As a teenager, however, he started questioning several essential Christian doctrines, such as the Trinity and eternal punishment. Russell grew up in a religious home, attending both Presbyterian and Congregational churches.

In the late 1870s, Charles Taze Russell-a Restoration movement minister-began publishing his heretical doctrine in a periodical titled Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence. As of 2019, an estimated 8.7 million people adhere to the teaching and practice of this false religion worldwide. Over the past century and a half, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have become one of the most significant cults in the world.