In a pattern that continued into the twenty-first century, his students, called "publishers," distributed literature door-to-door, sometimes using phonographs and dioramas. 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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