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This article is about the religious magazine. For information on literal watchtowers, see Fortification.

The Watchtower is an illustrated religious magazine printed and published by Jehovah's Witnesses via their Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in Wallkill, Ulster County, New York and branch offices around the world.

Purpose

The Watchtower is used by Jehovah's Witnesses in their proselytising activities and gives their interpretation of the Bible. The magazine is also a major vehicle of communication from the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses to the association as a whole regarding doctrinal issues or changes.

The Watchtower and its companion journal Awake! both aim to spread the views of Jehovah's Witnesses. The Watchtower focuses more on religious and theological issues, while Awake! aims to be more of a topical read from a religious perspective.

The inside of the cover page of the Watchtower states:

"The purpose of the Watchtower is to exalt Jehovah God as Sovereign Lord of the Universe. It keeps watch on world events as these fulfill Bible prophecy. It comforts all peoples with the good news that God's Kingdom will soon destroy those who oppress their fellowman and that it will turn the earth into a paradise. It encourages faith in God's now-reigning King, Jesus Christ, whose shed blood opens the way for mankind to gain eternal life. The Watchtower, published by Jehovah's Witnesses continuously since 1879, is nonpolitical. It adheres to the Bible as its authority."

History

Publication began in 1879 under the title Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence. In 1909 the name was changed to The Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence. In 1920, the Watchtower Society reprinted all the issues from 1879-1919 in 7 volumes. This set is known as Watchtower Reprints. Later on, in October 1939, the magazine was renamed The Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Presence, and, from March 1940 until now, its full name has been The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom.

The Watchtower and Awake! were sold for a small charge in the United States until March 1, 1990, shortly after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled religious literature being sold was subject to taxation on January 17. In the United States, distribution of Jehovah's Witnesses literature was then switched to a voluntary donation system. The new rulings by the Court would have added tax collection and submission to the distribution process. So, members were now told to "simplify our Bible education work and separate ourselves from those who commercialize religion." The sale of the magazines, and all Jehovah's Witnesses' literature, continued around the world until the early 1990s, and in some countries until the start of 2000.

The Watchtower is now distributed free of charge everywhere, its printing being funded by voluntary donations.

Distribution

The Watchtower has an average print run of 26.4 million and is printed semi-monthly in about 110 languages, and monthly in about another 40 for a total of 150 languages.

The Watchtower is distributed by Jehovah’s Witnesses. They consider their work a public service. Witnesses commonly offer these magazines in the course of their house-to-house ministry. They are also distributed by approaching people in public places or informally to doctors, academics, politicians and acquaintances. The Watchtower may also be seen left as reading material in public places, including bus terminals, laundromats or other places. Distribution practices such as mailbox drops and placing large stacks in public places are discouraged by the Watchtower Society.

Editions

Over the years, Jehovah's Witnesses have added a variety of editions of the magazine, with a view to making it available to a wider public. In 1976, The Watchtower became available in Grade II English Braille. In 1988, it began to be produced on audiocassette for the benefit of the visually impaired as well as others who wished to listen to it. In 2003, a videocassette edition (of main study articles) in American Sign Language was produced, and this was extended to DVD in 2004. Select articles are available at their official website (www.watchtower.org). Additionally, 2004 saw the release of The Watchtower on compact disk (MP3 and later audio CD format). In 2005, a DVD edition of "The Watchtower" was made available in Brazilian Sign Language.

Content

Each issue contains two or three study articles used as guides to religious studies of Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the world. Virtually all of the Jehovah's Witness communities throughout the earth discuss the same information each week at the "Watchtower Study". In this meeting the Watchtower Study Conductor has each paragraph read aloud, after which he asks the questions printed at the bottom of the page for that paragraph; Witnesses present at the meeting are then called upon to answer the questions using the information just read in the paragraph.

Today, the magazine is 32 pages in size and is published in 150 languages. A typical issue usually includes their interpretations of topics such as Bible prophecy, Christian conduct and morals, as well as the history of religion and the Bible.

The Watchtower has long drawn criticism that it publishes definite dates for the end of the world as a matter of doctrine. The Watchtower's subtitle, "Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom," indicates its interest in eschatology but Watch Tower Society writers caution, "It does no good to use Bible chronology for speculating on dates that are still future in the stream of time," despite the fact that they have repeatedly done so. (All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial, 1963) Following are a few examples of false prophecies that have been printed in the magazine's pages over the years:

"The culmination of the trouble in October, 1914, is clearly marked in the Scriptures; and we are bound therefore to expect a beginning of that severe trouble not later than 1910; - with severe spasms between now and then." (September 15, 1901 Watchtower, p. 2876)

"The parallel, therefore, would establish definitely that the harvest would close forty years thereafter; to wit, in the spring of A.D. 1918. If this be true, and the evidence is very conclusive that it is true, then we have only a few months in which to labor before the great night settles down when no man can work." (October 1, 1917 Watchtower, p. 6149)

"That the harvest began in 1878, there is ample and convincing proof. The end of the harvest is due in the spring of 1918." (May 1, 1918 Watchtower, p. 6243)

"Soon now six millenniums of his wicked exploiting of mankind as his slaves will end, within the lifetime of the generation that has witnessed world events since the close of the Gentile Times in 1914 till now, according to the prophetic words of Jesus in Matthew 24:34. Would not, then, the end of six millenniums of mankind's laborious enslavement under Satan the Devil be the fitting time for Jehovah God to usher in a Sabbath millennium for all his human creatures? Yes, indeed!" (October 15, 1969 Watchtower, p. 623)

Some Jehovah's Witnesses point to conflicting quotes such as the following as a defense:

According to the best chronological reckoning of which we are capable, it is approximately that time--whether it be October, 1914, or later. Without dogmatizing, we are looking for...the inauguration of Messiah's Kingdom in the world. (Watchtower 1913 10/15)

Does this mean that the year 1975 will bring about Armageddon? No one can say with certainty what any particular year will bring. (Watchtower 1968 5/1 pp272-273)

Jesus...emphasized...five times. "Concerning that day and hour nobody knows"... we do not need to know the "day and hour" when God's coming destructive act will begin. (Watchtower 1974 6/15 pp 378-379)

Authorship

There is a writing commitee within the WBTS that oversees the research, editing, and development of the articles. The articles are mostly contributed by writing commitees within the branch offices worldwide, which are then checked by a team of editors for accuracy, grammar, spelling, etc, and then translated into the languages of publication by other teams. The names of the authors, editors, etc. are never included in the final magazine, though all articles are produced under the authority of the Governing Body, and therefore the content is considered the official position of the organization.

External links

• Watchtower and Awake! articles adapted for the Internet (Jehovah's Witnesses: Watchtower Society Official Web Site)
• Online articles from Watchtower Reprints from 1879-1916
• "A Searchable Database of Watchtower Reprints

• Jehovah's Witnesses literature
• Religious magazines