Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenarian Christian denomination. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism; they report convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual Memorial attendance of over 17 million. They are directed by the Governing Body, a group of elders which exercises authority on all doctrinal matters, based on their interpretations of the Bible, with preference given to their own translation, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

The group emerged from the Bible Student movement, founded in the late 19th century by Charles Taze Russell, with the creation of Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society. Following a schism in the movement, the branch that maintained control of the Society underwent significant organizational changes, bringing its authority structure and methods of evangelism under centralized control. The name Jehovah's witnesses was adopted in 1931.

Since its inception, the Watch Tower Society has taught that humanity is experiencing the last days of the present world order. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that after the current world order is destroyed, righteous survivors and resurrected dead individuals will have the opportunity to live forever on a paradisaical earth, ruled by Christ and 144,000 people raised to heaven. In the years leading up to 1914, 1925 and 1975, the Society's publications expressed strong expectations of Armageddon occurring in those years.Some of these predictions can be found in the book "Millions Now Living Will Never Die" The Watch Tower Society has since changed its stance and teaches that it is impossible to know precisely when Armageddon will occur. Jehovah's Witnesses are best known for their door-to-door preaching, distribution of literature such as The Watchtower and Awake!, and for their refusal of military service and blood transfusions even in life-threatening situations. They consider use of the name Jehovah, one of the proposed pronunciations of the Tetragrammaton, vital to proper worship; they reject Trinitarianism, immortality of the soul, and hellfire, which they consider to be unscriptural; they do not observe celebrations such as Christmas, Easter or birthdays, which they believe to have pagan origins, or national holidays, such as Independence Day. Members commonly refer to their body of beliefs as "the Truth", and adherents consider themselves to be "in the Truth".

The religion's positions regarding conscientious objection to military service and refusal to salute national flags has brought it into conflict with governments, particularly those that conscript citizens for military service; activities of Jehovah's Witnesses have been consequently banned or restricted in some countries. Persistent legal challenges by Jehovah's Witnesses' to such civic duties have had considerable influence on legislation and legal practice concerning civil liberties and conscientious objection to military service in several countries including the United States.

Jehovah's Witnesses regard secular society as a place of moral contamination and under the control of Satan, and limit their social contact with non-Witnesses. Members who violate the organization's fundamental moral principles or who dispute doctrinal matters are subject to disciplinary action, the most severe being a form of shunning they call disfellowshipping.

Part of a series on Jehovah's Witnesses Demographics Jehovah's Witnesses by country Organizational structure Governing Body Faithful and Discreet Slave History Bible Student movement Jehovah's Witnesses splinter groups Beliefs & Practices Doctrines God's name · Eschatology · Blood · Disfellowshipping Literature The Watchtower · Awake! New World Translation Controversies Related people Watch Tower Presidents W.H. Conley · C.T. Russell · J.F. Rutherford · N.H. Knorr · F.W. Franz M.G. Henschel · D.A. Adams Formative influences William Miller · N.H. Barbour · George Storrs Notable Former Jehovah's Witnesses Raymond Franz · Olin Moyle This box: