Jehovah's witnesses are not a paying gig. There is no pay. It's all volunteer work. Anything you'd do as a Jehovah's Witness is voluntary.
Funding. Jehovah's Witnesses fund their activities, such as publishing, constructing and operating facilities, evangelism, and disaster relief via donations.
The majority of elders are family men and maintain secular employment to support their families. Jehovah's Witnesses do not have a salaried clergy nor any employees.
There are no “membership fees” and neither is a collection plate passed around at meetings. However, there are contribution boxes at the back of the Kingdom Hall and this is where Witnesses place their financial donations.
Conversion. Individuals seeking to be baptised as Jehovah's Witnesses are required to follow a systematic, catechistical Bible study course, usually in their home, for several months. They will be expected to attend meetings at the Kingdom Hall and must demonstrate a willingness to carry out the doorstep ministry.
Jehovah's Witnesses reject foods containing blood but have no other special dietary requirements. Some Jehovah's Witnesses may be vegetarian and others may abstain from alcohol, but this is a personal choice. Jehovah's Witnesses do not smoke or use other tobacco products.
Rapper The Notorious B.I.G., aka Christopher Wallace, was raised in the Jehovah's Witness faith by his mother Voletta Wallace, who is still active in the religion today. Actress and television host Sherri Shepherd was raised as a Jehovah's Witness but no longer practices the faith.
Followers are discouraged from having close relationships with those who are not part of the faith. People who are “worldly” are seen as bad influences or “bad associations.” JWs are advised not to join groups or teams outside the faith and are also discouraged from higher education.
Jehovah's Witnesses do play professional sport, but body contact and ruthless competitiveness are questionable, according to a senior elder.
I have been told that the path to baptism takes around two years. One must be old enough to choose for themselves (16+ usually), have intense Bible study, and then pass a rigorous test administered by the elders on Bible knowledge.
The Jehovah's Witnesses funeral service is similar to other Christian faiths but lasts only 15 or 30 minutes. The funeral usually takes place within a week after death. At the service, men wear a suit and tie, and women are expected to dress modestly, but neither needs a head covering.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are an outgrowth of the International Bible Students Association, which was founded in 1872 in Pittsburgh by Charles Taze Russell.
Religious beliefs and practices
For instance, they teach that Jesus is the son of God but is not part of a Trinity. By traditional measures of religious commitment, Jehovah's Witnesses are one of the most highly religious major U.S. religious groups.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible (Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:10, and Acts 15:29) prohibits ingesting blood and that Christians should therefore not accept blood transfusions or donate or store their own blood for transfusion. Specifically, their beliefs include: Blood represents life and is sacred to God.
A simple phrase. If you say it and don't know that the person is a Witness (and doesn't celebrate birthdays), you're likely to hear, “Thanks.” And that's it. If you say it and you know the person is a Witness and you also know he/she doesn't celebrate birthdays, then you're just committing a faux pas.
The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is currently made up of eight men who claim to be anointed servants of Jehovah God. They have given themselves the responsibility for giving direction and impetus to the Kingdom work.
Witnesses hold a number of traditional Christian views but also many that are unique to them. They affirm that God—Jehovah—is the most high. Jesus Christ is God's agent, through whom sinful humans can be reconciled to God.
Generally speaking, the decision to forgo life support is acceptable. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that life is sacred and want lifesaving interventions except for blood transfusions.
According to Google, there are actually three current and ex-NBA players who are Jehovah's Witnesses — Dewayne Dedmon (currently of the Miami Heat) and former Indiana Pacers' teammates, Danny Granger and Darren Collison.
Jehovah's Witnesses don't celebrate birthdays, Christmas, or Easter. Members of the church "believe that such celebrations displease God" and are rooted in pagan traditions.
The 'anointed'
Based on their understanding of scriptures such as Revelation 14:1-4, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that exactly 144,000 faithful Christians go to heaven to rule with Christ in the kingdom of God.
Jehovah's Witnesses may be buried or cremated, depending on the preferences of the person who has died and their family. Organ donation is a contentious topic for Jehovah's Witnesses. They believe that blood should never be shared between two people; this is why blood transfusions are forbidden for Jehovah's Witnesses.
With this historic change, the number of Jehovah's Witnesses grew 3% in the United States in 2021 alone, matching the most significant increase for the organization over the past decade and the second-largest percentage increase since 1990.
Disfellowshipped family members outside the home are shunned. Members are instructed to not even greet shunned individuals. Disfellowshipped individuals can continue attending public meetings held at the Kingdom Hall, but are shunned by the congregation.
Both Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons identify as Christians, although their non-Trinitarian doctrine — both deny that Jesus Christ shares a single fundamental divine essence with God the Father and the Holy Spirit — has often brought them into conflict with mainline Christian tradition.