Help on becoming a Jehovahs Witness

by tpadgett 86 Replies latest jw friends

  • musky
    musky

    trapdgett,

    I would not discourage you from studying with the witnesses. If you want to find out more about the religion, well, seems logical to go to the source for information. At the same time, I feel it is equally important to get a perspective from message boards like this one. The people here represent a huge slice of Watchtower life, past and present. There are some posters here that have intense feelings about the Witnesses as you already have figured out by now I am sure. I think the biggest thing to take with you is that you are young and this is a huge fork in the road for you. It is very important to take plenty of time in making decisions. Do not let anyone else sway you. The decision is yours. Trust the brain that God gave you. If you want to have kids some day, that can be very difficult on a marriage if the parents are mixed on religion. The witnesses are very passionate about their belief's. That is why there are strong feelings from posters here. Take it for what it's worth. The book "crisis of conscience" that was suggested here, Is from a former governing body member who saw witness policy making and enforcement and saw the inner workings that most witnesses never get to see. It would benefit you more if you already had a pretty good surface knowledge of the watchtower first. Pray for guidance.

  • BurnTheShips
    BurnTheShips

    Sounds legit to me.

    Paranoia. I guess it is par for the course after leaving an invasive soul draining cult.

    "Sigh"

    BTS

  • Joe Grundy
    Joe Grundy

    "The people doubting this poster is genuine were probably Linda's (fullofdoubtnow) best friends."

    I've been away for a while. I don't follow this remark. What's the significance, please?

  • purplesofa
    purplesofa

    Well, Burns

    What made you edit your post and do away with Ya'll suck?

    Anyway, I apologized,

    The cult had nothing to do with my cynicism or lack of character judgement, I had that before the JW experiance otherwise, I would have never joined up!!!

    Like I said Tiff, I hope you get the help you are looking for, musky had some good advice.

    purps

  • AllTimeJeff
    AllTimeJeff

    Tiffany,

    Hi there. I used to be a JW since birth. I became an elder and a missionary. I left 3 years ago.

    For any young person to come on an internet forum like this, I think is good. However, I hope you know that there is no way to become a JW without a several month study with JW's. They will call it a bible study, though you will be studying out of a JW book, looking up spoaradic scriptures.

    I hope (if you are sincere) that you will not take the anger that you see personally. Many people here have been hurt because of the unusual dogma of JW's. There is the cool stuff, the cool people, which they all display first, then there is some really ugly stuff related to being a JW. There is some very dangerous practices and teachings as well.

    Ultimately, I have learned that people are going to do what they want to do. If you want to learn more about JW's, or want to even become one, then you will.

    I hope that you will take the anger you have seen on this thread as a warning though. Don't take it personally. But do realize that there is a dreadful human cost to literally hundreds of thousands of former JW's through the years. What that means for you I don't know.

    This website www.freeminds.org has a lot of excellent information on the history of JW's.

    Just to be fair to you, this is a pretty good site to visit for unvarnished and unfiltered honesty, but probably not the place to answer your original question. I doubt you will find anyone here who wants to help you become a JW. You probably already figured that out though.. PEACE!

  • gubberningbody
    gubberningbody

    Ok, I apologize. I would, however say T. that you shouldn't go around posting your email address and other personal info as you have done elsewhere. (I have found out way too much info that would freak everyone out if I posted it and I won't). If you have to do this for work or other reasons, then make up a meaningless email address on hotmail and use that temporarily and only for those purposes. NEVER use your name, never post your email address online.

    Verified legit, but not the sharpest tool in any shed by any stretch of the imagination.

  • OUTLAW
    OUTLAW

    SBF..Your cracking me up tonight..Linda?????????????..LOL!!..Now theres a sore spot!!..LOL!!.......................OUTLAW

  • BurnTheShips
    BurnTheShips
    What made you edit your post and do away with Ya'll suck?

    I ain't that Southern hun.

    ;-)

  • lavendar
    lavendar

    Hello Tpadgett,

    If you become a Jehovah's Witness...here's what will be required of you:

    Become a Jehovah's Witness and you can't...

    Celebrate Mother's Day
    Celebrate Father's Day
    Celebrate Grandparent's Day
    Celebrate Birthdays
    Celebrate Thanksgiving
    Celebrate New Year's Eve or Day
    Celebrate Christmas
    Celebrate Halloween
    Celebrate Easter
    Celebrate Flag Day
    Celebrate Independence Day (Fourth of July)
    Celebrate Hanukkah
    Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
    Celebrate Valentine's Day
    Celebrate "Any" Holiday
    Sing any Holiday Songs
    Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving
    Create Holiday artwork in school
    Join the Boy Scouts
    Join the Girl Scouts
    Buy Girl Scout Cookies
    Become a Cheerleader
    Attend class reunions (No "Worldly" association)
    Go to the school prom
    Play School Sports (No competition allowed)
    Play Professional Sports
    Join any organization that has ties to Christianity
    Shop at the Salvation Army
    Volunteer for the Salvation Army
    Donate to Relief Organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Charities and more
    Shop at Church run thrift stores
    Shop at Church Garage Sales
    Shop at any Store that has Christian ties
    Contribute to the Red Cross
    Attend a Church School
    Join the YMCA
    Join the Military
    Become a Police Officer
    Attend Alcoholics Anonymous
    Have any job with a gun
    Strike against a Company
    Salute the Flag
    Can't Stand at Public Events while others are Standing to salute the Flag
    Sing the National Anthem
    Go to War
    Wear Clothing Associated with War; e.g. Combats or Army Tops
    Learn karate
    Vote (Conscience matter now to please Governments, you will be ostracized if you do)
    Run for any Public Office
    Campaign for a Candidate
    Contribute to the Presidential Campaign Fund on your tax return
    Can join union, but not participate in its affairs
    Run for class president
    Join Sororities or Fraternities
    Participate in holiday parties at school
    Buy lottery tickets
    Gamble
    Play Bingo
    Can't buy a raffle ticket
    Date without supervision - young or old
    Watch R rated movies
    Cannot work on another Church if it's a regular customer
    Own a religious picture or statue
    Smoke cigarettes, pipes or a cigars
    Sell cigarettes, pipes or a cigars
    Accept Blood
    Donate Blood
    Store your own blood before an operation
    Wear blue jeans or casual clothes to the Kingdom Hall
    Wear pants to the Kingdom Hall if you are a female
    Wear skirts or dresses that are above the knee at any time
    Wear any type of long hair if you are a man
    Wear a beard in some Kingdom Halls and areas (judged hard)
    Pierce ears if male, other body parts if female
    Have any tattoos
    Say curse words
    Can't be hypnotized
    Get divorced unless scriptural (adultery or fornication is committed by one partner) if you do divorce cannot remarry unless ex fornicates first
    Toast drinks (pagan origin)
    Throw rice at a wedding (pagan origin)
    Say "Bless You" when someone sneezes
    Say "Good Luck!", "Wish me Luck", "I was Lucky" or "You were Lucky"
    Tell ghost stories
    Practice Yoga
    Own a Smurf
    Eat Lucky Charms Cereal (References to Magical)
    Throw a penny into a wishing well
    Read Horoscopes
    Promote anything Superstitious
    Have wind charms because they represent a pagan symbol for scaring away demons
    Watch TV shows, "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch", "Touched by an Angel", or "Bewitched"
    Say "It was fate" or mention anything to do with "fate"
    Engage in any risky acts such as: Sky Diving, Bungie Jumping & Hang Gliding
    Have Jesus as your Mediator and Savior
    Can't partake in the Memorial of Jesus' death, by eating the unleavened bread or drinking the wine; only allowed if you are from the elite group of the 144,000
    A woman can't hold a position of responsibility in the congregation
    Wear or own a Cross
    Attend another Church (Spiritual Fornication)
    Associate on a regular basis with nonbelievers
    Associate with ex-members
    Associate with disfellowshipped ones
    Talk with disfellowshipped ones
    Sue another Jehovah's Witness
    Marry a nonbeliever (If you do, you are judged hard by the congregation)
    Marry in another Church or attend a wedding in another Church
    Have a funeral in another Church or attend a funeral in another Church
    Pray, including holding your head down, when a nonbeliever prays
    Study other religious articles not from the Society
    Read negative information about the Society
    Question the Watchtower Society on anything
    Exercise your on conscience if it goes against the religion
    Question the Society or the Organization
    Have Christian freedom
    If you are a woman you can't pray aloud in the presence of men, without a covering on your head
    If you are sick and need alternative medical help you can't get illegal medicines from another country

    Become a Jehovah's Witness and you shouldn't....
    .... if you do you will be looked down upon

    Discuss politics
    Surf too much on the Internet
    Attend social functions organized by your place of work
    Associate with worldly neighbors
    Attend College (The Society has lightened up on this somewhat, but if you attend you are not putting Kingdom interests first, and will be judged.)
    Play Chess
    Go to Nightclubs
    Own a Gun
    Read philosophy, sociology, psychology; these are discouraged as non spiritual food
    JWs are discouraged from seeking psychological help from psychiatrists, psycho-therapists, and psychologists because they give "worldly" advice according to the WTBTS.

    Become a Jehovah's Witness and you have to....

    Must be baptized into the organization
    Attend several regular meetings each week
    Go out in field service regularly to recruit new members
    Report your field service activity to the congregation each month
    Attend regular scheduled conventions
    Give talks at the congregation (whether young or old, male or female)
    Read and fully understand their teachings
    Prepare for each meeting
    Participate in the meetings
    Study with family
    Use Theocratic Warfare (War Strategy) - To lie or to hide the truth to a non-JW for protection of the Organization
    Fully accept the Watchtower's authority and rules (no exceptions)

    Dress according to their rules at the Kingdom Halls, Service and conventions (no exceptions)

    • Women and small girls must wear dresses
    • Men must wear dress pants with dress shirts and ties
    Associate only with fellow members
    Report on fellow members including your family, if they are caught doing something against Society's rules
    You have to sing at the meetings (even if you have a bad voice) - or you are looked down upon
    Women must be in full submission to their husbands
  • jwfacts
    jwfacts

    Welcome. If you have a JW boyfriend and a couple that visit you at the doors, plus read the magazines you will get all the positive information you need. The meetings train JWs to "sell" the religion, so you will not hear too much from them that does not paint the religion in a positive (if not biased) light. That is why you need to read something like Crisis of Conscience in order to see the other side of the story to get a balanced view.

    As mentioned, the WTS is a cult, as it follow all the general indicators that apply to all cults. Any religion that forces parents to shun their children and children to shun their parents is a cult and in my opinion should be illegal. Do you really want to encourage such behaviour by joining? see http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/mindcontrol.htm

    Another indicator that it is a cult is that the Watchtower claims God will soon kill billions of people because they are not Jehovah's Witnesses. see http://www.jwfacts.com/index_files/salvation.htm. Would you really want to align yourself with a religion that claims God is so evil?

    I know it is hard to want to give up someone you love, but getting involved with a JW can only lead to trouble for you in the long run. It is a loose/loose situation. If you join you will damage the relationship you have with your parents and everyone you were ever friends with (because the Watchtower says to avoid these people of the world). If your boyfriend leaves, then you will have an emotional wreck on your hands as he comes to terms with loosing just about everyone he has ever loved.

    Don't perpetuate such a system.

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