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What is a Jehovah’s Witness and what do they believe?

  • Aniya Faulcon
Dan Sideris, of Newton, Mass., rings a doorbell of a home as he and his wife return to door-to-door visits as Jehovah's Witnesses, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, in Boston. During the coronavirus pandemic, Witnesses continued their ministry by writing letters and making phone calls, but it wasn't the same because it lacked a personal touch, says Robert Hendriks, national spokesperson for the denomination.

 Mary Schwalm / AP Photo

Dan Sideris, of Newton, Mass., rings a doorbell of a home as he and his wife return to door-to-door visits as Jehovah's Witnesses, Thursday, Sept. 1, 2022, in Boston. During the coronavirus pandemic, Witnesses continued their ministry by writing letters and making phone calls, but it wasn't the same because it lacked a personal touch, says Robert Hendriks, national spokesperson for the denomination.

Airdate: October 28, 2022

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There are almost nine million Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide but many only know them by their door-to-door visits.

Robert Hendricks, National Spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses, said understanding his religion is important for the general public because many feel that Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t have much in common with many mainstream religions, but they do, especially with Christianity.

“…We are Christians, we follow Jesus, he is our leader. The difference is that over the centuries, mainstream Christianity has evolved, whereas Jehovah’s Witnesses trace our roots back to the first century Christian congregation,” Hendricks said. “…Our main work is preaching of the Gospel of the kingdom. The name Jehovah, the supreme being, the creator, his father, is embedded in Jesus name and so we believe what Jesus believed and we practice what the apostles in the first century congregation did.”

During the pandemic, Jehovah’s Witnesses used alternative methods to spread information about their beliefs; they used mail, phone calls, virtual bible studies, and their worldwide convention. Hendricks said, they even saw an increase in meeting attendance and baptisms during the pandemic.

He also said, when Jehovah’s Witnesses returned to doing their door-to-door ministry, they received either a nonplussed reaction from people or a reaction that showed people were glad to see them return.

Jehovah’s Witnesses abide by two principles, to love Jehovah with all your heart, soul and strength and to love your neighbor as your love yourself.  Hendricks said, because they practice those two principles, they’re not going to do anything that God hates. We explored that logic and discussed some of the restrictions that are in place, within the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion, as a result of following their principles on Friday’s Smart Talk.

 

 

 

 

 

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