Modern History of Jehovah’s Witnesses

Part 26—Expansion in Asia and the Pacific Area

ASIA, the largest of the continents, is a gigantic land mass. What success do Jehovah’s witnesses have in preaching to its 1,272 million inhabitants?a The answer is that they find it slow and difficult to make progress, but progress there is. Asia is the home of heathendom. It is the center of Eastern culture. It is the nursing ground for the great non-Christian religions of Mohammedanism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism. This gives rise to a complicated, conglomerated state of mind that is difficult to describe. Asiatics are steeped in tradition and ancient folklore. No matter how illogical or unreasonable a matter may seem to the Western mind, to the Eastern mind it is accepted as fact without proof. Their complicated languages reflect a state of early confusion stemming from the days of the confusion of tongues at Babel. The Asiatic mind finds it difficult to accept new ways, to simplify and to make advantageous changes. They fear conversion and dislike others’ offering them help. Many continually live in a realm of unreality and refuse to face modern facts of life. The abounding of idolatry, ancestor worship and immorality (practically no moral restraints exist, through having no conception of sin) has brought the mentality of the Asiatic very low; so low, in fact, that many lead an existence not far from that of animals. To such a degree of debasement has the Devil driven these masses. Nevertheless, Jehovah has some of honest and contrite heart in these lands who are being hunted out by His witnesses.

In 1942 the vast continent of Asia was practically untouched as far as Jehovah’s witnesses were concerned. In that year 406 ministers were reported active in six lands, mostly in or near India. In Japan the work was banned during the war years. From March to May, 1947, the Society’s president, together with his secretary, made an extensive tour throughout the Far, Middle and Near East visiting witnesses in Asiatic lands.b Arrangements were made to open missionary centers in all these various countries visited. At first in 1947 only seventeen missionaries were sent, but by 1955 there were 186 missionaries scattered in 18 lands of Asia, including Japan. Language has been a great barrier and the missionaries have worked hard to communicate with the peoples in their own tongue. From 406 in 1942 the number of active ministers in Asia rose to 4,541 in 1955. After much difficulty solid foundations have been laid in such countries as Lebanon, Palestine, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, India, Korea, parts of China and finally in Japan.c

Actually Asia should be called the “dark” continent as far as true Christianity is concerned. Note the following small beginnings.d

1942 6 406 93,223

1947 8 475 140,661

1952 19 2,274 504,301

1955 18 4,541 915,269

Today there is only one of Jehovah’s witnesses for every 280,000. What need there exists for the preaching of the good news in this continent! But now that a solid start has been made, the power of God’s Word will reach out until many more in this vast human sea of spiritual darkness transform their thinking to that of pure Christianity.

ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC

Completing our world survey of the global expansion of Jehovah’s witnesses, we finally come to the beautiful islands of the Pacific including the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand and the many others. In this vast expanse of the Pacific live more than 110 million islanders made up of Polynesians, Asiatics and Europeans. In some respects their lot is better than that of those masses on the mainland of Asia. Asiatic culture, thinking and religion hold considerable influence over these insular inhabitants. European political domination having been exercised over these islands for generations, democratic ways, too, are manifest. So here the Eastern mind meets the Western mind, this resulting in a mixture of thinking. Considerable education secularly is available for a large segment of the population. The Bible has been circulated here in several languages for more than a century. All this has made for easier Christian development and expansion. The people do not live at such a rapid pace of life. They are friendly and quite readily receive Jehovah’s witnesses as welcomed visitors.

In Australia the witnesses had established a branch office of the Watch Tower Society away back in 1903, and they had in course of time expanded from there to New Zealand and other islands. Though the Pacific war was still at its height in 1942, nevertheless three lands reported 4,275 active ministers. N. H. Knorr and M. G. Henschel made a flying trip early in February, 1947, to all the major centers in the Pacific, holding conventions, seeking out places for missionary homes and making plans for wide-scale expansion.e In this same year thirteen Gilead missionaries reached some of these islands to commence their educational work. By 1955 the number of missionaries had increased to 85. The number of native island ministers of the witnesses for 1955 had increased to the amazing number of 38,325.

“Let them give glory unto Jehovah, and declare his praise in the islands.” (Isa. 42:12, AS) This is truly having a literal fulfillment in our times since 1945, as can be seen from the following figures.f

1942 3 4,275 701,037

1947 6 7,385 1,390,228

1952 12 26,690 3,590,037

1955 19 38,325 5,421,019

Powerful preaching is under way in the Pacific to enable thousands more of Jehovah’s “other sheep” to find their way to the theocratic New World society in “Beulah” land. In 1955 there was one minister of Jehovah’s witnesses for every 2,800 islanders. Light of the new world is reaching out to these faraway places. Not one place is overlooked by Jehovah’s Right Shepherd. May the hours of proclaiming Jehovah’s glorious name continue to increase as more ministerial proclaimers take up the gladsome preaching of the good news.

This global expansion study may be summarized in the following total picture of the preaching work accomplished by Jehovah’s witnesses world-wide, including 1955.g

EARTH-WIDE REPORT

1942 54 115,240 28,464,352

1947 86 207,552 43,842,305

1952 127 456,265 68,703,699

1955 158 642,929 85,832,250

This represents a tremendous effort in carrying out Jesus’ commission: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations, and then the accomplished end will come.” (Matt. 24:14, NW) So for earth’s present population of 2,400 million there is one of Jehovah’s ministers serving for each 3,732 inhabitants. Still Jesus’ words are applicable: “Yes, the harvest is great, but the workers are few.” (Matt. 9:37, NW) The scope for continued global expansion is very great. May Jehovah’s way of mercy be held open for a while longer to enable a larger proportion of earth’s present generation to come to the light of true Christian thinking.

All this global Christian activity has required organization and planning. Millions of Bibles have had to be distributed. Other millions of Bible publications and textbooks have had to be written, printed and translated into a hundred different languages. This work is not done by paid workers but is activity that is volunteered by dedicated and devoted ministers of Jehovah. Great amounts of money are contributed and millions of preaching hours are unselfishly spent in carrying out such a global educational program of preaching. The world headquarters of the Watch Tower Society are located in Brooklyn, New York, and from there through 78 branch offices the administration is effected.h Printing plants manned by Bethel workers (full-time volunteers) are operated in Brooklyn; Wiesbaden, Germany; Berne, Switzerland; Jakobsberg, Sweden; Elandsfontein, South Africa; Sydney, Australia; Toronto, Canada; and London, England. Minor printing operations are undertaken at practically each branch office. The world-wide staff of Bethel office and factory full-time workers serving at the Brooklyn headquarters and the 78 branches numbers 1,101.i

In addition to the 1,814 Gilead-trained foreign missionaries there is a large staff of pioneer and special pioneer (local) missionaries of 15,197. These are full-time ministers who make a great constructive contribution to the preaching campaign. The methods of preaching are uniform throughout the world. The Watchtower magazine now regularly appearing in forty-one languages, 2,300,000 copies of each issue, maintains a uniform, spiritual feeding service. In this manner a remarkable world-wide unity of thinking, devotion and activity has been attained and is being maintained.

Already Jehovah’s witnesses speak the one pure language, the language of Bible truth. Jehovah’s sacred revelations for man are brought together and preserved in the greatest book, the Bible. Jehovah is no respecter of nationality and he has given this treasure of His Word to all lovers of righteousness. The Bible has universal appeal and is powerful in overthrowing all false thinking. Jehovah’s witnesses are ever busy studying these Scriptures to work up arguments and proofs that can be used to help people in their local territories to become free from traditional wrong thinking. Missionaries spend hours and years in studying to communicate in native foreign languages. Jehovah’s witnesses put forth this great effort as a contribution of love to aid their world neighbors. Additionally, all this loving activity adds up to producing a shout of global praise to the Universal Sovereign, Jehovah.—Heb. 4:12, NW.

(To be continued)

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 41]

TRUE CHRISTIANITY

MOHAMMEDANISM

HINDUISM

CONFUCIANISM