To just go to a jehovahs witness meeting?

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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.

Yes various bands I have heard described as demonic - some on stage at circuit assemblies...

KISS - apparently stands for knights in satans service
AC/DC - anti Christ devils children
Madonna
Echo and the bunny men
Spiritualised ( me leaving home was shortly preceded by being told to get rid of my spiritualised CDs after a posted advert came through to me)
Michael Jackson
Rolling stones

Boy George - my first experience of cross dressing and when my mother realised it was a man how awful!

I've already mentioned ET and the proctor gamble trademark.

Let's not mention the Nancy Drew and the Sinister Omen debacle when I was in first year.

And my boyfriend and his brother at the time were spoken to after playing a proclaimed song at their brothers lewving to preach in the eastern block party and told it was not the actions of someone in sound mind. They were pioneers and ministerial servants at that point, which is the step before being an elder.

The worst thing though is knowing tht despite having a very good life and being a relatively respected member of the community and actually quit intelligent, I know that my parents think I am controlled by the devil and pray each night for me to see the error of my ways and become sheeplike again.

I remember knights in Satan service too.

Still odd to me that they can't listen to those bands and yet hip hop and Rihanna!

There are many JWs who won't listen to that music either. Unless, the music is very heavily disapproved of (Marilyn Manson or similar), they're unlikely to run into any problems.

It also depends a lot on how many of your family members are JW, and how strict they are.

I wonder if it is because she is the only JW in her family so she listens to more stuff and watches different films.

Very likely. The more of your family are involved, the less free you are to break any rules, because someone will report you.

I think White has the right of it here. Things like this were always the basis of the bad associations teaching. The more you mix with non-witnesses the more you are likely to be sucked into the world and it's standards.

If she is the only JW in her family, she will be much more exposed to things like music/tv and will have a bit more freedom than someone whose whole family belong. I knew youngsters whose parents reported them to the elders because they were listening to disapproved of music (think things like KISS/Def Leopard etc.) and someone who was chucked out because they took up playing in a band and wouldn't give it up. Their parents were distraught.

I suppose with her living alone and being the only JW at work she isn't really being checked up on.

It is strange to me that she is so into all the JW stuff and yet doesn't follow all the rules. It must be hard to jump into it all as an adult though.

What a lot of comments discussing one religion

Is it only about rules and how they affect 'moi' or is there a wider issue here , such as. What will bring peace on earth? I went to sunday school when a child. Spoke to salvation army , catholics, mormons. Baptists clerics. Muslims etc when I was a teenager . . None told me if suffering on earth would stop.

Hi, i've not posted on this board before. I'm not a JW but i do study with them and many of my daughters paternal family members are and i'd like to point out a few things people here have gotten incorrect about their beleifs.

JWs are not banned from listening to any sort of music - The JWs you have heard describing those bands as demonic etc, That might be their personal opinion, but absolutely not a rule.

The only rule about listening to music, watching movies etc is that you should avoid things that lead you to sin - This can be different for everyone so there is no 'set list'. The same with drinking - There is no set rule on drinking, you look after yourself. For me i may be able to drink a bottle of wine and be fine, another person may choose to avoid it all together because of the effect it has on them.

The heaven thing - 144, 000 'annointed' individuals will rule in heaven with Jesus, over the new world in which everyone else will live in.

They absolutely are not forced to shun family members - I truely believe that if they do this they would do it no matter what.

My daughters paternal grandmother is JW, And i can promise you she did not shun any of us - And i turned up at her house 6 months pregnant with her sons child, she did not even know about me. I was welcomed and treated with respect and love and given absolutely everything we could need.

She adores my daughter, She spends more time with my daughter due to our circumstances than her older sons grandchildren and her older son and his wife are JW.

everyone at the kingdom hall is aware of this - My daughter goes to meetings with her how could they not be?!

They are advised to limit contact with individuals who could lead them to sin which, many of us do religion or not - Would you hang around a crack house if you are not on crack? No, because you wouldn't want to be involved. It's no different. They don't have to avoid everyone though at all. If they can spend time around an individual and not be led themselves though they aren't doing anything 'wrong' by their religion.

To summarise, the things people have listed here are symptoms of shitty people, not symptoms of a religion - My daughters Dad and his brother have grown up very well rounded, studying many religions (WHY would they not be allowed to do that? The bible directs us to follow it because we WANT to not because we are forced, to not allow someone to make an informed choice would be directly going against the bible and these people will surely answer to god if they are correct in their beliefs), they are happy, they have never committed crimes, been violent, they have had a good, fun life full of love.

I am astounded by the statement that they distance themselves from their children. You could not find a woman who loves her boys more than DDs GM loves hers. My own non religious mother however....

Stressed i have only read a couple of your posts but the kingdom hall here sets no targets for preaching, niether do any of the others ive attended or that DDs family attend.

They encourage members to 'spread the good news' as much as each is capable. Many have full time jobs and so only spend a couple of hours, some are physically disabled so cannot be walking around the streets, although may accompany someone to the odd study by car.

They absolutely would not disfellowship someone for listening to music - I was there on sunday as it happens and the topic was exactly that and the absolute message was that you have to decide for yourself what is suitable and what is not, and if you feel it is wrong then consider avoiding it. There was absolutely no hint of even attempting to set a list on what they can and cannot listen to. Or being in a band, unless obviously, the band were literally preaching against gods word.

I am quite concerned by that behaviour - Is this recent?

Not recent (80s and 90s mainly) - I've been out for a number of years, but it was very definitely the case with every congregation that I was involved in. Everything I have said is 100% true of both my own and others' experiences of life as a JW.

it is certainly also the case that things are different when you are studying or even an unbaptised publisher. Once you are baptised and on the inside, you learn that things are not quite as they seemed from the outside. (JWs have employed a "milk before meat policy and a Theocratic Warfare attitude to outsiders for a very, very long time.)

Re the studying religion thing, pf course you are allowed to learn about other religions - the WBTC published a book called Mankind's Search for God - all about this. But it is all done from a JW perspective - all the other religions are untrue and false - giving worship to Satan - and only JWs have true and acceptable faith. You are not (or were not) allowed to listen to music from other religious traditions, definitely not allowed to use bible study aides from other traditions, you weren't even allowed to read your bible independently of JW study aids. The GB are actually in print saying that they had found that independent bible reading lead to a falling away from the Truth (can't remember which Watchtower it was). TBH, all the leaving it to your own conscience stuff is just another means of control.

I'm glad that you have had a positive experience, dizz, sadly many, many people do not.

Well i'm glad it's not recent, hopefully they have seen the error of their ways. I've been going to meetings on and off for a while (Wasn't just going to let my daughter attend with no knowledge of what she'd be exposed to) and i've never heard anything like that, i really haven't (Believe me i'd say if i had i'm not shy about voicing my displeasure over religious issues).

My daughters uncle wasn't taught from a religious point of view. He took GCSE R.E And studied further in university. DDs GM has always been very good at explaining to my DD that 'She' believes in jehovah but not everyone does and that its fine if she doesn't (She would not dream of telling DD 'If you dont do this X will happen'). She herself is a very well educated intelligent woman.

I hope the sort of people who behave as you do will filter out as i can't imagine those things from the people i know. I don't think i'd be here today without their support through my pregnancy with DD, we weren't judged once - I didn't even know they were JWs until later, certainly never had religious propagana shoved down my neck or anything.

I'm sorry for your experience x

dont get involved with this dangerous cult, there is a good reason the JWs have left children not even talking to their parents or Brothers and Sisters torn apart through this cult, the minute you show an interest the brainwashing starts, they are not Christian to Be a Christian you have to believe in the trinity and christ dying on the cross and that Christ is the son of God they believe Christ was a reborn angel and he didnt die on the Cross, avoid them like the Plague its an evil Cult that will rip your family apart.

@bobs21
This is a 6 year old thread

They don't believe in the one true, Jesus Christ. Please, don't go.

It was six years ago, @burnt0range, you're fundie preaching is too late.

Bit late I agree.

Although any religion being that patronising to join would scream desperation and put me right off!

Please don't. They are a controlling cult. I was sadly brought up in this organization. You will end up being segregated from any non-witness friends and then shunned from them if you disagree with any of their (crazy) views. I strongly recommend you watch the John Cedars channel on YouTube before you even go to one meeting.