Like many Christian religions, Jehovah's Witnesses believe there is an all-powerful, all-knowing God who created everything. They also have some beliefs that are different from most Christians. They believe God calls himself Jehovah (a translation of the Hebrew letters "YHWH") and they believe it is important to use that name. In which, 'God' is a title, as to, daughter, mother, father, son and etc. This is why it is important to address our father by his name. They believe Jesus is God's son, the first angel, and that he is also called Michael the Archangel. They say the holy spirit is God's power rather than a person. They do not believe in the Trinity. They believe the Bible is a book that God used humans to write and that it is completely true and the best guide for how people should live.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God made Adam and Eve, the first humans, and put them in a garden called Eden. They believe that when Adam and Eve sinned, they no longer had God's approval so they began to get sick and die. They were not perfect any more and could not have perfect children. Because of this, humans could not remain sinless. They believe that Jehovah later sent Jesus to die (on a pole (stake), not a cross, as most Christians believe, which is known as 'Christendom') to forgive mankind's sins.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that only 144,000 people, a number found in Revelation chapters 7 and 14, will go to heaven to be kings and priests with Jesus Christ. They say that God will start a worldwide war called Armageddon, and the people who do not obey God or worship him the way he expects will be killed. The people who he approves will survive and be given the opportunity to live forever. Then God will begin to turn Earth into a paradise without crime, sickness, pain, aging, wars or death. They say God will also resurrect (bring back to life) billions of people who died in the past so they can learn about God and have a chance to live in paradise as well.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe only their religion really obeys God's instructions and that God does not approve of any other religions (including Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists and Muslims) because they do not follow the Bible the right way. They believe that Satan the Devil is the real leader of all other religions and makes them think they worship God the right way. (AKA: Satan the Devil is the ruler of this wicked world, but only for a short time).(1 John 5:19) So they believe that only Jehovah's Witnesses will be saved at Armageddon, but they say God will make the final choice.
Jehovah's Witnesses are best known for their door-to-door preaching. They believe Jesus ordered them at Matthew 28:19 to "go make disciples of all the nations", warning people that the day of God's judgement, or Armageddon, will happen soon. Jehovah's Witnesses believe their preaching is a fulfillment of a prophecy at Matthew 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." All Witnesses are told to spend as much time as they can in public preaching work, usually offering "The Watchtower" and other Watch Tower Society publications. Since the Internet, Jehovah's Witnesses also preach online. They teach people their beliefs about Jehovah and his plans for the earth. Members are asked to give a monthly written report on how much time they have spent publicly preaching.
The buildings where Jehovah's Witnesses meet to worship are called Kingdom Halls. Unlike many other churches, these halls do not have altars, statues, or symbols such as the Cross. Each congregation has three meetings each week:
Members unable to attend in person can also listen to the meeting over the phone or by video streaming where available. They also attend one large regional convention and two circuit assemblies a year (some of them at hired sports arenas), where hundreds or thousands of members gather depending on the location.
Jehovah’s Witnesses hold meetings for worship twice each week. (Hebrews 10:24, 25) At these meetings, which are open to the public, they examine what the Bible says and how to apply its teachings in life. At some meetings, people in the audience, including children, are invited to answer questions and make comments. The religion has elders and ministerial servants who take the spiritual lead in their congregations, but they do not dress differently to other members and they are not paid. Most elders support themselves with jobs outside the religion.
Members of the religion are expected to live up to high moral standards. They are told they should always be honest.
Jehovah's Witnesses are not allowed to:
Jehovah's Witnesses are told to marry only other baptized Jehovah's Witnesses. They believe God does not like married couples to divorce unless the husband or wife cheated. They can separate from a partner who hurt their family or refused to support them, but they would not be allowed to marry someone else.
They also refuse blood transfusions because the Bible says not to eat blood or consume it in any other way, and they believe that putting blood in their veins is equivalent to consuming it .
They are told not to make close friends with non-Witnesses because they could make their faith in God weaker, or possible sever their relationship with Him completely.
Jehovah's Witnesses are quite strict about who can be a member. Jehovah's Witnesses are only counted as members if they are baptized. Like other Christian groups, they believe baptism represents devotion to God and their promise to live by his teachings. Unlike some Christian groups, Witnesses are not baptized as babies. They believe baptism should be a choice made by someone who understands what it means.
If the elders think a baptized Witness has willingly disobeyed direction set forth in the Bible, they will investigate. That investigation is called a "judicial committee". If the elders decide the person is 'guilty' and does not regret what they did, he or she might be "disfellowshipped". This means the person is no longer a member of the group. When that happens, no other Jehovah's Witnesses are allowed to talk to or interact with that person (except in some situations such as living or working together) unless the disfellowshipped person repents and is allowed back in. When such a person is allowed back in, they have been 'reinstated'.
Some people, including former Witnesses, have criticized this punishment as harsh and unfair. The style of leadership of the group has also been described by some authors as autocratic and totalitarian, because members have to be completely submissive to the direction of Jehovah as found in the Bible to the greatest extent they possibly can.
Jehovah's Witnesses' brochures about the name Jehovah
Wife
A wife is a married woman. "Married" means that the law says two people are legally "joined". During the marriage ceremony, the wife is called the bride.
In countries and times it has been different how many wives a man can have legally. In old times there were no limitations in some countries. In Christianity a man can have one wife. In Islam a man can have up to four wives.
There are some names for special kinds of wives. For example,
a queen is a wife of a king.
A man whose wife is deceased is called a widower.
Catherine Parr
Catherine Parr (alternatively Katherine or Kateryn) (c.1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and of Ireland (1543–47). She was the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII. She married him on 12 July 1543, and outlived him by one year. She was also the most-married English queen, with four husbands. She was also the first woman to be queen of both England and Ireland.