a close that the practice was officially challenged in the court system.
In 1935, Rutherford proscribed flag salutes, stating them to be a form of idolatry "contrary to the Word of God."[10] This stance drew mob violence against Witnesses[clarification needed] and many children of Witnesses were expelled from public schools. The Witnesses' apparent lack of patriotism angered local authorities, the American Legion, and others, resulting in vigilante violence during World War II. Men, women and children were injured in mob attacks.
In 1940, the case of Minersville School District v. Gobitis received publicity in a lower federal court. The U. S. Supreme Court ruled in an 8–1 decision that a school district's interest in creating national unity was sufficient to allow them to require that students salute the flag. The Supreme Court's decision in the Gobitis case resulted in a new wave of persecution of Witnesses across the nation. Lillian Gobitas later characterized the violence as "open season on Jehovah’s Witnesses." The American Civil Liberties Union recorded 1,488 attacks on Witnesses in over 300 communities between May and October 1940. Angry mobs assaulted Witnesses, destroyed their property, boycotted their businesses and vandalized their places of worship. Less than a week after the court decision, a Kingdom Hall in Kennebunk, Maine was burnt down.[citation needed]
American Legion posts harassed Witnesses nationwide. At Klamath Falls, Oregon, members of the American Legion harassed Witnesses assembled for worship with requests to salute the flag and buy war bonds. They then attacked the Witnesses and besieged the meeting place, breaking windows, throwing in stink bombs, ammonia and burning kerosene rags. The Witnesses' cars were disabled and many were overturned. The governor was compelled to call the state militia to disperse the mob, which reached 1,000 at its peak.[11] In Texas, Witness missionaries were chased and beaten by vigilantes, and their literature was confiscated or burned.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt appealed publicly for calm, and newspaper editorials and the American legal community[who?] condemned the Gobitas decision as a blow to liberty.[citation needed] Several justices signaled their belief that the case had been "wrongly decided."[citation needed] On June 16, 1940, in an effort to dispel the mob action, the United States Attorney General, Francis Biddle, stated on a nationwide radio broadcast:

Jehovah's witnesses have been repeatedly set upon and beaten. They had committed no crime; but the mob adjudged they had, and meted out mob punishment. The Attorney General has ordered an immediate investigation of these outrages. The people must be alert and watchful, and above all cool and sane. Since mob violence will make the government's task infinitely more difficult, it will not be tolerated. We shall not defeat the Nazi evil by emulating its methods.
Partly because of the violent reaction to its decision,[citation needed] the Supreme Court reversed its previous ruling in 1943 in the case of West Virginia v. Barnette, which readdressed the issue of mandatory flag salute. Hayden C. Covington argued the case as attorney for the Witnesses. Justice Jackson penned the majority opinion stating, in part, that, "compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard."
Cold War[edit]
After World War II, violent actions against Jehovah's Witnesses subsided, though they were viewed with continued suspicion, particularly for their lack of patriotism. During the Cold War era's "Second Red Scare" in the 1950s, Witnesses were sometimes viewed as communist. Various legal cases gradually established their rights to preach from door to door and to abstain from patriotic activities in schools. Through the 1960s and 1970s, American society became more tolerant of atypical viewpoints, and active targeting and persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses diminished.[citation needed]
See also[edit]
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada
United States Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Cox, Archibald (1987). The Court and the Constitution. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co. p. 189.
2.Jump up ^ Lipset, Seymour Martin. "The Sources of the "Radical Right" in The Radical Right, Ed. by Daniel Bell, Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1964. p.435
3.Jump up ^ Brinkerhoff, Merlin B. and Marlene M. Mackie (December 1986). "The Applicability of Social Distance for Religious Research; An Exploration". Review of Religious Research 28 (2).
4.Jump up ^ The Finished Mystery pp. 247-253 468 and 474.
5.Jump up ^ "The Boiling Caldron". p. 485.
6.Jump up ^ M.J. Penton (1997-08-09). Apocalypse Delayed. University of Toronto Press. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-0-8020-7973-2. Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watchtower. 1993. pp. 647–654. Rutherford gives his defense against the charges in Souvenir Report of the Bible Student's Convention (1919) (PDF). Watchtower. pp. 62–63. and in the tract The Case of the IBSA
7.Jump up ^ "Distress of Nations: Cause, Warning, Remedy" (PDF). The Golden Age: 712–718. 29 September 1920.
8.Jump up ^ Peters, Shawn Francis (2000). Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: Religious Persecution and the Dawn of the Rights Revolution. S.l.: Univ Pr Of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1182-9.
9.Jump up ^ American Civil Liberties Union (1941). The Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses (PDF). pp. 1–24.
10.Jump up ^ Radio discourse, October 6, 1935 as cited in Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, pp. 196–197
11.Jump up ^ White, Timothy (1967). A People For His Name: The History of Jehovah's Witnesses and an Evaluation. New York: Vantage Press. p. 330.
Further reading[edit]
The Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses: The Record of Violence Against a Religious Organization Unparalleled in America Since the Attack on the Mormons., American Civil Liberties Union, New York, 1941
  


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Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States

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Throughout the history of Jehovah's Witnesses, their beliefs, doctrines, policies and practices have engendered controversy and opposition from governments, communities, and religious groups. Many Christian denominations consider their doctrines to be heretical, and some religious leaders have labeled Jehovah's Witnesses a cult. Members of the religion have also met with objection from governments for refusing to serve in the military, particularly in times of war. Many individuals consider their door-to-door preaching to be intrusive. These issues have led to persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in various countries, including the United States.
Political and religious animosity against the Witnesses has occasionally led to mob action and government oppression. According to former United States Solicitor General, Archibald Cox, Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States were "the principal victims of religious persecution ... in the twentieth century," and added that, "they began to attract attention and provoke repression in the 1930s, when their proselytizing and numbers rapidly increased."[1]


Contents  [hide]
1 Negative attitudes towards Jehovah's Witnesses
2 Background
3 1930s and 1940s 3.1 World War II
3.2 Pledge of Allegiance
4 Cold War
5 See also
6 References
7 Further reading

Negative attitudes towards Jehovah's Witnesses[edit]
In his 1964 study of prejudice toward minorities, Seymour Martin Lipset found that the Jehovah's Witnesses were among the most disliked of all religious minorities he researched; 41% of respondents expressed open dislike of them.[2] In 1984, authors Merlin Brinkerhoff and Marlene Mackie concluded that after the so-called new cults, Jehovah's Witnesses were among the least accepted religious groups in the United States.[3]
Background[edit]
See also: History of Jehovah's Witnesses
In the 1910s and 1920s, the Watch Tower Society, then associated with the Bible Student movement, was outspoken in its statements against other religious groups and of the Catholic Church in particular.[4] The Bible Students believed religion to be a "racket and a snare" and refused to be identified as a specific religion for some time. It was not uncommon for members to carry placards outside churches and in the streets, proclaiming the imminent destruction of church members along with church and government institutions if they did not flee from "false religion". The Watch Tower Society's 1917 book, The Finished Mystery, stated, "Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys the churches wholesale and the church members by millions, it shall be that any that escape shall come to the works of Pastor Russell to learn the meaning of the downfall of 'Christianity'."[5]
Citing The Finished Mystery, the United States federal government indicted the Watch Tower Society's board of directors for violating the Espionage Act on May 7, 1918 for condemning the war effort. They were found guilty and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment; however, in March 1919, the judgment against them was reversed, and they were released from prison. The charges were later dropped.[6] Patriotic fervor during World War I fueled persecution of the Bible Students both in America and in Europe.[7]
In 1917, following the death of Charles Taze Russell—the founder of the Bible Student movement—Joseph Franklin Rutherford became president of the Watch Tower Society, and a leadership dispute within the society ensued; those who remained associated with the society became known as Jehovah's witnesses in 1931.
1930s and 1940s[edit]
During the late 1930s and the 1940s, Jehovah's Witnesses attacked the Roman Catholic Church and other Christian denominations so vigorously that many states and municipalities passed laws against their inflammatory preaching.[8]
World War II[edit]
[icon] This section requires expansion. (August 2010)
During World War II, Witnesses experienced mob violence in America because they were perceived as being against the war effort.[9]
Pledge of Allegiance[edit]
Main articles: Minersville School District v. Gobitis and West Virginia v. Barnette
Mandatory flag pledges in public schools were motivated by patriotic fervor in wartime America.[citation needed] The first known mandatory flag pledges were instituted in a number of states during the Spanish–American War. During World War I, many more states instituted mandatory flag pledges with only a few dissents recorded by the American Civil Liberties Union. It was not until World War II was drawing to a close that the practice was officially challenged in the court system.
In 1935, Rutherford proscribed flag salutes, stating them to be a form of idolatry "contrary to the Word of God."[10] This stance drew mob violence against Witnesses[clarification needed] and many children of Witnesses were expelled from public schools. The Witnesses' apparent lack of patriotism angered local authorities, the American Legion, and others, resulting in vigilante violence during World War II. Men, women and children were injured in mob attacks.
In 1940, the case of Minersville School District v. Gobitis received publicity in a lower federal court. The U. S. Supreme Court ruled in an 8–1 decision that a school district's interest in creating national unity was sufficient to allow them to require that students salute the flag. The Supreme Court's decision in the Gobitis case resulted in a new wave of persecution of Witnesses across the nation. Lillian Gobitas later characterized the violence as "open season on Jehovah’s Witnesses." The American Civil Liberties Union recorded 1,488 attacks on Witnesses in over 300 communities between May and October 1940. Angry mobs assaulted Witnesses, destroyed their property, boycotted their businesses and vandalized their places of worship. Less than a week after the court decision, a Kingdom Hall in Kennebunk, Maine was burnt down.[citation needed]
American Legion posts harassed Witnesses nationwide. At Klamath Falls, Oregon, members of the American Legion harassed Witnesses assembled for worship with requests to salute the flag and buy war bonds. They then attacked the Witnesses and besieged the meeting place, breaking windows, throwing in stink bombs, ammonia and burning kerosene rags. The Witnesses' cars were disabled and many were overturned. The governor was compelled to call the state militia to disperse the mob, which reached 1,000 at its peak.[11] In Texas, Witness missionaries were chased and beaten by vigilantes, and their literature was confiscated or burned.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt appealed publicly for calm, and newspaper editorials and the American legal community[who?] condemned the Gobitas decision as a blow to liberty.[citation needed] Several justices signaled their belief that the case had been "wrongly decided."[citation needed] On June 16, 1940, in an effort to dispel the mob action, the United States Attorney General, Francis Biddle, stated on a nationwide radio broadcast:

Jehovah's witnesses have been repeatedly set upon and beaten. They had committed no crime; but the mob adjudged they had, and meted out mob punishment. The Attorney General has ordered an immediate investigation of these outrages. The people must be alert and watchful, and above all cool and sane. Since mob violence will make the government's task infinitely more difficult, it will not be tolerated. We shall not defeat the Nazi evil by emulating its methods.
Partly because of the violent reaction to its decision,[citation needed] the Supreme Court reversed its previous ruling in 1943 in the case of West Virginia v. Barnette, which readdressed the issue of mandatory flag salute. Hayden C. Covington argued the case as attorney for the Witnesses. Justice Jackson penned the majority opinion stating, in part, that, "compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard."
Cold War[edit]
After World War II, violent actions against Jehovah's Witnesses subsided, though they were viewed with continued suspicion, particularly for their lack of patriotism. During the Cold War era's "Second Red Scare" in the 1950s, Witnesses were sometimes viewed as communist. Various legal cases gradually established their rights to preach from door to door and to abstain from patriotic activities in schools. Through the 1960s and 1970s, American society became more tolerant of atypical viewpoints, and active targeting and persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses diminished.[citation needed]
See also[edit]
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada
United States Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Cox, Archibald (1987). The Court and the Constitution. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co. p. 189.
2.Jump up ^ Lipset, Seymour Martin. "The Sources of the "Radical Right" in The Radical Right, Ed. by Daniel Bell, Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1964. p.435
3.Jump up ^ Brinkerhoff, Merlin B. and Marlene M. Mackie (December 1986). "The Applicability of Social Distance for Religious Research; An Exploration". Review of Religious Research 28 (2).
4.Jump up ^ The Finished Mystery pp. 247-253 468 and 474.
5.Jump up ^ "The Boiling Caldron". p. 485.
6.Jump up ^ M.J. Penton (1997-08-09). Apocalypse Delayed. University of Toronto Press. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-0-8020-7973-2. Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watchtower. 1993. pp. 647–654. Rutherford gives his defense against the charges in Souvenir Report of the Bible Student's Convention (1919) (PDF). Watchtower. pp. 62–63. and in the tract The Case of the IBSA
7.Jump up ^ "Distress of Nations: Cause, Warning, Remedy" (PDF). The Golden Age: 712–718. 29 September 1920.
8.Jump up ^ Peters, Shawn Francis (2000). Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: Religious Persecution and the Dawn of the Rights Revolution. S.l.: Univ Pr Of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1182-9.
9.Jump up ^ American Civil Liberties Union (1941). The Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses (PDF). pp. 1–24.
10.Jump up ^ Radio discourse, October 6, 1935 as cited in Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, pp. 196–197
11.Jump up ^ White, Timothy (1967). A People For His Name: The History of Jehovah's Witnesses and an Evaluation. New York: Vantage Press. p. 330.
Further reading[edit]
The Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses: The Record of Violence Against a Religious Organization Unparalleled in America Since the Attack on the Mormons., American Civil Liberties Union, New York, 1941
  


Categories: Freedom of religion in the United States
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses















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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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Declaration of Facts

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Jump to: navigation, search

The Declaration of Facts was a widely distributed public statement issued by Jehovah's Witnesses during the period of persecution of the religion in Nazi Germany. The document, which asserted the religion's political neutrality, appealed for the right to publicly preach and claimed it was the victim of a misinformation campaign by other religions, was prepared by Watch Tower Society president Joseph F. Rutherford and released at a convention in Berlin on June 25, 1933. More than 2.1 million copies of the statement were distributed throughout Germany, with copies also mailed to senior government officials including German Chancellor Adolf Hitler.[1] Its distribution prompted a new wave of persecution against German Witnesses.[2]


Contents  [hide]
1 Background
2 Contents of the Declaration 2.1 Introduction
2.2 Our Literature
2.3 League of Nations
2.4 Great Truths
3 Aftermath
4 Historical assessment
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Background[edit]
From 1922, German Bible Students (Ernste Bibelforscher) were arrested on charges of illegal peddling as they publicly distributed Watch Tower Society literature. Between 1927 and 1930, almost 5000 charges were laid against members of the religion, and although most ended in acquittals[3][4] some "severe sentences" were also handed down.[2] In November 1931 Bavarian authorities used new emergency ordinances relating to political disturbances to confiscate and ban Watch Tower Society literature. By the end of 1932 more than 2300 charges against Bible Students were pending.[2]



 Watch Tower Society president J.F. Rutherford
Restrictions tightened with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Germany's new Chancellor on January 30, 1933. On February 4 he issued a decree permitting the police to confiscate literature "endangering public order and security" and also restrict freedoms of assembly. By mid-1933 the work of the religion–by then known as Jehovah's witnesses–had been banned in most German states,[2] with members accused of being Communists and associating with the Jews in subversive political movements. Members' homes were frequently searched by police for incriminating literature and on April 24 the International Bible Students Association (IBSA) headquarters in Magdeburg was briefly occupied by police.
Authorities objected to the influence of religious minorities such as Jehovah's Witnesses because they "contributed to the ideological fragmentation of the German people", but they also viewed the religion as a threat to the mainstream Christian denominations. A Ministry of the Interior decree stated:

Particularly on Sundays and Christian holidays, people sent by the "Earnest Bible Students" go from house to house and bother people by imposing upon them the journals of the Magdeburg Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, which contain malicious attacks on the major Christian churches and their institutions ... This demoralizing activity, which represents a misuse of the right to freedom of expression, causes dissension not only in individual families but also in entire communities. It is incompatible with the idea of a Christian people's community in Germany and can therefore no longer be permitted.[5]
In June Watch Tower Society president Joseph Rutherford and Nathan Knorr traveled to Berlin to attempt to negotiate the possibilities of continuing preaching activity in Germany. While there, they organized a public convention to be held in Berlin on June 25, 1933 to release a Declaration of Facts, which had been written by Rutherford.[6] They hoped the document would convince Hitler, government officials and the public that Jehovah's Witnesses posed no threat to the German people and the state.[7] The Declaration would assert the religion's political neutrality and protest against the "meddling" of the Hitler government into the Witnesses' preaching work. It was to be translated into German by branch overseer Paul Balzereit and presented to the conventioners for adoption.[2]
Both Rutherford and Knorr left Germany before the convention, held at the Wilmersdorfer Tennishallen, began. Though organizers expected an attendance of 5000, a crowd of 7000 arrived. The exterior of the hall was decked with swastikas, possibly placed by members of Nazi SS units who had celebrated nearby the previous day.[7] To the surprise of those attending, the convention opened with a song, Zion's Glorious Hope, which was by then rarely sung at Witness meetings. Set to music composed by Joseph Haydn in 1797, it had been in the Bible Students' songbook since 1905, but avoided since 1922, when the same music was used with new lyrics for the German national anthem.[7][8] During the convention, the 3800-word Declaration of Facts was presented to the crowd and accepted by many in attendance. A "large number" of those attending, however, refused to adopt it and left the convention disappointed, viewing it as weaker than they expected.[2] A 1974 Watch Tower Society publication claimed Balzereit had weakened the German translation of the Declaration, softening criticism of the Nazis,[2] but in 1998 the society repudiated that statement.[7]
Some 2.5 million copies of The Declaration, reproduced as a four-page pamphlet, were distributed publicly and a day after the convention, the declaration was sent to Hitler with a seven-page cover letter written by Balzereit in which he assured the Chancellor that the IBSA "was not in opposition to the national government of the German Reich". The letter added that, to the contrary, "the entirely religious, nonpolitical objectives and efforts of the Bible Students" were "completely in agreement with the corresponding goals of the national government". Historian Detlef Garbe concluded that by using subtle wording, Balzereit intended that the letter, while representing the Bible Students' teachings, could also be misinterpreted by the group's opponents.[9]
Contents of the Declaration[edit]
The Declaration was divided into four broad sections: an introduction that broached the issues of opposition and oppression, sections addressing Watch Tower Society literature—which by 1933 was prohibited—and the League of Nations, and a concluding section called "Great Truths". Some statements within the Declaration written to highlight commonality with German national ideals subsequently attracted criticism that its authors had attempted to compromise with Hitler's regime and curry favor with the new government.
Introduction[edit]
The opening nine paragraphs stated that the members of the religion were peaceable and law-abiding, and were God's "witnesses to the truth". It further stated that they had been wrongly charged, and wished to present a true and faithful witness to officials about their role in God's purposes, appealing for a fair and impartial hearing. It said the Bible revealed that Satan the Devil was an enemy of God and that, as in Jesus' day, he used religious teachers and priests to distort the truth and foment opposition to his true representatives.
The statement said they had been falsely and maliciously accused of receiving financial support from the Jews, insisting: "There has never been the slightest bit of money contributed to our work by the Jews." It added:

The greatest and most oppressive empire on earth is the Anglo-American empire. By that is meant the British Empire, of which the United States of America forms a part. It has been the commercial Jews of the British-American empire that have built up and carried on Big Business as a means of exploiting and oppressing the peoples of many nations. This fact particularly applies to the cities of London and New York, the stronghold of Big Business. This fact is so manifest in America that there is a proverb concerning the city of New York which says: 'The Jews own it, the Irish Catholics rule it, and the Americans pay the bills.' We have no fight with any of these persons mentioned, but, as the witnesses for Jehovah and in obedience to his commandment set forth in the Scriptures, we are compelled to call attention to the truth concerning the same in order that the people may be enlightened concerning God and his purpose.
Our Literature[edit]
The Declaration cited the accusation that Watch Tower Society literature constituted a danger to Germany's peace and safety, and suggested the publications had been misunderstood by officials because of the bluntness of much of the language, which had been originally written in the United States for an American readership. It said people in Britain and the United States had suffered, and continued to suffer, from "the misrule of Big Business and conscienceless politicians" supported by "political religionists", and the Society's literature had therefore employed plain language to convey that message. It drew parallels with similar oppression from which it said the German people suffered:



 Nazi book burning in Germany.
The present government of Germany has declared emphatically against Big Business oppressors and in opposition to the wrongful religious influence in the political affairs of the nation. Such is exactly our position; and we further state in our literature the reason for the existence of oppressive Big Business and the wrongful political religious influence, because the Holy Scriptures plainly declare that these oppressive instruments proceed from the Devil, and that the complete relief therefrom is God's kingdom under Christ. It is therefore impossible for our literature or our work to in any wise be a danger or a menace to the peace and safety of the state.
The Declaration asserted that Jehovah's Witnesses had no political ambitions or involvement, and did nothing to hinder the beliefs of others. It said members of the religion had devoted their lives to helping people to properly understand the Bible as "the only possible way for the complete relief and blessing for mankind," which would in turn bring benefits to "the education, culture and upbuilding of the people." It stated that the Society and its literature therefore posed no menace to the nation's peace and safety because it supported the government's "high ideals".

Instead of being against the principles advocated by the government of Germany, we stand squarely for such principles, and point out that Jehovah God through Christ Jesus will bring about the full realization of these principles and will give to the people peace and prosperity and the greatest desire of every honest heart ... A careful examination of our books and literature will disclose the fact that the very high ideals held and promulgated by the present national government are set forth in and endorsed and strongly emphasized in our publications, and show that Jehovah God will see to it that these high ideals in due time will be attained by all persons who love righteousness and who obey the Most High. Instead, therefore, of our literature and our work's being a menace to the principles of the present government we are the strongest supporters of such high ideals.
The Literature section of the Declaration concluded by noting that the Watch Tower Society had for years made persistent efforts to do good for people, often with the help of financial assistance of American members.
League of Nations[edit]



 The League of Nations meets, 1932.
The Declaration said Watch Tower Society statements about the League of Nations had been identified as a further cause for prohibition of preaching and literature distribution. It said, "Let us remind the government and the people of Germany that it was the League of Nations compact that laid upon the shoulders of the German people the great unjust and unbearable burdens." It added that Watch Tower Society publications had been critical of the League—which had been hailed by churches as part of God's purpose—because the Society considered the League to be oppressive and unfair, and unable to bring about the relief promised by the Bible. The Declaration further stated that Jehovah's Witnesses had not attempted to exert political influence, and that their criticisms could not be construed as a menace to the government or a danger to national peace and safety. The statement said the "political clergy, priests and Jesuits" had persecuted Witnesses in North America and Britain, and it warned that the same forces were similarly misrepresenting them to German authorities.
Great Truths[edit]
The Declaration summarized the eschatalogical beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses, and said that Germans had suffered misery since 1914, becoming the victims of international injustice. It compared the goals of the religion and "the nationalists" who "have declared themselves against all such unrighteousness and announced that 'Our relationship to God is high and holy'" and said German Witnesses "fully endorse these righteous principles."
The statement praised the German government's adherence to those "high ideals" and expressed confidence that it would not deliberately resist the Witnesses' preaching work. It stated, "We therefore appeal to the high sense of justice of the government and nation and respectfully ask that the order of prohibition against our work and our literature be set aside, and the opportunity be given us to have a fair hearing before we are judged." In conclusion, it requested that the government establish an independent committee to meet delegates of the religion to examine its literature and allow the Witnesses to work without hindrance.
Aftermath[edit]
Within days of sending the Declaration to Hitler, Balzereit left Germany and emigrated to Prague.[10] On June 28, 30 Nazi Party storm troopers raided the Magdeburg offices for a second time, hoisting the swastika above the building, closing the factory, sealing the presses and locking the premises. The Ministry of the Interior said the action was designed to prohibit any future activities of the Watch Tower Society in Germany. In late August, authorities transported about 70 tonnes of Watch Tower literature and Bibles in 25 trucks to the city's outskirts and publicly burned them. In some areas the Witnesses defied the ban on their preaching activity, but throughout Germany many believers withdrew from the association and ceased all activity. When copies of the Watchtower and Golden Age began to arrive in Germany by mail from abroad, police ordered the confiscation of mail of known Jehovah's Witnesses.[11]
In September 1934 a thousand German Jehovah's Witnesses joined a crowd of 3500 at an international convention in Basel, Switzerland, organized under the theme "Fear Them Not". Rutherford urged the German Jehovah's Witnesses to resume their preaching activity and the attendees responded by declaring in a resolution that they would do so on October 7, 1934, regardless of the ban. The resolution also contained a message of protest against their treatment in Germany. The resolution was given to the Swiss press and a copy sent to Hitler, along with a message that read: "Your ill-treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses shocks all people on earth and dishonors God's name. Refrain from further persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses; otherwise God will destroy you and your national party." Thousands of telegrams containing the same warning were sent to the Reich government in Berlin from Witnesses in Europe, the United States and Britain on October 8 and 9 until foreign post offices were told to stop sending them because the recipient refused to accept them.[12]
Balzereit later returned to Germany to resume his position as branch leader, but attracted criticism from some members over his reluctance to defy bans on public preaching. In May 1935 he—along with eight other officers—was arrested; at a trial in December that year he denied he had defied official decrees, but was sentenced to 2½ years imprisonment. The following year he was expelled from the Watch Tower Society, with Rutherford explaining in a letter to German Witnesses that he was surprised "not one of those on trial at that time gave a faithful and true testimony to the name of Jehovah". Rutherford said Balzereit had said nothing to show "his complete reliance on Jehovah" and the Society therefore "will henceforth have nothing to do with him". The Society would also "put forth no effort in seeking to release them from prison even if it had the power to do anything".[13]
Historical assessment[edit]
German historian Detlef Garbe viewed the Declaration as part of the religion's efforts to adapt at a time of increasing persecution. He said the use of the Zion's Glorious Hope hymn at the opening of the Berlin convention was an effort to make a good impression with the world and not a coincidence that the song shared the same melody as the German national anthem. He said the wording of the document presented the religion as an organization with a positive atttitude towards the German state and with common interests with the new rulers. Garbe said that in repudiating accusations that the Witnesses had received financial support from the Jews, the religion "clearly distanced itself from another group under persecution". He noted the use of "anti-Jewish slogans" in the document, which was written less than three months after the boycott of Jewish stores in Germany,[14] but said the Witnesses were not guilty of antisemitism.[15] Yet Garbe said the Declaration's description of the Anglo-American empire as "the most oppressive empire on earth" did undermine the religion's claims to political neutrality.[14]
Garbe said later publications of the Watch Tower Society had misrepresented the Declaration as a "resolution of protest" and had also falsely claimed that Balzereit had "watered down" the society's publications in his translation of Rutherford's original document. He said the criticism of Balzereit in the Witnesses' 1974 Yearbook was an attempt to place responsibility on the German branch leader for the society's attempts to adapt.[14]
Canadian historian Professor James Penton, a former Jehovah's Witness and critic of the religion, claimed the Declaration was a compromising document that proves "that Watch Tower leaders were attempting to pander to the Nazis, for the Declaration of Facts and the letter to Hitler were in many ways saying exactly what the Nazis themselves were saying". Penton said the Declaration's "antisemitic" statements about Jews mirrored statements made in Hitler's Mein Kampf and Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels' 1927 essay Wir fordern[16] as well as those published by Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher as the Jewish boycott began.[17][18]
Penton said Balzereit's letter to Hitler accompanying the Declaration was "even more obsequious to the Fuhrer and to Nazi values than the Declaration of Facts":

It noted, quite accurately, that the Watch Tower Society had not joined in the atrocity propaganda over Germany's treatment of the Jews, but then it claimed, falsely, that the Society had actually opposed it. Among other things, it lied blatantly when it claimed that commercialistic Jews in the United States were among the most "eager persecutors" of the Watch Tower's work and leadership ... then, finally and most shockingly, it specifically endorsed Hitler's own policies as stated in Section 24 of the Nazi Party Platform by quoting that section directly.[17]
In a five-page article in its Awake! magazine in 1998, the Watch Tower Society rejected accusations that it had attempted to curry favor with the Hitler regime or endorsed the Nazi's racist ideology. It said the Witnesses had not decorated the convention venue with swastikas or sung the German national anthem. It said:[7]

The singing of a song about Zion could hardly be construed as an effort to placate the Nazis. Under pressure from anti-Semitic Nazis, other churches removed Hebrew terms such as “Judah,” “Jehovah,” and “Zion” from their hymnals and liturgies. Jehovah’s Witnesses did not. The convention organizers, then, certainly did not expect to win favor with the government by singing a song extolling Zion. Possibly, some delegates may have been reluctant to sing “Zion’s Glorious Hope,” since the melody of this composition by Haydn was the same as that of the national anthem.
The Society said the denunciation of "commercial Jews" in the Declaration "clearly did not refer to the Jewish people in general, and it is regrettable if it has been misunderstood and has given cause for any offense." It explained that Jehovah's Witnesses rejected antisemitic views, and that the "high ideals" they shared with the Nazis were those of family values and religious freedom.[7]
Religious scientist Gabriele Yonan, who described the Declaration of Facts as a "petition", an "appeal" and a "sermon",[19] said its text, in the context of the history of Jehovah's Witnesses during the Nazi regime, had nothing to do with antisemitic statements and currying favor with Hitler, adding, "These accusations made by today's church circles are deliberate manipulations and historical misrepresentations."[20] Yonan said the Declaration did not address Hitler as "Fuhrer" and did not conclude with the words "Heil Hitler", as was the case at the time in most official church documents addressed to state authorities.[21] She said the absence of influence by the antisemitic terminology of the period was evident from the Declaration‍ '​s free use of Old Testament quotations that include the term "Zion".[21]
See also[edit]
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Penton, M.J. (1997). Apocalypse Delayed. University of Toronto Press. pp. 147–149. ISBN 978-0-8020-7973-2.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g 1974 Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1974, pg 102-111.
3.Jump up ^ Saarbrücker Landes Zeitung, December 16, 1929, as cited in 1974 Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1974, pg 102: "Unfortunately the police have been powerless in doing anything about the work of the Bible Students. Arrests made up until now ... have all ended up in acquittal."
4.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 62, 570 note 151. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
5.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 101, 82. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
6.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 87, 578 note 65. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Jehovah's Witnesses–Courageous in the Face of Nazi Peril". Awake!: 10–14. July 8, 1998.]
8.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 87, 579 note 67. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
9.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 90, 91. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
10.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 76. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
11.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 92–99. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
12.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 111–112. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
13.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 117–118. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
14.^ Jump up to: a b c Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 87–91. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
15.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 580, n.77, 79. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
16.Jump up ^ Joseph Goebbels, Wir fordern, Der Angriff, 25 July 1927.
17.^ Jump up to: a b Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 71–75. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
18.Jump up ^ Audio of Phillip Adams interview with James Penton, Radio National Late Night Live, 23 August, 2005.
19.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 57. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
20.Jump up ^ "Am mutigsten waren immer wieder die Zeugen Jehovas." Verfolgung und Widerstand der Zeugen Jehovas im Nationalsozialismus, published by historian Hans Hesse, Bremen, 1998, page 395 see also: [1]
21.^ Jump up to: a b Gabriele Yonan, Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi-Regime 1933-1945, pg 340.
External links[edit]
Declaration of Facts, English translation
  


Categories: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
Religious persecution
The Holocaust in Germany
Jehovah's Witnesses literature


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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Facts









Declaration of Facts

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The Declaration of Facts was a widely distributed public statement issued by Jehovah's Witnesses during the period of persecution of the religion in Nazi Germany. The document, which asserted the religion's political neutrality, appealed for the right to publicly preach and claimed it was the victim of a misinformation campaign by other religions, was prepared by Watch Tower Society president Joseph F. Rutherford and released at a convention in Berlin on June 25, 1933. More than 2.1 million copies of the statement were distributed throughout Germany, with copies also mailed to senior government officials including German Chancellor Adolf Hitler.[1] Its distribution prompted a new wave of persecution against German Witnesses.[2]


Contents  [hide]
1 Background
2 Contents of the Declaration 2.1 Introduction
2.2 Our Literature
2.3 League of Nations
2.4 Great Truths
3 Aftermath
4 Historical assessment
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Background[edit]
From 1922, German Bible Students (Ernste Bibelforscher) were arrested on charges of illegal peddling as they publicly distributed Watch Tower Society literature. Between 1927 and 1930, almost 5000 charges were laid against members of the religion, and although most ended in acquittals[3][4] some "severe sentences" were also handed down.[2] In November 1931 Bavarian authorities used new emergency ordinances relating to political disturbances to confiscate and ban Watch Tower Society literature. By the end of 1932 more than 2300 charges against Bible Students were pending.[2]



 Watch Tower Society president J.F. Rutherford
Restrictions tightened with the appointment of Adolf Hitler as Germany's new Chancellor on January 30, 1933. On February 4 he issued a decree permitting the police to confiscate literature "endangering public order and security" and also restrict freedoms of assembly. By mid-1933 the work of the religion–by then known as Jehovah's witnesses–had been banned in most German states,[2] with members accused of being Communists and associating with the Jews in subversive political movements. Members' homes were frequently searched by police for incriminating literature and on April 24 the International Bible Students Association (IBSA) headquarters in Magdeburg was briefly occupied by police.
Authorities objected to the influence of religious minorities such as Jehovah's Witnesses because they "contributed to the ideological fragmentation of the German people", but they also viewed the religion as a threat to the mainstream Christian denominations. A Ministry of the Interior decree stated:

Particularly on Sundays and Christian holidays, people sent by the "Earnest Bible Students" go from house to house and bother people by imposing upon them the journals of the Magdeburg Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, which contain malicious attacks on the major Christian churches and their institutions ... This demoralizing activity, which represents a misuse of the right to freedom of expression, causes dissension not only in individual families but also in entire communities. It is incompatible with the idea of a Christian people's community in Germany and can therefore no longer be permitted.[5]
In June Watch Tower Society president Joseph Rutherford and Nathan Knorr traveled to Berlin to attempt to negotiate the possibilities of continuing preaching activity in Germany. While there, they organized a public convention to be held in Berlin on June 25, 1933 to release a Declaration of Facts, which had been written by Rutherford.[6] They hoped the document would convince Hitler, government officials and the public that Jehovah's Witnesses posed no threat to the German people and the state.[7] The Declaration would assert the religion's political neutrality and protest against the "meddling" of the Hitler government into the Witnesses' preaching work. It was to be translated into German by branch overseer Paul Balzereit and presented to the conventioners for adoption.[2]
Both Rutherford and Knorr left Germany before the convention, held at the Wilmersdorfer Tennishallen, began. Though organizers expected an attendance of 5000, a crowd of 7000 arrived. The exterior of the hall was decked with swastikas, possibly placed by members of Nazi SS units who had celebrated nearby the previous day.[7] To the surprise of those attending, the convention opened with a song, Zion's Glorious Hope, which was by then rarely sung at Witness meetings. Set to music composed by Joseph Haydn in 1797, it had been in the Bible Students' songbook since 1905, but avoided since 1922, when the same music was used with new lyrics for the German national anthem.[7][8] During the convention, the 3800-word Declaration of Facts was presented to the crowd and accepted by many in attendance. A "large number" of those attending, however, refused to adopt it and left the convention disappointed, viewing it as weaker than they expected.[2] A 1974 Watch Tower Society publication claimed Balzereit had weakened the German translation of the Declaration, softening criticism of the Nazis,[2] but in 1998 the society repudiated that statement.[7]
Some 2.5 million copies of The Declaration, reproduced as a four-page pamphlet, were distributed publicly and a day after the convention, the declaration was sent to Hitler with a seven-page cover letter written by Balzereit in which he assured the Chancellor that the IBSA "was not in opposition to the national government of the German Reich". The letter added that, to the contrary, "the entirely religious, nonpolitical objectives and efforts of the Bible Students" were "completely in agreement with the corresponding goals of the national government". Historian Detlef Garbe concluded that by using subtle wording, Balzereit intended that the letter, while representing the Bible Students' teachings, could also be misinterpreted by the group's opponents.[9]
Contents of the Declaration[edit]
The Declaration was divided into four broad sections: an introduction that broached the issues of opposition and oppression, sections addressing Watch Tower Society literature—which by 1933 was prohibited—and the League of Nations, and a concluding section called "Great Truths". Some statements within the Declaration written to highlight commonality with German national ideals subsequently attracted criticism that its authors had attempted to compromise with Hitler's regime and curry favor with the new government.
Introduction[edit]
The opening nine paragraphs stated that the members of the religion were peaceable and law-abiding, and were God's "witnesses to the truth". It further stated that they had been wrongly charged, and wished to present a true and faithful witness to officials about their role in God's purposes, appealing for a fair and impartial hearing. It said the Bible revealed that Satan the Devil was an enemy of God and that, as in Jesus' day, he used religious teachers and priests to distort the truth and foment opposition to his true representatives.
The statement said they had been falsely and maliciously accused of receiving financial support from the Jews, insisting: "There has never been the slightest bit of money contributed to our work by the Jews." It added:

The greatest and most oppressive empire on earth is the Anglo-American empire. By that is meant the British Empire, of which the United States of America forms a part. It has been the commercial Jews of the British-American empire that have built up and carried on Big Business as a means of exploiting and oppressing the peoples of many nations. This fact particularly applies to the cities of London and New York, the stronghold of Big Business. This fact is so manifest in America that there is a proverb concerning the city of New York which says: 'The Jews own it, the Irish Catholics rule it, and the Americans pay the bills.' We have no fight with any of these persons mentioned, but, as the witnesses for Jehovah and in obedience to his commandment set forth in the Scriptures, we are compelled to call attention to the truth concerning the same in order that the people may be enlightened concerning God and his purpose.
Our Literature[edit]
The Declaration cited the accusation that Watch Tower Society literature constituted a danger to Germany's peace and safety, and suggested the publications had been misunderstood by officials because of the bluntness of much of the language, which had been originally written in the United States for an American readership. It said people in Britain and the United States had suffered, and continued to suffer, from "the misrule of Big Business and conscienceless politicians" supported by "political religionists", and the Society's literature had therefore employed plain language to convey that message. It drew parallels with similar oppression from which it said the German people suffered:



 Nazi book burning in Germany.
The present government of Germany has declared emphatically against Big Business oppressors and in opposition to the wrongful religious influence in the political affairs of the nation. Such is exactly our position; and we further state in our literature the reason for the existence of oppressive Big Business and the wrongful political religious influence, because the Holy Scriptures plainly declare that these oppressive instruments proceed from the Devil, and that the complete relief therefrom is God's kingdom under Christ. It is therefore impossible for our literature or our work to in any wise be a danger or a menace to the peace and safety of the state.
The Declaration asserted that Jehovah's Witnesses had no political ambitions or involvement, and did nothing to hinder the beliefs of others. It said members of the religion had devoted their lives to helping people to properly understand the Bible as "the only possible way for the complete relief and blessing for mankind," which would in turn bring benefits to "the education, culture and upbuilding of the people." It stated that the Society and its literature therefore posed no menace to the nation's peace and safety because it supported the government's "high ideals".

Instead of being against the principles advocated by the government of Germany, we stand squarely for such principles, and point out that Jehovah God through Christ Jesus will bring about the full realization of these principles and will give to the people peace and prosperity and the greatest desire of every honest heart ... A careful examination of our books and literature will disclose the fact that the very high ideals held and promulgated by the present national government are set forth in and endorsed and strongly emphasized in our publications, and show that Jehovah God will see to it that these high ideals in due time will be attained by all persons who love righteousness and who obey the Most High. Instead, therefore, of our literature and our work's being a menace to the principles of the present government we are the strongest supporters of such high ideals.
The Literature section of the Declaration concluded by noting that the Watch Tower Society had for years made persistent efforts to do good for people, often with the help of financial assistance of American members.
League of Nations[edit]



 The League of Nations meets, 1932.
The Declaration said Watch Tower Society statements about the League of Nations had been identified as a further cause for prohibition of preaching and literature distribution. It said, "Let us remind the government and the people of Germany that it was the League of Nations compact that laid upon the shoulders of the German people the great unjust and unbearable burdens." It added that Watch Tower Society publications had been critical of the League—which had been hailed by churches as part of God's purpose—because the Society considered the League to be oppressive and unfair, and unable to bring about the relief promised by the Bible. The Declaration further stated that Jehovah's Witnesses had not attempted to exert political influence, and that their criticisms could not be construed as a menace to the government or a danger to national peace and safety. The statement said the "political clergy, priests and Jesuits" had persecuted Witnesses in North America and Britain, and it warned that the same forces were similarly misrepresenting them to German authorities.
Great Truths[edit]
The Declaration summarized the eschatalogical beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses, and said that Germans had suffered misery since 1914, becoming the victims of international injustice. It compared the goals of the religion and "the nationalists" who "have declared themselves against all such unrighteousness and announced that 'Our relationship to God is high and holy'" and said German Witnesses "fully endorse these righteous principles."
The statement praised the German government's adherence to those "high ideals" and expressed confidence that it would not deliberately resist the Witnesses' preaching work. It stated, "We therefore appeal to the high sense of justice of the government and nation and respectfully ask that the order of prohibition against our work and our literature be set aside, and the opportunity be given us to have a fair hearing before we are judged." In conclusion, it requested that the government establish an independent committee to meet delegates of the religion to examine its literature and allow the Witnesses to work without hindrance.
Aftermath[edit]
Within days of sending the Declaration to Hitler, Balzereit left Germany and emigrated to Prague.[10] On June 28, 30 Nazi Party storm troopers raided the Magdeburg offices for a second time, hoisting the swastika above the building, closing the factory, sealing the presses and locking the premises. The Ministry of the Interior said the action was designed to prohibit any future activities of the Watch Tower Society in Germany. In late August, authorities transported about 70 tonnes of Watch Tower literature and Bibles in 25 trucks to the city's outskirts and publicly burned them. In some areas the Witnesses defied the ban on their preaching activity, but throughout Germany many believers withdrew from the association and ceased all activity. When copies of the Watchtower and Golden Age began to arrive in Germany by mail from abroad, police ordered the confiscation of mail of known Jehovah's Witnesses.[11]
In September 1934 a thousand German Jehovah's Witnesses joined a crowd of 3500 at an international convention in Basel, Switzerland, organized under the theme "Fear Them Not". Rutherford urged the German Jehovah's Witnesses to resume their preaching activity and the attendees responded by declaring in a resolution that they would do so on October 7, 1934, regardless of the ban. The resolution also contained a message of protest against their treatment in Germany. The resolution was given to the Swiss press and a copy sent to Hitler, along with a message that read: "Your ill-treatment of Jehovah's Witnesses shocks all people on earth and dishonors God's name. Refrain from further persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses; otherwise God will destroy you and your national party." Thousands of telegrams containing the same warning were sent to the Reich government in Berlin from Witnesses in Europe, the United States and Britain on October 8 and 9 until foreign post offices were told to stop sending them because the recipient refused to accept them.[12]
Balzereit later returned to Germany to resume his position as branch leader, but attracted criticism from some members over his reluctance to defy bans on public preaching. In May 1935 he—along with eight other officers—was arrested; at a trial in December that year he denied he had defied official decrees, but was sentenced to 2½ years imprisonment. The following year he was expelled from the Watch Tower Society, with Rutherford explaining in a letter to German Witnesses that he was surprised "not one of those on trial at that time gave a faithful and true testimony to the name of Jehovah". Rutherford said Balzereit had said nothing to show "his complete reliance on Jehovah" and the Society therefore "will henceforth have nothing to do with him". The Society would also "put forth no effort in seeking to release them from prison even if it had the power to do anything".[13]
Historical assessment[edit]
German historian Detlef Garbe viewed the Declaration as part of the religion's efforts to adapt at a time of increasing persecution. He said the use of the Zion's Glorious Hope hymn at the opening of the Berlin convention was an effort to make a good impression with the world and not a coincidence that the song shared the same melody as the German national anthem. He said the wording of the document presented the religion as an organization with a positive atttitude towards the German state and with common interests with the new rulers. Garbe said that in repudiating accusations that the Witnesses had received financial support from the Jews, the religion "clearly distanced itself from another group under persecution". He noted the use of "anti-Jewish slogans" in the document, which was written less than three months after the boycott of Jewish stores in Germany,[14] but said the Witnesses were not guilty of antisemitism.[15] Yet Garbe said the Declaration's description of the Anglo-American empire as "the most oppressive empire on earth" did undermine the religion's claims to political neutrality.[14]
Garbe said later publications of the Watch Tower Society had misrepresented the Declaration as a "resolution of protest" and had also falsely claimed that Balzereit had "watered down" the society's publications in his translation of Rutherford's original document. He said the criticism of Balzereit in the Witnesses' 1974 Yearbook was an attempt to place responsibility on the German branch leader for the society's attempts to adapt.[14]
Canadian historian Professor James Penton, a former Jehovah's Witness and critic of the religion, claimed the Declaration was a compromising document that proves "that Watch Tower leaders were attempting to pander to the Nazis, for the Declaration of Facts and the letter to Hitler were in many ways saying exactly what the Nazis themselves were saying". Penton said the Declaration's "antisemitic" statements about Jews mirrored statements made in Hitler's Mein Kampf and Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels' 1927 essay Wir fordern[16] as well as those published by Nazi propagandist Julius Streicher as the Jewish boycott began.[17][18]
Penton said Balzereit's letter to Hitler accompanying the Declaration was "even more obsequious to the Fuhrer and to Nazi values than the Declaration of Facts":

It noted, quite accurately, that the Watch Tower Society had not joined in the atrocity propaganda over Germany's treatment of the Jews, but then it claimed, falsely, that the Society had actually opposed it. Among other things, it lied blatantly when it claimed that commercialistic Jews in the United States were among the most "eager persecutors" of the Watch Tower's work and leadership ... then, finally and most shockingly, it specifically endorsed Hitler's own policies as stated in Section 24 of the Nazi Party Platform by quoting that section directly.[17]
In a five-page article in its Awake! magazine in 1998, the Watch Tower Society rejected accusations that it had attempted to curry favor with the Hitler regime or endorsed the Nazi's racist ideology. It said the Witnesses had not decorated the convention venue with swastikas or sung the German national anthem. It said:[7]

The singing of a song about Zion could hardly be construed as an effort to placate the Nazis. Under pressure from anti-Semitic Nazis, other churches removed Hebrew terms such as “Judah,” “Jehovah,” and “Zion” from their hymnals and liturgies. Jehovah’s Witnesses did not. The convention organizers, then, certainly did not expect to win favor with the government by singing a song extolling Zion. Possibly, some delegates may have been reluctant to sing “Zion’s Glorious Hope,” since the melody of this composition by Haydn was the same as that of the national anthem.
The Society said the denunciation of "commercial Jews" in the Declaration "clearly did not refer to the Jewish people in general, and it is regrettable if it has been misunderstood and has given cause for any offense." It explained that Jehovah's Witnesses rejected antisemitic views, and that the "high ideals" they shared with the Nazis were those of family values and religious freedom.[7]
Religious scientist Gabriele Yonan, who described the Declaration of Facts as a "petition", an "appeal" and a "sermon",[19] said its text, in the context of the history of Jehovah's Witnesses during the Nazi regime, had nothing to do with antisemitic statements and currying favor with Hitler, adding, "These accusations made by today's church circles are deliberate manipulations and historical misrepresentations."[20] Yonan said the Declaration did not address Hitler as "Fuhrer" and did not conclude with the words "Heil Hitler", as was the case at the time in most official church documents addressed to state authorities.[21] She said the absence of influence by the antisemitic terminology of the period was evident from the Declaration‍ '​s free use of Old Testament quotations that include the term "Zion".[21]
See also[edit]
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Penton, M.J. (1997). Apocalypse Delayed. University of Toronto Press. pp. 147–149. ISBN 978-0-8020-7973-2.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g 1974 Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1974, pg 102-111.
3.Jump up ^ Saarbrücker Landes Zeitung, December 16, 1929, as cited in 1974 Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1974, pg 102: "Unfortunately the police have been powerless in doing anything about the work of the Bible Students. Arrests made up until now ... have all ended up in acquittal."
4.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 62, 570 note 151. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
5.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 101, 82. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
6.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 87, 578 note 65. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Jehovah's Witnesses–Courageous in the Face of Nazi Peril". Awake!: 10–14. July 8, 1998.]
8.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 87, 579 note 67. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
9.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 90, 91. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
10.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 76. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
11.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 92–99. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
12.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 111–112. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
13.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 117–118. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
14.^ Jump up to: a b c Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 87–91. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
15.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 580, n.77, 79. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
16.Jump up ^ Joseph Goebbels, Wir fordern, Der Angriff, 25 July 1927.
17.^ Jump up to: a b Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 71–75. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
18.Jump up ^ Audio of Phillip Adams interview with James Penton, Radio National Late Night Live, 23 August, 2005.
19.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 57. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
20.Jump up ^ "Am mutigsten waren immer wieder die Zeugen Jehovas." Verfolgung und Widerstand der Zeugen Jehovas im Nationalsozialismus, published by historian Hans Hesse, Bremen, 1998, page 395 see also: [1]
21.^ Jump up to: a b Gabriele Yonan, Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi-Regime 1933-1945, pg 340.
External links[edit]
Declaration of Facts, English translation
  


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Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany

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Jehovah's Witnesses suffered religious persecution in Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945 after refusing to perform military service, join Nazi organizations or give allegiance to the Hitler regime. An estimated 10,000 Witnesses—half of the number of members in Germany during that period—were imprisoned, including 2000 who were sent to Nazi concentration camps. An estimated 1200 died in custody, including 250 who were executed. They were the first Christian denomination banned in the Third Reich and the most extensively and intensively persecuted.[1] Unlike Jews and Gypsies who were persecuted on the basis of their ethnicity, Jehovah's Witnesses could escape persecution and personal harm by renouncing their religious beliefs by signing a document indicating renouncement of their faith, submission to state authority, and support of the German military.[2] Historian Sybil Milton concludes that "their courage and defiance in the face of torture and death punctures the myth of a monolithic Nazi state ruling over docile and submissive subjects."[3]
The group came under increasing public and governmental persecution from 1933, with many expelled from jobs and schools, deprived of income and suffering beatings and imprisonment, despite early attempts to demonstrate shared goals with the National Socialist regime. Historians are divided over whether the Nazis intended to exterminate them, but several authors have claimed the Witnesses' outspoken condemnation of the Nazis contributed to their level of suffering.


Contents  [hide]
1 Pre-Nazi era
2 Legislative developments
3 Punishment
4 Concentration camps
5 Causes of persecution and Nazi motives
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

Pre-Nazi era[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses were an outgrowth of the International Bible Students, who began missionary work in Europe in the 1890s. A German branch office of the Watch Tower Society opened in Elberfeld in 1902. By 1933 almost 20,000 Witnesses were counted as active door-to-door preachers and their annual Memorial service was attracting almost 25,000 people.[4] In Dresden there were more Bible Students than in New York, where the Watch Tower Society was headquartered.[5]
Members of the religion, who were known as Ernste Bibelforscher, or Earnest Bible Students, had attracted opposition since the end of World War I, with accusations that they were Bolsheviks, communists and covertly Jewish.[6] From 1920 the German Evangelical Church called for a ban on Watch Tower Society publications, which were engaging in increasing amounts of antichurch polemic and through the remainder of the 1920s opposition mounted from a combination of church and Völkisch movement agitation and pamphlet campaigns.[7] Nazis began to harass Bible Students, with SA members also disrupting meetings.[4]
From 1922, German Bible Students were arrested on charges of illegal peddling as they publicly distributed Watch Tower Society literature. Between 1927 and 1930, almost 5000 charges were pressed against members of the religion, and although most ended in acquittals[8][9] some "severe sentences" were also handed down.[10]
From 1930 calls for state intervention against the Bible Students increased and on March 28, 1931 Reich president Paul von Hindenburg issued the Decree for the Resistance of Political Acts of Violence, which provided for action to be taken in cases in which religious organizations, institutions or customs were "abused or maliciously disparaged".[11] Bavaria became the first German state where the decree was used against the Bible Students, with a police order issued on November 18 to prohibit and confiscate all Bible Student publications throughout the state.[11] A second decree in 1932 widened the ban in other German states. By the end of 1932 more than 2300 charges against Bible Students were pending.[10]
Legislative developments[edit]
Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933, and from that point persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses intensified. Witnesses, being politically neutral, refused to swear loyalty to the Nazi regime. Initially, Witness indifference to the Nazi state manifested itself in the refusal to raise their arms in the Nazi salute, join the German Labor Front, participate in Nazi welfare collections, perform air raid duties or participate in Nazi rallies and parades.[3] Nazi Party SA stormtroopers raided the homes of Witnesses who failed to vote in a November 1933 plebiscite over German withdrawal from the League of Nations and marched them to the polling booths. Some were beaten or forced to walk holding placards declaring their "betrayal" of the fatherland; in one town a billboard was displayed in the marketplace listing Bible Student "traitors" who had not voted, and mobs also gathered outside Witnesses' homes to throw stones or chant. Similar action was taken at subsequent elections in the one-party state.[12]



 Chancellor Adolf Hitler.
Nazi authorities denounced Jehovah's Witnesses for their ties to the United States and derided the apparent revolutionary millennialism of their preaching that a battle of Armageddon would precede the rule of Christ on earth. They linked Jehovah's Witnesses to "international Jewry" by pointing to Witness reliance on certain Old Testament texts. The Nazis had grievances with many of the smaller Protestant groups on these issues, but only the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Christadelphian Church refused to bear arms or swear loyalty to the state.[3]
Activities of the Bible Students Association were banned in the states of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (April 10, 1933) and Bavaria (April 13). When Witnesses responded with a nationwide house-to-house booklet distribution campaign, many were arrested and within a week bans were extended to the states of Saxony and Hessen. Publications were also confiscated in some states. On April 24 police seized the Bible Student headquarters at Magdeburg, withdrawing five days later after US diplomatic efforts. From mid-May other states issued decrees outlawing the Bible Students and by the middle of June they were banned in almost every state. In one state's decree, the rationale for the ban was said to be that Bible Students were "imposing" on householders Watch Tower Society journals "which contain malicious attacks on the major Christian churches and their institutions".[13][14]
Prussia, Germany's biggest state, imposed a ban on June 24, explaining that the Bible Students were attracting and harboring subversive former members of Communist and Marxist parties. Its decree added that the Bible Students:

"...are obviously involved in agitation against political and religious institutions in word and written form. By declaring both institutions as agencies of Satan, they undermine the very foundation of life in the people's community. In their numerous publications ... they deliberately and maliciously misrepresent Bible accounts for the purpose of ridiculing State and church institutions. One of the characteristics of their struggle is a fanatical manipulation of their followers ... It is therefore obvious that the above-mentioned association tends to be in complete opposition to the present state and its cultural and moral structures."[13]
On June 25, 1933 about 7000 Witnesses assembled at the Wilmersdorfer Tennishallen in Berlin where a 3800-word "Declaration of Facts" was issued. The document, written by Watch Tower Society president J.F. Rutherford, asserted the religion's political neutrality, appealed for the right to publicly preach and claimed it was the victim of a misinformation campaign by other religions.[15] Some 2.1 million copies of the declaration, reproduced as a four-page pamphlet, were distributed publicly throughout Germany, with a copy also sent to Hitler accompanied by a seven-page cover letter assuring the Chancellor that the IBSA "was not in opposition to the national government of the German Reich", but that, to the contrary, "the entirely religious, nonpolitical objectives and efforts of the Bible Students" were "completely in agreement with the corresponding goals of the national government".[16] German historian Detlef Garbe described the declaration as part of the religion's efforts to adapt at a time of increasing persecution,[17] while Canadian historian Professor James Penton, a former Jehovah's Witness and critic of the religion, claimed the declaration was a compromising document that proves "that Watch Tower leaders were attempting to pander to the Nazis"[18]—an allegation the Watch Tower Society rejected in a 1998 magazine article.[19]



 Watch Tower Society president Joseph Rutherford.
The distribution of the declaration prompted a new wave of persecution against German Witnesses.[20] On June 28 thirty stormtroopers occupied the branch office for a second time, closing the factory, sealing the printing presses and hoisting the swastika over the building. In late August, authorities used 25 trucks to transport about 70 tonnes of Watch Tower literature and Bibles to the city's outskirts and publicly burned them. Preaching activities and meetings in private homes continued, though the threat of Gestapo raids caused many believers to withdraw association and activity in some places ceased.[21] When authorities discovered banned literature was being smuggled into Germany from abroad, Bavarian police ordered the confiscation of mail of all known Bible Students and expressed irritation that their activity was increasing rather than ceasing.[21]
By early 1934 Rutherford had concluded that an improvement in conditions within Germany was unlikely. On February 9, 1934 the Watch Tower Society president sent a strongly worded letter to Hitler, asking the chancellor to allow the Witnesses to assemble and worship without hindrance, warning that if he failed to do so by March 24, the organization would publicise their "unjust treatment" throughout the world. He threatened that Jehovah God would also punish Hitler and destroy him at Armageddon. The society's German branch president Paul Balzereit directed members that they should continue to distribute The Watchtower, but that meetings be kept to about three to five people in size and public preaching be discontinued. But in September 1934, at an international convention of 3500 Witnesses in Basel, Switzerland, under the theme "Fear Them Not", Rutherford reversed the instruction. He urged the 1000 German Witnesses present to resume completely their preaching activity, starting with a collective witnessing effort on October 7. The convention also passed a resolution of protest, a copy of which was sent to Hitler with the warning: "Refrain from further persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses; otherwise God will destroy you and your national party." On October 8 an international campaign was launched to flood the Reich chancellory with telegrams and letters of protest.[22]
In late 1934 all state bans against the Witnesses were replaced with a prohibition at the Reich level. State governments were instructed in July 1935 to confiscate all Watch Tower Society publications, including Bibles and in December nine Watch Tower leaders were sentenced to up to 2½ years' jail for defying bans. Yet throughout 1933 and 1934 some courts continued to acquit Witnesses after legal and constitutional challenges.[23]



 Nazi renunciation document
When Germany reintroduced universal military service in 1935, Jehovah's Witnesses generally refused to enroll. Although they were not pacifists, they refused to bear arms for any political power. The Nazis prosecuted Jehovah's Witnesses for failing to report for conscription and arrested those who did missionary work for undermining the morale of the nation. John Conway, a British historian, stated that they were “against any form of collaboration with the Nazis and against service in the army.”[24]
Children of Jehovah's Witnesses also suffered under the Nazi regime. In classrooms, teachers ridiculed children who refused to give the Heil Hitler salute or sing patriotic songs. Principals found reasons to expel them from school. Following the lead of adults, classmates shunned or beat the children of Witnesses. On occasion, authorities sought to remove children from their Witness parents and send them to other schools, orphanages, or private homes to be brought up as "good Germans".[3]
Jehovah's Witnesses could, however, escape persecution and personal harm by renouncing their religious beliefs. From 1935 Gestapo officers offered members a document to sign indicating renouncement of their faith, submission to state authority, and support of the German military. By signing the document, individuals vowed to refrain from any association with members of the IBSA for the purposes of studying the Bible, The Watchtower or other Bible Student publications, refrain from participating in any Bible Student activities and also report to authorities any observations that members were continuing the organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses.[2] Garbe says a "relatively high number" of people signed the statement before the war, but "extremely low numbers" of Bible Student prisoners did so in concentration camps in later years.[25]
Punishment[edit]
From 1933 Witnesses working in post offices, railway stations or other civil service jobs began to be dismissed for refusing to give the compulsory Hitler salute. From August 1934 they could also lose their jobs for refusing to take an official oath swearing loyalty and obedience to Hitler. Teachers were required to sign a statement confirming they were not members of the International Bible Students Association and were fired if they refused. Jehovah's Witnesses were dismissed in the private sector as well, often at the insistence of the German Labor Front (DAF) or Nazi Party members. In 1936 the Nazi press urged that Bible Students be removed from all German companies, while self-employed members of the religion were denied professional or business licences to carry out their work on the basis that their refusal to join Nazi organizations marked them as "politically unreliable".[26]



 Memorial plaque at Sachsenhausen concentration camp
The state confiscated motor vehicles and bicycles used by Witnesses for their business, withdrew driver's licences, withdrew pensions and evicted Witnesses from their homes. Schoolchildren were required to sing the Horst Wessel song and Deutschlandlied at a flag salute roll call, give the Hitler salute and take part in ceremonies honoring Hitler; those who refused were beaten by teachers and sometimes by classmates, while many were also expelled. From March 1936 authorities began removing Witness children from their parents, forcing some of them to undergo "corrective training".[27]
From early 1935, Gestapo officers began widening their use of "protective detention", usually when judges failed to convict Witnesses on charges of defying the Bible Student ban. Bible Students deemed to "present an imminent danger to the National Socialist state because of their activities" were from that point not handed to courts for punishment but sent directly to concentration camps for incarceration for several months, but even those who completed their prison terms were routinely arrested by the Gestapo upon release and taken into protective custody.[28]
More brutal methods of punishment began to be applied from 1936, including horsewhipping, prolonged daily beatings, the torture of family members and the threat of shooting. Some Witnesses were placed in mental institutions and subjected to psychiatric treatment; sterilization was ordered for some deemed to be "stubborn" in their refusal to denounce their religion.
Following an assembly in Lucerne, Switzerland in early September 1936 up to 3000 copies of a resolution of protest were sent to government, public and clerical leaders, stepping up the Watch Tower Society's anti-Catholic polemic. Several German Witnesses who attended the convention were arrested by waiting police as they returned to their homes and between August and September the Gestapo arrested more than 1000 members. The society responded with a pamphlet campaign on December 12, dropping up to 200,000 copies of the Lucerne resolution in mailboxes and also leaving them at phone booths, park benches and parked cars. Those arrested in subsequent police raids were sentenced to up to two years in prison. The number of arrests increased; in Dresden alone as many as 1500 Witnesses had been arrested by mid-1937. Another letterbox campaign was carried out in June 1937, a year in which the Watch Tower Society announced German Witnesses had distributed more than 450,000 books and booklets in 12 months.[29][30]
Compulsory military service for all men aged between 18 and 45 was introduced by Hitler in March 1935. No exemptions were provided for religious or conscientious reasons and Witnesses who refused to serve or take the oath of allegiance to Hitler were sent to prison or concentration camp, generally for terms of one or two years. At the outbreak of war in August 1939, more serious punishments were applied. A decree was enacted that greatly increased penal regulations during periods of war and states of emergency and included in the decree was an offense of "demoralization of the armed forces"; any refusal to perform military service or public inducement to this effect would be punishable by death. Between August 1939 and September 1940, 152 Bible Students appeared before the highest military court of the Wehrmacht charged with demoralization of the armed forces and 112 were executed, usually by beheading. Garbe estimates about 250 German and Austrian Jehovah's Witnesses were executed during World War II as a result of military court decisions. In November 1939 another regulation was issued providing for the jailing of anyone who supported or belonged to an "anti-military association" or displayed an "anti-military attitude", which allowed authorities to impose prison sentences on the charge of IBSA membership. Death penalties were applied frequently after 1943.[31]
Concentration camps[edit]
From 1935 the authorities began sending hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses to concentration camps, where they were imprisoned with Communists, Socialists, other political prisoners and union members. In May 1938 they accounted for 12 percent of all prisoners at Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar; by May 1939 they represented 40 percent of all prisoners at Schloss Lichentenburg, the central concentration camp for women, though as the total number of prisoners increased rapidly, the proportion of Witnesses generally fell to about 3 percent.[32] About 2000 Witnesses were eventually sent to Nazi concentration camps, where they were identified by purple triangles; as many as 1200 died in custody, including 250 who were executed.[33][34] Garbe claims members of the religion were special objects of hatred by the SS, receiving beatings, whippings and public humiliation and given the dirtiest and most laborious work details for refusing to salute, stand at attention or sing Nazi songs. They were subjected to high-pressure jets of ice-cold water from fire hydrants and subjected to arbitrary acts of torture including pushing a fully laden wheelbarrow with their necks while crawling on hands and knees. Others were forced to stand still for an entire day in the heat or cold or were confined in groups in small closets in an attempt to suffocate them.[35] From March to December 1938 Jehovah's Witnesses in Buchenwald were not allowed to send or receive letters or to purchase food. Many approached starvation and were forced to eat leaves from trees and bushes. Many were forced to engage in a "drill" that included rolling, creeping, hopping and running for 75 minutes while camp guards kicked and beat them, while others, forced to work in stone quarries, were refused medical attention when sick.[36] Despite persecution, Jehovah's Witnesses continued to hold secret religious gatherings inside the camps.
Conditions for Witnesses improved in 1942, when they were increasingly given work details that required little supervision, such as farming, gardening, transportation and unloading goods, while others worked in civilian clothing in a health resort, as housekeepers for Nazi officials or were given construction and craft tasks at military buildings.[37]
Causes of persecution and Nazi motives[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses were one of a range of religious denominations against whom authorities took action from 1933, declaring that they "contributed to the ideological fragmentation of the German people", preventing the forming of a united German community.[38] Historians including Canadian Michael H. Kater, Christine Elizabeth King from England and Austrian Wolfgang Neugebauer have suggested the extraordinary animosity between National Socialism and Bible Student teachings was rooted in the similarity in structure of both ideologies, which were based on authoritarianism and totalitarianism and which each believed had a monopoly on the "truth".[39][40] Kater wrote:

Just as the National Socialist ideology, so were also the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses dominated not by a democratic but an authoritarian policy. Both systems were totalitarian in that they strictly integrated national comrades as well as fellow believers into the respective authoritarian structure and requested them to give up their own personal identity for the objectives of the system. While the National Socialists accepted the ""Führer State", the "Earnest Bible Students" submitted to the "Theocracy", in which not the Führer, but Jehovah, was the dictatorial ruler. Since both groups claimed exclusiveness, this inevitably had to result in conflict. A Bible Student who had devoted himself to Jehovah was in no way able to carry out the duties that the National Socialist State demanded of him as a national comrade.[41]
Garbe accepts that both ideologies claimed to represent the "epitome of truth", demanded the person as a whole, tolerated no questioning of ideology and also held a common belief in salvation utopias for certain parts of humankind and the vision of a Thousand-Year Reign. But pitted against a considerably more powerful organization, the religion's efforts were doomed to fail.[42]
German writer Falk Pingel argued that the source of controversy between the Bible Students and National Socialists was their determination to continue their religious activities despite restrictions[43] and Garbe, noting that the increasing repression by authorities simply provoked the religion's determination to go underground and maintain their activity, concludes that "the extraordinary severity with which Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted resulted from a conflict that gradually escalated in an interaction of action and reaction ... the authorities responsible for the persecution always responded with increasing severity to the continuous stubbornness of the IBSA members".[42] He said the National Socialists were baffled by an opponent that, convinced it was being directed by God's channel, did not back down under intensified persecution, as expected. He wrote:

These factors could have contributed to the fact that ... efforts to break their resolve were intensified and even more brutal. From this point of view, the IBSA members contributed to a certain extent to the severity of the NS actions, but this certainly does not mean that they intentionally provoked these measures.[42]
Penton noted that in August 1933 then branch overseer Martin Harbeck directed members that they should cease distributing literature and holding meetings without police permission. He said the organization's later decision to abandon caution and direct members to intensify their preaching efforts was a "reckless" behavior that caused Witnesses and their families more suffering than was necessary. Hitler, Penton argued, had become highly popular with the German populace by 1936, yet Witnesses persisted in distributing a Rutherford booklet that described the chancellor as "of unsound mind, cruel, malicious and ruthless". He said the international campaign to swamp Hitler with telegrams of protest in October 1934 infuriated the chancellor and was a major factor in bringing greater governmental persecution on them. Citing Dietrich Hellmund's description of their "incredible public militancy", he wrote: "Jehovah's Witnesses were the most stridently outspoken conscientious objectors in the country, and the Nazis had no intention of putting up with them ... No movement can constantly heap insults on all other religions, the business community and national governments in the way that the Bible Student-Jehovah's Witnesses did from 1918 onward without provoking a reaction."[44][45]
Scholars are divided over the ultimate intention of the Nazi regime towards Jehovah's Witnesses. Garbe believes the Gestapo considered members of the religion to be "incorrigible" elements who had to be ruthlessly eliminated.[46] The 1934 telegram protest had prompted an "hysterical" Hitler to vow that "this brood will be exterminated in Germany"[47] and he repeated the threat in August 1942.[48] Watch Tower Society writer Wolfram Slupina claims the Nazis "attempted to consign the Witnesses to oblivion by systematically exterminating them". But Penton has argued there is abundant evidence that the Nazis had no intention to eradicate members:

Rather, they wanted to break their opposition to the values of the Third Reich and turn them into loyal German citizens ... The Witnesses were not candidates for destruction in the way that Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals were. Almost none were gassed. More important, during the last three years of the Second World War, they became very useful to the SS.[49]
See also[edit]
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
Declaration of Facts
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 100, 102, 514. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi-Regime, Michael Berenbaum
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Laqueur, Walter; Baumel, Judith Tydor (2001). The Holocaust encyclopedia. Yale University Press. pp. 346–50. ISBN 978-0-300-08432-0. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 144. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
5.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 45. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
6.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 48–51. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
7.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 54–59. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
8.Jump up ^ Saarbrücker Landes Zeitung, December 16, 1929, as cited in 1974 Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1974, pg 102: "Unfortunately the police have been powerless in doing anything about the work of the Bible Students. Arrests made up until now ... have all ended up in acquittal."
9.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 62, 570 note 151. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
10.^ Jump up to: a b 1974 Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1974, pg 102-111.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 65. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
12.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 139–141. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 73–83. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
14.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 150. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
15.Jump up ^ Declaration of Facts English translation
16.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 90, 91. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
17.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 87–91. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
18.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 71–75. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
19.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses–Courageous in the Face of Nazi Peril", Awake!, July 8, 1998, pgs 10-14.
20.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 13. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
21.^ Jump up to: a b Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 92–99. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
22.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 105–112. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
23.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 117–135. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
24.Jump up ^ p.251,260 “Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi-Regime 1933-1945
25.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 286–291. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
26.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 149–159. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
27.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 162–179, 183. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
28.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 252–3, 277. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
29.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 226–7, 230, 233–243. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
30.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 173, 177. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
31.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 341–367. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
32.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 394–5. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
33.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 484. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
34.Jump up ^ Johannes S. Wrobel, Jehovah’s Witnesses in National Socialist Concentration Camps, 1933 – 45, Religion, State & Society, Vol. 34, No. 2, June 2006, pp. 89-125.
35.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 398–416. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
36.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 188. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
37.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 440–447. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
38.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 101. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
39.Jump up ^ Neugebauer, Wolfgang (1984). Widerstand und Verfolgung in Wien, 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation (in German). Vienna. pp. 161, as cited by Garbe, pg 514.
40.Jump up ^ King, Christine Elizabeth (1983), The Nazi State and the New Religions: Five Case Studies in Non-Conformity, Edwin Mellen, pp. 175–6, ISBN 0-889-468656
41.Jump up ^ Kater, Michael (1969, as cited by Garbe, pg 514.). "Die Ernsten Bibelforscher im Dritten Reich". Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte (in German) 17: 187. Check date values in: |date= (help)
42.^ Jump up to: a b c Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 514–7, 520–1, 523. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
43.Jump up ^ Falk Pingel, Häftlinge unter SS-Herrschaft: Widerstand, Selbstbehauptung und Vernichtung in Konzentrationslager, 1978, page 88, as quoted by Garbe, pg 518.
44.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 155–6, 170, 176–7, 236. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
45.Jump up ^ Hesse, Hans, ed. (2003). Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi Regime: 1933-1945. Edition Temmen. pp. 344 isbn = 3–861–087502.
46.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 291. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
47.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 167, 317–8. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
48.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 365. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
49.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 225, 237. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
Further reading[edit]
Hesse, Hans (editor) Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi-Regime: 1933-1945
Reynaud, Michael. The Jehovah's Witnesses and the Nazis: Persecution, Deportation, and Murder, 1933-1945
Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity, ISBN 0-689-10728-5
Judith Tydor Baumel, Walter Laqueur:The Holocaust Encyclopedia, ISBN 0-300-08432-3
Michael Berenbaum,The World Must Know: The History of the Holocaust as Told in United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, ISBN 0-316-09134-0
External links[edit]
[1] - Official Site of Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses under Nazism and Communism - List of books
Jehovah's Witnesses under dictatorships - List of Internet resources
The Case of the Jehovah's Witnesses - Shoah Resource Center - Yad Vashem
Non-Jewish Victims of Persecution in Nazi Germany - About the Holocaust - Yad Vashem
English Translation of "Declaration of Facts"
English Translation of Declaration of Facts Cover Letter
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Memorial and Museum AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU
Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies


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Christian nonviolence
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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persecution_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_in_Nazi_Germany









Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany

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Jehovah's Witnesses suffered religious persecution in Nazi Germany between 1933 and 1945 after refusing to perform military service, join Nazi organizations or give allegiance to the Hitler regime. An estimated 10,000 Witnesses—half of the number of members in Germany during that period—were imprisoned, including 2000 who were sent to Nazi concentration camps. An estimated 1200 died in custody, including 250 who were executed. They were the first Christian denomination banned in the Third Reich and the most extensively and intensively persecuted.[1] Unlike Jews and Gypsies who were persecuted on the basis of their ethnicity, Jehovah's Witnesses could escape persecution and personal harm by renouncing their religious beliefs by signing a document indicating renouncement of their faith, submission to state authority, and support of the German military.[2] Historian Sybil Milton concludes that "their courage and defiance in the face of torture and death punctures the myth of a monolithic Nazi state ruling over docile and submissive subjects."[3]
The group came under increasing public and governmental persecution from 1933, with many expelled from jobs and schools, deprived of income and suffering beatings and imprisonment, despite early attempts to demonstrate shared goals with the National Socialist regime. Historians are divided over whether the Nazis intended to exterminate them, but several authors have claimed the Witnesses' outspoken condemnation of the Nazis contributed to their level of suffering.


Contents  [hide]
1 Pre-Nazi era
2 Legislative developments
3 Punishment
4 Concentration camps
5 Causes of persecution and Nazi motives
6 See also
7 References
8 Further reading
9 External links

Pre-Nazi era[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses were an outgrowth of the International Bible Students, who began missionary work in Europe in the 1890s. A German branch office of the Watch Tower Society opened in Elberfeld in 1902. By 1933 almost 20,000 Witnesses were counted as active door-to-door preachers and their annual Memorial service was attracting almost 25,000 people.[4] In Dresden there were more Bible Students than in New York, where the Watch Tower Society was headquartered.[5]
Members of the religion, who were known as Ernste Bibelforscher, or Earnest Bible Students, had attracted opposition since the end of World War I, with accusations that they were Bolsheviks, communists and covertly Jewish.[6] From 1920 the German Evangelical Church called for a ban on Watch Tower Society publications, which were engaging in increasing amounts of antichurch polemic and through the remainder of the 1920s opposition mounted from a combination of church and Völkisch movement agitation and pamphlet campaigns.[7] Nazis began to harass Bible Students, with SA members also disrupting meetings.[4]
From 1922, German Bible Students were arrested on charges of illegal peddling as they publicly distributed Watch Tower Society literature. Between 1927 and 1930, almost 5000 charges were pressed against members of the religion, and although most ended in acquittals[8][9] some "severe sentences" were also handed down.[10]
From 1930 calls for state intervention against the Bible Students increased and on March 28, 1931 Reich president Paul von Hindenburg issued the Decree for the Resistance of Political Acts of Violence, which provided for action to be taken in cases in which religious organizations, institutions or customs were "abused or maliciously disparaged".[11] Bavaria became the first German state where the decree was used against the Bible Students, with a police order issued on November 18 to prohibit and confiscate all Bible Student publications throughout the state.[11] A second decree in 1932 widened the ban in other German states. By the end of 1932 more than 2300 charges against Bible Students were pending.[10]
Legislative developments[edit]
Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933, and from that point persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses intensified. Witnesses, being politically neutral, refused to swear loyalty to the Nazi regime. Initially, Witness indifference to the Nazi state manifested itself in the refusal to raise their arms in the Nazi salute, join the German Labor Front, participate in Nazi welfare collections, perform air raid duties or participate in Nazi rallies and parades.[3] Nazi Party SA stormtroopers raided the homes of Witnesses who failed to vote in a November 1933 plebiscite over German withdrawal from the League of Nations and marched them to the polling booths. Some were beaten or forced to walk holding placards declaring their "betrayal" of the fatherland; in one town a billboard was displayed in the marketplace listing Bible Student "traitors" who had not voted, and mobs also gathered outside Witnesses' homes to throw stones or chant. Similar action was taken at subsequent elections in the one-party state.[12]



 Chancellor Adolf Hitler.
Nazi authorities denounced Jehovah's Witnesses for their ties to the United States and derided the apparent revolutionary millennialism of their preaching that a battle of Armageddon would precede the rule of Christ on earth. They linked Jehovah's Witnesses to "international Jewry" by pointing to Witness reliance on certain Old Testament texts. The Nazis had grievances with many of the smaller Protestant groups on these issues, but only the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Christadelphian Church refused to bear arms or swear loyalty to the state.[3]
Activities of the Bible Students Association were banned in the states of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (April 10, 1933) and Bavaria (April 13). When Witnesses responded with a nationwide house-to-house booklet distribution campaign, many were arrested and within a week bans were extended to the states of Saxony and Hessen. Publications were also confiscated in some states. On April 24 police seized the Bible Student headquarters at Magdeburg, withdrawing five days later after US diplomatic efforts. From mid-May other states issued decrees outlawing the Bible Students and by the middle of June they were banned in almost every state. In one state's decree, the rationale for the ban was said to be that Bible Students were "imposing" on householders Watch Tower Society journals "which contain malicious attacks on the major Christian churches and their institutions".[13][14]
Prussia, Germany's biggest state, imposed a ban on June 24, explaining that the Bible Students were attracting and harboring subversive former members of Communist and Marxist parties. Its decree added that the Bible Students:

"...are obviously involved in agitation against political and religious institutions in word and written form. By declaring both institutions as agencies of Satan, they undermine the very foundation of life in the people's community. In their numerous publications ... they deliberately and maliciously misrepresent Bible accounts for the purpose of ridiculing State and church institutions. One of the characteristics of their struggle is a fanatical manipulation of their followers ... It is therefore obvious that the above-mentioned association tends to be in complete opposition to the present state and its cultural and moral structures."[13]
On June 25, 1933 about 7000 Witnesses assembled at the Wilmersdorfer Tennishallen in Berlin where a 3800-word "Declaration of Facts" was issued. The document, written by Watch Tower Society president J.F. Rutherford, asserted the religion's political neutrality, appealed for the right to publicly preach and claimed it was the victim of a misinformation campaign by other religions.[15] Some 2.1 million copies of the declaration, reproduced as a four-page pamphlet, were distributed publicly throughout Germany, with a copy also sent to Hitler accompanied by a seven-page cover letter assuring the Chancellor that the IBSA "was not in opposition to the national government of the German Reich", but that, to the contrary, "the entirely religious, nonpolitical objectives and efforts of the Bible Students" were "completely in agreement with the corresponding goals of the national government".[16] German historian Detlef Garbe described the declaration as part of the religion's efforts to adapt at a time of increasing persecution,[17] while Canadian historian Professor James Penton, a former Jehovah's Witness and critic of the religion, claimed the declaration was a compromising document that proves "that Watch Tower leaders were attempting to pander to the Nazis"[18]—an allegation the Watch Tower Society rejected in a 1998 magazine article.[19]



 Watch Tower Society president Joseph Rutherford.
The distribution of the declaration prompted a new wave of persecution against German Witnesses.[20] On June 28 thirty stormtroopers occupied the branch office for a second time, closing the factory, sealing the printing presses and hoisting the swastika over the building. In late August, authorities used 25 trucks to transport about 70 tonnes of Watch Tower literature and Bibles to the city's outskirts and publicly burned them. Preaching activities and meetings in private homes continued, though the threat of Gestapo raids caused many believers to withdraw association and activity in some places ceased.[21] When authorities discovered banned literature was being smuggled into Germany from abroad, Bavarian police ordered the confiscation of mail of all known Bible Students and expressed irritation that their activity was increasing rather than ceasing.[21]
By early 1934 Rutherford had concluded that an improvement in conditions within Germany was unlikely. On February 9, 1934 the Watch Tower Society president sent a strongly worded letter to Hitler, asking the chancellor to allow the Witnesses to assemble and worship without hindrance, warning that if he failed to do so by March 24, the organization would publicise their "unjust treatment" throughout the world. He threatened that Jehovah God would also punish Hitler and destroy him at Armageddon. The society's German branch president Paul Balzereit directed members that they should continue to distribute The Watchtower, but that meetings be kept to about three to five people in size and public preaching be discontinued. But in September 1934, at an international convention of 3500 Witnesses in Basel, Switzerland, under the theme "Fear Them Not", Rutherford reversed the instruction. He urged the 1000 German Witnesses present to resume completely their preaching activity, starting with a collective witnessing effort on October 7. The convention also passed a resolution of protest, a copy of which was sent to Hitler with the warning: "Refrain from further persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses; otherwise God will destroy you and your national party." On October 8 an international campaign was launched to flood the Reich chancellory with telegrams and letters of protest.[22]
In late 1934 all state bans against the Witnesses were replaced with a prohibition at the Reich level. State governments were instructed in July 1935 to confiscate all Watch Tower Society publications, including Bibles and in December nine Watch Tower leaders were sentenced to up to 2½ years' jail for defying bans. Yet throughout 1933 and 1934 some courts continued to acquit Witnesses after legal and constitutional challenges.[23]



 Nazi renunciation document
When Germany reintroduced universal military service in 1935, Jehovah's Witnesses generally refused to enroll. Although they were not pacifists, they refused to bear arms for any political power. The Nazis prosecuted Jehovah's Witnesses for failing to report for conscription and arrested those who did missionary work for undermining the morale of the nation. John Conway, a British historian, stated that they were “against any form of collaboration with the Nazis and against service in the army.”[24]
Children of Jehovah's Witnesses also suffered under the Nazi regime. In classrooms, teachers ridiculed children who refused to give the Heil Hitler salute or sing patriotic songs. Principals found reasons to expel them from school. Following the lead of adults, classmates shunned or beat the children of Witnesses. On occasion, authorities sought to remove children from their Witness parents and send them to other schools, orphanages, or private homes to be brought up as "good Germans".[3]
Jehovah's Witnesses could, however, escape persecution and personal harm by renouncing their religious beliefs. From 1935 Gestapo officers offered members a document to sign indicating renouncement of their faith, submission to state authority, and support of the German military. By signing the document, individuals vowed to refrain from any association with members of the IBSA for the purposes of studying the Bible, The Watchtower or other Bible Student publications, refrain from participating in any Bible Student activities and also report to authorities any observations that members were continuing the organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses.[2] Garbe says a "relatively high number" of people signed the statement before the war, but "extremely low numbers" of Bible Student prisoners did so in concentration camps in later years.[25]
Punishment[edit]
From 1933 Witnesses working in post offices, railway stations or other civil service jobs began to be dismissed for refusing to give the compulsory Hitler salute. From August 1934 they could also lose their jobs for refusing to take an official oath swearing loyalty and obedience to Hitler. Teachers were required to sign a statement confirming they were not members of the International Bible Students Association and were fired if they refused. Jehovah's Witnesses were dismissed in the private sector as well, often at the insistence of the German Labor Front (DAF) or Nazi Party members. In 1936 the Nazi press urged that Bible Students be removed from all German companies, while self-employed members of the religion were denied professional or business licences to carry out their work on the basis that their refusal to join Nazi organizations marked them as "politically unreliable".[26]



 Memorial plaque at Sachsenhausen concentration camp
The state confiscated motor vehicles and bicycles used by Witnesses for their business, withdrew driver's licences, withdrew pensions and evicted Witnesses from their homes. Schoolchildren were required to sing the Horst Wessel song and Deutschlandlied at a flag salute roll call, give the Hitler salute and take part in ceremonies honoring Hitler; those who refused were beaten by teachers and sometimes by classmates, while many were also expelled. From March 1936 authorities began removing Witness children from their parents, forcing some of them to undergo "corrective training".[27]
From early 1935, Gestapo officers began widening their use of "protective detention", usually when judges failed to convict Witnesses on charges of defying the Bible Student ban. Bible Students deemed to "present an imminent danger to the National Socialist state because of their activities" were from that point not handed to courts for punishment but sent directly to concentration camps for incarceration for several months, but even those who completed their prison terms were routinely arrested by the Gestapo upon release and taken into protective custody.[28]
More brutal methods of punishment began to be applied from 1936, including horsewhipping, prolonged daily beatings, the torture of family members and the threat of shooting. Some Witnesses were placed in mental institutions and subjected to psychiatric treatment; sterilization was ordered for some deemed to be "stubborn" in their refusal to denounce their religion.
Following an assembly in Lucerne, Switzerland in early September 1936 up to 3000 copies of a resolution of protest were sent to government, public and clerical leaders, stepping up the Watch Tower Society's anti-Catholic polemic. Several German Witnesses who attended the convention were arrested by waiting police as they returned to their homes and between August and September the Gestapo arrested more than 1000 members. The society responded with a pamphlet campaign on December 12, dropping up to 200,000 copies of the Lucerne resolution in mailboxes and also leaving them at phone booths, park benches and parked cars. Those arrested in subsequent police raids were sentenced to up to two years in prison. The number of arrests increased; in Dresden alone as many as 1500 Witnesses had been arrested by mid-1937. Another letterbox campaign was carried out in June 1937, a year in which the Watch Tower Society announced German Witnesses had distributed more than 450,000 books and booklets in 12 months.[29][30]
Compulsory military service for all men aged between 18 and 45 was introduced by Hitler in March 1935. No exemptions were provided for religious or conscientious reasons and Witnesses who refused to serve or take the oath of allegiance to Hitler were sent to prison or concentration camp, generally for terms of one or two years. At the outbreak of war in August 1939, more serious punishments were applied. A decree was enacted that greatly increased penal regulations during periods of war and states of emergency and included in the decree was an offense of "demoralization of the armed forces"; any refusal to perform military service or public inducement to this effect would be punishable by death. Between August 1939 and September 1940, 152 Bible Students appeared before the highest military court of the Wehrmacht charged with demoralization of the armed forces and 112 were executed, usually by beheading. Garbe estimates about 250 German and Austrian Jehovah's Witnesses were executed during World War II as a result of military court decisions. In November 1939 another regulation was issued providing for the jailing of anyone who supported or belonged to an "anti-military association" or displayed an "anti-military attitude", which allowed authorities to impose prison sentences on the charge of IBSA membership. Death penalties were applied frequently after 1943.[31]
Concentration camps[edit]
From 1935 the authorities began sending hundreds of Jehovah's Witnesses to concentration camps, where they were imprisoned with Communists, Socialists, other political prisoners and union members. In May 1938 they accounted for 12 percent of all prisoners at Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar; by May 1939 they represented 40 percent of all prisoners at Schloss Lichentenburg, the central concentration camp for women, though as the total number of prisoners increased rapidly, the proportion of Witnesses generally fell to about 3 percent.[32] About 2000 Witnesses were eventually sent to Nazi concentration camps, where they were identified by purple triangles; as many as 1200 died in custody, including 250 who were executed.[33][34] Garbe claims members of the religion were special objects of hatred by the SS, receiving beatings, whippings and public humiliation and given the dirtiest and most laborious work details for refusing to salute, stand at attention or sing Nazi songs. They were subjected to high-pressure jets of ice-cold water from fire hydrants and subjected to arbitrary acts of torture including pushing a fully laden wheelbarrow with their necks while crawling on hands and knees. Others were forced to stand still for an entire day in the heat or cold or were confined in groups in small closets in an attempt to suffocate them.[35] From March to December 1938 Jehovah's Witnesses in Buchenwald were not allowed to send or receive letters or to purchase food. Many approached starvation and were forced to eat leaves from trees and bushes. Many were forced to engage in a "drill" that included rolling, creeping, hopping and running for 75 minutes while camp guards kicked and beat them, while others, forced to work in stone quarries, were refused medical attention when sick.[36] Despite persecution, Jehovah's Witnesses continued to hold secret religious gatherings inside the camps.
Conditions for Witnesses improved in 1942, when they were increasingly given work details that required little supervision, such as farming, gardening, transportation and unloading goods, while others worked in civilian clothing in a health resort, as housekeepers for Nazi officials or were given construction and craft tasks at military buildings.[37]
Causes of persecution and Nazi motives[edit]
Jehovah's Witnesses were one of a range of religious denominations against whom authorities took action from 1933, declaring that they "contributed to the ideological fragmentation of the German people", preventing the forming of a united German community.[38] Historians including Canadian Michael H. Kater, Christine Elizabeth King from England and Austrian Wolfgang Neugebauer have suggested the extraordinary animosity between National Socialism and Bible Student teachings was rooted in the similarity in structure of both ideologies, which were based on authoritarianism and totalitarianism and which each believed had a monopoly on the "truth".[39][40] Kater wrote:

Just as the National Socialist ideology, so were also the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses dominated not by a democratic but an authoritarian policy. Both systems were totalitarian in that they strictly integrated national comrades as well as fellow believers into the respective authoritarian structure and requested them to give up their own personal identity for the objectives of the system. While the National Socialists accepted the ""Führer State", the "Earnest Bible Students" submitted to the "Theocracy", in which not the Führer, but Jehovah, was the dictatorial ruler. Since both groups claimed exclusiveness, this inevitably had to result in conflict. A Bible Student who had devoted himself to Jehovah was in no way able to carry out the duties that the National Socialist State demanded of him as a national comrade.[41]
Garbe accepts that both ideologies claimed to represent the "epitome of truth", demanded the person as a whole, tolerated no questioning of ideology and also held a common belief in salvation utopias for certain parts of humankind and the vision of a Thousand-Year Reign. But pitted against a considerably more powerful organization, the religion's efforts were doomed to fail.[42]
German writer Falk Pingel argued that the source of controversy between the Bible Students and National Socialists was their determination to continue their religious activities despite restrictions[43] and Garbe, noting that the increasing repression by authorities simply provoked the religion's determination to go underground and maintain their activity, concludes that "the extraordinary severity with which Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted resulted from a conflict that gradually escalated in an interaction of action and reaction ... the authorities responsible for the persecution always responded with increasing severity to the continuous stubbornness of the IBSA members".[42] He said the National Socialists were baffled by an opponent that, convinced it was being directed by God's channel, did not back down under intensified persecution, as expected. He wrote:

These factors could have contributed to the fact that ... efforts to break their resolve were intensified and even more brutal. From this point of view, the IBSA members contributed to a certain extent to the severity of the NS actions, but this certainly does not mean that they intentionally provoked these measures.[42]
Penton noted that in August 1933 then branch overseer Martin Harbeck directed members that they should cease distributing literature and holding meetings without police permission. He said the organization's later decision to abandon caution and direct members to intensify their preaching efforts was a "reckless" behavior that caused Witnesses and their families more suffering than was necessary. Hitler, Penton argued, had become highly popular with the German populace by 1936, yet Witnesses persisted in distributing a Rutherford booklet that described the chancellor as "of unsound mind, cruel, malicious and ruthless". He said the international campaign to swamp Hitler with telegrams of protest in October 1934 infuriated the chancellor and was a major factor in bringing greater governmental persecution on them. Citing Dietrich Hellmund's description of their "incredible public militancy", he wrote: "Jehovah's Witnesses were the most stridently outspoken conscientious objectors in the country, and the Nazis had no intention of putting up with them ... No movement can constantly heap insults on all other religions, the business community and national governments in the way that the Bible Student-Jehovah's Witnesses did from 1918 onward without provoking a reaction."[44][45]
Scholars are divided over the ultimate intention of the Nazi regime towards Jehovah's Witnesses. Garbe believes the Gestapo considered members of the religion to be "incorrigible" elements who had to be ruthlessly eliminated.[46] The 1934 telegram protest had prompted an "hysterical" Hitler to vow that "this brood will be exterminated in Germany"[47] and he repeated the threat in August 1942.[48] Watch Tower Society writer Wolfram Slupina claims the Nazis "attempted to consign the Witnesses to oblivion by systematically exterminating them". But Penton has argued there is abundant evidence that the Nazis had no intention to eradicate members:

Rather, they wanted to break their opposition to the values of the Third Reich and turn them into loyal German citizens ... The Witnesses were not candidates for destruction in the way that Jews, Gypsies, and homosexuals were. Almost none were gassed. More important, during the last three years of the Second World War, they became very useful to the SS.[49]
See also[edit]
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
Declaration of Facts
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 100, 102, 514. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi-Regime, Michael Berenbaum
3.^ Jump up to: a b c d Laqueur, Walter; Baumel, Judith Tydor (2001). The Holocaust encyclopedia. Yale University Press. pp. 346–50. ISBN 978-0-300-08432-0. Retrieved 6 April 2011.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 144. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
5.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 45. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
6.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 48–51. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
7.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 54–59. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
8.Jump up ^ Saarbrücker Landes Zeitung, December 16, 1929, as cited in 1974 Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1974, pg 102: "Unfortunately the police have been powerless in doing anything about the work of the Bible Students. Arrests made up until now ... have all ended up in acquittal."
9.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 62, 570 note 151. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
10.^ Jump up to: a b 1974 Yearbook, Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, 1974, pg 102-111.
11.^ Jump up to: a b Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 65. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
12.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 139–141. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 73–83. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
14.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 150. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
15.Jump up ^ Declaration of Facts English translation
16.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 90, 91. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
17.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 87–91. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
18.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 71–75. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
19.Jump up ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses–Courageous in the Face of Nazi Peril", Awake!, July 8, 1998, pgs 10-14.
20.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 13. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
21.^ Jump up to: a b Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 92–99. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
22.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 105–112. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
23.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 117–135. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
24.Jump up ^ p.251,260 “Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi-Regime 1933-1945
25.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 286–291. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
26.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 149–159. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
27.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 162–179, 183. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
28.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 252–3, 277. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
29.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 226–7, 230, 233–243. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
30.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 173, 177. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
31.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 341–367. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
32.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 394–5. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
33.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 484. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
34.Jump up ^ Johannes S. Wrobel, Jehovah’s Witnesses in National Socialist Concentration Camps, 1933 – 45, Religion, State & Society, Vol. 34, No. 2, June 2006, pp. 89-125.
35.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 398–416. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
36.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 188. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
37.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 440–447. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
38.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 101. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
39.Jump up ^ Neugebauer, Wolfgang (1984). Widerstand und Verfolgung in Wien, 1934-1945: Eine Dokumentation (in German). Vienna. pp. 161, as cited by Garbe, pg 514.
40.Jump up ^ King, Christine Elizabeth (1983), The Nazi State and the New Religions: Five Case Studies in Non-Conformity, Edwin Mellen, pp. 175–6, ISBN 0-889-468656
41.Jump up ^ Kater, Michael (1969, as cited by Garbe, pg 514.). "Die Ernsten Bibelforscher im Dritten Reich". Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte (in German) 17: 187. Check date values in: |date= (help)
42.^ Jump up to: a b c Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 514–7, 520–1, 523. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
43.Jump up ^ Falk Pingel, Häftlinge unter SS-Herrschaft: Widerstand, Selbstbehauptung und Vernichtung in Konzentrationslager, 1978, page 88, as quoted by Garbe, pg 518.
44.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 155–6, 170, 176–7, 236. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
45.Jump up ^ Hesse, Hans, ed. (2003). Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi Regime: 1933-1945. Edition Temmen. pp. 344 isbn = 3–861–087502.
46.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 291. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
47.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 167, 317–8. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
48.Jump up ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 365. ISBN 0-299-20794-3.
49.Jump up ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics Under Persecution. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 225, 237. ISBN 0-8020-8678-0.
Further reading[edit]
Hesse, Hans (editor) Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi-Regime: 1933-1945
Reynaud, Michael. The Jehovah's Witnesses and the Nazis: Persecution, Deportation, and Murder, 1933-1945
Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity, ISBN 0-689-10728-5
Judith Tydor Baumel, Walter Laqueur:The Holocaust Encyclopedia, ISBN 0-300-08432-3
Michael Berenbaum,The World Must Know: The History of the Holocaust as Told in United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, ISBN 0-316-09134-0
External links[edit]
[1] - Official Site of Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses under Nazism and Communism - List of books
Jehovah's Witnesses under dictatorships - List of Internet resources
The Case of the Jehovah's Witnesses - Shoah Resource Center - Yad Vashem
Non-Jewish Victims of Persecution in Nazi Germany - About the Holocaust - Yad Vashem
English Translation of "Declaration of Facts"
English Translation of Declaration of Facts Cover Letter
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Memorial and Museum AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU
Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies


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Categories: Nazi Germany and Christianity
Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses
Christian nonviolence
The Holocaust





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