Are Jehovah’s Witnesses an American Sect?

Our world headquarters is located in the United States of America. However, we are not an American sect for the following reasons:

• Some define a sect as a group that has broken away from an established religion. Jehovah’s Witnesses have not broken away from some other religious group. Instead, we feel that we have reestablished the form of Christianity that was practiced in the first century.

• Jehovah’s Witnesses are active in their ministry in over 230 lands and countries. No matter where we live, we give our primary allegiance to Jehovah God and Jesus Christ, not to the U.S. government or to any other human government.—John 15:19; 17:15, 16.

• All of our teachings are based on the Bible, not on the writings of some religious leader in the United States.​—1 Thessalonians 2:13.

• We follow Jesus Christ, not any human leader.​—Matthew 23:8-10.