The list of famous Jehovah’s Witnesses might surprise you. It is long and there are some celebrities out there that you haven’t thought about. The Christian religion prefers to use its own translation of the Bible. They call it The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
Jehovah’s Witnesses distribute literature door-to-door. They do not celebrate birthdays or holidays. They refuse blood transfusion and they will not serve in the military. Among the celebrities and famous Jehovah’s Witnesses, we have Serena Williams, Prince, and many more.
Do you want to find out more? Read on!
What do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe in?
Before we get to the famous Jehovah’s witnesses, let’s talk about their beliefs. As we said, their religion is part of Christianity. But they do have some different beliefs.
For starters, they believe in one God, similar to Jews, not the Holy Trinity. Yes, they do believe that Jesus Christ died for humankind’s sins, but they do not believe he was physically resurrected after the crucifixion. They believe he was only spiritually resurrected. There is no Holy Spirit in Jehovah’s witness faith.
One of the main beliefs in their faith is they do believe that the end of the world is coming soon. According to Jehovah’s witnesses, we have been in the end times since 1914. They believe only their branch of Christianity can offer salvation.
Fun fact: they do not celebrate Christmas, birthdays, or holidays of a pagan origin.
There is also another key difference. They do not believe in life after death. According to Jehovah’s witnesses, death is not just the death of the physical body, but also the death of the soul. They believe that when a person dies, he ceases to exist. Death is the opposite of life. Not even one part of us survives the death of the body and we do not possess an immortal soul or spirit.
Yet, they believe that resurrection is possible. They do believe that 144,000 of Jesus’s most faithful followers will be resurrected to rule with him after the Earth is destroyed. They do think most of the spots are taken, and the numbers decline.
With that in mind, let’s discuss some of the most popular Jehovah’s witnesses.
Serena Williams
We have to start with one of the most famous celebrities. Serena Williams is arguably the greatest female tennis player ever.
She was raised a Jehovah’s Witness and still practices the religion today. Born in the United States, the famous athlete is also vocal about her beliefs and faith. Her sister Venus Williams is also a member of the religion.
Michelle Rodriguez
Born in July 1978, Michelle Rodriguez is an American actress. She is famous for portraying Letty Ortiz in the Fast and the Furious franchise. But her breakout role came in 2000, in the movie Girlfight. There, she portrayed a troubled boxer.
Michele is another celebrity who practices the Jehovah’s Witness’ faith.
Michael Jackson
Did you know this? The King of Pop was raised in the faith of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. He participated in religion during his childhood along with his family and brothers.
Michael Jackson even continued to preach door to door, twice a week, when his fame began to grow in 1984.
To be able to preach the religion without being recognized, Michael wore a cap, mustaches, and lenses. Until 1984, Michael behaved like a faithful Jehovah’s Witness, without blood transfusions or celebrating pagan parties.
But he was accused of promoting spiritualism with his video Thriller. Michael Jackson retired from religion in 1987.
Prince
Here is another famous American singer and songwriter. Prince joined the Jehovah’s witness faith in 2001, after the death of his mother. Even though he was globally recognized for his homosexuality, Prince was still a believer in God. For a time, he practiced the faith.
His family belonged to the Seventh-day Adventist religion, which has many similarities to Jehovah’s Witnesses.
While he carried his faith in his own way, Prince still handed out pamphlets in the street to connect with more people.
Luke Evans
The famous actor that appeared in Robin Hood, The Hobbit, and Fast and the Furious 6, participated in the faith of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. His family brought him down this faith.
They did not celebrate birthdays, parties, and holidays. He practiced the door-to-door preaching activity with his parents during childhood. Luke Evans says that door-to-door preaching helped him forge his character and learn how to overcome rejections.
Donald Glover
Our next celebrity on the list is a rapper and actor Donald Glover. He was raised a Jehovah’s Witness but now identifies himself as an atheist. Somewhere along the lines, he lost his faith.
Donald Glover was born in 1983 in Los Angeles, California. While he now identifies as an atheist, we can still mention him in the group of famous Jehovah’s witnesses.
Jill Scott
Songstress Jill Scot was raised in the faith. Yet, she has stated in recent years she no longer practices religion. Jill Heather Scott is an American singer, songwriter, model, poet, and actress.
Her 2000 debut album Who is Jill Scott went platinum. Similar to other celebrity Jehovah’s, she has changed her faith since childhood.
Terrence Howard
Terrence Howard is different than most other celebrities on this list. Why? Because, unlike others, he was not raised in Jehovah’s Witnesses’ faith. Instead, he showed interest in joining it. His wife raises their children in the faith.
Terrence Howard is an American actor, singer, and record producer. He has had many major roles but retired from acting in 2019. He said he was tired of pretending.
George Benson
The renowned American musician, jazz guitarist, and singer won the Grammy Award in 1978. George Benson is a retired musician and an active participant in the faith. He even belongs to the Elders of the Congregation.
If you didn’t know, The Elders are the men who have spent more time in religion and are chosen for their maturity and spiritual knowledge to lead other members.
Selena
At the height of her career, Selena Quintanilla was part of a family that respected the principles of the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
In fact, doctors suggested a blood transfusion the moment she was taken to the hospital. But her father declined it.
Selena did not celebrate her birthdays, because according to the faith, followers have to give their attention only to Jehovah, not to their individual celebrations.
Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell was raised in the faith by her mother. Like every child in the religion, she lived her childhood without celebrating birthdays.
But as her fame grew and she joined the Spice Girls, Geri left the religion.
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell was born and raised in the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses by her mother. Yet, she is no longer an active practitioner.
Naomi is known for her permanent spiritual search for religions. Throughout her life, she has been part of different cults and religions, including Hebrew Kabbalah, Orthodox Church in Russia, Candomble in Brazil, and many more.
Notorious B.I.G.
Famous American rapper Notorious BIG, or Christopher Wallace, was raised in the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses. His mother, Voletta Wallace, raised him. She is still active in the religion.
Biggie Smalls or Biggie was an American rapper and songwriter. As you can assume, once he became famous as a gangsta rapper, he left the religion.
Janet Jackson
All of the Jackson family members were raised in the faith. Janet stopped practicing it because of her difference in views with religion.
Similar to her brother, she managed to build a successful music career. Of course, she is nowhere near the popularity of Michael Jackson. But she did manage to develop a career in fashion design as well.
Dwight D Eisenhower
Let’s finish off the list of famous Jehovah’s Witnesses with the former American President. He was raised in the faith but left the religion as an adult.
The American military officer served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. His legacy remains Eisenhower’s theory or Eisenhower doctrine. Under it, a Middle Eastern country could request American economic assistance or aid from the US military forces if it was being threatened by armed aggression.
