Symbolic Items
The Watchtower
This symbolizes the idea of "watching for the end". Charles Taze Russell called Jehovah's Witnesses "Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society". The Watchtower magazine's mission statement explains that the Watchtower allows Jehovah's Witnesses to view the significance of events under the light of biblical events. It has been the symbol since the beginning of the religion.
Kingdom Hall
This is the gathering place for Jehovah's Witnesses. These buildings symbolize the coming kingdom of Jehovah. They gather here for meetings of worship, schools, weddings, funerals, and causes such as disaster relief and aid. These buildings are usually simple with no altars.
Cross and Crown
This symbol was used on tombstones and publications until 1931. Since 1936, Jehovah's Witnesses have rejected the belief that Jesus died on the cross. They believe that the place of death was a wooden stake. This symbol basically represents the reward in heaven (crown) after the trials in this life (cross).
Religious Artifacts
Notice of Gregor Wohlfahrt's Execution
Gregor Wohlfahrt was a Jehovah's Witness during World War II in Germany. He was physically unfit but was blamed by Nazis for religious opposition to military services. Also, in the New World Translation of the Bible, it is a Biblical commandment not to kill. On November 8, 1939, a military court ordered Wohlfahrt to beheading. The sentence was carried out in a prison in Berlin.
Notice of Gregor Wohlfahrt's Execution
Gregor Wohlfahrt was a Jehovah's Witness during World War II in Germany. He was physically unfit but was blamed by Nazis for religious opposition to military services. Also, in the New World Translation of the Bible, it is a Biblical commandment not to kill. On November 8, 1939, a military court ordered Wohlfahrt to beheading. The sentence was carried out in a prison in Berlin.
GERMAN EDITION OF OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
In April 1945, Soviet forces liberated the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in Germany. They found a dead prisoner, a Jehovah's Witness holding a German edition of the Old and New Testaments.