The Practice of Jehovah's Witnesses is based on biblical interpretation of Charles Taze Russell, founder of the Bible Student movement, and successive President of the Watchtower Society, Joseph Franklin Rutherford and Nathan Homer Knorr. Since 1976 they have also been based on decisions made at closed meetings of the Governing Body of the group. Instructions on acceptable activities and behavior are disseminated through the Watchtower of other official magazines and publications, and at convention and congregational meetings.
Jehovah's Witnesses seek to remain "apart from the world", which is considered a place of moral contamination and under the control of Satan, rejects political and military activity and limits social contact with non-Witnesses. Members practice strict moral code, which prohibits premarital and homosexual sex, adultery, smoking, drinking and drug abuse, and blood transfusions. Discipline within the congregation is administered by the system of the judiciary committee, which has the power to expel members who violate organizational rules and demand their exclusion by other Witnesses. The threat of exclusion also serves to deter other members of the dissident's behavior.
Members are expected to participate regularly in evangelistic work and attend all regular, highly structured and material-based regular conventions and conventions from the Watchtower Society publications.
Video Jehovah's Witnesses practices
Worship
Meetings for worship and study are held at the Royal Hall, and are open to the public. Witnesses are assigned to the hearing in which their "territory" resides and is expected to attend weekly meetings as scheduled by the Watchtower Society and the presiding councilors. The meeting was mostly aimed at studying the doctrine of the Bible and Witnesses. During the meeting and in other formal situations, the Witness referred to each other as "Brother" and "Brother". Sociologist Andrew Holden claimed the meeting created an atmosphere of uniformity for the Witness, intensifying their sense of belonging to the religious community, and strengthening the plausibility of the organizational belief system. He said that they are also important in helping new converts adopt a different way of life. According to the Watchtower , one of the roles of frequency and duration of meetings is to protect the Witness from "getting involved in world affairs."
The shape and content of meetings are formed by the Brooklyn denomination headquarters, generally involving consideration of the same subject matter around the world every week. Two meetings each week are divided into five different sections, lasting a total of about four hours. The meeting was opened and closed with a song of praise and a short prayer delivered from the platform. Witnesses are urged to prepare all meetings by studying the Watchtower literature from which the content is taken and searching for the scriptures cited in the article. Kingdom Hall is usually functional, and does not contain religious symbols. Every year, Witnesses from several congregations, who form "series", gather for two services one day; some circuits meet once a year for a three-day "regional convention," and every few years the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses organizes an "international convention" in selected cities around the world. These larger meetings are usually held in stadiums or rented auditoriums. The most important and serious event is the celebration of "Lord's Supper", or "Memorial of Christ's Death".
Weekend meetings
Weekend meetings, usually held on Sundays, consist of a 30-minute public sermon by a council speaker or minister minister and an hour of question-and-answer Bible study articles from the Watchtower magazine, with questions prepared by the Institute Watchtower and answers provided in the magazine. Members can use their own words to express ideas in printed material, although personal ideas derived from independent studies are not recommended.
Mid-week meetings, usually held in the evenings, include various question and answer sessions based on Watchtower Society publications, Bible readings, and examples of presentations on how to use Watch Tower Watch institutes for Bible study and public sermons.
Memorial of Christ's death
Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate Christ's death as a ransom or "sacrificial sacrifice" by observing the Lord's Supper, or Warning. They celebrate it once a year, noting that it was instituted at Easter, an annual festival. They observed it in Nisan 14 according to the Jewish-Jewish Jewish calendar. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that this is the only celebration the Bible commands Christians.
Of those who attended the Memorial, a small minority throughout the world took part of unleavened bread and wine. This is because Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the majority of the faithful have worldly hopes. Only those who believe they have the heavenly hope, the "remnant" (the living) of the 144,000 "anointed", partake of the bread and wine. By 2015, the number of people who participate worldwide is 15,177, while the number of attendees is 19,862,783.
The Memorial, which takes place after sunset, includes talks on the meaning of celebration and circulation among the audiences of pure red wine and unleavened bread. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that bread symbolizes the body of Jesus Christ that he gives in the name of mankind, and that wine symbolizes his redeeming blood from sin. They do not believe in transubstantiation or consubstantiation. Since many congregations do not have an anointed member, it is common for no one to partake of bread and wine.
Assemblies and conventions
Every year, Jehovah's Witnesses hold two "Circuit Circuits" one day, held at every circuit around the world. Each series consists of several assemblies in a geographical area. It is held at the Worship Hall owned by Jehovah's Witnesses, or at a rental facility, such as a public auditorium. Once a year, Jehovah's Witnesses gather at a larger service called the "Regional Convention" which usually lasts three days (Friday to Sunday). These meetings consist mainly of Bible-based sermons, including demonstrations and experiences of their preaching work. They also often feature video presentations and live performances, costumed dramas that revive the biblical story - such as Moses and the Plagues of Egypt, and Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah - or contemporary arrangements based on biblical principles. Every few years, the "International Convention" is held in selected cities, with delegations of guests from other countries. The attendance at some of these international conventions has exceeded one hundred thousand; The 1958 international devotion in New York at Yankee Stadium and Polo Grounds has a peak attendance exceeding 253,000.
Maps Jehovah's Witnesses practices
Evangelism
Jehovah's Witnesses believe they are under obligation to God to "bear witness" by participating in organized and spontaneous evangelism and evangelistic work. Prospective members are told that they have a moral obligation to serve as "publishers" with "regular and passionate" participation in the preaching work done by the Witnesses, spreading the doctrine of the Watchtower as the "Truth" evangelist. Qualification as an "unbaptized announcer" is a requirement for baptism, and baptism is regarded as an automatic ordination as minister. Watch Tower publications describe home-to-home visits as the main work of Jehovah's Witnesses in obedience to the "divine command" to proclaim "the good news of the Kingdom throughout the earth and (making) disciples of all nations". Children usually accompany their parents and participate in public services. In addition to participating in house-to-house preaching, Witnesses are taught that they should seek an opportunity to "informally testify" by starting a conversation with people they encounter during routine activities such as shopping or public transport, and directing conversation to beliefs they.
Witnesses are told that they must prioritize the interests of the Kingdom of God first in their lives and that secular pursuits and other recreations must remain secondary to spiritual matters. Witnesses are often instructed through the publication of the Watchtower Society, and at meetings and conventions, to improve the quality and quantity of their preaching efforts. The Watchtower Society publications show that resilience in public sermons is a requirement for the Witness to obtain salvation, and that evangelization frees them from guilt over those who may die at Armageddon without hearing about the kingdom of God.
Members committed to evangelization for 840 hours per year (on average 70 hours per month) are called ordinary pioneers . Those who commit to evangelize for 50 hours during a month are called extra pioneers , which they can do for months in a row. Some Witnesses volunteer for missionaries, and may be invited to receive special training at the Watchtower Gilead Bible School. These individuals dedicate, on average, over 120 hours per month to their work. Members who can not 'pioneer' are told they can defend "pioneer spirits," spending as much time as possible in preaching and by supporting the efforts of the pioneers.
Special residential "territory" maps for residential and commercial areas are set up within the boundaries of each court area and distributed to the broadcasters responsible for preaching in the area. Witnesses are instructed to complete monthly slip reports on their preaching activities, lists of hours spent, publications housed with householders, and number of "return visits" made to households where interest has been indicated previously. The report is used to help measure the "spirituality" of individuals and to establish the worthiness of men as elders of congregations and ministers of service. A Witness who fails to report for a month is called an "irregular publisher"; people who have not submitted fieldwork reports for six consecutive months are referred to as "inactive publishers".
Witnesses, in the past, used various methods to spread their faith, including the information parade, where members wore sandwich boards and distributed leaflets, to car sounds (car-mounted phonographs), and syndicated newspaper columns and radio segments devoted to sermon. Between 1924 and 1957, the organization operated the radio station, WBBR, from New York. Since 2011, Witnesses have been involved in "public testimony" in the districts and metropolitan fairs using desks, carts, and lecture displays. The Watchtower Foundation operates a website, JW.org, which provides access to Watchtower literature and streaming video.
Literature Watch Tower Society
Jehovah's Witnesses often use the Watchtower Society's literature, including books, magazines, booklets and leaflets, to spread their beliefs and to use as textbooks at their religious meetings. Publications are produced in many languages, with small selections available in 500 languages. Their main journal, Watchtower is published simultaneously in nearly two hundred languages ​​and, together with Awake! , available in audio and electronic formats. The problems of these two publications are aggregated annually into the bound volumes, and are added annually to the Watchtower Library , which contains numerous Witnesses publications from 1950 onwards, and is officially available to baptized members only. New books, brochures and other items were released at their annual convention. In addition, a number of audio tapes, videotapes, and DVDs have been produced explaining the group's beliefs, practices, organizations, and histories. Some of them also provide dramas based on biblical stories. Since 1942 all the Watchtower literature has been published anonymously.
Publications were sold to the public until the early 1990s, from which they were offered for free, with a request for donations. The policy change was first announced in the United States in February 1990, following the disappearance of a case before the US Supreme Court by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries on the issue of sales tax exemption for religious groups. The Watchtower Society has joined this case as Amicus curiae, or "friend of the court". The court ruling will result in the Watchtower Society having to pay millions of dollars in sales tax if their sales litur continues.
Witnesses are urged to prepare for a trial meeting by studying the Watchtower's assigned literature, and are expected to read all magazines and books published by the Society. One analysis noted that each year the Witness is expected to read over 3,000 pages of Institutional publications, in accordance with the recommended program for personal learning. Most of the liters are broadly illustrated, with sociologist Andrew Holden observing the utopian, post-Armageddon images of happy Witnesses in bright sunlight and pure surroundings, often playing with previous wild animals such as lions and tigers, in contrast to colored drawings dark unprofitable. activities such as murder, robbery and promiscuity that highlight the moral hazards outside the organization.
Conversions
People who want to be baptized as Jehovah's Witnesses are required to attend a systematic and catechetical Bible study course, usually in their home, for several months. They will be expected to attend the meetings at the Kingdom Hall and also have to show their willingness to do the service at the door. Before baptism, they will be asked by the elders to ensure that they understand and accept the Witnesses' beliefs, and also that they receive the atonement sacrifice of Jesus and repent of sin and have given personal service to God. Baptism is usually done in ponds in assemblies and conventions. At this baptism, the candidates make a "public statement" of their previous dedication to God. The speaker asked the candidate the following two questions.
- "On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?"
- "Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in relation to an organization directed against the spirit of God?"
After the candidates agree on the two questions, they march to undergo water immersion, usually in sequence, often with hundreds of people being baptized in large conventions.
Sociologist James Beckford reported two distinctive distinguishing features of the conversion process when linked by Jehovah's Witnesses. He says that they usually speak of their conversion experience as a continuous development of the mental state in which Witnesses "work for" their conversion with a methodical confrontation with intellectual hurdles and by a deliberate program of self-reform. Conversion is not represented as something that happens to them, it is framed as something they accomplish . "Beckford noted that the people he interviewed regarded a sudden, emotional upheaval in religious consciousness as a suspect:" The sudden mixed or idiosyncratic experience/revelation can not be reconciled with either the tenor of God's historical practice or the nature of his special agreement with the Watchtower Society.. "
He also finds striking differences with other churches in the general attribution of responsibility for conversion to "spiritual guidance... people who act as intermediaries with the Watchtower movement and who oversee the early process of learning and reform". Beckford quoted a "representative of many people" interview in which a convert called at first rejected the Watchtower Society's teaching until he was "talked about to make serious lessons about the scriptures... I have many objections and believe the Witnesses are wrong, but ( Witness who leads a private Bible study session) shows me how the facts of the Bible can not be blamed.
Minister and ordination
Jehovah's Witnesses consider as "servants" all followers who have been approved to engage in official evangelism. Witnesses regard their baptism as ordination; unbaptized broadcaster is considered a "regular minister" while a baptized publisher is regarded as an ordained minister. Witnesses acknowledge that many government and administrative precedents for ministers are not intended to include all active followers. For example, only elders express the ecclesiastical privileges and privileges of confessions.
Only men can be appointed as elders and servants of ministry (their term for deacon), and only baptized men can preside at weddings, funerals, and baptisms. A Witness minister of women can only lead the prayers and teachings of the congregation in an unusual circumstance, and must wear a headdress while doing so. Outside the congregation, a female servant also wears a headgear when she leads spiritual instruction in the presence of her husband, in the view of a complementary Christian. Women's head hugs are not required for other forms of teaching, or when participating in congregational meetings led by others. Several courts and government agencies have acknowledged that full-time Jehovah's Witnesses, such as "pioneers" and those of religious faith, are eligible to obtain minister's exceptions regardless of sex.
Discipline
Formal discipline is administered by elders of the session. In the case of serious sinful accusations against baptized members, if there is sufficient evidence, a court or court committee is established to determine errors, administer assistance and may impose sanctions.
Disfellowshipping is the most heavily disciplined form given. Before taking this step, the judicial committee must determine that the individual has committed "serious sin" and that there is no evidence of true repentance. To judge that repentance is genuine, members of the judicial committee ask questions and review the actions of defendant members. Baptized members who spread doctrines contrary to the doctrine of Jehovah's Witnesses may be dismissed for apostasy, and a letter from 1981 to the overseer - reproduced in a book by former Board member Raymond Franz - directed that a member "believes in doctrine others ", without even promoting such beliefs, may also be subject to dismissal. Once the dismissal decision has been made, a person has seven days to appeal; afterwards, if the person does not file an appeal, the dismissal will be announced to the congregation; dismissal is not valid until the announcement is made to the hearing. After a person is excommunicated, the person is shunned by all members who have been baptized. Exceptions include cases in which a member is forced to engage in a commercial transaction with a dismissed member, or if the dismissed member resides with a baptized family member. In these cases, the Witness is not allowed to speak on religious matters, except in the case of parents conducting Bible studies with dismissed children. The extent to which disfellowshipped or disassociated relatives who live in the same house belonging to family life are left to family wisdom. Family members who live outside the fired home have minimal contact.
Reproof involves a sin that can lead to disfellowshipping. People who are considered "truly converted" are rebuked instead of being ostracized. Reproofs are given "before all audiences", based on their interpretation of 1 Timothy 5:20. If sin is personal, rebuke involves only the individuals involved. If sin is known in general by the whole congregation or society, an announcement is made to inform the congregation that the person has been rebuked. Later, without revealing personal names or details, one of the elders gave a separate lecture to ensure that the congregation understood the sin, the danger, and how to avoid it. The reviled individual has several privileged privileges, until the elder decides that the member has regained the "spiritual strength." Limitations may include not sharing in the meeting section, not commenting on parts of the meeting, and not praying for the group. The length of the restriction depends on the parents. One can not "pioneer" or "extra pioneer" for at least a year after a reprimand is given.
Marking is practiced if one's actions are considered a violation of biblical principles, reflects badly on the congregation, but not a fired offense. That person is very counseling. If, after repeated counseling sessions, the person is still pursuing an annoying path, he may be 'flagged', involving an announcement stating that the action is wrong, without mentioning the person involved. Members of the congregation restrict social contact with that person. The goal is to embarrass the person to correct their actions. Individuals "Marked" are not removed at all, but social contact is minimized.
Family life
The family structure is patriarchal. The husband is regarded as the ultimate authority of the family decision, as the head of his family. Marriage must be monogamous. Wives should submit to their husbands and husbands should have profound respect and love for their wives. Husbands are instructed to treat their wives as Jesus treated his followers. He should not hurt or persecute his family in any way. The father has to work hard in providing the needs for his family. He must also provide for them in a spiritual capacity. These include religious teaching for the family, and lead in preaching activities. Discipline of parents for children should not be in a cruel and cruel way. Children are instructed to obey their parents.
Married couples are encouraged to talk to local elders if they have problems. Married couples can split up in cases of physical abuse and neglect, or if one partner is trying to prevent others from becoming a Jehovah's Witness. Married again after divorce is allowed only on the basis of adultery, based on their understanding of Jesus' words in Matthew 5:32 and Matthew 19: 9.
Morality
Jehovah's Witnesses demand a high standard of morality in their ranks. Their views on sexual behavior reflect conservative Christian views. Abortion is considered a murder. Homosexuality, premarital sex, and extramarital sex are considered "serious sin". Smoking (including electronic cigarettes), drug abuse, and drunkenness are prohibited, although alcohol is allowed in moderation. Simplicity in dress and grooming is often emphasized. Entertainment that promotes unscrupulous themes, "demons", or violence is considered inappropriate. Members are warned that personal care such as beards, long hair or earrings for men, or other dress or grooming styles may "make" the consciences of others.
Gambling by making money through other people's losses is seen as a "form of greed," and is prohibited. Trading of shares, stocks and bonds is deemed acceptable.
Blood
Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that the Bible forbids the consumption, storage, and transfusion of blood, based on their understanding of the scriptures such as Leviticus 17:10, 11: "I will certainly put my face upon the one who is eating the blood" and Acts 15:29 : "keep away from... blood." This point of view is applied even in an emergency. The Watchtower introduced this view in 1945, and has grown ever since. Thus, the organization has established Hospital Information Service (HIS), which provides education and facilitation of bloodless operation. The service also maintains the Hospital Liaison Committee, which supports adherents facing surgery and informs the medical community of bloodless and alternative bloodless surgery techniques.
Although accepted by most members, some within the community of Jehovah's Witnesses do not support the doctrine.
Dutch anthropologist Richard Singelenberg has advised the Watchtower Society ban on blood transfusions - as well as its decrees against alliances with outsiders - rooted in religious desire to maintain a state of communal purity worthy of divine gifts. He noted: "The rules of pollution and purity are instrumental in creating structural boundaries around group members, and more specifically when formulated into divine rules, the clearer the dividing line between the faithful and those excluded."
Spiritual battles
The Watchtower Society publications teach that the Witnesses engage in "spiritual, theocratic warfare" against false teachings and the forces of evil that they say try to deter them in their preaching work. Based on their interpretation of Ephesians 6: 10-20, they believe their "spiritual wars" are championed with the truth, the truth, the "good news of peace", faith, the hope of salvation, the word and the prayer of God. They have advocated the use of "theocratic war strategy" to protect the interests of God's purposes, which will include hiding the truth from God's "enemies" by denying or holding up honest information or incriminating those who are not legally entitled to know it. Watchtower told the Witness: "It is appropriate to cover our arrangements for the work the Lord commands us to do If the wolf enemy draws the wrong conclusions from our maneuver to deceive him, no harm has been done. them by the innocent, innocent lambs in their motives as pigeons. "
Severability
Jehovah's Witnesses are told that they must remain "apart from the world" in harmony with Jesus' description of his followers in John 17: 14-16. The Watchtower publication defines "the world" as "the mass of mankind separated from Jehovah's approved servants" and teaches that it is governed by Satan and the place of danger and moral contamination. Witnesses manifest the beliefs of those who leave the world in many ways. They avoid involvement in social controversies, remain politically neutral, and do not seek public office. The Watchtower Society states that voting in political elections is a decision of personal conscience, although a Witness who takes any action considered "a violation of Christian neutrality" may face religious sanctions. They refused participation in ecumenical and interreligious activities, distanced themselves from celebrating religious festivals, and rejected many of the customs they claimed to have pagan origins. They do not work in military-related industries, nor serve in the military service, and refuse national military service, which in some countries may lead to their arrest and imprisonment. They do not salute or promise loyalty to the national flag or sing the national anthem or other patriotic songs.
Witnesses are urged to minimize their social contact with non-members, even if they have "decent qualities", because of the perceived danger of worldly associations. Sociologist Andrew Holden states that they are very selective in choosing with whom they spend their spare time, generally choosing other Witnesses companies. Many Witnesses interviewed by Holden reported tension and exclusion at work due to their religious beliefs. He reports that many of the converted Jehovah's Witnesses require social adjustment as they gradually reduce contact with non-Witness friends. Relationships with persons outside the organization, usually referred to by the Witnesses as "worldly" and "not in the Truth", are only acceptable if viewed as an opportunity to preach and the Witnesses are under enormous pressure from the Society to show people beyond that they are people of high moral fiber. Holden claims that as a result, Witnesses who work with "worldly" associates tend to adhere strongly to the teachings of the Watchtower.
Sociologist Ronald Lawson has suggested that it is the intellectual isolation and group organization - coupled with strong indoctrination of adherents, rigid internal discipline and great persecution - that has contributed to the consistency of its sense of urgency in its apocalyptic message.
Celebrations
Marriages, birthdays, and funerals are observed, although they avoid combining certain traditions they see have pagan origins. Watchtower has declared that the use of a Witness's wedding ring is acceptable, although the wedding ring may be first used by unbelievers, based on its conclusion that there is no conclusive evidence that a wedding ring is used "as part of practice false practices religion "(emphasis from the original). Witnesses usually observed the days of marriage, with the Watchtower Society noting that wedding anniversaries do not seem to originate from pagan origins.
Other public celebrations and religious or national holidays such as birthdays, Halloween, Easter and Christmas are not celebrated because they believe that this continues to involve "false beliefs or religious activities." The Watchtower Society set aside the Mother's Day celebrations because of the relationship claimed by pagan gods and the fear that giving "honor and special worship" to mothers is a form of "cult of beings" that can keep people away from God. It also directs Witnesses to avoid May Day, New Year's Day, and Valentine's Day celebrations because of their pagan origins.
Their opposition to birthdays is said to be based on how the Bible presents it. Watch Watch Society notes that the only anniversary celebration explicitly mentioned in the Bible is the unnamed celebration of Pharaoh and Herod Antipas, and both are related to the death penalty, and the two celebrants are not God's servants. Although some churches interpret Job 1: 4 to show the birthday of Job's children, Jehovah's Witnesses interpret it as a series of parties from one house to the next. The Bible does not show Jesus or his apostles celebrating birthdays and the Watchtower claims no record of the date of the birth of Jesus or his apostles showing that "God does not want us to celebrate one of these birthdays."
Construction
International and regional development teams often construct Kingdom Hall for one or two weekends, called "quick development". Larger construction projects, including the construction of regional Buddhist Hall and Betel offices, factories, shelters, warehouses, and agricultural facilities were also carried out almost entirely by volunteer members.
Humanitarian efforts
Jehovah's Witnesses provide relief aid in disaster-stricken areas for its members and others around it. Drugs and clothing were provided to both the Hutu and Tutsi Witnesses during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. After Hurricane Katrina, they helped rebuild the houses of Witnesses and others. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses uses the "Regional Development Committee" to oversee aid efforts around the world.
Funding activities
Jehovah's Witnesses fund their activities, such as publishing, building and operating facilities, evangelism, and disaster relief through donations. No tithe or collection, but on special occasions, members are reminded to donate to the organization; Witnesses usually provide opportunities for community members to contribute when they meet with them in their preaching work. The donation boxes labeled for several purposes are located in the Royal Hall and other meeting facilities. Generally there is a donation box for local operational costs, Royal Hall funds to assist Witnesses around the world to build Kingdom Hall, and general funds for "World Work", which includes literature printing, convention organizations, missionary support and disaster relief, and fees other operations of the organization.
The accounts (including donations) and financial operations of the local congregation are reviewed monthly and posted on the bulletin boards. Donations are also received by mail, and the Watchtower Bible Institution and Treaty can be referred to as beneficiaries for plantations, and also receive donations in the form of life insurance policies, pension plans, bank accounts, certificates of deposit, pension accounts, stocks and bonds, real estate, annuities and trusts.
References
Bibliography
- Chryssides, George D. (2008). Historical Dictionary of Jehovah's Witnesses . Scarecrow Press, Rowman & amp; Littlefield. ISBN: 978-0-8108-6074-2.
- Franz, Raymond (2002). Crisis of Conscience (4th ed.). Press Comment. ISBN: 0-914675-24-9. Frances, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom (2nd ed.). Press Comment. ISBN: 0-914675-17-6.
- Holden, Andrew (2002). Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of Contemporary Religious Movement . Routledge. ISBNÃ, 0-415-26610-6.
- Penton, James M. (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses (2nd ed.). University of Toronto Press. ISBNÃ, 0-8020-7973-3.
External links
- Official Site
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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