How do you feel about Jehovah Witnesses?

Question

Be Specific. What do and don't you like or dislike about them

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses have the true religion. They are Christian (of course), but they are unique for their rejection of paganisms, use of God's personal name, and global preaching by every active adherent. No other religious organization can claim such purity of worship.

These facts about Jehovah's Witnesses are perhaps relevant to this question. The more one compares this Christian religion with others, the more remarkable it is shown to be.

1. Jehovah's Witnesses have no paid clergy. Yet they remain tightly organized with more than 6.5 million active Jehovah's Witness preachers (about 16 million associate themselves with the religion). Even fulltime preachers and workers at their branch offices are unpaid volunteers.

2. There is no elite class among Jehovah's Witnesses. Even the few 'anointed' among them enjoy no special privileges in their congregations on earth. An anointed person (one of those relative few with a heavenly hope) is not elevated above his fellow congregants in any way, and he may not even qualify for appointment as a simple 'deacon' or elder. There are no titles; EVERYONE is addressed as 'brother' or 'sister'.

3. No person benefits economically from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. Even the 8 to 20 men who serve on their Governing Body receive simply room, board, medical care, and reimbursement for certain personal expenses according to the exact same provision as every other branch volunteer.

4. About a hundred men have served on Jehovah's Witnesses' Governing Body committee during the past 125 years or so. The vast majority of them have spent the vast majority of their adult lives volunteering for their organization's purposes, and the vast majority have died faithfully and near-pennilessly while still under their legal 'vow of poverty'.

5. Amazingly, Jehovah's Witnesses did not splinter as a sect from some other religion. Instead, a truly tiny but sincere group of bible students studied only the Scriptures to determine the will of God. Thus their religion remains absolutely independent of and not carrying the sins of Christendom's history, yet carries the authority of Christ's teachings.

6. Despite the distortions of anti-Witnesses, throughout their modern history Jehovah's Witnesses have refused to claim divine inspiration or infallibility for their teachings. They have pointed to the bible (and not any particular translation) as the only inspired infallible means of knowing God's thoughts. For over 125 years, their teachings have been presented as merely the results of sincere bible research by imperfect but godly humans.


Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/article_07.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20040601/article_02.htm
http://jw-media.org/people/who.htm
http://jw-media.org/people/statistics.htm

Answer 2

Disfellowshipped JW
1982 Corning, CA Congregation
For cause, but not the ones some ex-JWs who want to put themselves on a pedestal, want you to believe, and know you will without question.

You could wait until next May when this program about Jehovah’s Witnesses is shown on PBS, or you can order a copy now. It was done by an independent film company.

http://www.knocking.org/
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=54714EBF23EFA251

Setting aside any Bible issues, they believe in obeying the law, even the inconvenient ones, such as speed limits when late for work.

They believe in paying taxes, even though there are many ways they could avoid them, as many religions do.

They believe in keeping their word, such as to the IRS that they will not promote politics in the church, and they actually mean it.

They teach their youth that waiting until marriage is preferable to using protection, and for the most part, the youths actually believe it. As a result, they have the lowest rates of out-of-wedlock births and STDs. Yes, there is the occasional ones who would rather have their fun now than wait, but there are far more who choose to wait.

They treat their youth with respect, not just "do what you're told!"

Youths are taught side by side with the adults, the Bible as a whole, and not just Bible stories. The very young may not understand what they are being taught, but by the time you reach the age of understanding, they have a good basic knowledge of the scriptures.

The congregations never get so large that the individual gets lost in the crowd. Since everyone is taught the same, it is easy to start a new congregation, with a set of elders.

Everyone knows everyone, whether in their congregation, or in their circuit. When Katrina happened, every Jehovah’s Witnesses living in New Orleans could be found in Texas, with every individual accounted for. How many other religions could say for certain they knew that none of those left behind belong to one of their churches?

They believe their Kingdom Halls should compliment a neighborhood, and not overwhelm it, so they are small and don’t include a lot of expensive decorative features. Each KH can hold up to four congregations.

The greatest difference between JWs and the rest of Christendom can be answered with just one question.

WHAT DAY DO YOU OBSERVE THE MEMORIAL ON?

Everyone else will falter around and perhaps come up with a day in May, but all JWs will say at sunset on Niacin 14, which falls on the first full moon after the vernal equinox, the Memorial of the Last Supper. This is the only day, aside from wedding anniversaries, that Christ said to continue keeping, yet Jehovah's Witnesses are the only Christian organization that does.

Whatever you may say about whether it is right or wrong to observe the man-made holidays created since the first congregations, the fact remains that Christendom does not observe the one day Christ said to keep. What does that say for the leaders of Christendom, that they ignore that one important day of the year, and don't even know what day it falls on?

The question of holidays gets asked a lot, yet the facts of why are clearly evident. Even the Churches of Christendom recognize that the holidays and observances are not in keeping with Bible teachings, yet they fear that doing anything about it will jeopardize their positions and power. Check any religious encyclopedia about the holidays and their history.

So the question is not why don't witnesses celebrate the holidays, but why does Christendom celebrate something not taught in the Bible? Further, why don't they know what day Christ said to observe and why don't you observe it on that day?

Whatever you may think of any of the other beliefs of JWs, you have to ask yourself is the need to observe these holidays more important than observing the day Christ said to keep?

Answer 3

Don't like 1. They tell you what you can and can't do
2. If you do something wrong they disfellowship you
and wont talk to you and that includes your
parents
3. Don't celebrate holidays or birthdays
4. Go door to door pushing their religion and
don't take no for an answer
5. They marry people without having a marriage
license so the people aren't married in the
eyes of the state
6. You have to be chaperoned if you want to
go anywhere with the opeset sex and that
is even if you are 25 or older

DO like 1. NOTHING

Answer 4

I don't have many positive things to say about Jehovah's Witnesses. Of those that I've met, only one of them ever gave me a pleasant experience.

I don't mean to be condescending, just honest. Jehovah's Witnesses appear to be the most arrogant, intrusive, and all around un-Christ-like Christians that I have had the (dis)pleasure of conversing with. Ghandi once said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." I would not be surprised if Jehovah's Witnesses were the Christians that prompted him to have this opinion.

They hold the worst case of "holier than thou" syndrome of any other Christian denomination.

However, the one Jehovah's Witness that I had a pleasant experience with ALWAYS gave me pleasant experiences. Perhaps it is because I never discussed religion with her, but who knows. She is a kind, cheerful, and genuine person. In fact, she will be the photographer at my handfasting next year! (Imagine that - a Jehovah's Witness taking photographs at a Pagan wedding ceremony!)

Again, I do not mean this to be fact, just my humble opinion. These are the feelings I have of Jehovah's Witnesses based on my experiences with them. However, I openly invite any others who believe they could give me a better experience to contact me. I'm always up for a friendly chat! :)

Blessed be! )O(

Answer 5

I avoided them because that's what my family and everyone else told me to do. Then I had a co-worker who was a JW and started having conversations with him. I found out that there were many misconceptions out there about them. Jehovah's Witnesses try to live their lives just as it's commanded in the Bible. That's the reason they go door-to-door preaching God's word. Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:19-20 . . .Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded YOU. And, look! I am with You all the days until the conclusion of the system of things. In Luke 10:1 the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come.

I started wondering why people didn't like them; really, what did any of they do to get such a bad reputation?
The more I talked to my co-worker the more I realized he really knew the Truth about God and had the attitude of a true Christian: (John 15:17-19) “These things I command YOU, that You love one another.  If the world hates You, You know that it has hated me before it hated You. If You were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because You are no part of the world, but I have chosen You out of the world, on this account the world hates You.

I started studying with them and eventually became a baptized Witness of Jehovah. If you really want to learn about God and His purpose meet with a Winess, they'll be more than happy to help you. Just talk to one of us, you'll see we're just faithful servants of God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Answer 6

They are wonderful, spiritual people who sincerely feel they know the Truth. I know many and I respect their beliefs and their way of life. They have strong faith and honestly do want to save everyone. I don't agree with how they go door to door, but they believe that is what is expected of them. My Witness friends were there for me when no one else was so I will never think badly of them.

Answer 7

I admire their commitment but I disagree with some of their doctrine. Especially that they do not regard Jesus Christ as God when Scripture clearly teaches that He is. They also seem to believe that works to some extent are necessary for salvation when genuine faith in Jesus Christ is all that is necessary, and indeed, one needs to realize that they can do nothing by their own merit to earn their way into heaven.

And another thing. Too bad they are missing out on Christmas. They don't observe it or any other holiday. Although that is not a doctrinal disagreement--the Bible allows one to observe or not-- it seems sad.

Answer 8

The one good thing about JW's is that they witness to a lot of people. What they witness about may not necessarily be the truth.

I feel sorry for them because they have no hope because they do not believe who Jesus is. They believe that they can earn their way by doing a lot of good works!

Answer 9

I don't like them bothering me on Saturday morning! (I usually go out late Friday night - I rarely wake up before noon on Saturday!)

My apartment building used to have a Jehovas Witness super - he used to let them in the building every Saturday morning and it really sucked!!

But, he retired and our current super is Albanian Orthodox Christian - so no more Jehovas Witnesses knocking on the door on Saturday morning!

Answer 10

I know very little about their religious beliefs, nor do I have interest in learning more about it. I totally respect all paths to God. What I don't like is when people knock on my door trying to preach their religion to me. That is annoying.