I have been meeting with a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses about every 2 weeks or so. I've always had a passion for comparing other religions with mine. (I love Jesus.) I am quite knowledgeable in Watchtower doctrine and theology, and know why I think it's not true. I just told them last week I'm a christian and that I would love to sit and talk with them, but that I wasn't interested in becoming a JW, not ever. They said they wanted to talk anyway, so I'm meeting them this Wed. and my question is this: What got you out of the Watchtower Society??? Did you abandon all religions or just JW?? What approach would you recommend in talking to them?? Actually, especially if you have come to know Jesus, but even if you haven't, I would like to hear your stories. Thanks.
2007-11-12 08:24:04 · 10 answers · asked by Teha4 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Theology is wrong on many counts.
1. End time prophecies
2. 144,000 persons ONLY going to heaven
3.99.99% of what they teach regarding the book of Revelation
the list can go on forever
HOWEVER, what got me to leave the JW's was these MAN MADE rules and regulations:
1. Judicial committee. This is where when you do something wrong in the societys eyes, you are called before 3 elders and you must give details (and sometimes I mean INTIMATE detail) of your sin(s). Then THEY judge you as to whether you are repentant and deserve forgiveness from God and their organization. They can disfellowship you whereby you are ostracized and shunned by all members even family. The kicker here is that they repeatedly bash the Catholics for their confessional practices and the priests lack of ability to judge and forgive sins. Hypocracy.
2. Their past (and really current) protocol for handling of pedophiles within their organization. They discourage (ie tell u not to) report to the authorities and blame the victim and his/her parents if they continue to tell others of one of their brothers' molestation of children. Although they say they have changed, recent news stories confirm there really has been no change "in the trenches" at the Kingdom Hall level.
3. Their claims of being the ONLY true religion and God's spokesman here on earth during this time.
4. Their cult like practices and indoctrination practices.
5. The society is correct, even when they aren't. There is no "running ahead of the organization" even if later your beliefs become the current "new light".
The list goes on and on.
It is very difficult to reason with the individual JW because they have been droned to believe every syllable that utters forth from the WBTS, because anyone that disagrees with them or tries to show them for what they really are are labeled as apostates and anti-Jehovah. Patience is the key. Reasoning inch by inch. It is also very difficult because THEIR translation of scripture was translated to suit THEIR ideologies and theologies.
I did leave God for a while and current consider myself non-denominational, but God did call me back to my senses and to Him. For this I praise God daily.
This site might help you:
2007-11-13 07:05:40 · answer #1 · answered by Carol D 5 · 5⤊ 1⤋
I have had some studies with the witnesses and I am starting to be troubled by their theology. Keep your own bible. I am finding that their scriptures are not the same, and I am not sure whether it is a better bible or a flawed one.
2007-11-14 14:15:02 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes...
I am not sure that I want to coach you in either direction. This is a personal decision.
However, for me I left because I got disillusioned by the human/political element. This can and likely would have happened to me no matter the organized form of worship I would have chosen. I expected people to behave better than they do because of their chosen form of worship. They have a very good theological structure with the bible as there center for all moral questions and decision's however, people are people no matter their belief structure.
For me I have not found a church that meets my standards. They seem to about social issues and infinite shades of Grey. As long as they keep butts in seats and the machine keeps on a rolling.
2007-11-12 08:28:08 · answer #3 · answered by Old guy 5 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Ask them to prove everyone of your questions from the Bible, or disprove. Depending on their stance. Ask why it is important to "be" baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
If you are a Bible reader and believe it is the word of God. Make them prove it all from the bible.
I agree with "Old Guy"- People are people. You really have to base your opinion on people's message. Do you think the message is right? Do you think that the message rings true? People are not perfect, hopefully we can find the Perfect message from imperfect people.
I guess God has used imperfect people from the beginning of Christianity.
2007-11-12 08:34:09 · answer #4 · answered by Plat 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
I'm studying with Jehovah's witnesses I love it and I'm starting to believe this is the truth. What I like most is they try to follow Jesus's footsteps and they worship Jehovah they don't have a certain leader here on earth I like their faith. I have a little girl and I want to raise her in this religion.Everything I ask they answer with the bible, and they have really taught me-well the bible has taught me-the true purpose in life,But if it wasn't because JWs approched me I would have never known.
2007-11-13 05:33:48 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 4⤋
JW's have a counterfeit god
They make you accept this after they make you reject the deity of Christ
they claim christ is not god, just an angel or a man
their bible is edited and has every instance of Christ as God removed
thats why they always quote form the NEW WOrld TRanslation
which is all about the new world order
i have some coming to my door and i want to show them the light
their religeon is based on freemasonry
masons need a sacrfiice tro their own trinity god called jahbulon
who consists of jehovah, baal, and osiris
Jesus says whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me
so if you become a JW you reject Jesus and the father
so every time you call jehovah, you are not really calling the father in heaven as you have rejected him, you are really calling on Jashbulon
as a false god, they need sacrifices to survive
JW's get this from their blood doctrine, of blood refusal.
In this way, millions wil die, and keep their trinty god of jahbulon appeased
This is why they atack the trinity because they want to install their own
this is why they make you sign the blood pledge
this is why they make you reject Christ as God
this is why they insist on calling the holy spirit just a force
Let them read Joshua 5:13-15 in their own bible
Joshua clearly bows before a man that is not God, only God can receive such a bow, aand the man who is Michael does not rebuke Joshua for doing so, whereas when John did it to gabriel he was rebuked for doing so
Even the Jews knew to call yourself The son of God, not the sons of God who are the angels, but the Son of GOd made you equal with God. Thats makes you God, this is clearly written in
John 5:18
Also in John 8:28 He says Before Abraham was I AM
I AM=Yaweh, this is the name of God
As God said to Moses: I AM who I AM
if this does not work
show them a picutre of Charles Taze Russels Gravesite
he is buried in a freemasonic graveyard with a pyramid for the head stone, this is freemasonic imagery, promoting the elites at the top of the pyramid above the oyutsiders, the commoners, the people of the world, who form the bootom of the pyramid
the majority of JW's don't have the slightest clue about this
2007-11-13 00:49:34 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 4⤋
This is a very complected answer, and I could go on for ever, but the real reason that I am not a Witness, is because they do not know who God is, they have a counterfeit Christianity and they are not truly christian...If you have ore questions, you can e mail me.
http://towerwatch.com
2007-11-12 16:22:40 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 4⤋
The majority of Jehovah's Witness disfellowshippings concern unrepentant fornication. That has been the case for decades, and Jehovah's Witnesses have candidly admitted as such.
Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (page 103)
[quote]
Jehovah’s Witnesses were not unaffected by the sexual revolution of the 1960’s. In fact, several thousand—a small percentage of their total number—had to be disfellowshipped each year, the majority for sexual immorality.
[unquote]
The Watchtower, February 15, 1993 (page 8)
[quote]
Although only a small proportion of Christians are affected, it has to be recognized that the majority of cases of disfellowshipping from the ranks of Jehovah’s Witnesses for unrepentant conduct unbecoming a Christian are related to some form of sexual immorality.
[unquote]
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/19880415/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19970101/article_01.htm
2007-11-12 09:45:22 · answer #8 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 4⤊ 7⤋
i've worn many religious "hats" including catholocism, and jw...
i found truth in education...college....
2007-11-12 08:27:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
im a jehova's witness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2007-11-12 08:30:10 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 4⤋