To just go to a jehovahs witness meeting?

[blobtobetter]

One of the older women at work is a Jehovah's Witness. I don't really know what they are but they don't like blood or birthdays. I thought they were just another type of Christian but apparently not.

She keeps asking me to go to a meeting and I keep putting her off. Thinking now that I should just go once and then never again!?

It sounds really shallow but I wouldn't want to give up Christmas!!

Part of me wonders what it would be like. Would they be over friendly? Would they be distant as I am a heathen type? Can't imagine it really.

The thing is, this is all done out of love for the disfellowshipped person, excluding them can bring them to their senses to realise what a horrible mistake they have made, and it keeps the rest of gods sheep clean from being tainted by their horrible deeds.

"Bonfire- I consider myself a grown adult and I am choosing to subject myself to this, because through my studies, which I am doing slowly and thoroughly, I believe the way the JWs interpret the bible is correct."

But you can never know that. At the end of the day, all you can do is believe what people (and the books that they have written) tell you to believe. People who believe that they will be sentenced to eternal damnation if they don't.

so they say, Rhonda, so they say. And most ordinary JWs actually believe it, they see it as an act of loving kindness towards the df'd one as well as protecting all the other sheep from the taint.

Their "interpretation" of the Bible is very suspect though and changes to meet their beliefs. That alone makes me suspicious of the organisation. Not the rank and file members who are usually very nice. Unless of course you are related to them and leave the organisation at which point it appears they might cut you off

blob there is lots of info on the watchtower website site. There's a good article on there about disfellowshipping.

Living within the household is the only exception, and this generally covers cases where one of the dissassociated/disfellowshipped is a spouse, or even one of the minor children (yes, children can be disfellowshipped).

Once you leave the household, or if you are already living independently, none of your family members are even supposed to say a greeting to you if they see you, or speak to you at all (under risk of being disfellowshipped themselves).

Rare and necessary family matters allow for minimum contact without punishment, but this is only to settle whatever business is at hand (usually some legal matter, or a funeral), and then total shunning resumes.

The official guidelines from the official JW site: www.watchtower.org/e/19880415/article_01.htm

Please could someone remind me of the 'afterlife' situation with regard to JWs (best and worst outcomes)? I am a bit confused as earlier on I seem to remember someone saying that they don't believe in heaven and hell. But then it got a bit confusing with the 141000 who do go to heaven or something?

rhondajean Even if it is meant lovingly by the individuals, there is nothing loving about being forced to stay in a religion you no longer believe in, or being completely cut off from everyone you love.

If people come back to the faith because they wholeheartedly and voluntarily begin to believe again, then they would do that without the pressure of disfellowshipping.

As it stands, you have people coming back to the faith because they cannot bear the pain of being isolated from their family, and living their entire life pretending to believe when they do not (as I am).

Blob and everyone ekse, you should really read the link that White has given. It shows how JWs view the shunning. It is an opportunity for them to show loyalty to the organisation and an illustration of their commitment to Jehovah God's laws.

It's all justified through certain scriptures and is sold as the best way to make df'd people see the error of their ways and seek reinstatement.

BonfireOfKleenex The 144,000 annointed ones (they know who they are) go to heaven to rule with Jesus.

All the rest of faithful JWs lie dead in the ground (unconscious) until Armageddon (where Jehovah wipes out the entire wicked or non-believing population). At this point, all the dead faithful JWs will be resurrected into perfect, young human bodies.

In this state, they will work to transform the Earth into a perfect paradise, while never falling ill or aging (they will live forever).

Bonfire, 144000 anointed ones end up in heaven to rule with Christ. The rest of JWs, but NO-ONE else, will survive Armageddon to inherit a restored Earth. People who have died in ignorance of God's truth (folk who died before witnesses began their preaching work) will be raised from the dead, as will those who died in the truth. Christ will reign for a millennium, during which Jehovah's truth will be taught to all. At the end of the 100 years, Satan and his demons will be let loose from their prison to tempt mankind again. Anyone who chooses to be misled by Satan away from Jehovah will be destroyed and everyone who remains in the truth will live for ever in a paradise.

The restore Earth will be as it was before Adam fell, so there will be no pain, illness, disability, sadness, hunger, conflict, oppression etc.

You can see why it appeals to vulnerable people.

Thank you WhiteShores - I hadn't seen the whole thing laid out like that before. It's very hard to imagine that people can wholeheartedly swallow such a childish fantasy, but I guess they must do.

Thanks too, stressedHEmum

"You can see why it appeals to vulnerable people."

It's actually quite a wicked thing to make impressionable adults and children believe.

Bonfire, it's all supported with Scriptures from Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Revelations and others. That's what makes it seem plausible. JWs take verses from here, there and everywhere in the Bible and link them all up to support their beliefs. They use biblical prophecy and tie it to historical events to prove the truth of their teachings and they definitely play on folk's emotions.

If you have recently lost a child/spouse or are dealing with a severe illness/disability or if you have had a traumatic life it is easy to suck in the kind of answers that JWs give you.

Childish fantasy. Love it. I'll remember that one!

It's hard not to feel angry reading this. It's bad enough threatening young children with hell if they tell lies / don't eat their tea or whatever (which I would count as emotional abuse), but this takes it to a whole other level.

Yes, I think it is wicked and cruel, Bonfire. Many Witness kids grow up in fear of the End of the world. Many people sacrifice their lives for "the Truth" because the expect Armageddon any time.

I had a friend who was first contacted while she was at uni. A year later, she had left uni, cut herself off from her family, married a Witness and become a pioneer. Years later, she wanted to leave but couldn't because it was the only life she had and she would have lost everything.

There is a definite policy of no education. In fact there was a campaign kind of thing that said "The time is short. Is spending 4 years at uni the best way to spend what remains." There is also a policy (however hidden) of discouraging marriage and children in this system, because this takes away from time spent publishing the truth and time spent studying. Many people have decided not to marry/have kids this side of Armageddon because of this.

People who have responsibilities, like district or circuit overseers, usually live out of the boot of their cars. They don't have permanent homes, jobs, children or anything because they spend all their time travelling about serving Jehovah. his kind of life is seen as a great blessing.

"Childish fantasy. Love it. I'll remember that one!"

There are many childish elements to the story though. The whole concept of black and white - good and evil - goodies and baddies, is a childish one. And the thing of 'only some people are invited to the afterlife party - the good ones'. Just think about it for a while.

Children can be disfellowshipped?! Do you have to be baptised to be disfellowshipped?

What happens to those that are maybe attending meetings / studies and they decide they don't want you?

Yes, you have to be baptised to be disassociated/disfellowshipped.

Yes, children can be disassociated/disfellowshipped, because children can be baptised.

There is no minimum age requirement on baptism, you just have to be able to accurately answer questions about JW beliefs and be active in the congregation.

I was baptised at 13. My siblings were baptised between 12 and 17. The youngest I have seen baptised have been around 10. You can also youtube Jehovah's Witness baptism to see some of the ages being baptised.

I'm not sure I understand the second part of your question. But if you are just studying with them and are not baptised, you cannot be dissassociated/disfellowshipped.

JWs won't decide they don't want you, as they want everyone, as long as you follow the rules.

JJKM, the basis of it is that Jesus said that the church should be one body that would worship in spirit and in truth. Also that the defining mark of true Christians would be that they would have love one for the other.

Other signs would be that true Christians would honour God's name (Jehovah), preach the Good news of Christ to the ends of the earth, treat God's word as the ultimate authority and more important than any teachings/laws of man and would be no part of this world and avoid all the godless habits and practices of unbelievers. Also the opposition that people find when they start with JWs is used as proof of true religion because it is Satan trying to drive you away from jehovah's true people and reclaim you for himself.

See this lesson from one of the books that the Society produced.

JWs claim that their religion is a restoration of the original Christian church and that they follow the teachings of Jesus and the apostles. They call themselves the Truth in much the same way as early Christians called their faith the Way.

jjkm They believe they are the one true religion because they are the only ones following all the bible commands, particularly - non-involvement in worldly affairs (no voting, military), no blood, and door-to-door preaching.

Its obviously more in depth than that, but those are the main points. JWs believe they are the only ones who have accurately interpreted the bible (the New World Translation) and are following all of its commandments.

Sorry, What Does God Require of us wasn't a book, it was a kind of booklet thing designed to introduce basic JW beliefs to people who struggled with literacy or who might have had difficulty with a full study. The book at that time was, I think, You Can Live Forever in a Paradise on Earth.

I remember being at the convention when What Does God... was released. It was met with great joy and thanksgiving by people, but I just felt that it was really patronising and assumed that folk were too thick to be able to follow the actual book.