Who are Jehovah's Witnesses, the community targeted in Kerala serial blasts

Jehovah's Witnesses, whose prayer meeting in Kochi was marred by devastating bomb blasts on Sunday, is a Christian sect known for its evangelical work. The group does not identify with other religious groups, and its followers worship "Jehovah" as "the one true and Almighty God, the Creator" and do not believe in the Holy Trinity — the doctrine that God exists in three equal persons of the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit.

According to a report by News18, Jehovah's Witnesses are considered an easy target, mainly due to their religious differences even within Christianity. The sect, which originated in the United States (US) in the 19th century, does not identify as Protestants.

 

Here is all you need to know about the Jehovah's Witnesses and their history.

Origin of Jehovah's Witnesses

The Christian religious group traces its origins to the Adventist movement in the 19th century in the US. This movement began in the 1830s, after Baptist preacher William Miller prophesied that Christ would return in March 1843. Miller garnered around 50,000 followers through this, but he kept pushing the prediction back – first to March 1844 and then October 1844. With each failed prediction, the movement splintered further.

Historians say that the Jehovah's Witnesses are considered an offshoot of the International Bible Students' Association, founded by Charles Taze Russell in Pittsburgh in 1872. 

According to Britannica, Russell propounded a theology that rejected the Holy Trinity, denying the divinity of Jesus Christ, and that hell was a place of eternal torment. Until 1931, the Witnesses were known as "Bible Students".

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Jehovah's Witnesses' official website, jw.org, states that they "come from hundreds of ethnic and language backgrounds, yet we are united by common goals. Above all, we want to honour Jehovah, the God of the Bible and the Creator of all things". The group states that it does its best to "imitate" Jesus Christ and is "proud to be called Christians".

According to Christianity.com, the group's name was derived from the "personal name of God" as found in the Bible. Since Jehovah's Witnesses focus on God the Father, their name is taken from the Tetragrammaton, written as YHWH or JHVH and articulated either as Yahweh or Jehovah. Their website states, "Jehovah is the personal name of God, as found in the Bible (Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18). A witness is a person who proclaims views or truths of which he is convinced."

Practices and beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses

Unlike other Christian groups, Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the Holy Trinity but instead worship Jehovah as the "the God of the Bible and the Creator of all things". Followers consider Jesus Christ as the son of God, rather than God himself. And since they learn from the teachings and examples set by Christ, they consider themselves Christians.

However, the group does not celebrate Christmas, Easter or other feasts as these are traditionally rooted in paganism, which they see as a form of idolatry. They also do not celebrate birthdays. 

In addition, the Witnesses do not use the cross during worship as they believe that the Bible portrays Jesus as dying on a simple stake and not on a cross.

The group adheres to strong social norms that forbid them from having blood transfusions and from divorce, except in the case of adultery. Members of the Jehovah's Witnesses are also known for making efforts to spread their beliefs among people outside their group.

The Witnesses believe that traditional Christian churches have veered from the true teachings of the Bible. It is a millennial faith, meaning its members believe that the end of the world is near and that God's kingdom will soon rule over the earth. Since their work is mostly based on preaching, the Witnesses go door-to-door to spread their evangelical beliefs.

The group has millions of followers all around the world. Its governing body is based in Warwick, New York, and the main body, which disseminates the sect's doctrines, is called the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, also headquartered in Warwick.

Known for its decentralised structure, Jehovah's Witnesses operates in local groups across various regions and lacks central leadership. The group is open to people of all faiths and castes, with all-inclusive prayer meetings.

Meetings are held twice a week in local 'Kingdom Halls', and they usually begin and conclude with songs and prayers. A 'Kingdom Hall' refers to a local meeting place where religious services are held. The members of the group believe that the Bible refers to worshippers — not the building — as the church. The Witnesses do not frequently organise mass prayer meetings or gatherings. A body of elders oversees each congregation.

Jehovah's Witnesses and blood transfusions

The Jehovah's Witnesses reject modern evolutionary theory and also oppose blood transfusions, saying that blood is sacred. In the last 20 years, a handful of cases involving parents refusing to allow their sick children to get blood transfusions have made headlines.

In 2012, an Australian court ordered the parents of a four-year-old girl with leukaemia to allow her a life-saving blood transfusion after doctors said she only had weeks to live.

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In 2008, a Canadian court ruled against a Jehovah's Witnesses couple who refused blood transfusions for their premature sextuplets.

And in 2013, a 17-year-old Australian cancer patient went to the New South Wales Supreme Court in an unsuccessful attempt to avoid a transfusion, which he claimed would breach his relationship with God.

The Witnesses have also lobbied doctors to adopt clinical strategies that minimise the need for blood transfusions.

Jehovah's Witnesses in India

According to the group official website, the community in India has 947 congregations and over 56,000 devoted ministers dedicated to sharing their interpretation of the Bible and promoting an understanding of God's kingdom. 

Due to the evangelical nature of their work, in India its members have been accused of trying to "convert" people.

"Jehovah's Witnesses have been present in India since 1905. They established an office in 1926 in Bombay [now Mumbai], and obtained legal registration in 1978. The Witnesses benefit from the guarantees of India's Constitution, which include the right to practice, profess, and propagate one's faith," the website states.

Jehovah's Witness hall shooting in Germany

Only in March this year, the Jehovah's Witness was in the news after a disturbed former member shot dead six Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany's Hamburg. He targeted the congregation at a meeting hall before turning the gun on himself.

The man, identified as 35-year-old Philipp F, was a businessman battling paranoia and had penned an apocalypse-themed book. On Amazon, he was promoting his self-published book, 'The Truth about God, Jesus Christ and Satan', a mix of business management advice and fundamentalist prose. The 292-page book presents the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine as divine punishments and outlines fears of a third world war.

(With agency inputs)