Believing, Bonding, Behaving, Belonging Among 2nd-Generation Jehovah’s Witnesses in Japan and Rwanda

Socialization of children in new and minority religions has often been discussed in the context of criticism, often by former members, of religious childrearing practices. This paper discusses the seldom-heard perspectives of second-generation adult children who have elected to remain in their parents’ faith. Two quantitative studies of the Jehovah’s Witness communities, in Japan (JWJ-QS) and Rwanda (JW-RWA), collected data from first- and second-generation Witnesses, providing their perspective of learning, adopting, and remaining in the Witness faith. Additional variables investigated the centrality of religious identity, changes in social relationships, intrinsic-extrinsic religious orientation, and resilience and support in congregation life. The JWJ-QS and JW-RWA studies fill a gap in the literature by contributing insights into the process of religious socialization of children within the Jehovah’s Witness community. The data offer potential for further analysis of factors leading to affiliation, retention, and reaffiliation of second-generation Witnesses.