Would you avoid everyone at all cost and keep from speaking to them? What if it was your boss, the banker, a clerk at a store, dentist, doctor, etc.?
2007-12-09 02:49:08 · 10 answers · asked by Jereme K 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
And yes, they are taught to hate:
JWs are to HATE people who do bad. --Watchtower pg. 420; 7/15/1961
If someone used to be a Jehovah's Witness, "We must hate in the truest sense, which is to regard with extreme ~ active aversion, to consider as loathsome, odious, filthy, to detest." --Watchtower, 10/1/52, p.599.
They are to be hated "in the sense of avoiding them as we would poison or a poisonous snake." -- Watchtower, 6/15/80, p.8.
"in order to hate what is bad a Christian must hate the person" WT 7/15/1961, p. 420
They say they aren't taught to hate yet they agree and thumb up witnesses who talk about hate here on my other page: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Asa9vCr39r_Eu5XYtLceZNjsy6IX;_ylv=3?
2007-12-09 02:51:53 · update #1
Working link: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Asa9vCr39r_Eu5XYtLceZNjsy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071207185604AALN8OX
(Check out ALL TRUE and HE'S A JEHOVAH'S WITNESS answers).
2007-12-09 04:27:20 · update #2
ACHTUNG -- This is a Psalm (song). This isn't a teaching. The one professing this is only speaking about his hatred toward haters of God. This verse doesn't claim someone should hate nor does it say God hates.
2007-12-10 08:19:02 · update #3
ACHTUNG -- I'm FULLY aware of those verses plus SEVERAL more you haven't cited. All these verses do not say anything about a human hating another human. Nowhere in the Bible will you find that human is SUPPOSED to or even taught to hate another person.
2007-12-14 22:11:10 · update #4
No.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not avoid preaching to, transacting business with, or performing human kindnesses on behalf of those who hate and attack God and godliness. True Christians (such as Jehovah's Witnesses) would naturally avoid close fellowship and socializing with such ones, however.
Regarding the matter of "hating" the seeming enemies of God, it seems best to simply refer the questioner and others to the divinely inspired words at Psalms 139:21,22 from several popular translations.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies.
GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Shouldn't I hate those who hate you, O LORD? Shouldn't I be disgusted with those who attack you? I hate them with all my heart. They have become my enemies.
King James Bible
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
American Standard Version
Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: They are become mine enemies.
Bible in Basic English
Are not your haters hated by me, O Lord? are not those who are lifted up against you a cause of grief to me? My hate for them is complete; my thoughts of them are as if they were making war on me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Have I not hated them, O Lord, that hated thee: and pine away because of thy enemies? I have hated them with a perfect hatred: and they are become enemies to me.
Darby Bible Translation
Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? and do not I loathe them that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred; I account them mine enemies.
English Revised Version
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies.
Jewish Publication Society Tanakh
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate Thee? And do not I strive with those that rise up against Thee? I hate them with utmost hatred; I count them mine enemies.
Webster's Bible Translation
Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them my enemies.
World English Bible
Yahweh, don't I hate those who hate you? Am I not grieved with those who rise up against you? I hate them with perfect hatred. They have become my enemies.
Young's Literal Translation
Do not I hate, Jehovah, those hating Thee? And with Thy withstanders grieve myself? With perfect hatred I have hated them, Enemies they have become to me.
Learn more:
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/20061201/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/rq/index.htm?article=article_10.htm
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/bible/ps/chapter_139.htm?bk=Ps;chp=139;vs=21;citation#bk21
EDIT:
It would seem that the questioner is unaware of Scriptures such as these:
(Proverbs 11:20) Those crooked at heart are something detestable to Jehovah
(Proverbs 16:5) Everyone that is proud in heart is something detestable to Jehovah.
(Proverbs 17:15) Anyone pronouncing the wicked one righteous and anyone pronouncing the righteous one wicked—even both of them are something detestable to Jehovah.
(Proverbs 28:9) He that is turning his ear away from hearing the law—even his prayer is something detestable.
(Psalm 11:5) Jehovah himself examines the righteous one as well as the wicked one, And anyone loving violence His soul certainly hates.
2007-12-10 07:56:35 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 2⤊ 4⤋
MOMMY, keep reading, They change on voting, community service in lieu of the draft, organs transplants and yea they did say Armageddon was coming in 1975.
As far as working for an apostate, hey when it comes to money, the heck with your principals.
When I was a JW, I was a business owner and had many JW's working for me. Most were good, but many lied, stole stuff, etc. One of my supervisors was a Baptist and after several instances of Witnesses stealing from me, I said to him only a very small percentage of Witnesses act like this. He said, yea and they all work for us. I didn't find them any better than anyone else as they often claim.
To answer the question, yes, they would only have themselves to talk to. They cannot witness to an apostate.
I know, I am one
2007-12-09 06:10:11 · answer #2 · answered by isnrblogdotcalm 5 · 5⤊ 2⤋
Yes the Bible says that God "hates". It is not the people in general, but the things that they do.
One thing that he says is that he hates divorcing. And because people do bad things they will be judged for them. The very fact that God hates certain things and certain kinds of people shows that hate is not always folly. He does “hate all those practicing what is hurtful,” and he hates such things as “lofty eyes, a false tongue, and hands that are shedding innocent blood.”—Ps. 5:5; Prov. 6:16-19.
I understand the reader's nervousness. We have become uncomfortable with the word "hate" in today's politically correct world. Jeffrey Dahmer (who murdered many young men and then cannibalized them) was just a misunderstood youth with an eating disorder, right? In the name of misplaced compassion we are now expected to tolerate all manner of abominations.
Fittingly, God’s Word counsels us to hate what God hates. (Romans 12:9) Yes, the word "hate" is a harsh one to apply to anyone, but sometimes it can be properly applied when it is used in reference to as to what God hates.
2007-12-10 02:24:13 · answer #3 · answered by keiichi 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Mommyof! Keep reading. I am in awe that they have not changed this on their CD rom. They will given time.
I have seen the outright hatred for people who ask thought provoking and real questions about their mother organization, and campaigns to remove questions and answers that expose their bad dogma. I have seen many Witnesses call people that they THINK are Apostate, "names" While those having the ridicule thrown at them, do not return the unchristian behavior.
"YOU will know them by their deeds"
2007-12-10 02:25:53 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 2⤋
Em, at the risk of upsetting you, the JW definition of an apostate is this:
'As long as one does not... advocate one's disagreements...' then one is not considered an apostate. I should know. So, they do not consider employers, managers, bankers, dentsits, doctors etc. as apostates. Merely as potential converts. It is only when a person, having embraced their version of the truth then denounces it that the person is cast out as an apostate.
In other words, if you disagree, keep your mouth shut (and the internet switched off). No room for disent. Hmmm, didn't Hitler have a similar modus operandi?
2007-12-09 08:15:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 2⤋
Jereme, fyi, the link is gone now.
You mention their having interaction with business people. I feel it's audacious they'll work for one they know to be "apostate" for $$$, but don't allow themself to socialize on any level with one. How do you spend 8 to 9 hours a day with someone whom you do not respect and whom you believe to be a bad spiritual influence and not be influenced by them? Yet they continue to vigorously defend it is right to work for an apostate. Talk about talking out of both sides of your mouth.
2007-12-09 03:43:20 · answer #6 · answered by PediC 5 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Keep beating this dead horse. No we aren't taught to HATE others.
Clearly if only 1 person was serving Jehovah, first he'd have his work cut out for him/her. This has happened before, there were 8 when He caused the flood.
As for my banker, boss, etc. I personally don't know that they aren't right off. I would probably change businesses if I was uncomfortable. Most bosses are adults however and know how to be civil and keep business, just that.
As for claiming to know who is giving thumbs ups to whom, that seems so childish to me. It reminds me of when people claim to know who is reporting them. Unless you are told so by the person or a moderator, or are a moderator, How could you know???
2007-12-09 14:20:09 · answer #7 · answered by Ish Var Lan Salinger 7 · 1⤊ 4⤋
Yes some of them would. I have seen some Witnesses who are actually seaking the truth, so I am going to stop lumping them all in the same class.
2007-12-10 10:00:48 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
Wow! You may find this hard to believe, but I am a Jehovah's Witness and at first I thought you were misquoting Watchtowers, but I just checked it out on my CD_ROM and I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EYES!
That's all I can say!
2007-12-09 05:31:59 · answer #9 · answered by Mommy of 3 5 · 7⤊ 3⤋
then we all are apostates and false prophets, if you look or research their religion you will find they do not follow the teachings of Charles T Russell because of new light, so we all are apostates.
2007-12-09 02:57:05 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋