There could be no period more appropriate than the beginning of a new millennium in which to consider the activities of those who hold beliefs about the end of the world. In 1872, a Pittsburgh draper, Charles Taze Russell, founded what later became known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society -- the official name for the organisation of Jehovah's Witnesses now one of the world's fastest-growing religious movements. From the moment of their foundation, the Witnesses have remained steadfast in their belief that the end of the world is imminent.
Their worldwide membership increased from 44,080 in 1928 to over 6 million in 2000. Even the most conservative estimates indicate that by the year 2020, there will be 12 1/2 million members worldwide (Stark and Iannacone, 1997). The movement's exclusive millenarian theology declares that, while a great multitude of righteous people (including those who do not necessarily accept its doctrines) will be granted eternal life on earth, only 144,000 Witnesses (the figure mentioned in Revelation 14:3) will enter heaven. All other religious creeds are rejected as heresy, and devotees make extensive use of biblical texts and Watchtower publicatios to win converts. The movement demands unquestioning loyalty.
To the sceptical outsider, this is a religious organisation that bears all the hallmarks of totalitarian regime. In a so-called 'postmodern' world of flexibility and choice, the Witnesses stand out as puritanical, authoritarian and conservative. How, then, is this movement managing to grow so rapidly when it appears to stifle people's freedom? What strategies do the Witnesses use to persuade prospective recruits that the world is about to end? And can postmodernist theory provide clues to the movement's success? In order to answer these questions, we need to know something about how the Witnesses themselves see the world and what, exactly, they claim to be offering. These issues are central to sociological inquiry.
This essay has the followings:
Total words: 2265
Total reference: 4
Total price: £ 49.95
Click here to Order this essay!
Get Professionally written Essays that are:
• Written According to your Exact Requirements
• 100% Original and Non-Plagiarized
• Written by Expert
UK Writers
• Delivered to you before your deadline
Amazingly Low Prices - £9.95/page
