by QuestionsforJehovahWitness 14 Replies latest jw experiences
The basic difference from Christianity from all the other religions of the world is you are doomed from birth. There is no good works that can save you. There is no carrot and stick here.
Jehovah Witnesses are just like every other religion in the world. Though some weird combination of works, faith and obedience to the leadership of eight men in New York, you can earn your salvation.
The difference, 8 dumbasses run the show and benefit from donation from their followers.
The two salvations of JW have a complicated story. Old Russell believed all men would be raised to blessings in a golden age to come that he connected with the biblical millenium. The death and atonement af Jesus was the reason this is possible and it is in this basic sense that Jesus can be called saviour. There is no personal relation to Jesus, mankind is blessed based on the historic act of Jesus. The exception were the high calling little flock that in some strange way sacrificed themselves alongside Jesus and have him as advocate. But next president Rutherford changed that hippie stuff. Now those living that refuse to obey jw preaching lost their future blessings and that is the basic reason jws try so hard and are so strict
Wealth of information here for your research jwfacts.com
Good luck with your research. As you may have guessed by now, the people on this forum are former Jehovah's Witnesses who have seen through their bogus theology and escaped from their brainwashing nonsense.
Personally, I am an agnostic. Believing wholeheartedly in a god who uses 8 men in New York USA to dominate the lives of the most vulnerable among us has lost its sheen. The 8 men are called the "governing body," and they have far more power over their followers than the pope has over Catholics.
Jehovah's Witnesses see themselves as Christians, in fact, as the only "true" Christians. They prefer the Old Testament version of God to the loving, accepting Jesus of the New Testament. Some of the beliefs that distinguish them from Christians is that they don't believe in the Trinity, won't sing traditional hymns (They have their own songs and songbook.), have their own translation of the Bible that emphasizes mind control, and refuse blood transfusions. They told their followers that the end of the world would come in 1975, or near that year. They had set previous dates for the end as well - 1914, 1918, 1925 to name a few. Yet, their followers are so brainwashed and fearful that they ignore the fact that the end did not occur and continue to put full faith and trust in the organization. If a JW displeases their local "elders," he or she may be "disfellowshipped," and then no active JW (including their own family - parents, siblings, children - i.e., any JW) is allowed to speak to them or associate with them in any way.
They believe in "new light," the idea that their god/the governing body continues to receive new perspectives on belief. So, doctrine changes happen fairly regularly. It's hard to keep up with the latest directives from the governing body/god.
They are essentially a publishing company, printing books and other literature written at a 4th-grade level. JW's are required to sell ("place" is their term) this literature door to door.
They are against education past high school. They know that college can induce thought, and thinking leads to "apostasy" (their word for waking up and smelling the s**t). "Independent thinking" (the only real kind of thought) is deeply discouraged. It's fundamentally believing that God gave you a brain and commanded you not to use it because the governing body knows everything you need to hear.
I could go on and on, of course, but those are the basics and most of the reasons we are no longer JW's. I hope I've given you enough to get an A.
