by minimus 49 Replies latest jw friends
The main reason is most people know nothing about them. I was on a plane the other day, talking to a 45 year old woman sitting next to me. In Australia about 1:330 people are JW's, yet she had never spoken to one before.
If a religious person arrives at a door wanting to give away a magazine most people are not going to be interested, let alone contemplate changing religions. There are 35,000 Chrisitan sects, and JWs are just one small drop in that bucket.
My best friend did'nt know anything about jws-after I told him about them he said he'd never become one-because of having to give up the holidays and how strict they are. He also feels they are fakes.
Some JW's don't really open themselves to others. They are constantly reminded that what ever they do, they are representing their God, Jehovah.
So this puts pressure on them because they feel like they are being judged. It's great to know a witness of Jehovah when they are genuine, and they let down their guards. They could be very frendly, funny, and the best companion you ever knew.
And not taking no for an answer. No matter what, they push until you agree to the next level and then push to the next--again not taking no for an answer.
I think worldly's think that JWs believe that only 144,000 will make it to Heaven, and that millions of JWs are frantically knocking on doors to get into one of those 144,000 slots. The JWs are seen as fundamentally wrong version of Christianity.
Fanatacism . . . it oozes out of everything they say and do. There is no moderation . . . everything is persued with a blind zeal. As the bad cowboy said . . . it takes about 5 minutes,
Interesting feedback!
Some people ''misunderstand" the Witnesses' views on doctors. They think JWs don't believe in doctors. Or they think they do not accept Christ or they think Witnesses don't eat meat.....etc.
and they don't do Oral Sex. Of course I mean talking about sex.
Is it their door-to-door incessant preaching?
More often than not, yes. That's the only direct contact most people ever have with the organization.
Is it their view on blood?
For those who know about it, sure. But many don't know about it. I didn't know much about it until I married a JW, and didn't comprehend what it really meant until the Hospital Laision Committee came into the picture.
Is it that the religion itself is simply often misunderstood?
Much of the misunderstanding is deliberate on the part of the WT organization. What they put into writing is much less than what they expect you to do. You are entitled to know next to nothing until you sign up for a study, a little more when you start going to meetings and knocking on doors, but the serious rules only come up after you agree to obey them (sight unseen) by virtue of getting dunked in the pool.
I have a religious friend. She changes religions ALOT! But she always thought JW´s do not believe in Jesus. I have told her through the years that they do. She ALWAYS insists during 15 years that they don´t and I have to remind her. She always forgets. It is a built in phobia of them.
