I am a college student taking a course in Religious Studies. We started studing Christianity today. My professor branched out several religions on the board. (ok this may be a little confusing) Starting with Christianity. He broke Christianity into the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. From the Roman Catholic Church Protestants branched off. Protestants was broken down into fourths. 1)Anti-Baptist 2) Lutherans 3) Calvanists 4) Church of England. From the Church of England Methodist decended, and finally Jehovahs Witnesses was branched off from Methodist. Is this acurate?
Where did Jehovahs Witnesses originate?
by Miss Jones 16 Replies latest jw friends
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OUTLAW
PUREHEART is gone and now we have MISS JONES?
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Miss Jones
What are you talking about? It was a simple question. If you are not educated enough to answer it then dont bother!
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larc
Miss Jones,
No, this not true. The religion was founded in 1879 by Charles Taze Russell. He got is ideas from the Millerites the early group who became the Seventh Day Adventists. The Adventists believed that the end of the world would occur in the 1840's. Russell looked that their interpretation of Daniel and Revelation, reworked their math, and came up with 1914. When that didn't work out, he said that Jesus's reign began invisibly in the heavens. Since then the Witnesses have predicted the end of the world in 1917, 1925, and 1925. In between predictions, they have said the it could be "any day now."
Whild the Adventists may have doctrines similiar to the Methodists, the core doctrines of the Witnesses are quite different.
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Moxy
anti-baptist? i think u mean ANAbaptist. (ana=again) i would think the JW origins are more closer connected to anabaptists, though beliefs were obviously borrowed from a number of protestant schools of thought.
mox
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Jehovah_God
The Jehovah's Witnesses originated when i spilled my bottle of fundie-juice on the north american continent..may bad
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Simon
Have a look at this - it has some early history / events in the form of a timeline: http://www.jwtruth.com/jwt/timeline.asp
Most of what you would want is under 'Early Influences' and remember to scroll right down for it.
I guess I should update it will all the recent events re: silentlambs, UN etc...
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MadApostate
Larc:
For someone who is a retired University Professor, and has WTS/JWs as an avocation, your knowledge of WTS/JW history really leaves a lot to be desired.
No, this not true. The religion was founded in 1879 by Charles Taze Russell. He got is ideas from the Millerites the early group who became the Seventh Day Adventists. The Adventists believed that the end of the world would occur in the 1840's. Russell looked that their interpretation of Daniel and Revelation, reworked their math, and came up with 1914. When that didn't work out, he said that Jesus's reign began invisibly in the heavens. Since then the Witnesses have predicted the end of the world in 1917, 1925, and 1925. In between predictions, they have said the it could be "any day now."
Whild the Adventists may have doctrines similiar to the Methodists, the core doctrines of the Witnesses are quite different.
First, Russell did not found JWs in 1879. He started the Zion's Watch Tower magazine in that year. However, he had already founded a Bible study group in greater Pittsburgh sometime before/after 1870. In 1881, the Society was officially formed as a non-incorporated entity, with incorporation following in 1884. Of course, Bible Students argue that Russell did not found "JWs" at all, but that JWs were a creation of Rutherford. (They have a point!)
Second, the Millerites did not become the SDA. The SDA was simply the largest group which evolved out of the Millerite movement. Most r&f Millerites returned to their churches after the "Great Disappointment" in 1843/4. However, many of the Millerite leaders went on to start up SDA, Advent Christian Church, Church of God, Life and Advent Union, etc.
Third, Russell didn't rework much of anything. Instead, he accepted chronology already developed by others, but mainly that of former Millerites who now ran the ACC and LAU movements.
Fourth, Russell didn't say that Christ began to reign invisibly in heaven AFTER 1914 failed to produce the BigA. Russell had accepted Barbour's teaching that this occurred in 1874, and Russell DIED believing such. The 1874 date was not changed to the 1914 date until the 1920s, by Rutherford.
Fifth, the student asks a good question about the JWs' ties to the Methodist Church. Many early BS came out of the Methodist Church. I can't recall them all, but I do know that George Storrs had been in the Methodist Church hierarchy, and Storrs for all practical purposes was "The Grandfather" of the WTS.
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RR
Very good MA, Russell himself was a member of the congregational Church, and YMCA and he and his father and sister studied with the Advent Christian Church for some ten years. Before forming the Watch Tower Society.
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I Still Believe .... -