Hi Fiveshadow's friend,
I'll give you my own impression of Jehovahs Witnesses. I was a baptised witness for 10 years and I left at the age of 25.
The JWs are most certainly a cult. If you read about cult characteristics online that will confirm it. They do believe that theirs is the only "true" christian group in the world and that God will destroy those who are part of "false religion" i.e. any religion that is not JW. Some JWs will admit that God *might* save some others who are not JWs IF and only IF they are exceptional in heart or if they have not had the chance to join the JWs for some reason (like living in a remote area where noone preached to them). But generally they do think that 99% of the worlds population will be killed at armageddon and the only way to be sure of your survival is to be a JW.
This means that JWs are very fearful. If a JW leaves (to join another religion for instance) they are "disassociated" and shunned completely by their JW friends and family. Many JWs will deny that family shunning goes on, but it is true because I've seen shunning (my friend just got disfellowshipped and her mother, father and siblings have completely cut her off). So you can see the level of control that this group may have. If you are JW and you have doubts, you simply cannot question the authority of the Watchtower society (they disfellowship those who openly question the doctrines), you cannot leave without losing all your friends and family, if you do leave, you might be plagued by the idea that God is going to kill you. They even teach that God does not listen to the prayers of someone who has left the JWs.
The positive aspects of the religion are that there is a real sense of community in the JW kingdom halls. They do socialise with each other (but not with those who are not JWs...that is frowned upon by use of a scripture which says "bad associations spoil useful habits" 1 cor 15.33 - I remember that scripture because it was drummed into me as a teenager. Anyone NOT JW is a bad association). There is a real boost to your ego being a JW - why? because you think you know all the answers. You think you are part of the elite group of humankind who has the "accurate knowledge" and that all the churches are totally deluded. I remember now (and I cringe inside with shame) how I used to ridicule the churches and laugh at them with my JW friends....we'd say "how stupid they are! how could they possibly believe such a ridiculous doctrine like the trinity! they obviously NEVER read their bibles!" We were so arrogant. It made me feel good when I stood up in the JW kingdom hall and gave talks from the bible (all the talks are closely monitored and the information is from the Watchtower society).
I'd knock on doors and when someone was interested it was an opportunity to recruit. If you recruit someone, your status in the JWs goes up. You write down on a sheet of paper how many hours you preached in a month, how many books or magazines you gave out and how many "bible studies" you hold. A bible study is when you visit someone in their home and speak to them regularly about the bible, always using a Watchtower book as the study guide (another cult tactic because the books are designed to brainwash). If you're having regular visits you'll be listed as the JW's "bible study". The whole point of this study is to get you to attend the hall, then to get you to join and go out preaching, then get baptised. If you get baptised you must attend all the meetings (3 a week) plus go out knocking on doors (or risk being considered a "bad association" or "weak").
You get the idea?! This reporting of the preaching a JW does is a way of keeping control on the JWs. Anyone not preaching for enough hours could be "counselled" to preach more. For men, the only way to increased status is to obey all the rules, attend all the meetings, do regular "talks" at the hall AND preach for at least 10 hours a month. A regular JW male can become a "ministerial servant" by doing all of this, then later might be promoted to "elder". A JW male who is neither of these is considered "weaker" than one who achieves this status.
Women do not get any titles, except if they choose to knock on doors full time (70 hours per month) and then they're called a "pioneer" which means that most of the congregation think they're "strong" and a "good associate" (no matter what they're really like as a person!). Women can do talks but they cannot address the congregation, they have to sit on stage and talk to another woman, while everyone listens. (this is part of the women can't teach the congregation rule....the head of the congregation is Christ, the head of the woman is the man. etc.) Women who are married are to be "in subjection" to their husbands. That means that the husband has the final decision on everything. She must "honour" him. The husband is told to love his wife like she is a "weaker vessel" which apparently means that women are more fragile and should be treated with care. Unfortunately there is so much wife and child beating in the JWs - the men take it literally that they are the "head" of the woman, aswell as "spare the rod spoil the child" philosophy. They say the bible teaches that children should be physically disciplined.
The problem of child abuse in Jehovahs Witnesses is very serious and very widespread. I know that other religions have also had this problem, but there are differences with the JW religion. Firstly the JWs have a rule where "two witnesses" are required to confirm any wrongdoing. Therefore if a child reports to the elders of a congregation that they have been abused, the elders will ask the child to produce two witnesses to confirm the wrongdoing. The child is one witness....but as you know, it is unlikely that anyone else was there apart from the abuser! So they fail (and have failed many times) to act and they have even been known to not inform the authorities. The reason they don't inform the authorities is because the JWs have a rule about "not taking your brother to court" and "not bringing reproach upon Jehovah's organisation". So they'll do everything to keep anything dirty out of the media and out of the public eye. They've even accepted an abusers "apology" when he / she has admitted to abuse.....and still not informed the authorities! Just recently the scandal came out, but they still haven't changed their 2 witnesses to the abuse rule. They said in a letter that "if the law states that you must report it (in your area) then you must report it" but they are clearly saying that if the law where you live does not enforce reporting it, you don't have to! Interestingly, the first thing elders must do in the case of abuse is not ring the police....no...they must ring the Headquarters of the Watchtower. Very revealing.
Add to all this the totally wierd doctrines....like Jesus returned invisibly in 1914 and he still hasn't DONE anything from heaven (how convenient). They said 1914, 1918, 1919, 1925, 1952, 1975 could be years for the end of the world and it didn't happen...so they said "we never said it definately would! why did you all sell your houses?" LOL They say blood is to be avoided, but then they allow JWs to accept blood fractions (which IMHO is totally hypocritical!!!). They didn't allow organ transplants for a while, so JWs died because of it, then they said, OH we think organ transplants are OK now, without any apology to the families of those who died because of their silly doctrine. And what is all this about 144000 going to heaven? They take that number in revelation literally but admit that the rest of the chapter is symbolic (surely the number 144000 is symbolic as a calculation relating to the 12 tribes of israel?). That is just scratching the surface of the strange teachings they have.
They'd have you think that they are just a nice little christian group. This is how they recruit - lull you into a false sense of security and gradually get you to accept all of these wierd doctrines.
Don't get me wrong, many of them are sincere. I have family who are JWs and they really do believe it. I know, I believed it too, until I did my research and realised how truly ignorant I'd been. I cringe now at how I critisised other religions, because since leaving JWs I have met some people whose knowledge of the bible would put any JW to shame. I've met people so deeply spiritual and I realise I never knew what spirituality was when I was a JW.
Sirona
