Contents
- 1 Are there any Jehovah’s Witnesses in the NBA
- 2 Is Venus still a Jehovah Witness
- 3 How many Jehovah Witnesses are in us
- 4 Can Jehovah Witnesses play soccer
- 5 How many Jehovah’s Witnesses leave each year
- 6 How many Jehovah Witnesses are in us
Are there any Jehovah’s Witnesses in the NBA
Comedian Brittany Schmitt recently made waves with a set about her ex, a former NBA player who joined the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Who was she talking about? Comedian Brittany Schmitt released her first full-length comedy special on YouTube in July, but her material had gotten increasing attention lately for a bit about a former NBA player she dated.
- Schmitt told the story of how the former NBA player had reached out to her after they broke up to tell her he is now a Jehovah’s Witness and she should repent.
- The bit also includes several very NSWF anecdotes about their relationship ( you can watch the full clip here ).
- While she never names the player, the bit wraps up with a mention of her husband encouraging her to Google how many ex-NBA players are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
According to Schmitt, there are just two, which kind of defeats the purpose of her trying to maintain his anonymity by not naming him in the set. According to Google, there are actually three current and ex-NBA players who are Jehovah’s Witnesses — Dewayne Dedmon (currently of the Miami Heat) and former Indiana Pacers’ teammates, Danny Granger and Darren Collison,
- The one other identifying details in her set (a light skin tone) seems to imply that Schmitt is talking about Granger.
- However, she also mentions a cousin named Keith and a basic Google search was didn’t turn up a cousin named Keith for either Granger or Collison.
- And whether any of this is actually true or just a somewhat wild standup bit, who knows? Subscribe to our NBA daily email newsletter.
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Who from the NBA is now a Jehovah’s Witness?
The Faithful Few: Ex NBA Players Who Embraced Jehovah’s Witness Faith – In the highly competitive world of professional basketball, it’s not often we hear about players who prioritize their faith above their careers. However, several ex NBA players have made headlines for their devotion to the Jehovah’s Witness faith, demonstrating the profound impact of spirituality in their lives.
Are there any famous Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Famous Jehovah’s Witnesses – Both Active and Inactive
Politics |
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Dwight D. Eisenhower – 34th president of the United States was raised as Jehovah’s Witness, but left the religion as an adult. He was born in 1890 and died in 1969. “I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because once I have persuaded him, he will stick. If I scare him, he will stay just as long as he is scared, and then he is gone.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower |
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Famous Jehovah’s Witnesses – Both Active and Inactive
Are any NFL players Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Meet Jason Worilds, the NFL star who quit the sport in his prime and gave up his $15MILLION salary at the age of 27 to become a Jehovah’s Witness! Jason Worilds has a story unlike anyone else, after giving up his successful career as an NFL linebacker earning $15million – to take up life as a Jehovah’s Witness.
How many Jehovah Witnesses play NBA basketball?
Ex NBA Jehovah Witnesses players are Dewayne Dedmon, Danny Granger, and Darren Collison. These athletes are known for their evangelical beliefs. Darren even retired from NBA to become a Jehovah’s Witness. NBA is a game with followers from across the world.
Several of its players come from different nationalities, races, ethnicities, and religious backgrounds. Some of them are Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jehovah’s Witnesses was founded under the leadership of Charles Taze Russell in the USA around the end of the 19th century. There are approximately 8.7 million people from 240 countries who follow the belief.
It is a Christian-based religious movement with nontrinitarian beliefs that are distinct from mainstream Christianity.
Can Jehovah Witnesses play basketball?
Jehovah’s witnesses can play any game that anybody else plays as long as the game does not involve competition to injure another person.
Can Jehovah’s Witnesses play sports?
This was published 8 years ago Jehovah’s Witnesses do play professional sport, but body contact and ruthless competitiveness are questionable, according to a senior elder. Alex Rance’s devotion to the Jehovah’s Witness faith has been cited as a reason – though not the only one – why the Richmond defender is considering his football future at the age of just 25. Alex Rance has begun to confide thoughts of retirement to teammates. Credit: Getty Images The Age on Wednesday reported that while he is considered unlikely to walk away from the game, he was feeling drawn to a different life. There was no indication he wanted to take up religious service full-time.
- Graeme Martin, a senior elder at Jehovah’s Witnesses headquarters in Australia, said it was up to the individual to consider how their sport fitted in with what they read in the bible.
- He said the organisation was not against all competition, but it discouraged competition that stirred up negative feelings such as vanity, greed and violence.
“The competitiveness, win-at-all-costs no matter what the consequence for other players is questionable, but we don’t dictate what a person chooses to do,” Martin said. There was no clear line on whether a sport was too violent or competitive, he said, so it was impossible to say whether AFL was acceptable.
We’re not going to make these arbitrary rules,” Martin said. ” adults are making career choices, it’s really up to them.” There are examples of practising Jehovah’s Witnesses making a huge impression in the world of sport. Tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams were raised Jehovah’s Witnesses and remain active in the faith – their mother Oracene converted in 1984, just as her daughters began to play.
The pair had even been spreading the word since they became famous, according to sister Isha, in a New York Times story in 2012. In Billy Bragg’s God’s Footballer, the folk singer told the true story of promising British soccer player Peter Knowles, who in 1969 gave away the game to devote his time to his Jehovah’s Witness faith.
- Martin said the priorities of promising Jehovah’s Witness sportspeople sometimes changed as their faith deepened, and that prompted them to take a different path.
- Many adherents to the faith, particularly single people or couples without children, devoted themselves to missionary service full-time, then pursued part-time paid work to make ends meet.
“A lot are fully leading towards a sporting or professional career, then they study the bible and it changes their viewpoint on what the future holds,” he said. The type of person who had been previously fully committed to one thing – the sport of their choice – was unlikely to then pursue religious service in a piecemeal way.
A number of Australians have stepped back from professional sport in recent years in favour of religious service. Will Hopoate took two years out from his promising rugby league career to complete a mission for the Mormon faith, returning to join the Parramatta Eels last year. Fellow NRL player Lagi Setu spent his two-year Mormon mission in England, and now plays for the Sydney Roosters.
Richmond half-back Bachar Houli, a practising Muslim, makes some small adjustments to make sure he can fulfil his religious duties. He alters his work-out program slightly during Ramadan, training with the team for the main session then squeezing the extra sessions into a shorter timeframe, forgoing a break.
How many Jehovah’s Witnesses will go to heaven?
The “anointed” – Based on their understanding of scriptures such as Revelation 14:1-4, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that exactly 144,000 faithful Christians go to heaven to rule with Christ in the kingdom of God, They, with Jesus, will perform priestly duties that will bring faithful mankind to perfect health and “everlasting life”.
They believe that most of those are already in heaven, and that the “remnant” at Revelation 12:17 (KJV) refers to those remaining alive on earth who will be immediately resurrected to heaven when they die. The Witnesses understand Jesus’ words at John 3:3—”except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”—to apply to the 144,000 who are “born again” as “anointed” sons of God in heaven.
They teach that the New Testament, which they refer to as the Christian Greek Scriptures, is primarily directed to the 144,000, and by extension, to those associated with them. They believe that the terms “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16), “little flock” (Luke 12:32), “New Jerusalem,” and “the bride, the Lamb’s wife ” (Revelation 21:2,9) in the New Testament also refer to the same group of “anointed” Christians.
How many Jehovah Witness are in the world?
Jehovah’s Witnesses: some facts about their history and community in Germany BERLIN, March 10 (Reuters) – Here are some facts about the Jehovah’s Witnesses and their community in Germany, shaken by a at a Jehovah’s Witness hall in Hamburg on Thursday.
- The Jehovah’s Witnesses are an international Christian denomination that was founded in the United States in around 1870.
- They have around 8.7 million active followers in 239 countries worldwide, according to the denomination’s website.
- The first German branch was founded in 1902 in Elberfeld in west Germany – before the “Watch Tower Society” was renamed Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The denomination was not granted legal recognition however until 2005, in the city of Berlin. Since 2017, they have been recognized as a public corporation everywhere in Germany. – Jehovah’s Witnesses have struggled to have their beliefs and practices accepted in some parts of the world.
The group has faced court proceedings in several countries, mostly over its pacifism and rejection of blood transfusions. Floral tributes are laid outside a building housing a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, where a deadly shooting took place, in Hamburg, northern Germany, March 10, 2023. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer – Russia banned the group in 2017.
The has depicted the Jehovah’s Witnesses as a dangerous foreign sect, allegations the group denies. – There are 175,558 members in Germany, meaning about 1 in 500 Germans are Jehovah’s Witnesses, according to the denomination’s website, which was updated in January.
In total there are 2,003 congregations and 884 places of worship, called Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses. – Jehovah’s Witnesses were persecuted in Nazi Germany for their refusal to swear allegiance to the Nazi regime or join the military. Thousands were sent to prisons or concentration camps. – The denomination was also banned in former communist East Germany in 1950 which like most Communist-run countries was in general hostile to religion.
– There have been several attempted attacks against Jehovah’s Witnesses in various countries in recent years. In 2009, an 82-year-old man tried to shoot Jehovah’s Witnesses in a Kingdom Hall in Bielefeld, Germany, in revenge for his daughter joining them in 1967.
Is Venus still a Jehovah Witness
Venus Williams provides fans with a 2023 injury update – With seven Grand Slam titles and four Olympic gold medals under her belt, Venus Williams will, undoubtedly, go down in history as one of the greatest athletes of all time. The American star is the older sister of Serena, with the duo seen as one of the most fearsome doubles act ever seen on court.
As a former world No 1 in both singles and doubles, Venus, along with her seven singles major titles, has also won 14 women’s doubles majors, all partnering Serena, with the pair unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles finals. Serena was born a year after Venus was in 1981. The two grew up playing tennis together and credit each other with helping to shape their individual careers.
Over the years, the duo have remained unchanged in their devotion to one another, their sisterly love lifting them through personal challenges, public failures and numerous heated battles for on-court bragging rights. The sisters met a staggering 31 times in professional tournaments between 1998 and 2020, with Serena leading their head-to-head 19-12. (Image: GETTY) The American has seven Grand Slam titles and four Olympic gold medals under her belt (Image: Getty) But before their careers took off, though, it was Venus that would lead the way. She learned how to play on the courts of Los Angeles and boasted a serve that reached over 100mph at the age of ten.
Venus would then turn professional aged just 14. Three years later, in 1997, she became the first unseeded player in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam final, at the US Open, only to be outclassed by Switzerland’s Martina Hingis. In 2000, Venus would go on to win both Wimbledon and the US Open, earning herself a £48million ($40m) contract with Reebok in the process.
Also that year, at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Venus took home the gold medal in singles and in the doubles competition alongside Serena. Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. Venus and Serena Williams were a forced to be reckoned with in the doubles circuit (Image: Getty) In 2001, Venus and Serena became the first sisters to contest a major tournament final when they faced off at the US Open. On that occasion, it was the elder sibling who came out on top.
In February 2002, Venus was confirmed as world No 1 and would go on to face – and lose against – her sister in a remarkable series of four consecutive Grand Slam finals (from the 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open). The pair would go on to become a force to be reckoned with on the doubles circuit.
But during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, the sisters were forced to retire after an injury to Serena. But it wasn’t long before they were soon on top again in 2008 and 2012. Their proud record of winning every Olympic women’s doubles competition they entered ended at Rio 2016, where they lost 6-3, 6-4 in the first round to Czech pair Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova.
- Venus tumbled out of the singles at the same stage, beaten in three sets by Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens.
- She gave herself a chance of becoming the first tennis player – male or female – of all time to win five Olympic golds by reaching the mixed doubles final with Rajeev Ram.
- It was not to be, however, as their compatriots Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock edged them out 10-7 in the final set.
That silver was nevertheless a historic one – it made Venus the most decorated Olympic tennis player of them all. Venus and Serena’s incredible rise in tennis sees them as subjects in King Richard, which chronicles their upbringing and how their father coached them to their glory. Venus (left) is the most decorated Olympic tennis player of them all (Image: Getty) Released in November 2021, King Richard is a biographical drama that follows the early lives of Venus and Serena as their father, Richard Williams, shaped their tennis skills into a lifelong career.
- The film sees Will Smith portraying the role of Richard, and Saniyya Sidney as Venus, with Demi Singleton as Serena.
- With their family life put into the limelight, Venus and Serena have been no strangers in speaking of their upbringing.
- The tennis duo and their four older sisters are all Jehovah’s Witnesses after their mother, Oracene, converted to the faith in the early 1980s.
During an interview with Vogue in 2017, Williams spoke about her faith, as she revealed: “Being a Jehovah’s Witness is important to me, but I’ve never really practiced it and have been wanting to get into it.” The former world No 1 recently clarified that she intends to continue playing the sport (Image: Getty) Away from family, religion and sport, Venus has made a name for herself in business. She is the CEO of her interior design company, V Starr Interiors, in Florida.
Not only that, but she also partnered with fashion retailer Steve & Barry’s to launch her clothing line, EleVen, and became a minority owner of the NFL team the Miami Dolphins with Serena. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Venus has an estimated net worth of around £79m ($95m). In terms of tennis, though, Venus recently clarified that she intends to continue playing the sport after many fans thought that she would follow her sister, Serena, and move away entirely.
When and in what capacity the seven-time Grand Slam champion will return is still unknown, but fans will be relieved to hear that Venus Williams has not handed in the towel just yet.
Who is Michael Jackson a Jehovah’s Witness?
It’s easy to see how his yearning for a lost childhood connects to his fixation with Peter Pan and his abnormal relationships with children. But Jackson connected it to something else: His religion. Raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, Jackson as a child would go door to door peddling religious literature.
Who is the God for Jehovah’s Witnesses?
Witnesses hold a number of traditional Christian views but also many that are unique to them. They affirm that God—Jehovah—is the most high. Jesus Christ is God’s agent, through whom sinful humans can be reconciled to God. The Holy Spirit is the name of God’s active force in the world.
Witnesses believe that they are living in the last days, and they look forward to the imminent establishment of God’s kingdom on earth, which will be headed by Christ and jointly administered by 144,000 human corulers (Revelation 7:4). Those who acknowledge Jehovah in this life will become members of the millennial kingdom; those who reject him will not go to hell but will face total extinction.
New members are baptized by immersion and are expected to live by a strict code of personal conduct. Marriage is considered a holy covenant, and divorce is disapproved of except in cases of adultery, Witnesses participate in the annual commemoration of Christ’s death, celebrated on 14 Nisan of the Jewish calendar (March or April of the Gregorian calendar); Witnesses pass around bread and wine, symbols of the body and blood of Christ.
- Only those thought to be among the 144,000 corulers eat and drink the bread and wine.
- The Witnesses’ teachings stress strict separation from secular government.
- Although they are generally law-abiding, believing that governments are established by God to maintain peace and order, they refuse on biblical grounds to observe certain laws.
They do not salute the flag of any nation, believing it an act of false worship; they refuse to perform military service; and they do not participate in public elections. These practices have brought them under the scrutiny of government authorities. The U.S.
- Government sent Rutherford and other Watchtower leaders to prison for sedition during World War I,
- In Germany prior to World War II, the Nazis sent Witnesses to concentration camps, and Witnesses were also persecuted in Britain, Canada, and the United States,
- After the war the Witnesses brought several suits in American courts dealing with their beliefs and practices, resulting in 59 Supreme Court rulings that were regarded as major judgments on the free exercise of religion.
They continue to face persecution in several countries, however, particularly for their refusal to serve in the military, and they are often publicly derided for their door-to-door evangelism, The Witnesses’ distrust of contemporary institutions extends to other religious denominations, from which they remain separate.
They disavow terms such as minister and church, The leaders of some mainstream Christian churches have denounced the Witnesses for doctrinal deviation (especially their non-Trinitarian teachings) and have condemned them as a “cult.” Witnesses also oppose certain medical practices that they believe violate Scripture.
In particular, they oppose blood transfusions, because of the scriptural admonition against the consumption of blood (Leviticus 3:17). This belief, which is contrary to standard medical practice, remains an additional point of controversy with authorities, especially in cases concerning children.
In the early years of the movement, members met in rented halls, but under Rutherford the Witnesses began to purchase facilities that they designated Kingdom Halls. Members of local congregations, known as “publishers,” meet at Kingdom Halls and engage in doorstep preaching. “Pioneers” hold part-time secular jobs and devote a greater amount of time to religious service.
“Special pioneers” are full-time salaried employees of the society. Each congregation has an assigned territory and each Witness a particular neighbourhood to canvass. Great pains are taken to keep records of the number of visits, return calls, Bible classes, and books and magazines distributed.
The Watch Tower Society publishes millions of books, tracts, recordings, and periodicals in more than 700 languages. Its chief publications are a semimonthly magazine, the Watchtower, and its companion magazine, Awake!, Work is carried out throughout the world by more than eight million Witnesses.J.
Gordon Melton The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
How many Jehovah Witnesses are in us
Jehovah’s Witnesses — with 1.3 million members in the U.S.
What do Jehovah Witnesses practice?
Jehovah’s Witness Practices – Jehovah’s Witnesses do not observe holidays they believe to have pagan origins, such as Christmas, Easter, and birthdays. They do not salute the national flag or sing the national anthem, and they refuse military service.
- They also refuse blood transfusions, even those that could be life saving.
- A Jehovah’s Witness is prohibited from ingesting or being transfused with natural human blood or its products, although there are exceptions for some artificial blood products or “non-blood alternatives.” The Witnesses’ stand against blood transfusions reflects the significance of blood in their faith.
They hold that blood is sacred and represents life. The belief that they should “abstain fromblood” comes from a biblical passage in the book of Acts. Witnesses attend meetings at Kingdom Halls, which normally contain no religious symbols but are rather more functional.
They study Watch Tower Society literature and the Bible at their meetings, which typically include two gatherings each week. Authority for doctrinal and organizational decisions rests with the Governing Body, a small group of men based in the Watchtower Society’s Brooklyn headquarters. Members practice baptism and dedication, but there is no tithing or collection; funds are raised through voluntary contributions.
Each congregation is led by a body of ministerial servants and appointed, unpaid male elders. Those who commit a serious sin or who decide to leave the Watchtower Society, whether formally or informally, are “disfellowshipped.” Contact with members who are disfellowshipped is limited to certain people, such as those who have contractual obligations or family members living in the same home.
How many Jehovah Witnesses are in the UK?
CARING FOR THE JEHOVAH WITNESS PATIENT. There are about 132,000 baptised adult Jehovah Witnesses in the UK. Most of them belong to a local congregation of about 100 people. There are no salaried ministers but each congregation has lay Elders who have pastoral and spiritual responsibility and authority.
Can Jehovah Witnesses play soccer
Political activity – In accordance with the principle of Christian Neutrality, referred to above, Jehovah’s Witnesses are discouraged from voting in elections, but not prohibited from voting. They do not run for any political office, but do not seek to prevent or discourage non-Witnesses from doing so.
- Jehovah’s Witnesses are a close-knit community (members address each other as Brother and Sister) and take seriously the Scriptural injunction to “be no part of the world,” thus many are not inclined to socialize with non-members, whom they consider “bad association”.
- Since a Witness has social interactions while on the job or at school, he or she is encouraged to use these times for witnessing to non-members.
Such contacts are often used as opportunities for starting conversations about their beliefs, referred to as “informal witnessing”. Each congregation operates under the oversight of a body of elders. Social events deemed to be wholesome are encouraged, since they strengthen the bonds of the congregation.
However, if elders deem a social event to be inappropriate, scripture or elsewhere-published spiritual information is brought to the attention of those deemed to be in need of it to discourage attendance. Large social gatherings without proper oversight are discouraged. Although many young Witnesses do engage in casual recreational sports, the association discourages its members from extensively participating in athletic activities to avoid giving undue importance to sports or recreation.
Members are discouraged (but not prohibited) from watching or participating in violent sports. An exception would be an inherently violent sport, such as boxing, for which participation could result in disfellowshipping, Members not of marriageable age are strongly discouraged from courting, which, the Witnesses believe, is for those considering marriage only and should be avoided until both members are prepared for marriage.
Little research has been done on the average age at which Witnesses marry, but former and current members agree that witnesses are more likely to marry at an early age – often between their late teens and early twenties. A 1994 survey in which all Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Germany were invited to participate, revealed that only 4.9% of them are divorced or separated, and many of these were already in this state before becoming Witnesses,
The 2001 academic study ARIS identified an above average number of never-married adults in the U.S. among those self-identifying as Witnesses (27%), as well as below average numbers of unmarried cohabiting adults and separated or divorced adults. The same study noted that 71% of adults self-identifying as Witnesses were female.
- Main article: Jehovah’s Witnesses and disfellowshipping All members are expected to abide by by the Bible requirements as understood by Jehovah’s Witnesses, and violations of these requirements may result in disfellowshipping, or excommunication.
- Offenses that can result in disfellowshipping include: Abortion, adultery, apostasy, associating with one who is disfellowshipped or disassociated, bestiality, blood transfusions, drug abuse (non-medical), drunkenness, extortion, fornication, fraud, gambling, heresy, homosexual activity, idolatry, manslaughter, non-neutral activity, incest, interfaith activity, and “loose conduct” – conduct that is immoral but in a minor or not so serious way or associating with persons, who have been disfellowshipped or disassociated themselves.
If a baptised Witness begins to teach doctrines contrary to the organisation’s interpretation of the Bible it is grounds for disfellowshipping for apostasy, Disfellowshipping only occurs if the member of the congregation is unrepentant, and unwilling to ameliorate the situation.
- to tolerate violations of the Bible’s standards in their ranks would bring reproach on God’s name and organization.
- shunning keeps the congregation free of possible corrosive influences
- such a serious consequence may motivate the person in question to re-evaluate his or her course of action
Shunning is also practised when written letters of disassociation have been submitted by an individual, or if it is believed that a person has disassociated by their actions, such as by attending another religion’s services; thus Jehovah’s Witnesses refer to these as “disassociated”.
If a disfellowshipped person repents of his former conduct, he may be reinstated into the congregation. A short announcement is made to the congregation stating the following sentence: “XXX XXX has been reinstated as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” No specific period of time is prescribed before this can happen; in most cases, at least six months pass.
Statistics appear to show that about one third of those disfellowshipped eventually return to the group. The Witnesses’ teachings in general promote a healthy lifestyle. Magazine articles in the Awake! often discuss ways of maintaining both mental and physical health.
In general, they encourage standard medical practices such as regular checkups, reliance on modern medical techniques to treat illnesses, etc. except when they consider certain techniques to violate Biblical principles. They believe that smoking and recreational drug use are incompatible with Witness principles.
This is mostly due to the legality, the addictive nature, and established health risks associated with those activities. Drinking alcohol is viewed as permissible in moderation. Drunkenness is not permitted.
Can Jehovah Witnesses watch boxing?
What are the Jehovah’s Witness views on boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) fights? Do they consider them to be real fights? We generally do not participate in or even observe any sport where serious physical injury or death may result.
How many Jehovah’s Witnesses leave each year
An estimated 70,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses are disfellowshipped every year — roughly 1% of the church’s total population, according to data published by the Watchtower. Their names are published at local Kingdom Halls. Of those, two-thirds never return.
Can Jehovah’s Witnesses play sports?
This was published 8 years ago Jehovah’s Witnesses do play professional sport, but body contact and ruthless competitiveness are questionable, according to a senior elder. Alex Rance’s devotion to the Jehovah’s Witness faith has been cited as a reason – though not the only one – why the Richmond defender is considering his football future at the age of just 25. Alex Rance has begun to confide thoughts of retirement to teammates. Credit: Getty Images The Age on Wednesday reported that while he is considered unlikely to walk away from the game, he was feeling drawn to a different life. There was no indication he wanted to take up religious service full-time.
- Graeme Martin, a senior elder at Jehovah’s Witnesses headquarters in Australia, said it was up to the individual to consider how their sport fitted in with what they read in the bible.
- He said the organisation was not against all competition, but it discouraged competition that stirred up negative feelings such as vanity, greed and violence.
“The competitiveness, win-at-all-costs no matter what the consequence for other players is questionable, but we don’t dictate what a person chooses to do,” Martin said. There was no clear line on whether a sport was too violent or competitive, he said, so it was impossible to say whether AFL was acceptable.
“We’re not going to make these arbitrary rules,” Martin said. ” adults are making career choices, it’s really up to them.” There are examples of practising Jehovah’s Witnesses making a huge impression in the world of sport. Tennis champions Serena and Venus Williams were raised Jehovah’s Witnesses and remain active in the faith – their mother Oracene converted in 1984, just as her daughters began to play.
The pair had even been spreading the word since they became famous, according to sister Isha, in a New York Times story in 2012. In Billy Bragg’s God’s Footballer, the folk singer told the true story of promising British soccer player Peter Knowles, who in 1969 gave away the game to devote his time to his Jehovah’s Witness faith.
Martin said the priorities of promising Jehovah’s Witness sportspeople sometimes changed as their faith deepened, and that prompted them to take a different path. Many adherents to the faith, particularly single people or couples without children, devoted themselves to missionary service full-time, then pursued part-time paid work to make ends meet.
“A lot are fully leading towards a sporting or professional career, then they study the bible and it changes their viewpoint on what the future holds,” he said. The type of person who had been previously fully committed to one thing – the sport of their choice – was unlikely to then pursue religious service in a piecemeal way.
- A number of Australians have stepped back from professional sport in recent years in favour of religious service.
- Will Hopoate took two years out from his promising rugby league career to complete a mission for the Mormon faith, returning to join the Parramatta Eels last year.
- Fellow NRL player Lagi Setu spent his two-year Mormon mission in England, and now plays for the Sydney Roosters.
Richmond half-back Bachar Houli, a practising Muslim, makes some small adjustments to make sure he can fulfil his religious duties. He alters his work-out program slightly during Ramadan, training with the team for the main session then squeezing the extra sessions into a shorter timeframe, forgoing a break.
How many Jehovah’s Witnesses will go to heaven?
The “anointed” – Based on their understanding of scriptures such as Revelation 14:1-4, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that exactly 144,000 faithful Christians go to heaven to rule with Christ in the kingdom of God, They, with Jesus, will perform priestly duties that will bring faithful mankind to perfect health and “everlasting life”.
They believe that most of those are already in heaven, and that the “remnant” at Revelation 12:17 (KJV) refers to those remaining alive on earth who will be immediately resurrected to heaven when they die. The Witnesses understand Jesus’ words at John 3:3—”except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”—to apply to the 144,000 who are “born again” as “anointed” sons of God in heaven.
They teach that the New Testament, which they refer to as the Christian Greek Scriptures, is primarily directed to the 144,000, and by extension, to those associated with them. They believe that the terms “Israel of God” (Galatians 6:16), “little flock” (Luke 12:32), “New Jerusalem,” and “the bride, the Lamb’s wife ” (Revelation 21:2,9) in the New Testament also refer to the same group of “anointed” Christians.
How many Jehovah Witnesses are in us
Jehovah’s Witnesses — with 1.3 million members in the U.S.
How many Jehovah Witness are in the world?
Jehovah’s Witnesses: some facts about their history and community in Germany BERLIN, March 10 (Reuters) – Here are some facts about the Jehovah’s Witnesses and their community in Germany, shaken by a at a Jehovah’s Witness hall in Hamburg on Thursday.
– The Jehovah’s Witnesses are an international Christian denomination that was founded in the United States in around 1870. They have around 8.7 million active followers in 239 countries worldwide, according to the denomination’s website. – The first German branch was founded in 1902 in Elberfeld in west Germany – before the “Watch Tower Society” was renamed Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The denomination was not granted legal recognition however until 2005, in the city of Berlin. Since 2017, they have been recognized as a public corporation everywhere in Germany. – Jehovah’s Witnesses have struggled to have their beliefs and practices accepted in some parts of the world.
- The group has faced court proceedings in several countries, mostly over its pacifism and rejection of blood transfusions.
- Floral tributes are laid outside a building housing a Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses, where a deadly shooting took place, in Hamburg, northern Germany, March 10, 2023.
- REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer – Russia banned the group in 2017.
The has depicted the Jehovah’s Witnesses as a dangerous foreign sect, allegations the group denies. – There are 175,558 members in Germany, meaning about 1 in 500 Germans are Jehovah’s Witnesses, according to the denomination’s website, which was updated in January.
In total there are 2,003 congregations and 884 places of worship, called Kingdom Halls of Jehovah’s Witnesses. – Jehovah’s Witnesses were persecuted in Nazi Germany for their refusal to swear allegiance to the Nazi regime or join the military. Thousands were sent to prisons or concentration camps. – The denomination was also banned in former communist East Germany in 1950 which like most Communist-run countries was in general hostile to religion.
– There have been several attempted attacks against Jehovah’s Witnesses in various countries in recent years. In 2009, an 82-year-old man tried to shoot Jehovah’s Witnesses in a Kingdom Hall in Bielefeld, Germany, in revenge for his daughter joining them in 1967.