True
Faith Jehovah's Witnesses is an organized East European JW schism,
which
rejected the Watchtower Society-led, main group of JWs after Communism
collapsed in 1990.
TFJWs
are estimated at 5,000 to 100,000.
TFJWs
preached JW doctrines underground during the Nazi era and the Cold War
but failed to keep up with new "truth" promulgated in the
They concluded that the Governing Body and WTS had abandoned “true
faith”
and compromised, and apostatized, and led JWs astray, and betrayed
their
East European brethren.
TFJWs
perceived JWs as morally lax, overindulgent in wine and parties,
permissive
of child abuse, and as hypocrites for denouncing the United Nations
while
having signed up as a Non-government Organization.
TFJWs
still use WTS publications published up to 1961, including Russell and
Rutherford, and reprint and study Rutherford's books. They view Jehovah
and Jesus as the superior authorities (Romans 13:1) — a doctrine JWs
revised
in 1962 — and denounce big business, government and religion. They
believe
in a soon-occurring Armageddon followed by a new Earth where a "great
crowd"
will live in paradise ruled by Jesus and a "little flock".
TFJWs
permit more freedom of conscience and dissent than JWs do and are more
ready to dialogue with dissidents. Preaching is encouraged but not
compelled.
Preaching is directed at family, friends, and the public in streets and
parks. The house to house method of JWs is employed infrequently.
They
are structured like the main organization with congregations, circuits,
and pioneers. "Elders" are older men respected in their congregation
but
are not appointed by a centralized hierarchy. There are no formal
committees
that judge and disfellowship — each congregation decides for itself
whom
to associate with. Blood transfusion and tobacco are preached against,
but non-conformity is not enforced with excommunication. Internet
photos
of TFJW conventions show women wearing head coverings.
Critics
and ex members of TFJWs, however, view them as narrower and more
legalistic
than the WTS-led JWs. TFJWs are in effect still "Rutherfordites" — JWs
of the1930s — and it’s unlikely they'll expand much.
Schism
is nothing new among JWs. Theirs is one of the most divisive religions
due to failed prophecies and ever-changing "truth" and several hundred
groups — some with over 10,000 members — have split off.