Elliott Kenan Kamwana was the founder of the Watch Tower movement and a Christian separatist leader, one of the forerunners of the independent church movement.
He began as a Scots Presbyterian and between 1899 and 1903 led a highly successful revival movement. On a trip to South Africa he met Joseph Booth, a peripatetic English missionary who founded many sects and had baptized John CHILEMBWE. Kamwana became an Adventist and then a Jehovah's Witness. Returning to Malawi in 1906, he established a branch church known as the Watch Tower, taking the name from the newspaper of the Witnesses, and within three years he had baptized 10,000 followers. Kamwana preached that Armageddon would arrive in 1914 and that at His second coming, Christ would abolish hut taxes and expel all Europeans. The British authorities deported Kamwana to South Africa (1909-1914) and banned the Watch Tower movement.
During Kamwana's exile, his churches continued clandestinely. Without organization, the Watch Tower movement spread to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and the Belgian Congo (now Zaïre), continuing to preach the end of colonialism. Whole areas of western Zaïre converted to the new religion. Although it was pacifist, colonial authorities suppressed it whenever possible. The Watch Tower movement continued to follow Jehovah's Witness teaching, using its symbolism. It was often known as Kitawala or "Kingdom", a central Witness theme, and preached the imminent coming of Christ, although it was non-Christian in its focus.
The failure of the millennium to arrive in 1914 as predicted by Kamwana did not deter the growth of the movement. Kamwana preached briefly in Mozambique but was promptly deported to Malawi. During the Chilembwe revolt (1915) he was placed in preventive detention and then deported to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean because his followers refused to enter the army. In 1937, Kamwana returned to Malawi to take charge of the movement, but it was much reduced by then. He quietly continued to lead it until his death.
Joker10
JoinedPosts by Joker10
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The "United" Watchtower Society
by Kenneson in"now i exhort you brothers, through the name of our lord jesus christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fittly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.
" 2 cor.
1:10. according to the watchtower society one of the characteristics of apostasy is that it leads to division and fragmentation.
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Joker10
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Will I die at Armageddon?
by sinamongurl inthe anwser is: know one really knows but jehovah.. i have been df'd for 3 years now.
i still struggle with: "should i go back cuz i dont want to die" .
but then its not really for the "right" reason.
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Joker10
Don't go back because you "don't want to die". But becuase you wish to be a Jehovah's Witness again. Many people fear death. HaVing no hope.
You say you believe some teachings like Armageddon. Well then you can go back when the tribulation begins? Many people live this way. They don't go back just yet because "there's still time". Stop living afraid. -
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The "United" Watchtower Society
by Kenneson in"now i exhort you brothers, through the name of our lord jesus christ that you should all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions among you, but that you may be fittly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.
" 2 cor.
1:10. according to the watchtower society one of the characteristics of apostasy is that it leads to division and fragmentation.
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Joker10
The Kitawala sect was not started by JWs, but a man who used the Watch Tower publications and his own personal beliefs to attract followers.
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Moscow Rule on JW Ban for this Wednesday
by Gerard in[...] moscow city prosecutors have been trying to shut down the church for nearly six years, charging that the witnesses are subversive foreign cultists intent on breaking up russian families, endangering children and inciting religious discord.
a ruling on a final appeal of the case is due wednesday [...]
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/8921517.htm?1c
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Joker10
johnny, its descrimination. Why don't they target the evil Rssian Orthodox Church or the followers of violent Islam?
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Favorite Female Vocalist
by Nosferatu inwho is your favorite female vocalist?
for me, it's gotta be darby mills from the headpins.
that woman's got one hell of a voice!
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Joker10
They say Carpenter had the perfect voice.
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Moscow's final ban on Jehovah's Witnesses!
by Joker10 inmoscow upholds ban on jehovah's witnesses
by maria danilova.
associated press writer leader of russian jehovah's witnesses, vasily kalin, right, jehovah's witnesses' canadian lawyer john burns, center, and spokesman for the jehovah's witnesses christian presber, stand in front of the moscow city court, wednesday, june 16, 2004. a moscow court upheld a ban on the city's jehovah's witnesses, ending a six-year case that reflected growing pressure to stifle minority religious groups in russia, where orthodox christianity is predominant.
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Joker10
Moscow upholds ban on Jehovah's Witnesses
By MARIA DANILOVA
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERLeader of Russian Jehovah's Witnesses, Vasily Kalin, right, Jehovah's Witnesses' Canadian lawyer John Burns, center, and spokesman for the Jehovah's Witnesses Christian Presber, stand in front of the Moscow City Court, Wednesday, June 16, 2004. A Moscow court upheld a ban on the city's Jehovah's Witnesses, ending a six-year case that reflected growing pressure to stifle minority religious groups in Russia, where Orthodox Christianity is predominant. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel) MOSCOW -- Reflecting increased pressure on religious minorities in a country dominated by the Russian Orthodox Church, a Moscow court Wednesday upheld a ban on the Jehovah's Witnesses.
The ruling by the Moscow City Court upholds a lower court decision earlier this year that prohibited Jehovah's Witnesses from engaging in religious activity.
The ruling arose from a Russian law that allows courts to ban religious groups that are considered to be inciting hatred or intolerant behavior.
Jehovah's Witnesses spokesman Christian Presber said the decision will prevent the group from renting space for worship, holding bank accounts or otherwise supporting its religious activities.
"Religious freedom has just turned back to where it was in Soviet times," the organization's Canadian lawyer John Burns told The Associated Press outside the courtroom.
At the hearing Burns and his colleagues argued that the lower court was biased, taking into account evidence provided almost exclusively by prosecutors. They also said the court based its ruling on the testimony of only seven witnesses who did not speak for the entire Moscow community.
There are about 10,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Moscow and 133,000 nationwide, according to the group.
Defense lawyers also argued that banning Jehovah's Witnesses was an ideological decision against people who don't celebrate Russia's national holidays, chose not to serve in the army and are seen as promoting what the court ruling called "alienation from traditional religions."
Presber said the ruling would send a dangerous signal to authorities across Russia, possibly leading to similar trials.He also asked how intrusively authorities would become in enforcing the ban on a group that does not celebrate occasions marked by most of the rest of the population.
"Are they going to make police come into apartments to see that kids are celebrating holidays and birthdays?" he said.
Prosecutors claimed the group was destroying families and endangering followers' health by forbidding medical procedures such as blood transfusions. They also said Jehovah's Witnesses were violating privacy by distributing religious pamphlets on the street and by mail.
In Moscow, the Jehovah's Witnesses have about 100 congregations of about 100 members each and usually gather once or twice a week for worship services involving prayer and discussion of the Bible. They also publish two magazines, Presber said.
The Moscow group had been fighting for survival since 1998, when proceedings were first launched to shut it down. In 2001, a local court threw out prosecutors' attempts to ban the group, but another court later revived the case. The second trial, which ended in the ban, began in 2002.
An elderly woman who attended the hearing and identified herself only as Olga applauded the ban, saying that now "other souls won't die." Five years ago, she said, her daughter joined the Jehovah's Witnesses, which she derisively referred to as a "sect." Russia's 1997 religion law enshrines Orthodox Christianity as the country's predominant religion and pledges respect for Buddhism, Islam and Judaism - called traditional religions - but places restrictions on other groups.
Wednesday's ruling came a day after a museum manager went on trial on charges of inciting religious hatred with an exhibit that angered the Russian Orthodox Church.
Defense lawyer Galina Krylova said that although Wednesday's decision was final, the case was already being considered by the European Court of Human Rights.
Svetlana Genelova, a 47-year-old who became a Jehovah's Witness seven years ago, said members will continue worshipping despite the ban, gathering at followers' apartments. "Nobody can forbid us to read and live by the Bible," she said.
Wednesday's ruling came a day after a museum manager went on trial on charges of inciting religious hatred with an exhibit that angered the Russian Orthodox Church. The court sent that case back to prosecutors, saying the indictment was flawed. The court gave the state five days to fix the problem.
Who can actually be happy about this?
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My state must have the most JW's!
by Atilla ini was thinking about this yesterday and i was thinking that my state pennsylvania must have one of the highest concentration of dubs either in real numbers or per capital.
i'm just basing this on a hunch, no data to back it up.
also, this is where russel did get his start, kinda scary.
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Joker10
Highest ratios: Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, Delaware, Maine, Rhode Island
Lowest ratios: North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, South Dakota, Nebraska
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June 2004 Kingdom Ministry, anyone?
by drwtsn32 incould someone tell me the title for an article out of this km?
no reason in particular...
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Joker10
Tarzan, if you can tell me, how many publishers reported in March? Thanks.
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Tired? When will you stop talking about Jehovah's Witnesses?
by Joker10 inanybody would agree that talking about jehovah's witnesses over and over, and then over some more can get anybody tired and sick.
except, of course, those who are obsessed over them.
don't you think there will be a point when you won't talk or even mumble about jehovah's witnesses?
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Joker10
Anybody would agree that talking about Jehovah's Witnesses over and over, and then over some more can get anybody tired and sick. Except, of course, those who are obsessed over them. Don't you think there will be a point when you won't talk or even mumble about Jehovah's Witnesses? And if so, when do you think it will be?
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JWD is the top rated site
by Big Tex inhere are the updated alexa ratings.
jwd is the top rated christianity site as well as the busiest jw site.
i'm very proud of the fact that lambs roar is the second busiest site in both categories.
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Joker10
This sire is being visited frequently becuase its a message board. The same people visit this site many many times a day.