That’s how Jehovah’s Witnesses tick

Hamburg was the scene of a massacre on Monday: a 35-year-old perpetrator – ex-member of Jehovah’s Witnesses – shot at least seven people and himself during an event of Jehovah’s Witnesses. At least eight others were injured.

Jehovah’s Witnesses respond to the incident on their website:

Who are the Jehovah’s Witnesses, how do they organize themselves and what do they believe in?

According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses website, the community numbers 8,699,048 people in 239 countries. In Switzerland there are 19,281 (as of 2019), in Germany 175,558 (as of 2023).

The history of Jehovah’s Witnesses began about 150 years ago in the US state of Texas. In 1870, Charles Taze Russell and four other people founded a Bible Students group. One of the reasons he wanted to study the Bible more deeply was that he didn’t understand why a loving God created hell. He came to the conclusion that hell could not exist. To this day, this understanding is an essential part of the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. On their website, the community writes:

The Bible Students around Russell were also deeply concerned with impending end-time events, which they understood were prophesied in the Bible. They have already predicted the end of the world five times: in 1881, 1914, 1918, 1925 and 1975.

After the end of the world fell through in 1881, the group first organized itself as a religious publishing house. Because of the supposed imminent end, they had previously not thought this necessary. When the publishing house was founded in 1881, they became known as the Watchtower Society. The magazine “Der Wachtturm” appeared as early as 1879 and is now considered the highest circulation magazine in the world.

Of particular importance was and still is the year 1914. While initially the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus Christ were predicted for this year, according to today’s teaching it is considered to be the beginning of the «Last Days». On their website, Jehovah’s Witnesses write:

Unlike before, they no longer make prophecies and guesses about when the final end will come. Yet they are convinced that this will happen “soon”.

Jehovah’s Witnesses see the Bible as the foundation of their faith. They believe in the almighty Jehovah God and in his Son Jesus Christ.

They reject Christian holidays such as Christmas or Easter as pagan holidays. Reason: The Bible does not say that Jesus was born on December 24, nor that this feast should be observed. Birthdays are also not celebrated among Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The most important holiday for them is the Lord’s Supper (also known as the Memorial). This is celebrated once a year to commemorate the death of Jesus. They also hold conventions – all day long – which, according to their website, are based on the three traditional biblical festivals.

The publishers, as Jehovah’s Witnesses call themselves, meet twice a week for meetings. For this they meet on a working day and a weekend in the so-called Kingdom Hall. The focus of these meetings is the Bible and learning together, the website continues.

Mission is a core part of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Among other things, they try to convince non-believers of their faith through home visits or street services. The website states:

As the “Mirror” reports, the shooter is said to have been a former member of Jehovah’s Witnesses. How does such a withdrawal from the religious community work?

According to the website, a Jehovah’s Witness can leave the religious community. This can be done in two ways: either through an explicit statement or through appropriate actions, such as joining another religion.

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses cut ties with former members of their congregation? This question is answered on the website under the heading “Frequently asked questions”. There they explain that Jehovah’s Witnesses who are no longer active or who are gradually losing contact with the community are not shunned. Instead, you try everything “so that you can revive your friendship with God.” In this paragraph, however, the Jehovah’s Witnesses also seem to refer to people who have not explicitly turned their backs on the community.

The situation is different when someone repeatedly ignores the standards of the Bible without repenting. In this case:

However, what actually happens with a desired exit is not discussed. However, experience reports suggest that this is probably also seen as something “malicious”. In an interview with the “Observer,” dropout Natalie Barth explained that her family had completely cut off contact with her.

The website states that a dropout is still part of the family and that the bond continues, but the reality is usually different.