Mashahidi wa Yehova

Mashahidi wa Yehova (kwa Kiingereza Jehovah's Witnesses) ni wafuasi wa dini jamii ya Ukristo ambayo ilianzia Marekani na kuenea ulimwenguni kote. Tofauti na Wakristo karibu wote, hao hawamuamini Yesu kuwa Mungu sawa na Baba, wala Roho Mtakatifu kuwa nafsi, na kwa jumla hawakubali imani katika Utatu wa nafsi katika Mungu pekee. Kwa sababu hiyo madhehebu mengi hayawatambui kama Wakristo wala hayakubali ubatizo wao. Mwanzilishi alikuwa Charles Taze Russell pamoja na kikundi cha wanafunzi wa Biblia (miaka ya 1870). Jina la sasa lilianza kutumika mwaka 1931. Kwa sasa wako milioni 8.7 katika jumuia 120,387. Kwa sababu hizo katika nchi mbalimbali dini hiyo iliwahi kukatazwa, kama nchini Tanzania wakati wa urais wa Julius Nyerere au bado ni marufuku. Hoja dhidi yao Wengi wamelaumu Mashahidi wa Yehova hasa kutokana na jinsi walivyotafsiri na wanavyofafanua Biblia, mafundisho yao, katazo la utoaji damu, kutokubali matibabu yanayohusisha damu, mara kadhaa za utabiri wao kutotimia hasa kuhusu mambo ya mwisho, pamoja na jinsi waumini wanavyofuatiliwa na kushinikizwa na viongozi wao. Kwa sababu hizo na kwa kutokubali kwa sababu ya dhamiri kujiunga na jeshi, kusalimu bendera za taifa au kuimba nyimbo za Taifa , pamoja na msimamo wao wa kutounga mkono upande wowote katika siasa, katika nchi mbalimbali dini hiyo iliwahi kukatazwa, kama nchini Tanzania wakati wa urais wa Julius Nyerere au bado ni marufuku kama vile huko Kazakstan, Eritrea na sasa Urusi. Wenyewe wamekataa daima lawama hizo, lakini kila mwaka wengi wanajitenga nao. Tanbihi Marejeo Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement by Andrew Holden. An academic study on the sociological aspects of Jehovah's Witnesses phenomenon. Publisher: Routledge; 1st edition 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-26610-9. Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (1993) by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Official history of the development of the beliefs, practices, and organisational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses. Counting the Days to Armageddon by Robert Crompton (1996). A detailed examination of the development of Jehovah's Witnesses' eschatology. James Clarke & Co, Cambridge, ISBN 0-227-67939-3. Millions Now Living Will Never Die by Alan Rogerson. Detailed history of the Watch Tower movement, particularly its early years, a summary of Witness doctrines and the organizational and personal framework in which Witnesses conduct their lives. Constable & Co, London, 1969. SBN 094559406 State and Salvation by William Kaplan (1989). Documents the Witnesses' fight for civil rights in Canada and the US amid political persecution during World War II. University of Toronto Press, ISBN 0-8020-5842-6. Botting, Gary (1993). Fundamental Freedoms and Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Calgary Press. ISBN 1-895176-06-9. Botting, Heather and Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-6545-7. Chryssides, George D. (2008). Historical Dictionary of Jehovah's Witnesses. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-6074-0. Crompton, Robert. Counting the Days to Armageddon. James Clarke & Co, Cambridge, 1996. ISBN 0-227-67939-3 A detailed examination of the development of Jehovah's Witnesses' eschatology. Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-7973-3. : Invalid |ref=harv (help); Unknown parameter |isbn13= ignored (help) Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Mashahidi wa Yehova—Imani Yenye Matendo, Sehemu ya 1: Kutoka Gizani (Mashahidi wa Yehova-Watu Wanaotenda kwa Imani, Sehemu ya 1: Kutoka Katika Giza), Mashahidi wa Yehova—Imani Yenye Matendo, Sehemu ya 2: Nuru na Iangaze (2010-2011) Official history of Jehovah's Witnesses. Viungo vya nje Tovuti rasmi Mashahidi wa Yehova Mashahidi wa Yehova Tovuti nyingine 'Knocking' – A documentary about Jehovah's Witnesses. Sample Trailer Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Grow So Rapidly: A Theoretical Explanation Ilihifadhiwa 6 Machi 2012 kwenye Wayback Machine. – Theory documented by sociologists Rodney Stark & Laurence R. Iannaccone. Who are Jehovah's Witnesses, What are their beliefs Ilihifadhiwa 21 Julai 2011 kwenye Wayback Machine. Chapter from book, Religious Denominations In The United States by Frank S. Mead, Samuel S. Hill and Craig D. Atwood, (2005). Abingdon Press.