Jehovah's Witnesses have also been criticized because they reject blood transfusions, even in life-threatening medical situations, and for failing to report cases of sexual abuse to the authorities. Many of the claims are denied by Jehovah's Witnesses and some have also been disputed by courts and religious scholars.
Sins that could result in such shunning include but are not limited to “fornication, adultery, homosexuality, greed, extortion, thievery, lying, drunkenness, reviling, spiritism, murder, idolatry, apostasy, and the causing of divisions in the congregation” (Watchtower, 1988).
Jehovah's Witnesses are one of the most persecuted religious groups in the world and the most persecuted Christian organization in the 20th century. How the Witnesses shape their response to persecution is invariably associated with the social reality they construct in their rhetorical practices.
The denomination requires adherence to a strict moral code, which forbids premarital sex, homosexuality, gender transitioning, adultery, smoking, drunkenness and drug abuse, and blood transfusions.
An estimated 70,000 Jehovah's Witnesses are disfellowshipped every year — roughly 1% of the church's total population, according to data published by the Watchtower. Their names are published at local Kingdom Halls. Of those, two-thirds never return.
Although many of their eschatological teachings have changed over the years, Jehovah's Witnesses have consistently claimed to be the only true religion.
The only way to officially leave Jehovah's Witnesses is to disassociate or be disfellowshipped, and both entail the same set of prohibitions and penalties, with no provision for continued normal association.
They limit contact with non-Jehovah's Witnesses
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.”
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.
Daters are expected to remain "pure" until someone marriage. Kissing, hand holding jehovah other someone of affection should be kept to a minimum if allowed at all, especially if the couple is dating without the intention of tall married.
Jehovah's Witness members have been imprisoned in many countries for their refusal of conscription or compulsory military service. Their religious activities are banned or restricted in some countries, including Singapore, China, Vietnam, Russia and many Muslim-majority countries.
As of 2018: Christians face harassment in 145 countries, Muslims face harassment in 159 countries, and Jews face harassment in 91 countries. Respectively: Christians account for 31% of the world's population, Muslims account for 24%, and Jews account for 0.2%.
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.
Tennis champion Serena Williams was raised in the Jehovah's Witness faith and continues to practice many of her beliefs stemming from the religion today. The Jackson family was raised in the Jehovah's Witness faith, but several of the family members, including sister Janet, no longer practice the religion.
Those who leave the faith are called "apostates" and are "disfellowshipped", a term for formal expulsion and shunning, where members are "prohibited from talking, and even from saying 'hello' to them", according to Ohmyjw.
They see it as a fulfilment of biblical prophecy,” he says. The move to public witnessing follows an increasing awareness of “how busy people's lives have become, that people are often not at home. So door-to-door evangelism doesn't really win many converts.
DIET/FOOD PREFERENCE & PRACTICES
Jehovah's Witnesses abstain from eating the meat of animals from which blood has not been properly drained. They also refrain from eating such things as blood sausage and blood soup.
Songs are used at assemblies and conventions, and sometimes at different events at Watch Tower Society branch offices. Jehovah's Witnesses' publications suggest that Witnesses listen to this music in their personal time.
Furthermore, Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate the regular holidays as other Christians, and they only celebrate the Memorial of Christ's death and wedding anniversaries. They memorialize the holiday of Christ's death because they believe Christ himself took part in it; hence it is not a pagan holiday.
Monogamy between one man and one woman and sex only within marriage are requirements in the Witness religion. But Witnesses do permit divorce in certain cases, believing that the only valid ground for divorce and remarriage is adultery. Divorce is not allowed except in extremely limited circumstances.
Do Jehovah's Witnesses allow a person to divorce and marry someone else? Yes, divorce is permitted but if it is not on based on scriptural grounds, they are not free to remarry: We adhere to the Bible's view of marriage and divorce. God created marriage to be a permanent union between a man and a woman.
Gender roles
Jehovah's Witnesses have a complementarian view of the role of women. Only men may hold positions of authority, such as ministerial servant or elder. Women may actively participate in the public preaching work and can serve at Bethel, and women may profess to be members of the 144,000.
In a statement the religious group told the BBC: "If a baptised Witness makes a practice of breaking the Bible's moral code, and does not given evidence of stopping the practice, he or she will be shunned or disfellowshipped.
What is shunning and why is it used? Shunning — known as disfellowship among Jehovah's Witness — is a punishment implemented by a panel of elders and calls on all other members of the congregation to reject the person both socially and emotionally, even if they are a family member.
Beliefs & Teachings about Death
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that when a person dies, their existence completely stops. This is because the Bible makes it clear that human beings do not have an immortal soul that survives when the body dies. Witnesses believe that Hell (as traditionally portrayed) does not exist.