Jehovah’s Witnesses

Although Jehovah’s Witnesses was organized in the 1870s in the United States, it was only on January 14, 1912 that it reached Philippine soil.  On that day Charles Taze Russell, president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, who was on a worldwide lecture tour, delivered a lecture in English to a largely Filipino audience at the Manila Grand Opera House.  His lecture marked the start of the denomination in the country.

Today, the overall direction of the witnessing work comes from the go Governing Body at the World Headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.   From there, representatives are sent out each year to 15 or more “zones” to confer with the branch representatives in each zone.  In the Philippine branch office, there are five (5) branch committees overseeing the work in areas under their jurisdictions.  The area served by each branch is divided into circuits.   A circuit has about twenty congregations, each of which has elders assigned to look after various duties.   The number of congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Philippines reached 2,500 as of the first half of 1985, while the statistical estimate of membership in the country amounted to 83,670.

Jehovah’s Witnesses must attend their five congregational meetings weekly. These meetings include a public lecture on a subject of current interest, a study of some Biblical theme or prophecy using the Watchtower magazine as source material, a school training for witnesses to become better preachers or proclaimers of the “good news”, and a discussion of the witnessing work in the local territory.  Jehovah’s Witnesses also assemble for Bible studies in small groups in private homes.  It is not uncommon for them to preach the “good news of the kingdom” by going from house to house.

Jehovah’s Witnesses rely on the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek Scriptures, more commonly known as the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The doctrine that binds the Witnesses is that God’s kingdom, through His Son Jesus Christ, is the only hope of  bewildered mankind, the reason why the good news of God’s kingdom must be preached to all nations.

Ethics for Jehovah’s Witnesses is rather strict.  Believers are forbidden to salute any image or representation, even a flag.

They are also not allowed to join military training or service, or  to take in blood through the mouth or the veins.  For them, laws of the Bible on morals, as well as human laws which do not conflict with God’s laws, should be obeyed.

The Lord’s Evening Meal (The Lord’s Supper) is the memorial of  Jesus Christ’s death and is celebrated once a year.  Their ceremonies include marriage and baptism.  For them, baptism is performed to an individual who understands the meaning and the prerequisites of the ceremony.