Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian denomination founded in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell. His successor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, oversaw their transition from congregationalist style organization to being centrally organized. The members are known for their racially diverse, close-knit brotherhood and door-to-door evangelizing.

Jehovah's Witnesses adopted their current name in 1931. They were originally known as Bible Students. During the transition period under Rutherford, a group split off keeping this original name or becoming known as Russelites. Jehovah's Witness headquarters are located in Brooklyn, New York. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., is their main legal representative. As of the year 2001, Jehovah's Witnesses claim a world-wide membership of more than 6.1 million active individuals.

The Witnesses teachings are mainly presented through two monthly journals, published simultaneously in many languages. The Awake!, published in more than 80 languages, is a general-interest magazine covering many topics. The Watchtower, published in more than 130 languages, focuses mainly on doctrine. At their yearly conventions, new books, pamphlets, and other items pertaining to current church doctrine are usually released.

Throughout their history, many have found their doctrines and practices controversial. The public and extensive nature of their evangelizing work has escalated controversy against them to the point of mob action, government oppression--including being targeted in the Holocaust--and widespread criticism from members of other faiths. Such criticism has become an entire genre with the advent of the Web.

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