Most commonly recognised – and widely mocked – for their door-to-door evangelism, Jehovah’s Witnesses comprise one of Christianity’s best-known, but least understood, sects.
Behind the Knock opens the door on a faith that is relatively young, born out of Bible studies groups in the 1870s, but carries the strength of religious fervour. They use the name of Jehovah to distinguish themselves from other Christians and do not believe in the Holy Trilogy, nor do they celebrate birthdays or the ‘pagan’ festivals of Christmas or Easter.
They are moral conservatives who stay out of politics, but their many human rights victories in the law courts benefit all of us. They refuse blood transfusions, but are eager guinea pigs in support of new science to advance bloodless surgery. They are pacifists who refuse to fight for their country, so in Nazi Germany, told they could fight for Hitler or go to the concentration camps, they chose the camps.
From their base in Brooklyn, New York, Jehovah’s Witnesses have spread across the globe and now number more than 20 million, a third of whom are active evangelists. Following two Jehovah’s Witness families, this programme reveals how the religion has helped shape history beyond the doorstep.
Jehovah’s Witnesses: Behind the Knock – Saturday 27 October at 11.15pm
