1958 Convention Of Jehovah 39;s Witnesses

[Silvina Spindler]

Jehovahs Witnesses endeavor to remain "separate from the world",[2] which they regard as a place of moral contamination and under the control of Satan. Witnesses refuse to participate in any political and military activity and are told to limit social contact with non-Witnesses.[3] The denomination requires adherence to a strict moral code, which forbids premarital sex, homosexuality, gender transitioning,[4] adultery, smoking, drunkenness and drug abuse, and blood transfusions.[5]

A system of judicial committees maintains discipline within congregations, exercising the power to expel members who breach the denomination's rules and to demand their shunning by other Witnesses.[6] The threat of shunning also serves to deter members from dissident behavior.[7]

Meetings for worship and study are held at Kingdom Halls, and are open to the public. Witnesses are assigned to a congregation in which "territory" they reside. They are expected to attend weekly meetings as scheduled by the Watch Tower Society and congregation elders. The meetings are largely devoted to study of the Bible and Witness doctrines.[9] During meetings and in other formal circumstances, Witnesses refer to one another as "Brother" and "Sister".[10]

Sociologist Andrew Holden claims meetings create an atmosphere of uniformity for Witnesses, intensify their sense of belonging to a religious community, and reinforce the plausibility of the organization's belief system.[9] Holden states that they are also important in helping new converts adopt a different way of life.[9] According to The Watchtower, one role of the frequency and length of meetings is to protect Witnesses from becoming "involved in the affairs of the world".[11][12] Witnesses are told they "should never miss a meeting unless there is a serious reason".[13]

The form and content of the meetings is established by the denomination's New York headquarters, generally involving a consideration of the same subject matter worldwide each week.[9] Two meetings each week are divided into five distinct sections, lasting a total of about four hours. Meetings are opened and closed with hymns, which they refer to as Kingdom songs, and brief prayers delivered from the platform. Witnesses are urged to prepare for all meetings by studying Watch Tower Society literature from which the content is drawn and looking up the scriptures cited in the articles.[14]

Kingdom Halls are typically functional in character, and do not contain religious symbols.[9] Each year, Witnesses from several congregations, which form a "circuit", gather for two one-day assemblies. Several circuits meet once a year for a three-day "regional convention". Every few years the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses hold "international conventions" in selected cities around the world. These larger gatherings are usually held at rented stadiums or auditoriums. Their most important and solemn event is the celebration of the "Lord's Evening Meal", or "Memorial of Christ's Death".

The weekend meeting, usually held on Sunday, comprises a 30-minute public talk by a congregation elder or ministerial servant[16] and a one-hour question-and-answer study of a Bible-based article from The Watchtower magazine,[9] with questions prepared by the Watch Tower Society and the answers provided in the magazine.[17] Members may use their own words to express the ideas in the printed material,[18] though personal ideas derived from independent study are discouraged.[9][19]

The midweek meeting, typically held in the evening, includes a question-and-answer session based on Watch Tower Society publications,[9] Bible reading, sample presentations about how to use Watch Tower Society literature for Bible studies and public preaching,[20] and a "Congregation Bible Study" in the format of a question-and-answer session based on a Watch Tower Society publication.[21]

Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate Christ's death as a ransom or "propitiatory sacrifice" by observing the Lord's Evening Meal, or Memorial.[24] They celebrate it once per year, noting that it was instituted on the Passover, an annual festival.[25] They observe it on Nisan 14 according to the ancient Jewish lunisolar calendar.[26] Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that this is the only celebration the Bible commands Christians to observe.[27] In the days leading up to the Memorial, Bible reading is assigned from chapters about the days leading up to Jesus' death.

Of those who attend the Memorial, a small minority worldwide partake of the unleavened bread and wine. This is because Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the majority of the faithful have an earthly hope. Only those who believe they have a heavenly hope, the "remnant" (those still living) of the 144,000 "anointed", partake of the bread and wine.[24] In 2023, approximately 20.5 million people attended, and about 22,300 members partook.[28]

The Memorial, held after sunset, includes a talk on the meaning of the celebration and the circulation among the audience of unadulterated red wine and unleavened bread. Jehovah's Witnesses believe the bread symbolizes Jesus' body which he gave on behalf of mankind, and that the wine symbolizes his blood which redeems from sin. They do not believe in transubstantiation or consubstantiation.[24] Because many congregations have no members who claim to be anointed, it is common for no one to partake of the bread and wine.

Each year, Jehovah's Witnesses hold two one-day "Circuit Assemblies", held in each circuit worldwide. Each circuit comprises several congregations in a geographical area. These are held either in Assembly Halls owned by Jehovah's Witnesses, or in rented facilities, such as public auditoriums. Once a year, Jehovah's Witnesses gather at larger assemblies called "Regional Conventions" which are usually three days long, Friday to Sunday. These conventions consist primarily of Bible-based talks, dramatizations, and videos, including demonstrations and experiences of their preaching work.[29]

Conventions feature a baptism talk followed by the baptism of new members. Every few years, "International Conventions" are held in selected cities, with visiting delegates from other countries. Attendance at some of these international conventions has exceeded one hundred thousand. The 1958 international convention in New York at Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds had a peak attendance exceeding 253,000.[30]

Jehovah's Witnesses believe they are under obligation to God to "give witness" by participating in organized and spontaneous evangelizing and proselytizing work.[31][32] Prospective members are told they have a moral obligation to serve as "publishers" by "regular and zealous" participation in the Witnesses' organised preaching work, disseminating Watch Tower doctrines as evangelists of "the Truth".[31][33] Qualifying as an "unbaptized publisher" is a requirement for baptism,[33] and baptism is regarded as an automatic ordination as a minister.[34]

Watch Tower publications describe house-to-house visitations as the primary work of Jehovah's Witnesses[33] in obedience to a "divine command" to preach "the Kingdom good news in all the earth and (make) disciples of people of all the nations".[35] Children usually accompany their parents and participate in the public ministry.[36] In addition to taking part in organized door-to-door preaching, Witnesses are taught that they should seek opportunities to "witness informally" by starting conversations with people they meet during routine activities such as shopping or on public transport, and directing the conversation towards their beliefs.[37]

Witnesses are told that they should put the interests of "God's Kingdom" first in their lives and that other secular and recreational pursuits should remain secondary to spiritual matters.[38] Witnesses are frequently instructed through Watch Tower Society publications, and at meetings and conventions, to increase the quality and quantity of their preaching efforts.[39][40] Watch Tower Society publications suggest that endurance in public preaching is a requirement for Witnesses to attain salvation.[41]

Members who commit themselves to evangelize for 600 hours per year, an average of 50 hours per month, are called regular pioneers. Those who commit themselves to evangelize for 30 hours for one month are called auxiliary pioneers, which they may do for consecutive months. Some Witnesses volunteer for missionary service, and may be invited to receive specialized training at the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. These individuals dedicate, on average, more than 120 hours per month to their work.[42] Members who are not able to 'pioneer' are told they may maintain the "pioneer spirit", by spending as much time as they can in preaching and by supporting the efforts of pioneers.[43]

Witnesses have, in the past, used a wide variety of methods to spread their faith, including information marches, where members wore sandwich boards and handed out leaflets, to sound cars (car-mounted phonographs), and syndicated newspaper columns and radio segments devoted to sermons. Between 1924 and 1957, the organization operated a radio station, WBBR, from New York. Since 2011, the Witnesses have engaged in "public witnessing" in metropolitan districts and fairs using tables, carts, and literature displays. The Watch Tower Society operates a website, JW.org, which provides access to Watch Tower Society literature and video streaming.

Jehovah's Witnesses make extensive use of Watch Tower Society literature, including books, magazines, booklets and handbills, to spread their beliefs and to use as textbooks at their religious meetings. The publications are produced in many languages, with a small selection available in 500 languages. Their magazines, The Watchtower and Awake!, are published in hundreds of languages and in various electronic formats. Issues of both magazines are compiled annually into bound volumes.[49]

New books, brochures, and other items are released at their annual conventions. Various audio cassettes, videocassettes, and DVDs have been produced explaining the group's beliefs, practices, organization and history. Since 1942 all Watch Tower literature has been published anonymously.[50] Many Watch Tower Society publications from 1950 onward are available on the Watchtower Library DVD and online.[51]

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