In that light, Maria serves for Jehovah's Witnesses as a cautionary example of a rebellious wife and a woman exceeding her authority as prescribed in the Bible. 5:22 –24), and that she does not have authority to refuse sexual relations with her husband ( 1 Cor. Witnesses teach that a wife should respect and obey her husband as head of the family, whether he is a Christian or not ( Eph. In 1903 Maria published a tract with allegations of immoral conduct by Charles and initiated divorce proceedings, which were completed in 1908. The specific problem, according to the Watchtower Society, was that Maria "sought to secure for herself a stronger voice in directing what would appear in the Watch Tower " and resisted the editorial policy that required Charles's approval of the entire contents of every issue ( Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993, p. 143) critics charge that she was asserting her right to independent judgment. While Watchtower historians claim she was motivated by "her own desire for personal prominence" ( Jehovah's Witnesses: Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, 1993, p. His contentious divorce from Maria Ackley Russell arose from conflicts over her authority in the organization, resulting in her removal as associate editor of the Watch Tower (the original two-word spelling of the organization's journal). He based some of his biblical interpretations on analyses of the Great Pyramid, he was committed to Zionism as a necessary condition for the fulfillment of prophecy, and he was accused of fraud in a commercial venture.
Russell's personal life was marked by controversies. In 1909 Russell established operations in Brooklyn, New York, in a complex of buildings called Bethel, where Jehovah's Witnesses still serve as volunteers. 21:24), an event he later believed occurred with the onset of World War I. Russell taught that the "presence" of Christ would begin to dawn with the end of Gentile domination over Israel (prophesied in Lk. In a pattern that continued into the twenty-first century, his students, called "publishers," distributed literature door-to-door, sometimes using phonographs and dioramas.
JEHOVAH WITNESS RELIGION SERIES
Russell wrote prolifically, including a six-volume series of books called Millennial Dawn (1886 –1904). His followers, known popularly as "Russellites," gave him the honorary title of "Pastor." Russell traveled extensively, giving lectures on Bible prophecy and holding audiences spellbound with his dramatic oratory and charismatic presence. In 1884 he organized his readers, who met in small congregations of Bible students, into the Zion Watch Tower and Tract Society, and he began holding annual conventions in 1891. Russell began publishing his views in 1879 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, in a monthly journal called Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence. He was attracted to the Adventist teaching that Christ had returned in 1874 as an invisible presence, inaugurating a forty-year period of gathering true Christians. Jehovah's Witnesses trace the origin of their movement to Charles Taze Russell (1852 –1916), who was raised in the Presbyterian tradition but became dissatisfied with Calvinist doctrines of original sin, everlasting punishment of unbelievers, and predestination. Over 80 percent of the members live outside the United States, with concentrations in Canada, Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, and Scandinavia. In 2002, Jehovah's Witnesses reported an active membership of over six million people in 234 countries. The vision of a perfect world order, in which people of all ethnic origins live in peace and justice in an earth restored to pristine condition, attracts followers across the globe. In the apocalyptic battle of Armageddon, Christ will destroy all human governments and establish the millennial kingdom of God. In matters of faith and practice, Jehovah's Witnesses submit to the theocratic authority of the Watchtower Society.Ĭentral to Watchtower teaching is the belief that Jesus Christ will soon rule as king over the earth from heaven in fulfillment of prophecies. They fulfill the responsibility to witness by distributing literature, leading Bible studies, attending congregational meetings, and maintaining separation from secular culture. 83:18), and that as believers they are his "witnesses" ( Is. The organization adopted the name Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931 to emphasize the belief that the most accurate translation of the personal name of God in the Hebrew Scriptures is "Jehovah" ( Ps. Like other sectarian Protestant groups founded in the later nineteenth century, they claim to restore Christianity to its original doctrines and practices. JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES are one of the few religious movements that originated in the United States.
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