I have some questions I need answered for a school report, can you help me?

by caesarmoridon 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    I'll reply, though I'm not a JW myself. I married one instead.

    1. What has led you to your choice in religious faith?

    Through a careful book study guided through a series of scriptures, the JW comes to believe that there is only one true religion. This study takes at least six months. The student comes to believe that their religion is the "truth", and every other is false. The chief early book study aid is "What Does the Bible Really Teach?", self decribed as:

    The Bible provides the key to your enjoying a truly satisfying life. It can help you to deal with problems. Would you like to find out what the Bible really teaches? This book will help you. 224 pages

    http://www.watchtower.org/e/publications/index.htm

    2. What does your faith do for you spiritually?

    A Jehovah's Witness gets comfort from having the answers to the key questions in life. He also receives satisfaction from doing Jehovah's work...going door-to-door. He would likely draw a blank if you asked about an internal spiritual life. The Witness life is very much centred on specific works; daily reading of the bible and Watchtower literature, meeting attendance, and field service. There are token prayers at meals and at the services, but I find the average witness feels quite unworthy to approach Jehovah directly in prayer.

    http://www.watchtower.org/e/20030215/article_02.htm

    3. How does your faith better you and the world in which you live?

    Here is the description of their purpose directly from their Charities return, here in Canada:

    TO ASSIST THE LOCAL UNICORPORATED ASSOCIATION OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES IN CARRYING OUT THEIR RELIGIOUS OBJECTIVE OF PREACHING THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD'S KINGDOM AND PROMOTING PUBLIC RELIGIOUS WORSHIP DESIGNED TO UPLIFT JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AND ANY WHO ATTEND THEIR PUBLIC MEETINGS BY MEANS OF MORAL AND SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION BASED ON GOD'S WORD THE BIBLE.

    http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/ebci/haip/srch/sec/SrchInput05Render-e?bn=119288918RR0671&fpe=2006-12-31&formId=19&name=ABERDEEN+CONGREGATION+OF+JEHOVAH%27S+WITNESSES#section_c

    4. Why does your faith promote its rather legendary evangelical approach and missionary efforts?

    The official answer:

    http://www.watchtower.org/e/jt/index.htm?article=article_01.htm

    I personally think it is to keep the congregation busy and to reinforce the seige mentality. There's nothing so character building as having your message rejected twenty times a week either silently by an unanswered door, or by having that selfsame door slammed in your face.

    I think the early Bible Students (origin of the Witnesses) were dynamic crusaders, passionate about getting the message out that our time was short. I was quite surprised to read that the Bible Students would picket outside churches, handing out pamphlets to the parishoners. Very bold, don't you think? The time and place of their origins was a hotbed of religious dynamism and new thought. From that same area of the United States sprung religious revivals, new preachers, and new denominations.

    http://www.teachushistory.org/second-great-awakening-age-reform/articles/religious-revivals-revivalism-1830s-new-england

    The Jehovah's Witnesses won some important religious freedoms for us all, winning the right to publicly preach their message.

    http://www.chrc-ccdp.ca/en/timePortals/milestones/62mile.asp

    By comparison today, door-to-door work is quite absent of that early passion.

    5. Does your faith encourage studying other religions and ideologies?

    New students are encouraged to study the origins of their own faith. This quickly ends after baptism. Other religions may be questioned, but not their own. Research is essentially restricted to their own literature, primarily "Insight in to the Scriptures", "Reasoning from the Scriptures" and their own CD. Even study of older literature from their own publications is discouraged.

    http://www.qwotes.info/verify.htm

    6. How has religion shaped your life?

    A Witness has to give up many things. He must give up "worldly" association including close relatives. He abstains from many annual gatherings including Birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. He must not smoke or be disfellowshipped. Blood transfusions are also forbidden, leading to deaths every year, mostly women and children. He will be looked down upon if he pursues advanced education or any career that would interfere with meeting attendance. There are so many rules for behavior, many Witnesses run a "double life", one they present to their fellow "brothers" and "sisters" and another that they present when they are in the privacy of their own home or out in the "world".

    Witnesses are allowed to drink alcohol, however.

    http://www.qwotes.info/admin-site-map.htm#requirements

    http://www.ajwrb.org/

    7. What is your belief regarding heaven and who will go their?

    Heaven exists, but only an exclusive 144,000 will go there. The promise for him is a renewed earth, a paradise, and the promise of eternal life in this paradise.

    http://www.watchtower.org/e/20001001/article_02.htm

    8. What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion?

    Besides what was answered in question six, there is the practice of disfellowshipping. If a Witness has doubts of any kind, he must keep them to himself or risk being disfellowshipped. There are depressed, repressed, and people who are genuinely afraid of losing all association with their "brothers" and "sisters" in the congregation.

    9. What are the important holidays and traditions of this religion?

    There is the annual Memorial service. Also there are various weekend conventions and assemblies throughout the year. The meetings are a cross between a rather staid religious service and a business meeting. At the annual event, there is a morality play on the last day of the convention.

    10. If you could clarify one thing about your religion and its message that is often misunderstood or even distorted by others what would that be?

    As the wife of a Jehovah's Witness the one misconception I would like to clear up is that the Witnesses are not generally harmless, or just "another religion". It's obligations dominate a Witness's entire life. Several times a month a non-Witness will wander on to our board with a problem. They are in love with a Jehovah's Witness. The relationship is getting serious, yet the Witness refuses to introduce them to family and friends. The non-Witness partner is baffled. Are they "unworthy" in some way? Should they "convert" in order to be accepted? There's untold stories of broken hearts because of the demands of this religion.

  • Hortensia
    Hortensia

    as others have said, this isn't really a site for true believers. However, I was raised a JW and although I don't believe in any religion now, I'll answer a few of your questions from my point of view.

    1. What has led you to your choice in religious faith?
      I was raised a JW, my mother and her parents were JWs.
    2. What does your faith do for you spiritually?
      I don't think it did much for me spiritually; the emphasis is on works, works, works. Spirituality is measured by meeting attendance, participation, preaching work, etc. In fact, there is not a lot of emphasis at all on spirituality.
    3. How does your faith better you and the world in which you live?
      I was raised with some morals, but also some twisted ideas about participation in the world. JWs are very insular, not only separate from the world as much as possible, but actively hoping for the day when their god will destroy everyone else on earth. also, they are very good at using the services the "world" offers, but at the same time refusing to carry out the duties of a citizen.
    4. . Why does your faith promote its rather legendary evangelical approach and missionary efforts?
      I think, with jgnat, that it is to keep the rank and file busy, to prevent them from having time for any other activities that might lead them away from the organization, and to reinforce the siege mentality.
    5. Does your faith encourage studying other religions and ideologies?
      ONLY out of books published by the WTBTS. Outside research is discouraged.
    6. How has religion shaped your life?
      It led to serious depression and feelings of guilt, worthlessness and isolation. also, poor social skills, not much education, and in my case a lingering feeling that women are a nuisance to men.
    7. What is your belief regarding heaven and who will go their?
      well, I don't believe there is a heaven, but JWs believe that only the elite will go to heaven.
    8. What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion?
      being different from others, the amount of time and energy that is consumed by the demands of the religion, depression, guilt, worthlessness and isolation, ignorance, poor education and low income.
    9. What are the important holidays and traditions of this religion?
      the memorial, wedding anniversaries, weddings, funerals and baby showers. No holidays.
    10. If you could clarify one thing about your religion and its message that is often misunderstood or even distorted by others what would that be?
      it's not just a weird religion, bunch of nuts. It is a high control cult.
  • CHILD
    CHILD

    I haven't attended the kingdom hall in over a year, but will answer most questions as I would have two years ago.

    1. The JWs offered to study the bible with me. This is something the church I attended as a child never did.

    2. As a JW, I developed a relationship with God. However, I never felt I was doing enough. Since leaving the kingdom hall, my relationship with God is deeper.

    3. the morals taught by WTS reflected what my parents and church taught me. Now with hindsight, it was shallow because there's a lot of hypocrisy and selfishness. There was a lot of questionable behavior in the congregation.

    4. I agree with Hortensia and jgnat.

    5. I agree swith Hortensia and jgnat.

    6.I agree with jgnat. However, I allowed my daughter to be a part of the middle school track team, attend school parties, project graduation and senior prom. She is now attending an university.

    Being a JW is not a religion. It is a way of life. I was the only person in my family who was a JW and my parents insisted on being my daughter's baby sitters. Thus, my daughter was exposed to many holiday traditions.

    7. JWs teach only 144, 000 go to heaven. I've believed for years that this number is figurative most of what many people believe is speculation.

    8-10. I agree with Hortensia and jgnat.

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