Questions for Jehovah's Witnesses: can you define the words "pagan" and "wordly" to me? Thanks!

Question

Oops, sorry. I meant the word "worldly"

Answer 1

For most people , when it comes to the definition of Pagan it means not christian. So, in a religous way, the world is split into pagan and Christian.

For the Muslims, the world is split into 2 as well. Islam and Infidel. Chritians and all other religions are the Infidel.

When JWs speak of "pagan" religious practises we mean anything religious, belief or celebration, that does not originate with the Bible, either form the Old Testament (Ancient Jewish religion) or the New Testament (Ancient Christa in religion) For us that includes such teachings as the Trinity, Hell Fire, immortal soul, most Christmas traditions, Halloween etc

The Bibles use of the word "world" often refers to the society of mankind. In the broad sense that refers to ALL mankind.

However, when it cones to religious ideas and practises we refer to the "world" or "worldly" as everything that does not relate to God.

For us a worldly person is someone that does not love Jehovah God.

We can say that a JW is worldly if their way of life is DOMINATED by the pursuits of this system. There is nothing wrong with having a fine big house or being rich or going to concerts having the latest fashions. A worldly JW is one that overly seeks these things, goes out of their way to obtain these things.

Answer 2

Pagan has to do with false religion:

The trinity is a pagan teaching.

Historian Will Durant observed: “Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. . . . From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity.” And in the book Egyptian Religion, Siegfried Morenz notes: “The trinity was a major preoccupation of Egyptian theologians . . . Three gods are combined and treated as a single being, addressed in the singular. In this way the spiritual force of Egyptian religion shows a direct link with Christian theology.”

In the preface to Edward Gibbon’s History of Christianity, we read: “If Paganism was conquered by Christianity, it is equally true that Christianity was corrupted by Paganism. The pure Deism of the first Christians . . . was changed, by the Church of Rome, into the incomprehensible dogma of the trinity. Many of the pagan tenets, invented by the Egyptians and idealized by Plato, were retained as being worthy of belief.”

The Paganism in Our Christianity declares: “The origin of the [Trinity] is entirely pagan.”


Worldly: is the thinking and practices that do not reflect God's attitude on matters.

Getting drunk, fornication, lying, stealing, ignoring family to get ahead, etc.

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Answer 3

My ex was a JW. The JW I worked for said that she was even more worldly than I was. This I believe is the "love" or desires for the world and it's physicality, "ownership" and "things" we ourselves don't really need to survive. Mostly: materialism. I think many pagan religions are based on material or worldly things and desires such as: sexuality, fertility and their separate deities that supposedly control these things. I think it's just as hard for many of these people to learn to live with less themselves. Especially, when they have children and are used to or programed to live in a materially desired based society. Most Americans are typically spoiled this way.

Answer 4

Pagan means false religion and worldly means people, attitudes and actions that are not in agreement with the Bible.

Jehovah's Witnesses are careful in using the term "worldly". However. they can refer to someone being "worldly" or to "worldly ones" when they are talking about how a certain person or people are not acting in accord with scriptural laws and principles.

Answer 5

The Bible teaches that the present world is under the influence of Satan.
1 John 5:19.
That is why Jesus continually referred to himself (and his followers) as being no part of the world.
John 17:14.
Any custom, fad, teaching, practice or attitude that is against Biblical teaching is 'worldly'.
Meaning: originating with Satan's system.
Pagan is somewhat similar, but nuanced.
It often involves demonism in a more direct way.

Answer 6

Pagan means as in "religion" such as emperor worship or witchcraft. "Worldly" means sex, low life, lie, cheat, excessive anything.