Jehovah’s Witnesses - Part I

Everyone has experienced the knock at the door by someone associated with the Jehovah Witnesses. They want to talk about God, possibly offer to sell you some of their literature. We quickly learn these people are sincere, zealous, and knowledgeable people. But we ask who are these people? And what do they believe? Beginning with this article an examination of these people will be made. The series begins with an examination of their historical background, followed by a look at their major doctrinal teachings.

Charles Taze Russell was born in 1852 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. He was raised by Presbyterian parents but at age 15 he left them to attend a Congregation church. This relationship was short lived as he left at age 17 espousing skepticism. At 18 he began meeting with an Adventist group which lasted 5 years. At that time he and several followers broke with the group and began what came to be known later as the Jehovah’s Witnesses. 1884 is the date claimed by the group, as this was the year they received their legal charter. Property was purchased in Allegheny which served as the organization’s headquarters until they were moved to Brooklyn, New York.

Russell was deeply interested in end time prophecies connected with the Lord’s return and eternal destiny. He wrote a six-volume set of books between 1886 and 1904 known as Studies in the Scriptures. In addition to the books published, he also began the publishing arm of the group that is still going strong. The importance of Russell’s writings for the Jehovah Witnesses is illustrated by the following from Russell’s pen:

If the six volumes of "Scripture Studies" are practically the Bible, topically arranged with the Bible proof texts given, we might not improperly name the volumes "the Bible in an arranged form," that is to say, they are not mere comments on the Bible, but they are practically the Bible itself. Furthermore, not only do we find that people can not see the divine plan in studying the Bible by itself, but we see, also, that if anyone lays the Scripture Studies aside, even after he has used them, after he has become familiar with them, after he has read them for ten years--if he then lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness On the other hand, if he had merely read the Scripture Studies with their references and had not read a page of the Bible as such, he would be in the light at the end of two years, because he would have the light of the Scriptures.1

Charles Taze Russell claimed his writings are more important than the Bible in finding one’s way out of spiritual darkness. This man’s attitude toward his writings illustrates the attitude of the society toward Bible study: you need their materials to understand the Bible.

(1) Charles Taze Russell, The Watchtower Society, September 15, 1910, page 298 (quoted in Understanding the Cults, by McDowell and Stewart, page 57).