The The Watchtower reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

The Watchtower

The Watchtower is a magazine published twice a month by Jehovah's Witnesses.

Its publication began in 1879. It was called by its full name 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. Later on, in October 1939, it 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.

Today it has 32 pages and is published in 148 languages. The magazine usually includes topics such as Bible prophecy, Christian conduct and morals, as well as the history of religion and the Bible.

Each issue contains two or three study articles that are discussed at congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses throughout the world. Simultaneous printing in the vast majority of languages in which The Watchtower is published makes it possible for virtually all of the Jehovah's Witness communities throughout the earth to discuss the same information each week.

With an average printing of twenty-five million copies, The Watchtower is thought to be the most widely circulated religious magazine in the world.

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 in American Sign language was produced, and this was extended to DVD in 2004. Additionally, 2004 saw the release of The Watchtower on compact disk (MP3 format).

The Watchtower, along with its companion magazine Awake, was sold in the United States until March 1, 1990, when the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that religious literature being sold was subject to taxation. In the United States, distribution of Jehovah's Witnesses literature was at that time switched to a voluntary donation system. The sale of the magazines, and all Jehovah's Witnesses literature, continued around the world until the early 2000's. "Pioneers" paid a lower price for the magazines, which are then resold, with the individual evangelist keeping the profit.

The Watchtower, is now distributed free of charge everywhere, although voluntary donations are accepted to support the magazines' further distribution.

This is the "The Watchtower" reference article from the English Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.