Origins:
Jehovah's Witnesses had its origins in the Bible Student movement, which developed in the United States in the 1870s. The Jehovah's Witnesses tradition is a religion founded in the late 19th century C.E. in the United States. Founded by Charles Taze Russell, Jehovah's Witnesses grew out of the Christian Millerite movement and has since spread worldwide.
Practices and Rituals:
Baptism:
Jehovah's Witnesses baptize those "of a responsible age" who have made a conscious decision to join the faith. Baptism is done by full water immersion and is a sign of one's devotion to God. After baptism, primary duties expected of a Jehovah's Witness include regular attendance at Kingdom Hall meetings and evangelism.
Witnessing and Evangelism:
Probably the most well-known practice of the Jehovah's Witnesses is evangelism, which is most often done door-to-door. Evangelism is central to the religious life of a Jehovah's Witness. Witnesses who are employed full time, known as "kingdom publishers" are expected to spend as much as possible evangelizing (mostly door-to-door) each month. "Pioneer publishers" hold only part-time jobs and devote 100 hours each month to witnessing. "Special publishers" are full-time, salaried employees of the Watchtower Society who are expected to spend about 150 hours per month on evangelism.
Blood Transfusion:
Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that the Bible prohibits the consumption, storage and transfusion of blood, based on their understanding of scriptures such as Leviticus 17:10, 11: "I will even set my face against that soul that eateth blood," and Acts 15:29: "abstain from ... blood." This standpoint is applied even in emergencies. The Watchtower introduced this view in 1945, and it has developed since then.Accordingly, the organization has established Hospital Information Services (HIS), which provides education and facilitation of bloodless surgery. This service also maintains Hospital Liaison Committees, which support adherents facing surgery and provide information to the medical community on bloodless surgery techniques and alternatives to blood
Festivals:
Jehovah witnesses only celebrate the memorial of christ death.which takes place on the anniversary of the Last Supper, calculated according to the lunar calendar in use in Christ's time.
Sacred Writings:
The sacred text of Jehovah's Witnesses is the Christian Bible; specifically, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT). The New World Translation is used exclusively by Jehovah's Witnesses. It was originally published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in six volumes between 1950 and 1960.
Symbols:
The one symbol that is used to represent the Jehovah's Witnesses is the watchtower. It can be seen on the outside of some Kingdom Halls, inscribed on some publications, and at the top of the Watchtower website.
Roles of the females
Jehovah’s Witnesses will take their cues on women and domestic violence from the Watchtower Society..Women who are Jehovah’s Witnesses are told to be in subjection to their fathers and then their husbands after marriage. Women may not teach in the presence of men or perform other duties reserved for men without wearing some sort of head covering as a sign of deference. They are not allowed to give public talks or handle microphones during meetings at a Kingdom Hall. Their only role in meetings is a public demonstration, given at just one of their five weekly meetings, where the sisters role play for a few minutes.
Abortion is considered murder, and members can get excommunicated.
They do not permit it.
Population in Canada: 109,604 (2002)
Population in St Johns: N/A
References
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/witnesses/holydays/holydays.shtml
http://www.logosdatabase.com/search/watchtower
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Jehovahs-Witnesses.html
http://www.religionfacts.com/jehovahs_witnesses/practices.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Jehovah's_Witnesses http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Religion/Jehovahs-Witnesses
