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The Kiernan family bow their heads in prayer during a Jehovah's witness meeting in Kittery.
Staff photo by James Korpi
Living by the book
By Gina Carbone, [email protected]
What beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses set them apart as different from other religions?
Editor's Note: This country is founded on the basis of religious freedom. In America, there are a diversity of beliefs. Seacoast Newspapers, in a continuing series, will examine some of our lesser-known religions.
"Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am Jehovah; and besides me there is no saviour."
— Isaiah 43:10, 11 American Standard Version
A witness in court states an account of events, provides evidence and sticks to the facts. For Jehovah's Witnesses, it is the same. Their faith is based on the Bible, which they see as the Word of God. They consider its 66 books to be inspired and historically accurate.
Jehovah is the personal name of God, appearing almost 7,000 times in the original Hebrew Scriptures. The name "Jehovah's Witnesses" is descriptive, to show how they bear witness concerning Jehovah, his Godship and his purposes.
They believe many of the prophecies of the Bible have been fulfilled, others are in the course of fulfillment and still others await fulfillment. They spread the "good news" of God's heavenly kingdom by going "village to village" as Jesus Christ did in the Scriptures. They follow every belief with a Scripture reference to back it up.
They also suffer a somewhat poor public image. Jehovah's Witnesses aren't always — or even often — met with open arms when they knock on doors and announce their names. People are often protective of their privacy and adamant about their own beliefs; but Witnesses continue with their message because of a love for God and a love for their fellow human beings, who they wish to save.
At the same time, they want people to know they are just normal people like everyone else. During the holiday season, it is especially hard on the Witnesses because they do not celebrate any holidays, including Christmas.
"I don't like to take anybody's joy away," says Linda Forbes of Cape Neddick, Maine. "I don't want to be a Scrooge or anything. I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses and we don't celebrate holidays because it's not anything the Scriptures said we should do. We like to know that what we believe is factual from the guidebook. If it's not from the Bible, why are we following it?"
Forbes was a Methodist who "came into the truth" as a Jehovah's Witness 25 years ago in California. She moved to Maine five years ago to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren.
She is one of about 80 people in the Portsmouth congregation, which meets three days a week at the Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall in Kittery, Maine. A Kittery congregation with about 120 members also meets at that Kingdom Hall. Two other Seacoast area congregations meet in Brentwood and Kensington.
Debbie Vaughn of North Hampton is also a Portsmouth congregation member. The sunny mother of three spoke frankly about some of the misconceptions people seem to have about Witnesses.
"That all we do is dress up with black bags and knock on your door. That we're not real people," she says. "I like jeans and T-shirts. We have lives like everyone else. The guys play hockey and I like to sew. We're like everybody else."
Vaughn says her husband and children get more joy out of giving and receiving presents "just because" than centering things on a particular holiday.
"I get a lot of delight out of surprising someone with a gift just because," she says.
One of her children, Paul Lowe, spoke before the congregation during the ministry school speaking course, held every Tuesday evening. The smartly dressed eighth-grader gave a talk titled, "Hold steadfast regarding your association," then led the congregation to a passage of proverbs backing up the ideals.
Since it is a speaking course to prepare for public Witnessing, after Lowe returned to his seat, his delivery was critiqued by another brother (as men in the congregation are called). Lowe earned himself two G's (for good) for his conversational delivery, with good pronunciation and no slurred speech.
In addition to giving talks, several groups walked up on the small stage in front of the hall for a Witnessing role-playing situation. In one instance, a woman and teen-age girl pretend to come to a door and speak with a third woman, a homeowner who asks the Witnesses, "Why can't humans solve the world's problems?"
"I'd like to answer that from the Bible," one of the women answers. She proceeds to direct the woman to the Book of Jeremiah as everyone in the Kingdom Hall follows along and turns their own Bibles there as well.
"We do not take the sword because we'll perish by the sword," reads a passage from the book of Matthew, delivered on stage to illustrate why Witnesses remain neutral in political affairs. The teen-age Witness gives the homeowner a copy of "Watchtower" and "Awake!" magazines, each issued twice a month from the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
The role-play involves teaching lessons, but is also a practice for the actual Witnessing that is done by each and every one of the congregation members. Since war and the government are things people are concerned about right now, the Witnesses look to the Bible to engage people in conversations about it.
The ministry school is just that. It is a school — similar to a college lecture. Questions are asked, everyone consults their earmarked, highlighted and underlined Bibles or study book, "Reasoning the Scriptures," hands are raised, and a microphone is passed around so the answer can be heard.
"That's why Jehovah's Witnesses know the Bible so well," says Ruth Kroon of Portsmouth before a school session. Kroon has been in the congregation for about 30 years.
"God's promise to mankind is to live in a paradise earth," she says, discounting the idea that all good people go to heaven. She believes she and others who fit in with Jehovah's purpose will be resurrected from the dead onto a perfected earth in accordance with God's plan, detailed in various passages of the Bible.
Although they revere Jesus Christ as the only begotten son of God, they see him as the "greatest man who ever lived," rather than God himself. They do not believe in the holy trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) of other Christian faiths.
The modern history of Jehovah's Witnesses began in the 1870s with a Bible study group in Pennsylvania. Today some 6 million people in more than 230 countries call themselves Witnesses, (including pop star Michael Jackson) to spread the good news that God's kingdom is at hand.
"The end is a good thing because it's not the end of the world or of life, but the end of this way of life," says Linda Forbes, a patient's assistant at York Hospital.
"Most of the Book of Revelation has already happened. What's holding it back at this point is the scripture work. Scripture has to be preached to all the inhabited earth before the end will come."
Forbes and Miriam Caswell, of North Hampton, witness together in their territory, consisting of Portsmouth, Rye, Greenland, Newington and New Castle. They go to every door, every apartment, every house they can find.
Those who want to go out in the ministry have to study the scriptures and be recognized as a Jehovah's Witness first. They also have to meet with one of the elders, male leaders of the congregation.
"My responsibility is shepherding the flock," says Daniel Thompson, an elder for three years in the Portsmouth congregation.
After introducing themselves to whomever is at the door or on the street, Witnesses bring up one of the topics from either "Watchtower" or "Awake!" to initiate a dialogue. A column in "Our Kingdom Ministry" outlines some suggestions of what Witnesses can talk about for each new edition of the magazines.
Neither of the sweet-natured ladies say they are nervous about going door to door. Caswell says she is more nervous when she has to give a public talk at the Kingdom Hall. She has three daughters who are all practicing Jehovah's Witnesses — one of whom she works with as a cleaner at Moonlite Maintenance.
Caswell "came into the truth" in Arizona after a sister (as women in the congregation are called) came to her house.
"Initially I said, 'I don't want to talk,'" Caswell recalls. But "for every objection I had, she pointed to the Scripture. She stuck with me the whole time, for more than 25 years."
Many people rebuff the Witnesses, though Forbes says they have been fortunate in Portsmouth, where so many people have been willing to talk to them.
But even if a family does not respond favorably on the first visit, Witnesses will make a return trip — knowing how circumstances change and many people are more curious about religion during the current world events.
At the very least, they hope people will open their minds to learn more about Witnesses before shutting them out completely.
"We would love to tell people what we believe," Forbes says. "But they don't want to question us."