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Jehovah’s Witnesses – a “white religion”
Demonstrated by Governing Body membership.
At Watchtower’s October 2024 Annual Meeting, two new Governing Body members were announced, both white men. There have been 35 Governing Body members. 34 have been white, and 1 black; in other words, 97% white males. It raises the question, are Jehovah’s witnesses a white religion?
Jehovah’s Witness started in 1879, when Russell formed the Watch Tower Society in the United States of America. During this period many new religions were formed in the USA: most notably being Adventists, Mormons and Evangelical Christian religious groups such as Assemblies of God. Each of these groups now claim millions of members and have spread around the globe.
Watchtower’s Governing Body arrangement officially formed 1st October 1971.[Fn.1]
As shown in the following images, Watchtower’s Governing Body has almost exclusively constituted old white men.
governing body 1971
Governing Body 2007
Governing Body 2013 - Watchtower 2013 July 15 p.26
As of 6th October 2024, there have been 35 Governing Body members. There has never been a Governing Body member from the Middle East, nor from the Pacific Islands, nor from Asia or from Latin America.
Samuel Herd is the only Governing Body member that is not white. Even then, he was born in North America. You must wonder how he feels, being what South Park would refer to as the “token black” man.
The majority of Governing Body members have been born in the United States of America; 24 out of 35 members. If the first two leaders are taken into account, Russell and Rutherford, that is 26 out of 37. That is three quarters of all Watchtower leadership.
63% of Jehovah’s Witnesses live in either Latin America, Africa or Asia, yet there has never been a Governing Body member from any of these continents.
In 2023, there were 898,785 Jehovah's Witnesses in Brazil, compared to 1,220,070 in the United States. Despite having 3/4 of the number as in USA, there has never been a Brazilian Governing Body member.
It is astounding that the Governing Body has not had even a token amount of members from Africa, South America or Asia, to give a minimal pretense that Watchtower is global and not just another American, white dominated, patriachal religion.
Christianity started in the Middle East. From there it spread through Europe and Africa. In the 15th century, Chrisitanity arrived via the Carribean to Central and South America.
Image Source: patheos.com
It was one and a half thousand years before Christianity arrived in North America, and almost 2000 years before Russell started the organisation that would become what is now referred to as Jehovah’s Witnesses. Rather than representative of its Christian roots, or its globally adherents, the Governing Body leadership is exclusively run by men that are white or born in America.
In 1918, Rutherford preached that the end would be in 1925 and the Israelite Kings would be resurrected in California. See 1925 - "Millions Now Living Will Never Die!"
It struck me as unusual that Jehovah's Witnesses believed that the United States would be considered important in Jehovah's resurrection plans. A century later, Jehovah's Witnesses are still being run predominantly by white American men, and told to accept that as being Jehovah's will.
Footnote
[Fn.1]
The Governing Body was formed on 1st October 1971. Previously there was a legal governing body. In 1971, the term Governing Body was reserved for the body of men that were leading the organisation as part of the "faithful and discreet slave." See Governing Body.
Watchtower 1971 Dec 15 p.755
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Written October 2024
