Why do Jehovah Witnesses seldom respond in the 1st person when you ask "them" about their religion?

Question

At first I thought this was a coincidence, but this has been a pattern on Yahoo Answers and offline in person. If you ask an individual JW, why they became a JW, they will always begin by saying "jehovah witnesses believe, think, or feel". There are exceptions, but it doesn't happen often. Hardly ever will they respond in first person and say something like: "I" believe what God wrote in the Bible, or "my" testimony is, or something similar. It's always "jehovah witnesses believe" as if they've memorized responses. Maybe a JW can answer this, and others can state if they've noticed it as well.

By the way, this is when directing a question to one individual jw about their own experience as a jw. it's very odd.

But everyone has an individual experience with God. A collective way of thinking can't replace that.

MeThrice, I've also seen the third person written answers you mentioned as well. For instance, if you say "how do you feel being a jw" the answer will begin "jws feel".

Answer 1

Most of the JW answers here contain a lot of truth but they are not objective answers. They are subjective. For decades I have listened to many, many JWs, and read masses of their literature. You are correct to note this peculiar way of speaking and writing. There is a theological reason for it.

It has to do with their belief about their leaders, the Governing Body (some 12 men in Brooklyn). This group categorically states that they are God's chosen mouthpiece for declaring the things of God on earth today. They claim to be anointed with 'holy spirit' and are going to heaven. They also call themselves 'the faithful and discreet slave' of Matthew 24.45. They instill into members the idea that their spiritual 'mother' is 'the organization' (i.e., them, for there would be no organization without them): "Consider, too, the fact that Jehovah's organization alone, in all the earth, is directed by God's holy spirit or active force (Zech 4:6) Only this organization functions for Jehovah's purpose and to his praise. To it alone God's Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book... Furthermore, this organization alone is supplied with 'gifts in men,' such as evanglizers, shepherds and teachers, who serve God's purpose in connection with the spiritual development and welfare of his people." (Watchtower 1 July 1973 p402)

So, when the Governing Body speaks, all JWs shut up, listen, then parrot whatever it says. This is what you've noticed with many answers on Yahoo. The JWs are just copying and pasting the writings of the Governing Body! Rarely do they tell you what piece of literature they have lifted. They are trained at three meetings per week to read, re-read, then parrot main points from this literature. They are asked prepared questions and must give the stated answers in this literature. Your Q has prompted a hasty first-person response from many of them, but track their future answers and you will see them revert quickly to this 2nd (or even 3rd) person response. It's tragic because they cannot see it. Thanks for pointing it out.

Answer 2

When Jehovah's Witnesses say "non-believer" they always always mean someone who is not a Jehovah's Witnesses, be it athiest, Catholic or Baptist etc. When I left the religion I still believed in God and the bible but my parents treated me as if I didn't. You will find similar statements by Jehovah's Witnesses that a person is under Satan's influence if they are not a Jehovah's Witness. This si because they regard everything they do and believe as 100% complete bible truth, handed down by God himself, so to reject them is to reject God. Its borderline, if not complete. blasphemy if you think about it. As much as they try and deny that being of any other religion does not make you worldly, they do believe, and say on numerous occassions that if one is not a JW then they are of the world, part of the world, under the influence of religion, so naturally this turns into "a person of any other religion but ours" This is a perfect example of the trademark double speak of Jehovah's Witnesses. Or plain old cognitive dissonance.

Answer 3

If you ask me a question about myself, I will answer with "I" However, when it comes to 'what is your opinion or how do you feel about...this or that?' In all honesty, do you really care about how I "feel?" Who am I, why does my opinion matter? I am a human just like everyone else w/ likes and dislikes. What I "think or feel" really has no impact on your life.

However, it does matter what God thinks, so I often will reply, "the Bible says, or according to the Bible," because I believe what the Bible says, and I use it as my authority.
I only answer "Jehovah's Witnesses believe" if it is a question attacking Jehovah's Witnesses and the answer to the attack is a unified belief of Jehovah's Witnesses. I will also on occasion say "we" in answering a question regarding Jehovah's Witnesses if it pertains to something that we all do such as the preaching work, attending meetings, or some other unified belief.

Answer 4

This is what philosophers and writers like to call a "collective mentality", or "herd behavior". According to Wiki, this "is the term used to describe situations in which a group of individuals react coherently without there being any coordination between them." People follow blindly and without question. It is much the same as mass hysteria; the individual personality disappears and people regress to the lowest instinctive emotional denominator to cope with that which they do not understand and that is forced upon them. Often these people are led by charismatic leaders and become zealots, persecuters, etc. The only true similarities between these people is that high numbers of them believe the same superficial things. The "group" uses the third person when speaking or writing to show that they all believe the same thing and no one knows any more or any less. This becomes rather futile when there is a leader who is worshiped, like Jehovah. People lose themselves in roles designed for them by the 'leader' and go with the crowd sentiment that they must believe and do as they are told. This is cult phenomena.

Answer 5

There are lots of questions concerning Jehovah's Witnesses on this site. Your question begins by saying "why do Jehovah's Witnesses . . ." One reason we respond the way we do has already been expressed. Jehovah's Witnesses are a united group and do not differ from person to person in our Bible-based beliefs. We have not memorized responses. I have not memorized responses. It may seem that way sometimes because we are united in our beliefs.

To illustrate, one may ask "why don't Jehovah's Witnesses believe in the Trinity" and we will all tell you the same thing. Why? Because we've memorized answers? No, because our beliefs are Bible-based. Naturally when we respond, we will respond with scriptural answers and since the scriptures do not change, our answers will be the same.

Usually, however, as mentioned above, Jehovah's Witnesses respond in the third person because the question is usually asked in the third person. "Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses do this?" "Why do Jehovah's Witnesses believe that?" "Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses take tracts from others at the door?" Do you see? The questions are usually posed to us as a group.

Hannah J Paul

Answer 6

Personally, I find that very odd. I have my own very personal experience of which I love to relate, about learning the truth. I have found that Jehovah's Witnesses love to talk about how they came into the truth as well. There are some wonderful experiences that they have to relate. I think that it depends upon maybe the way a question is asked and the point that the asker is trying to make...but if someone is genuinely interested in knowing my very own personal experience, I am more than happy to tell it. It was the best moment of my life, and I love to share that with others. My brothers and sisters worldwide who are active Witnesses, share the same beliefs as to what the Bible teaches, but our experiences are all different. We come from all backgrounds and many of us out of other religions. I have brothers and sisters in at least 236 countries! We are only strangers to each other until we meet once, but because of the love that we have for God and his Son Jesus and the love they have for us, we have Christain love for each other!

John 13: 34 & 35: ""I am giving YOU a new commandment, that YOU love one another; just as I have loved YOU, that YOU also love one another. 35 By this all will know that YOU are my disciples, if YOU have love among yourselves.”

Answer 7

You have discovered the great secret, Jehovas Witnesses all operate as a single hive mind, they are one, and that one is at once many... You must now be assimilated to keep this knowledge from the public.

That or due to the reasonably small JW population, there isn't a statistically significant sample size, meaning there's no reason to think there isn't a coincidence.

Answer 8

As true Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses do not seek to draw attention to themselves, but to God and Christ.

Wherever possible the bible is referred to as the Christian's authority. On non-doctrinal matters, a Witness might refer to his religion's published information.

Personal opinions seem best shared with persons in a personal exchange; Yahoo Answers is not a personal exchange. Jehovah's Witnesses are obviously the grandest example this planet has ever seen of Christians seeking out personal interaction with their neighbors to share "the good news". It is sad that so many other ostensible "Christians" prefer to spout personal opinion rather than Christ's message.

Answer 9

My Wife and I are Jehovah's Witnesses and we love sharing our experience with others. I was not raised a Jehovah's Witness. I searched and searched for the truth and I believe I found the truth from what I have read in the Bible. I noticed that what they teach is really from the Bible. Sure in their early history mistakes were made but they made the necessary changes according to the scriptures. I got baptized in Aug. 1996. I used to be part of the world and pretty much did it all until I started searching and wanted a better way of life.

Answer 10

Well I don't think I've noticed anyone do this, but I will try to pay better attention. I always try to answer from the Bible as an individual. If someone asks me about what the Bible says, or what Christians believe, then I answer on those subjects from the prospectives of the persons/things being asked about. When I am asked about my beliefs, I answer in the first person.

I just noticed an answer to your query inside of your question. You question asks why Jehovah's Witnesses a GROUP do/don't do something. When people ask questions wanting answers about groupings it makes little sense to only answer on a personal level.

Princess Yum-Yum/Sasi is correct, all humans see things subjectively.