Jehovah's Witnesses?

Question

Ummm... as anyone had any personal experience with the Jehovah's witnesses other than simply their door-to-door visits? What have you learned. And are there any ex-Jehovah's Witnesss out there? If so, why did you leave? What hapened when you did?

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses have the true religion. Those who leave the faith typically do so to pursue a debauched lifestyle; some later slander their former religion in an attempt to assuage their guilt and delude themselves regarding their own impending Armageddon judgment.

Jehovah's Witnesses are not spiritual milquetoasts as are Christendom's ministers who needily seek the approval of men rather than of God by ignoring and even encouraging the shameless and obviously unscriptural lifestyles of their hypocritical parishioners.

Thus Jehovah's Witnesses practice the Scriptural practice of disfellowshipping for unrepentance of such serious sins as fornication, drug abuse, stealing, and apostasy. Baptized Witnesses who join the military or publicly engage in worship with another religion are considered to have disassociated themselves from Jehovah's Witnesses.

Contrary to the misinformation of anti-Witnesses, it is quite possible to become inactive in the JW religion without becoming disfellowshipped. As long as one's lifestyle does not bring reproach upon the congregation, and as long as one does not advocate one's disagreements with the religion, the congregation has no interest in "investigating", exposing, and disfellowshipping an inactive former Jehovah's Witness.

For those who are disfellowshipped or disassociated, a primarly goal is to shock the person into recognizing the serious of their wrong so that they rejoin the congregation in pure worship. Since the primary bonds that are broken involve friendship and spiritual fellowship, it is well understood that family bonds remain intact. Parents, siblings, and grown children of disfellowshipped and disassociated ones sometimes choose to limit what they may feel is discouraging or "bad association" but that is a personal decision and is not required by their religion.

Former Witnesses who are disfellowshipped or disassociated are typically treated in accord with the Scriptural pattern explained in these Scriptures:

(1 Corinthians 5:11-13) Quit mixing in company with anyone called a brother that is a fornicator or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man. ...Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

(Titus 3:10) As for a man that promotes a sect, reject him after a first and a second admonition

(Romans 16:17) Now I exhort you, brothers, to keep your eye on those who cause divisions and occasions for stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them.

(2 Thessalonians 3:6) Now we are giving you orders, brothers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to withdraw from every brother walking disorderly and not according to the tradition you received from us.

(2 Thessalonians 3:14) But if anyone is not obedient to our word through this letter, keep this one marked, stop associating with him, that he may become ashamed.

(2 John 10) If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him.

(Matthew 18:17) If he does not listen to them, speak to the congregation. If he does not listen even to the congregation, let him be to you just as a man of the nations

Becoming baptized as a Jehovah's Witnesses is not a trivial step. At a minimum, a student must demonstrate months of regular meeting attendance and public ministry, then must himself express the desire to be baptized. The candidate then spends hours answering hundreds of bible questions wherein he expresses both a clear understanding and personal conviction regarding Jehovah's Witness teachings in at least three separate interviews with three different elders. The candidate must vocally agree to be baptized in front of hundreds or thousands of eyewitnesses, and must be publicly immersed in water. This is not a momentary emotional decision by an unreasoning child. Dedication as a Witness required hard work and determination at the time.

Learn more:
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/1988/4/15/article_01.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/1997/1/1/article_01.htm

Answer 2

I have spent countless hours with many JWs. I can tell you several concrete facts about them and add some of my own opinions...

1) They cannot consider with any degree of openness any fallibility in their organisation, their history or their beliefs
2) They are rigorously prepared for the common questions they face on the doorstep
3) Most don't have a clue if you depart from their prepared dialogues and have to run to their elders for advice
4) They will not spend time conversing with you on biblical issues if they don't think they can convert you
5) They have to record and report on their ministry (door knocking)
6) They cannot associate more than superficially with anyone who isn't a JW. (often not even family).

Personally I have found them all to be sincere, most of them to be nice but none to be open to any kind of honest dialogue that might suggest they're wrong. They prefer to take defensive positions which means they divert the conversation from points they don't like (or simply ignore them) or question any basis upon which the point could be made. Conversely they can produce no evidence of the expertise of their translators.

My advice is to question and test absolutely every piece of information they give you. Hold it to the light, ask others and then you won't need to run from them because they'll run from you!

Answer 3

First the person telling that they change Bible versions often is not exact. Give you an example if you take an edition of a dictionary 10 years ago and you take an edition today of the same brand you will see that some words meaning are stated in different words. WHY??? Only because with modern search we are able to provide a better meaning with new words and what's wrong to do the same with the Bible? The message is the same dear.

To Audri
Have you got the visit of a Jehovah's Witness? If yes try to question him/her on a religious/spiritual question you will be surprise how the person will answer you by using the Bible.

Answer 4

I have personal experiences with Jehovah's Witnesses daily.

My family and I are Witnesses, and it's the greatest experience we can possibly have.

I have found them to be the most honest, loving, and happiest people in this world.

Granted none of us are perfect, but Jesus didn't say the His people would be perfect, only that we would try to be perfect in love, as he was.

What other group or organization can go from one corner of the world to the other and be welcomed as a brother or sister?

All who leave, do so because they have chosen to do so. Even in Paul's day there were those who left the Christian Congregation.

Even those who are disfellowshipped have left because they chose to remain unrepentant.

It wasn't the "Watchtower" that made up disfellowshipping,

Jesus said if a brother is unrepentant to treat him as a tax collector.
Paul said to remove the wicked man from the Congregation.

Everyone who has been disfellowshipped, upon repentance and turninng around is welcomed back into the Congregation with love compassion.

Answer 5

Yes I have studied the Bible with the Witnesses, and then decided to go out into the World because I felt like I couldn't measure up and because I thought I was missing out on things that the world outside of the Witnesses, had, somethin good to offer, I got involved in an ungodly life and drugs Mainly smoking Marijuana.I had no connection with the Witnesses for over 7 years. then after that time I realised what was missing in my life, was the truth from God,which is what the Witnesses have. That is why I decided to go Back to studying the Bible again and I then became a Witness, and have never looked back or missed anything again. But now I am happy that I have come back to the only truth there is in this world, I have been out there and nothing compares to the truth, other religions work on emotion to get people in, and don't worry much about truth, nor do they have any real answers from the Bible,but I came back to the only source of real happinessI was just searching in the totaly wrong places whe I already had found it and turned my back on it, How stupid was I doing that!

Answer 6

I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. If you are are asking questions over the internet you really don't know where the answers are coming from. I strongly recomend that you talk to the witnesses the next time that they come to your door. i promise that they won't pressure you into anything, rob you, rope you into a cult (because we are not a cult) You may actually learn something and if not then at least you'll know.

Answer 7

JW's are good people, any one who gets to know one will tell you that. One thing that separates them from other faiths is that there religion is also a way of life that they are actively engaged in, hence the knocking on doors. I have more respect for them than those who only practice there faith for one hour a week. Now, having said that, the doctrines they teach are strange and not for the faint of hart. It’s true that they are always changing there religion, this probably stems from a desire to increase there small numbers. A common misconception is that they are not Christians; I think they are simply because they believe in Christ. However some of the common concerns of others have about their doctrines are justified. No blood transfusions, no celebration of holidays (even Christmas and birthdays), and a predetermined number who will enter heaven, are just a few. Not to mention the almost cultish isolationism they practice; i.e. not allowing there children to play with those who are not JW’s. If your not interested just tell them so.

Answer 8

Jehovah God wanted us to use his name. Matthew 6:9, Jesus told us that we should pray: "Our Father in the heavens, let your NAME be SANCTIFIED." Also Isaiah 43:10 also brings out that Jehovah said, "You are my WITNESSES." God is a Title. Even with Arabs. A good dictionary will show you, “Allah” is a shortened form of the Arabic term meaning “the god", this is not a name. The title “God” is neither personal nor distinctive. In the Hebrew Scriptures the same word (ʼElo‧him′) is applied to Jehovah, the true God, and also to false gods. The Imperial Bible-Dictionary says: “It is everywhere a proper name, denoting the personal God and him only; whereas Elohim partakes more of the character of a common noun, denoting usually, indeed, but not necessarily nor uniformly, the Supreme. . . . The Hebrew may say the Elohim, the true God, in opposition to all false gods; but he never says the Jehovah, for Jehovah is the name of the true God only. He says again and again my God . . . ; but never my Jehovah, for when he says my God, he means Jehovah. He speaks of the God of Israel, but never of the Jehovah of Israel, for there is no other Jehovah. He speaks of the living God, but never of the living Jehovah, for he cannot conceive of Jehovah as other than living.” Hope This Helps

Answer 9

I'm an Ex-Witness. I am what you'd call Disassociated. There's Disassociated and Disfellowshipped. They're basically the same, you get treated the same way for both....

I kind of faded away... I began having minor doubts and because of that people stopped hanging out with me - including good friends and family. Now since I don't go anymore, they have absolutely nothing to do with me, its been at least 10 years since I've even spoken to some of them. Which is sad. I wish I could believe it was the 'truth' so that I could go back, just simply to be near my loved ones again, but if I go back they will make me go through the process of being accepted back in again. I'd have to show how repentant I am, but how can I do that? I never did anything wrong... According to them, doubting them is doubting God because apparentley the Watchtower Organization speaks for God....

I do have respect for them for some of their beliefs and lifestyles, after all, my family are JW's. But I do not like that organization.... I feel they have destroyed lots of families....

Answer 10

Dam, these JW's all over these questions about them, we want other sane people to answer.