It is not controlling, he said. It s a free choice, said Bonnell, of nearby Gilbertsville. Everything you do is based on love of God and your neighbor. The Jehovah s Witnesses denomination has 89,985 congregations and 5.5 million members worldwide, according to its Web site. It was founded in Pittsburgh in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell, a former Congregationalist layman.
Members refuse to bear arms, salute the flag or participate in secular government.
They also refuse to accept blood transfusions. They reject a number of doctrines taught by traditional Christianity, including the divinity of Jesus. Jehovah s Witnesses are taught that the faith is the authority and the only way to salvation. They are to bring all problems to their religious leaders first. Members attend numerous meetings, take Bible lessons and go door to door to evangelize, and some who have left the faith say the schedule leaves little time to think individually.