Who started the Jehovah's Witnesses?

Answer 1

The Jehovah's Witnesses were known as the international Bible Students.

In 1931 they adopted the name of Jehovah's Witnesses. The scripture that is used to Change the name to Jehovah's Witnesses is Isaiah 43:10-12:

"You are My witnesses, says Jehovah; and My servant whom I have elected; that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed; nor shall any be after Me. I am Jehovah; and there is no Savior besides Me. I declared, and I saved, and I proclaimed; and there is not an alien god among you. And you are My witnesses, says Jehovah, and I am God." -- Literal Translation

a person who dreamed up an idea started it and people believe in it but they are no nearer thy god than thee.

Answer 2

The first form of Jehovah's Witnesses were started in the lated 1800's in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.. Charles Taze Russell and others formed a group to independently study The Bible in 1870. In 1879 he broke off from a man named Nelson H. Barbour. In 1881 he formed the Zion Watchtower Tract Society and in 1884 he became president of it when it was legally incorporated in Pennsylvania. In 1910 he announced that the group would be called The International Bible Students Association. In 1931, the name Jehovah's Witnesses were adopted based on the scripture Isaiah 43:10: " You are my witnesses, is the utterance of Jehovah..."

Doctrinally, the Jehovah's Witnesses began with the teachings of Charles T. Russell, although they diverged somewhat from him, but owe many of their major teachings and emphases to him. Some of their teachings are repetitions of ancient heresies, such as arianism, which denies the full deity of Jesus Christ, as taught in the Bible.

Although they regularly quote Bible verses, these are often from their altered NWT, which, rather than following the Greek and Hebrew, amends it to suit their doctrine and alters the clear textual meaning in numerous places. They thus cannot rightfully claim to have a faith which has its origins in any Biblical location or time, since they do not adhere to ancient Christian or Biblical doctrine. Rather, both historically and doctrinally, their faith is of recent origin, Charles T. Russell being born in 1852, he thus being the 'where' as far as their origin. The claims of Jehovah's Witnesses to come as descendants from any line of Bible characters whatsoever is quite obviously false. This is so since they reject nearly every major Bible doctrine or alter it to suit their theology.

Answer 3

The modern day history of Jehovah's Witnesses started in 1870 with Charles Taze Russell*, the prime mover of a religiously independent bible study group who went on to be the first President of the Watchtower Society that prints the principle religious bible study journal of Jehovah's Witnesses "The Watchtower" magazine in July 1979. The readers of "The Watchtower" formed more bible study groups and sought to share the things they were learning. Russell died in 1916 but the Bible Students continued. They adopted the name "Jehovah's Witnesses" in 1931.

*Jehovah's Witnesses do not view Russell as their "founder" or a Prophet but a Minister in a position of leadership during the early days of their modern day organization.

Answer 4

The Jehovah's Witnesses might say that they started in the Garden of Eden when God created Adam and then Eve (Gen.2:7,21-24). That Jehovah was their God is shown by his commanding them, and their realization that they were obligated to obey (Gen.2:16,17; 3:2,3). There is a continuity of the worship of Jehovah from that time down to our day.

The distinct religious movement that is known today as Jehovah's Witnesses started 1872 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, with the work of Charles Taze Russell. The movement was originally known as the International Bible Students Association, but its name was changed in 1932 by Russell's successor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford (1869-1942).

• In 1870, Charles Taze Russell and others formed an independent group in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to study the Bible. During the course of his ministry, Russell disputed many beliefs of mainstream Christianity including immortality of the soul, hellfire, predestination, the fleshly return of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, and the burning up of the world.
• In 1876 Russell met Nelson H. Barbour; later that year they jointly produced the book Three Worlds, which combined restitutionist views with end time prophecy.
• The name Jehovah's witnesses is based on Isaiah 43:10-12 and was adopted in 1931 to distinguish themselves from other Bible Student groups and symbolize a break with the legacy of Russell's traditions.
• Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with non-trinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity.
• According to the 2014 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, as of August 2013, the organization reports worldwide membership of over 7.9 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 14 million, and annual Memorial attendance of over 19.2 million. They are directed by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a group of elders in Brooklyn, New York, that establishes all doctrines. Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs are based on their interpretations of the Bible and they prefer to use their own translation, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. They believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent, and that the establishment of God's kingdom on earth is the only solution for all problems faced by humanity.

  The group emerged from the Bible Student movement-founded in the late 1870s by Charles Taze Russell with the formation of Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society-with significant organizational and doctrinal changes under the leadership of Joseph Franklin Rutherford.

• Jehovah's Witnesses are best known for their door-to-door preaching, distributing literature such as The Watchtowerand Awake!, and refusing military service and blood transfusions. They consider use of the name Jehovah vital for proper worship.
• They reject Trinitarianism, inherent immortality of the soul, and hellfire, which they consider to be unscriptural doctrines. They do not observe Christmas, Easter, birthdays, or other holidays and customs they consider to have pagan origins incompatible with Christianity.