What exactly ARE the JWs known for?

by detective 41 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Fe2O3Girl

  I type "jehovah" into the search function on the websites of two British broadsheets - www.independent.co.uk and www.guardian.co.uk - from time to time. Particularly in the Independent, the vast majority of references to Jehovah's Witnesses are as a metaphor for particularly unwelcome visitors. Almost all references to "Jehovah" are in the context of Jehovah's Witnesses and none are particularly positive. So the existance of JWs cannot be said to be glorifying God's name.

  I can concur that people who have not had any direct contact with JWs, and many who have, have next to no idea of what JWs actually believe. They certainly do not know JWs as people who are preaching the "good news of the kingdom". All those hours spent trailing around the streets - completely ineffective. But the GB knows that it keeps the publishers occupied, which is the most important thing.
• 

  dedalus

  Bona Dea wrote:

  But no...NOT EVER....did I EVER hear anyone say, "Oh, what about those Jehovah's witnesses? They are such fine and upstanding citizens ..."

  I like the use of the word "citizens," because that's at least part of what all of the Witness blathering is suggestive of -- that they're superior citizens, because they keep their houses and front yards clean (like no one else does too) and keep their wallpaper dresses and pressed JC Penney suits ironed and clean (if a bit threadbare from constant use). But what does this have to do with being a good citizen, when the entire substance of their supposedly distinguishing qualities is actually found in the absence of every sort of behavior associated with good citizenry (except perhaps the individual paying of taxes, which the Organization takes great pains to avoid)? No voting, no charity, no fund raising, no nationally observed holidays. This is non-citizenry, public withdrawal. You can't cite an exemplary public example for people to emulate when you aren't even involved in public life.

  And on the domestic level, where things are supposed to be intimate and warm and fuzzy, the Witnesses "distinguish" themselves again by absence, not substance. No birthdays, no Christmas, no extracurricular activities. No observance of any function that would celebrate any member of the family. Zero. Zip. Nada.

  What do you say about a group that boasts proudly of the complete and utter nothingness that is the core of its belief? Of course, Witnesses would talk about the richness of their bible study and preaching work, but as has already been observed (by FunkyDerek I think), how rich can that be when practically no one in the world knows what Witnesses believe, except Witnesses themselves? And since what they believe is always subject to change -- since they must always be ready to drop whatever they currently study and preach and take up the capricious whims of "new light" -- how can they really claim to believe in anything at all?

  A vacuous black hole of salesmanship sucking any vestige of meaningfulness from their culturally emaciated lives -- this is what distinguishes Witnesses. Passing it off as the hallmark of good citizenry would be a great PR trick, if they could only pull it off.

  Dedalus

  Edited by - dedalus on 7 February 2003 6:43:6