Religion

Jehovah Witness

Tyisha Hammond

Strayer University

Religion 212

Jacqueline Trussell

December 9, 2011

The religion sect I chose was Jehovah’s Witnesses. The person I interviewed was Kyna Ferebee, who is a member of the church Kingdom Hall in Baltimore, MD. I will first begin talking about the background of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and then elaborate on the interview I conducted with Kyna Ferebee and the place of worship.

Many of us are familiar with the religion called Jehovah’s Witness. Jehovah’s Witnesses are an apocalyptic and significant offshoot of Christianity that places the literal meaning of the Bible at the center of belief and practice. “Jehovah” is the personal name that refers to the almighty God and Creator of the universe. This denomination differs significantly from traditional Christianity. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not usually considered a part of the three traditional branches of Christianity (Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox) because of their denial of essential Christian doctrines. Although many mainstream Christian churches do not accept the Witnesses fully, this offshoot embodies many Christian and non-Christian elements and is a growing denomination. Jehovah’s Witnesses was started by Charles Taze Russell. He was born on February 16, 1852 and is the son of Joseph and Anna Russell. He started the organization in 1872 when he had difficulty agreeing with many doctrines of Christianity. Doctrines he did not agree with included those of eternal hell fire, eternal punishment, Trinity (God as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and the deity of Christ. In 1879 Russell began his quest to universalize his ideas on doctrines by co-publishing a magazine called The Herald of the Morning. By 1884, Russell founded what is today called the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. This society produces its own magazines called Watchtower and Awake! These magazines are still in circulation today and are written in 66 different...