Knowra Jehovah’s Witnesses Jehovah’s Witnesses Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian religious movement organized around Bible study, door-to-door evangelism, and worship of Jehovah. They reject the Trinity, refuse military service, and expect God’s Kingdom to replace human governments.
Jehovah : Jehovah is the English form of a traditional rendering of the Hebrew name of God, YHWH. Witnesses use this name for God and make its public use central to their identity.
Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses : The Governing Body is the central leadership group of Jehovah’s Witnesses, directing doctrine and worldwide organizational activity. It coordinates the movement’s teachings, publications, and congregational oversight.
Charles Taze Russell : Charles Taze Russell was an American religious leader who founded the Bible Student movement in the late nineteenth century. His Bible study groups formed the movement’s organizational and doctrinal precursors.
Trinity : The Trinity is the Christian doctrine that one God exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Witnesses reject this doctrine and regard Jesus as distinct from and subordinate to Jehovah.
Religious objection to military service : Religious objection to military service is refusal to serve in armed forces because of religious conviction. Witness neutrality has made conscientious objection a recurring issue for members and governments.
Biblical literalism : Biblical literalism interprets Scripture as authoritative, often favoring its plain or historical sense. Witnesses treat the Bible as the ultimate authority while interpreting many passages through their own doctrinal framework.
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society : The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is a legal corporation used by Jehovah’s Witnesses for publishing and organizational work. Its publishing role helped distribute the movement’s literature internationally.
Bible Student movement : The Bible Student movement was a nineteenth-century religious movement associated with Charles Taze Russell and his publications. Jehovah’s Witnesses developed from this movement, though not all Bible Students joined the later organization.
Pacifism : Pacifism is opposition to war and, in some forms, to all violence. Witness refusal of military service arises from religious neutrality, though it is not identical to every form of pacifism.
West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette : West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette was a 1943 U.S. Supreme Court case protecting students from compelled flag salutes. The case arose after Jehovah’s Witness children refused a mandatory school flag salute.
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