Jehovah’s Witnesses is a group of Christians with beliefs different than that of primary Christianity. The group believes in restorationism and millenarism. There are more than 8.5 million Jehovah’s Witnesses all over the world. The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the end of the world is inevitable and once the world ends, God’s kingdom will be established which will solve the problems of humanity. The group was founded by Charles Taze Russell and the current headquarters of the group is in Warwick, New York.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses follow many intense rules and regulations. They do not partake in military services and blood transfusions. They are also required to go door-to-door in houses for preaching as well as distributing literature pamphlets like Awake! and Watchtower. They are also not allowed to celebrate birthdays and festivals like Halloween, Christmas, and Easter as they are considered to be pagan in origin and not Christian. Several A-list celebrities have confirmed that they were raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses or have joined as an active member. Read on to find out which celebrities are Jehovah’s Witnesses.
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Celebrities Who Are Or Have Been Jehovah’s Witnesses
12. Patti Smith
Patti Smith is a very famous American punk rock singer-songwriter. She was born on December 30, 1946, in Chicago and was raised in a family who were a part of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Her family is still a part of the group but Smith left the religion at the age of 12-13. She is not an active participant but still considers the study of the Bible in her childhood as one of the most important lessons of her life.
Patti Smith said, “I left organized religion at 12 or 13 because I was brought up a Jehovah’s Witness. I have a very strong biblical background. I studied the bible quite a bit when I was young and continue to study it, independent of any religion, but I still study it.” Smith has also used her knowledge of the scriptures to write many songs based on similar themes.
11. Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell is an English singer best known for being a part of the Spice Girls, the bestselling girl group in the world. Halliwell was also known as Ginger Spice. Her mother became a Jehovah’s Witness when she was very young and hence she was raised in the religion. Like others who followed the religion, Halliwell also didn’t get to celebrate festivals and birthdays in her childhood.
Geri Halliwell also left the religion after growing up. Shortly after leaving, she became a part of the Spice Girls and the rest was history for her. If she had stayed in the religion, she might not have been able to participate and dress the way the girls were dressing.
10. Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is an English supermodel and a businesswoman. Her mother was also a Jehovah’s Witness long before the birth of Campbell. She was born and raised as a Jehovah’s Witness but she left the religion after growing up. Campbell does not practice religion anymore and instead chose to become a model and an actress. She also pursued a singing career, releasing an album.
Naomi Campbell’s mother revealed this fact to the world. She said, “I was raised as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, but she had to choose her faith. When she asks me, of course, I give her all the necessary literature to use.” Her mother also revealed how they used to read the Bible every day and used to attend church three times a week.
9. Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle Rodriguez is an American actress best known for her role in the Fast and Furious franchise. Rodriguez was brought up in a family that strictly followed all the principles and values taught by a Jehovah’s Witness. Her parents along with her grandmother, took her to church every day and they diligently practiced door-to-door preaching.
Michelle Rodriguez credits her upbringing as a Jehovah’s Witness with inspiring her ongoing quest for spirituality and diverse worldviews. Although she is no longer an active member of the religion, the actor describes herself as an existentialist. Rodriguez also revealed in an interview that she stopped believing when she was 13 because she ‘doesn’t like elitism’.
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8. Luke Evans
Luke Evans is an acclaimed Welsh actor and singer. He has been in movies like ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘Dracula Untold’, ‘The Hobbit’, ‘Fast and The Furious 6’, and ‘Robin Hood’. Evans was also brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness in his childhood. He reminisced how he couldn’t celebrate any birthdays or festivals in his childhood and he missed them.
Evans, who is openly gay, could never have continued as a Jehovah’s Witness since that religion disapproves of homosexuality. He believes that, although it was extremely tough for him as a youngster, the process of going door to door preaching with his parents helped him develop his character and learn to deal with rejection, which was very helpful in his preparation as an actor.
7. Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson, also known as the King of Pop, was an American singer-songwriter and dancer. Jackson, along with all of his siblings, was brought up as a Jehovah’s Witness. Together with his family and siblings, he practiced religion during his childhood. In 1984, when he was slowly getting famous, he continued to preach door-to-door twice a week. People claimed that saw him wearing a cap, mustaches, and lenses to preach without revealing his identity.
Michael Jackson had been a devout Jehovah’s Witness up until 1987, refraining from giving blood or attending “pagan parties”. After the release of his ‘Thriller’ music video, the elders of the religion did not approve of his music imagery and he left the religion.
6. George Benson
George Benson is an American jazz guitarist, singer, and musician. His singing career lasted for almost five decades and has won Grammy awards for his work. In addition to being a Jehovah’s Witness, he is also one of the congregation’s Elders. He retired from music to become one of the Elders of the Congregation.
The Elders are men who have been practicing their religion for a longer period of time and are chosen for their spiritual expertise and maturity to guide the other congregation members, counseling and inspiring them to continue on the road of this religion’s spirituality. His faith has had a huge impact on his songwriting as well, as he chose to focus on love and romance and didn’t write songs about drugs and sex.
5. Dwight Eisenhower
Dwight Eisenhower was the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. He also grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness. When he was an adult, Dwight Eisenhower and his siblings quit the Jehovah’s Witnesses, which their father had introduced them to in 1915. Nonetheless, religion had a big impact on his life since he used a Jehovah’s Witness Bible when he took office for the second time.
Eisenhower frequently utilized religion as a deciding factor in his decisions throughout his tenure in office and thought that it was what distinguished real Americans from their communist adversaries. During his entire tenure as a President, he is also believed to have said ‘under God’ in the loyalty commitment.
4. Selena
Selena was an American singer-songwriter who was instrumental in the rise of Tejano music in the United States. Her family was a strict Jehovah’s Witness follower and the family followed All the principles of the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Selena also regretted not celebrating her birthdays and festivals as it is banned in the religion. She studied the Bible up until her death and did not leave the religion.
In fact, it’s also thought that the instant she was brought to the hospital following getting shot, medical staff recommended a blood transfusion, which her father categorically rejected. This could have therefore contributed to her death inadvertently. Blood transfusions are not allowed in the religion.
3. Terrence Howard
Terrance Howard is an American actor who is famous for his roles in movies like ‘Iron Man’, ‘The Best Man’, ‘Prisoners’, ‘Hustle & Flow‘, ‘Crash’, ‘The System‘, and ‘Pride‘. Howard has been very open about being a Jehovah’s Witness. He is also the host of ‘Knocking’ which is a documentary series that documents the religion and their beliefs. Howard and his wife are also raising their kids as a part of the religion. He also revealed how he wanted to become a Jehovah’s Witness.
2. Serena And Venus Williams
The tennis stars, Serena and Venus Williams both have been Jehovah’s Witnesses since their childhood. The well-known tennis players were brought up in a Jehovah’s Witness family and continue to practice their religion today. Venus Williams, in spite of many criticisms, has the same background and adheres to religious principles. Serena Williams has however expressed publicly her appreciation to Jehovah and her religion for assisting her in achieving all of her sports ambitions.
However, the Elders of the Congregation have also criticized the sisters for their dressing style and the fact that both haven’t been baptized. The Elders also don’t like the fact that both of them are patriotic as the religion condemns people who are affiliated with any country.
1. Prince
Global music sensation Prince was also a Jehovah’s Witness. Prince was raised as a Baptist in his childhood but he turned to this religion after the death of his mother in 2001. Prince was a devout follower of God and, for a while, adhered to its principles, despite being widely known for his homosexuality and other excesses. This was because homosexuality is not accepted in the religion.
Prince practiced his religion in his own manner, but he also distributed leaflets to passersby and conducted door-to-door preachings, which helped him build stronger relationships with them. Fans also believe that because of the religious beliefs surrounding blood transfusions and medical procedures, Prince wasn’t given the proper treatment which ultimately resulted in his death.
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