as jehovahs witnesses we were taught that the truth (belief) unifies every aspect of our lives and is of paramount importance.
are other like religions like this also?
do they emphasize belief to the same extent?.
here is a link to Graham Harvey but not specifically that particular article.
disclaimer: my conclusions on this thread are my own extrapolations from Graham Harvey's article in my attempts to make sense of my Jehovahs witness background and my situation - meaning that you may come to a different conclusion.
as jehovahs witnesses we were taught that the truth (belief) unifies every aspect of our lives and is of paramount importance.
are other like religions like this also?
do they emphasize belief to the same extent?.
rocky_girl
are you in the UK? and do you have access to EBSCOhost via a teaching body? If so your access may be restricted to the subject you are studying. I find this in my own case.
as jehovahs witnesses we were taught that the truth (belief) unifies every aspect of our lives and is of paramount importance.
are other like religions like this also?
do they emphasize belief to the same extent?.
concerned jw
Ministry isn't a ritual it is work/a job for witnesses since it is simply viewed as spiritual work for Jehovah and his son Jesus. Work however repetitve has definite goals. For witnesses "first call" (where witnesses knock on doors) is only a small part of the ministry which includes return visits, bible studies with the interested persons, informal witnessing, street witnessing it is all geared towards spreading God's word and seeking interested ones. Evangelising with the goal of finding interested people has never been classed as a ritual for any religion. I see a lot of Atheists now evangelising for their belief. |
I am paying Jehovahs witnesses a compliment when I suggest that the door to door ministry is a ritual. Jehovahs witnesses even call it sacred service. So when I meet or see JWs doing their door to door work I don't think "bloody hell there they are at it again, carrying out their pointless activity" anymore. Contextualizing your ministry as ritual helps me maintain respect for you guys.
It is also helpful for me to see my JW activites as ritual - when I do this I don't feel resentful or bitter that I have spent so much of life engaged in these activities. I mean this sincerely and seeing it this way has had a profoundly affirmative effect upon me - akin to a revelation.
I don't think evangelizing in general falls into the category of ritual as it is often done on an adhoc basis.
edit: regarding your points about tongues - you have a lot of support from the cessationist argument
pentecostals have lots of support from the continuance argument.
At the moment I think the continuance argument is stronger. Acts 2, which I have just read again seems to me to support the continuance argument more than the cessation argument. Please see verse 13 "they are full of sweet wine".
A helpful way to understand verse 11 if you were trying to understand the continuance argument would be to consider the "speaking in tongues" as a form of music. Music is understandable in all languages. I think this is a good analogy as verse 11 indicates that what the apostles were uttering was praise to God. However you are welcome to disagree - I have no problem. live and let live
hey all.. .
thought i'd introduce myself.. .
first, a disclaimer: i'm an athiest.. .
please do Chris and if they join I will be here to welcome them
i know 2 names of elders at bromley cong robert slee who was spitting image of rutherford and gerald archer.
another was peter king..
I've heard that the Rastall family lived in Keston until the early eighties. Were there 2 congregations in Bromley?
I don't recognise any of the names you mention.
hey all.. .
thought i'd introduce myself.. .
first, a disclaimer: i'm an athiest.. .
great ideas chris - although my head hurts when I try to make sense of JW doctrine nowadays. But there are many here who would be quite helpful and would appreciate a meaty discussion with zealous jehovahs witnesses.
i know 2 names of elders at bromley cong robert slee who was spitting image of rutherford and gerald archer.
another was peter king..
sounds like the same family hellenback, going back generations too. I only met Robert Slee as visitng speaker. I knew members of his extended family - they were very well off too and extremely zealous and were members of a London congregaton I'd visited. Rastall family ring a bell?
hey all.. .
thought i'd introduce myself.. .
first, a disclaimer: i'm an athiest.. .
so you have become a fully fledged witness now concerned JW?
i know 2 names of elders at bromley cong robert slee who was spitting image of rutherford and gerald archer.
another was peter king..
hi hellenback. I think I know Robert Slee - he gave a talk in our congregation
as jehovahs witnesses we were taught that the truth (belief) unifies every aspect of our lives and is of paramount importance.
are other like religions like this also?
do they emphasize belief to the same extent?.
concerned JW I was also hoping to enjoy a debate with you but really don't appreciate your sometimes demeaning tone and your convoluted reasoning. I would not call that debate. Nor do I really have sufficient interest in theology to sustain a discussion with you.
The reason I brought up this subject is to explore how much of religion is to do with re-enchantment firstly through beliefs which would include re-configuring myths, and secondly through group enactment in the form of group worship and the carrying out of signifcant rituals (my idea was that perhaps Jehovahs witnesses' door to door work would come into this latter category).
Thirdly there is the experiential aspect of religion. In this latter respect Godrulz has corrected my understanding of Pentecostalism in that I now see speaking in tongues as something the scriptures indicate is done mainly in the form of communicating with one's God rather than with others. I guess a process of re-enchantment does occur but this would be in a more mysterious experiential rather than rational way. Kudos to them for keeping mystery in their religion. However I do understand that there are branches of pentecostalism in which speaking in tongues is a public activity.
