Wait a little then send a copy of this to your uncle and others:
WHAT DO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES BELIEVE: This question is especially pertinent since the airing of the Dateline NBC documentary about JWs on May 28, 2002. To begin, JWs are to believe and do exactly as instructed by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WBTS) over JWs which includes that they practice disfellowshipping. This is where a member who is judged guilty of unrepentantly smoking, drinking too much, believing, reading or teaching things that disagree with the views of the leadership is shunned by all other family members and friends who are also JWs, and any JWs not shunning the person may also be disfellowshipped. This is called a "loving provision from Jehovah." Although Christ said families would be divided by some members doing good and others doing wrongs, he never ever advocated destruction of families. 1 Corinthians 6:1 only says judge "trivial" things as in business, James 2:4-13 calls judging harmful, and Paul says the "majority" (2 Corinthians 2:6) followed his advice to shun a wrongdoer, meaning a minority chose not to and yet he nowhere condemns them. So, as said, some ask why the formal Judicial Committees destroying families via numerous formal renderings of disfellowshipment, that is severe shunning.
As interpreted by the WBTS, JWs teach you must not use blood even for emergency blood transfusion because Acts 15:20 says abstain from blood not noting that 1 Samuel 14:32-5 says Saul's army ate unBLED meat to not starve to death, and no verses show God not forgiving them. Moreover Christ at Matthew 12:7 says God wants "mercy not sacrifice" and also in Matthew 12 it says God forgave David and his men who ate temple holy bread to stay alive. The May 22, 1994 Awake tells of 26 JW kids who died without transfusions, and by common sense in massive bleeding as in car wrecks blood expanders won't save lives. Many thousands of JWs are estimated to have now died because of the policy which continues even though Jehovah causes most normal healthy identical twins to share a common placenta through which they transfuse blood back and forth to each other, and scientists have found some of the blood of the children in the blood of mothers decades after birth.
The WBTS over JWs teach that they themselves are the only modern-day channel being used by Jehovah in communicating to members. Others believe that Paul, when he said there is only one true religion was referring to Christianity in general since the WBTS only came into existence in the late 1800s. JW members are told to report on each other although the Bible itself condemns busy-bodying. Page 302 in the WBTS's Daniel book and pages 88 and 651 in the Proclaimers book show photos of the Knights Templar swords and the cross-with-crown-and-wreath used by Masons who sometimes use "Theocratic Warfare" tactics to change members' personalities on early WTS’s literature. Some old WT books also have the winged sun god Ra on front covers - never a Christian symbol. Nor are regular JWs allowed to read Judicial Committee "sin files" on themselves, and many do not even know such files are kept locally as well as in the WBTS branch office or world headquarters, often with misinformation. Also kept away from regular members is the elders' manual Pay Attention To Yourselves And All The Flock book although there is a picture of its front cover on p 232 of the WBTS's Insight book.
JWs are taught that most holdiays including Christmas are not for Christians although others note that the WBTS itself has taught that Christ was likely born about October 2, so why ignore he was conceived 9 months before meaning late December? Also why insist Christmas is from the pagan Saturnalia when John 10:22-3 says Christ also celebrated the Festival of Dedication or Lights, i.e. Hannukah, which first began Dec 25 but has varied since because lunar-based? JWs are also told not to celebrate birthdays which are called pagan although Job 1:3, 3:1 and 3:3 (you must read all 3 verses) show Job's kids celebrated birthdays, and Luke 2 explains that angels celebrated Christ's birth. WBTS writings have various hinted or declared that Santa derived from a wizard or pagan god, although history records him as derived from the real-life Christian gift-giver Nicholas who lived during the Middle Ages. Saint (<Santa) Nicholas e wore red and at night slipped pouches with gold through window latches so that they fell upon fireside hearths where poor girls found them next morning and used them for dowry money to wed instead of being sold into slavery which also often included prostitution. Some have also asked why call holidays compromises when they in fact attacked and replaced paganisms and Colossians 2:16 says "let none judge you about a holiday."
WBTS publications say the Trinity is believing Father, Son, and Spirit are 1 "identical" person, although most churches accept it as 3 totally different entities or persons forming 1 "Godship" or "Godhead" depending on translation and as seen at Romans 1:20, including in Bibles used by JWs. Son and Spirit sharing inherited age, power, knowledge from God is called impossible even though this is understood by many as applying just as when an acorn may be only 1 day old but also have its genes inheriting its ancestral oak tree's age, capacity and information. Almost only the United Pentecostal Church and some affiliating groups teach that Jesus is Jehovah, which neither JWs nor most other religious groups teach, although WBTS publications lead JWs to believe most all nonJW churches teaches Jesus is Jehovah. Romans 14:1-5 says allow people to differ some in views, logical since some wrong on any given Bible topic can change. But instead the WBTS applies the scripture about not being "friends of the world" even to those who may be wholesome though of other views instead of to those unrepentantly criminal and evil in conduct.
JWs teach that the cross (styros in Greek) was definitely not a cross but a torture stake although human remains and inscriptions show archaeologists the stauros indeed was a cross, Dr F. Zugibe's research shows suffocation would be in minutes if Christ had been upon a plain stake but in hours if on an outstretched cross, which is the time duration given at both Luke 23:44 and Matthew 27:45-6. JWs are taught the cross is a repugnant murder weapon although Paul said boast in the stauros as a symbol of resurrection over death. (Ga 6:14, 1Cor 1:17-18)
JWs often say being a member is like being in a real "Spiritual Paradise" although on May 28, 2002 Dateline NBC aired a documentary showing that JW Elders often hide local scandals such as child molestation. Further much documentation has been put on the internet that Leo Greenlees was a child molester on the Governing Body over JWs and his fellow Governing Body members
rreassigned but did not disfellowship him in the 1980s (jehovahs-witness.com in the archives, etc) Some JWs have complained of physical harassment (poking, shoving etc), hints that "Jehovah’s eyes are everywhere" and Elders' knowing details of their most private conversations and bedroom doings with their own marriage mates. WTS articles told Elders not to “police” bedrooms in 1978 but later in a talk (but not in writing) in 1983 told regular members "The Practice" of some marital intimacies can lead to Expulsion. (discussed on Jehovahs-Witness.com) Some regular JWs absent that evening have been "expelled" (harassed/trained) without clearly aware why. Contrast this to the pedophilia coverups. "Insight" book articles are on all Bible books except Song of Solomon (aka Canticles) which has much positive marital imagery out of line with the Gov Body’s views of what is “holy.” Instructed to keep such things "in-house" when asked most elders deny the 1983-onwards policy to protect the Gov Body.
JW leaders have always taught in writing that God does not like the United Nations but until exposed, during 1991-2001 the organization was secretly a formal UN associate, not just a UN library card associate as claimed. Read the November 22, 1998 Awake magazine very closely to see for yourself how the WTS fulfilled the UN requirement that they speak well of the UN - even though denouncing the UN to regular members. Also see http://www.thetablet.co.uk/cgi-bin/archive_db.cgi?tablet-00577
In conclusion, like myself there are many fine JWs who are sincere in beliefs, and certainly do not agree with the WBTS policy of covering up child molestation and the like. However, when open about it those who would bring about change are routinely "disciplined," called evil "apostates," "refined by fire or sifted out" which makes change impossible. However, increasingly though those who now know of matters from Dateline NBC, the internet (Simon Green of the UK's jehovahs-witness.com), etc are quietly pushing for reform by not attending all the meetings (typically Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday), not going door-to-door as much, and definitely decreasing money donated to the WBTS. Regardless of current beliefs all friendly former JWs and Friends are invited to a "Free Christians" get-together the first weekend of every June and October for example at the places noted at the end here.
By Free not looseness but freedom to believe differently do acts of loving-kindess is meant. Jehovah God did not make all flowers the same color did He?!To the WTBS unity is uniformity, that is sameness of beliefs, but to Free Christians unity is as Colossian 1:14 says "LOVE" which is the greatest bond. Variety is natural and good. Bring a posterboard with "Get-together" on it to be seen and enjoy instant new fellowship; those attending assume all responsibility for themselves and any little ones, family and friends they invite along. If your state or province is not below you may attend at any of these, ask help for starting one, or simply start a Friendship Get-together campout on your own:
Arkansas http://arkansasstateparks.com/parks/default.asp?park=Woolly+Hollow
California http://cal-parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=553
Florida http://cal-parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=553
Kentucky http://www.rvnetlinx.com/dba/dba.php3?id=2089 campground map
http://www.rvnetlinx.com/dba/dba.php3?id=2089 area map
Missouri: inquire for times and place
New York http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/statepark/ny/mills.htm
Oregon: inquire for times and place
Virginia: large group; inquire for times and places
Washington http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Seaquest&pageno=1
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