Christian Denomination - Research Paper Example

Instruction: Task: Christian Denomination Christianity is a religion that relies upon the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as laid down by the bible that it considers its holy book. These are mainly contained in the New Testament and other gospels. Christianity is among the world’s major religions being with the largest number of followers (Butalia 107). There are a variety of denominations and divisions in the Christian religion with each denomination having its own guidelines that set it apart from the rest. Though the denominations have a similar origin and are all followers of Christ, their variations arise from their differing views about the bible and its interpretations. A major factor connecting the denominations is the fact that they all rely upon the Bible for guidance, though there may be variations in these Bibles. As such, an example of a Christian denomination is the Jehovah Witnesses that started in the late 1800’s. Charles Taze Russell, who was a child to Joseph and Anna Russell, started this denomination while under bible study class at 18. During his bible studies, he interpreted the bible and came up with the conclusion that there was no such thing as the Holy Trinity and, on this, he started organizing himself to mobilize others who shared similar ideas. Moreover, he broke away from his then church as his views differed with what was spread by his church. Apart from this, he was also of the idea that hell fire was nonexistent and did not buy the idea that Christ was a deity. In the course of popularizing his ideas, he started publishing magazines and journals mostly countering other denominations, and by 1884, after gaining much foot, he came up with The Watchtower and established Watch Tower Tract Society that later transformed into the present Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (Butalia 123). This assisted in the denominations publications that were mainly biased upon Russell’s ideas, as he was the sole author, and his main motive was to make his ideas known. Moreover, he organized denominational congregations where the followers received continuous teachings and Bible interpretations. This went on until his death in 1916. Upon Russell’s death, the society, which was then under the name International Bible Students Association due to its composition of bible study students, was taken over by Joseph Franklin. Joseph had the eccentricity of Russell, and he too made various controversial decisions while reigning at the society. This led to further split in the society but Joseph was unrelenting in his thoughts. Despite this, he retained the majority of followers. In light of this, in 1931, he changed its name to Jehovah’s Witnesses, a name that stuck to date. After the passing on of Joseph, the society went under the leadership of various personalities such as Nathan Knorr and William Franz in the course of its transformational journey (Butalia 145). Nathan was accredited with commissioning a new Bible translation and incorporating policies that enabled for continued growth worldwide. Others who have graced the management of the society include Milton Herschel and Don Adams, through which the denomination has grown in leaps and bounds, transforming under each individual leadership. The early and founding leadership of the society was well known for their penchant for coming up with chronologies that tried to predict the dates that the world would end. After a series of uneventful episodes and disappointments, the society abandoned the culture of trying to figure out the end of the world. Jehovah’s Witnesses are involved in a variety of practices that set them apart from the rest of the denominations. Their main practice is evangelism, which they mainly carry out on a door-to-door basis. Their principles are based upon their interpretation of the Bible, which at times differ from other Christians. A main point of divergence between Jehovah’s Witnesses and other Christians is their denial of the holy trinity and view that hell is nonexistent. They are not proponents to the view that God exists as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Their view is that the Holy Spirit is God’s dynamic power. Moreover, they do not believe in Jesus as a deity. They are of the view that Jesus was not wholly man and at the same time wholly God. Their preposition is that Jesus was God’s first creation and God’s helper who was raised above the angels. For this, they do not worship Jesus but God (Butalia 177). This is in contrast to most other Christian denominations who believe in the holy trinity and hell as a place for punishment of sinners. Jehovah’s Witnesses also have varying views concerning the afterlife. Their interpretation of prophetic books have led them to the belief that a specific number, more specifically 144000 believers, will get to heaven while the other righteous souls will enjoy eternal life on earth which, by then, will be a reincarnation of the Garden of Eden, free of all ills. This differs greatly with other denominations especially their assertion that only an already predetermined number of people will get to heaven. This always tends to discourage faithful since most find it hard to deem themselves fit to be among the 144000. Moreover, believers of this denomination have been associated with coming up with dates that they expect Armageddon to occur, most notably 1914 as predicted by the founder Charles Russell. This belief was further fuelled by the onset of the First World War around the same date. It has been such a strong conviction that they believe Christ descended to inspect earth and endorsed only their Watchtower Society as the viable pathway to salvation and eternal life. Though they have stated that it is end times, they have adopted the idea of not specifying dates as they once did before (Butalia 307). Another more controversial practice of this denomination is the shunning of believers whom they perceive of being contemptible to their practices. They argue that it is biblically ordained and it aims at protecting other faithful from harm. The dismembered followers are encouraged to seek guidance from the society’s legal team in order that they may be accepted back. This has lead to the denomination being viewed more like a cult. Conversely, mainstream Christianity always tries to reach out to these misguided individuals with a view to bringing them closer to the laws of God. Moreover, their assertion that Christ was not crucified on a cross but a single stake is also a topic that alienates them from mainstream Christianity. This is because, while other denominations have no qualms regarding Christ’s crucifixion on the cross, they are of the idea that Christ was sacrificed on a single pole. Jehovah’s Witnesses also do not associate with blood transfusion, and do not participate in any political activity as they wait for God’s theocracy. They view blood as life itself, and as such, try as much as possible to avoid medical practices that involve blood transfusion. God’s governance is also one of their main aim hence their lack of participation in any political activities and worldly leadership activities (Butalia 277). In the course of carrying out their activities, Jehovah’s Witnesses followers have to go through some practices to fully be recognized as members of the society. Among these is baptism that is only for believers who have reached a specific age. Although a believer consciously gives the consent, all followers are recommended to be baptized. This ritual is only carried out by complete immersion in water after which the believer is expected to fully participate in all activities associated with the denomination (Butalia 347). Jehovah’s Witnesses also rarely observe other mainstream Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter. They believe these practices have pagan origins, and therefore, they shun them altogether. This practice always sets them apart from other denominations since most honor such days as Christmas being the day of Christ’s birth. Their practice of treating funerals discreetly also sets them apart from mainstream Christianity. Their funeral services are short and precise with priority being reflecting upon the deceased life and hope for resurrection. They observe neither anniversaries and nor funeral celebrations and follow strict scriptural guidelines in the course of funerals (Butalia 286). These, among others, have always put the denomination under scrutiny from both believers and other denominations. In the world of religion, different denominations and subdivisions exist. These denominations all have their varying practices and beliefs as per their interpretation of the holy books. This leads to different partitions in the religious world that all try to have as much believers as possible in the salvation of the human race. Jehovah’s Witness is one such denomination that has often been mistaken for a cult due to their practices that vary from most other mainstream Christians. What’s more, their denial of other denominations and belief that they are the only valid Christian community always sets them apart from the rest and creating mistrust that further extends the uncertainty surrounding them (Butalia 327). Works Cited. Butalia, Tarunjit. Religion in Ohio: Profiles of Faith Communities. Ohio, OH: Ohio University Press, 2004. Print. Read More