Ask about Jehovah's Witnesses

[Sententia]

First of all, this is my first post and am greatful for the opportunity given to me by this site to express myself and answer questions.

Now this thread is directed to all those who have misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding what we believe in. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them.

The best way to benefit from this thread is to only ask questions if you sincerely want to know the answer. Please don't spam the thread simply to waste everyone's time.

With that out the way, feel free to fire away.

Cool. I have a few questions.

Is "Lets watch how we walk and watch how we talk" still sung in services? Do they still sing "He says use the Rod!".

When I was a witness the kind brother who did my personal bible study told me that demons are real and he knew of a brother that used a ouija board who was overcome with demons and too this day hears two radio stations playing in head constantly except instead of music its two separate demons fighting over his soul and I should never use a ouija board unless I want to end up like him. Since I was just a wee one that kinda scared me but what do the witnesses think today of the ouija board?

When I had cancer and had surgery and was going to die unless I had a blood transfusion. Unfortunately I had a card that denied any blood transfusions. It was given to me and signed by me when I was 7. I kept it next to my bed in case any satan possessed doctors tried to sneak some blood into my veins. My mom was distraught and some witnesses were right there and when they heard what the doctor asked they said she should not allow it but the choice was hers... I am still here so my mom said yes... but is the JW stance moral and supported by Lord Jehovah?

A good friend of mine was disfellowshipped from church cause she had sex... a lot... with her boyfriend. Her family disowned her and kicked her out of the house on the advice of the elders because she was 18 and should be able to fend for herself. Is this moral? How should family treat their family if their church disfellowships them? (She eventually committed suicide at 23 but was raised until she was disfellowshipped as a Jehovah's Witness)

Why don't they just hold meetings only on sunday? Why so many sessions? Seriously I didnt have video games as a kid but the Sunday, Tuesday, Friday with a family bible study and a personal bible study every week is ridiculously invasive. (Not to mention the entire weekends we spent 2 or 3 times a year at assemblies)

The Jehovah Witness's often predict the end of world and are always wrong. When I was going they said the world will end when the last person who was born in 1914 dies... Which could be any day right? When will the end of the world currently take place and are we truly living in the end times?

And just because I dont remember... Whats up with holy spirit? I deny the holy spirit. I just got a glass of wine and said Jehovah, lf you can hear me... I deny the holy spirit... I cant remember if that even actually matters though... Whats up with holy spirit?

 

[Pegg]

I know that JWs do not accept blood transfusions but my niece says that JWs do not see doctors either. If this is so is it new? Because I think that she is wrong, another case of someone not knowing what she is talking about.

Jensen

lol

i can assure you we certainly do see doctors...

 

[Pegg]

I know some Jehovah's that have been kicked out of their houses for dating at a young age. Why do adult's who are JW feel the need to control the decision making of their youth? Usually rebellion follows.
I also use to play Diablo at a young age on the computer and my cuz was not allow to get anywhere close to the game, and I would always give him hell for it. What is the reason behind all of that?

these are personal decisions that individuals make themselves. The WT society do not get involved in 'how' parents discipline their children.

We apply the bibles principles as we individually see fit. The extent that I apply a principle may be lesser then someone else. For instance, I would not kick my teenage son out of the house if he started dating, but at the same time, I would not allow him to bring girls home (he's made the decision not to be a jw and so I do not demand that he apply religious principles, although i still encourage him to do so).
Another parent may decide to act more forcefully and lay down their ground rules differently so that the young person doesnt want to live with them... i have known one or two teens who left home because they didnt like their parents house rules.

Some computer games have a lot of violence, others have supernatural themes and it really depends on how the parents view these games. I would rather my son play WoW then a war game with shoot real life shooting...but another parent may choose to forbid their child to play both... a lot of these things are 'conscience' matters. While the WT society does warn against the 'themes' of games, it does not tell us to keep off games or tv etc because what we watch or play should be governed by our own individual consciences. I would say that your friends parents simply didnt like diablo, likely due to its supernatural themes.

 

[Gloone]

Okay sO I am not viewed as the demonic cousin that plays demonic video games and encourages violence. :slap:

 

[Pegg]

Cool. I have a few questions.

Is "Lets watch how we walk and watch how we talk" still sung in services? Do they still sing "He says use the Rod!".

Yes to both...however, the 'rod' is the 'rod of discipline' ... the proverb is not encouraging the use of physical violence.

Since I was just a wee one that kinda scared me but what do the witnesses think today of the ouija board?

to stay away from them...along with anyone who practices divination. Satan and the demons are fundamentals in the bible and of course we still believe they are real entities.

When I had cancer and had surgery and was going to die unless I had a blood transfusion. Unfortunately I had a card that denied any blood transfusions. It was given to me and signed by me when I was 7. I kept it next to my bed in case any satan possessed doctors tried to sneak some blood into my veins. My mom was distraught and some witnesses were right there and when they heard what the doctor asked they said she should not allow it but the choice was hers... I am still here so my mom said yes... but is the JW stance moral and supported by Lord Jehovah?

Jehovahs law is to treat blood as sacred, to pour it onto the ground so as to not misuse it in any way. We cannot conscientiously take another persons blood into our body because it is sacred to God. The blood represents the persons life force and its with that understanding that we still refuse blood transfusions.
We are fully convinced that we are doing the right thing in that regard. However i should point out that the elders are not going to stand in your way if you decide to take a blood transfusion. In life or death matters they will support your decision to refuse blood transfusions, but as soon as you decide otherwise, then they take their leave because they do not make any decisions for us nor would they ever put pressure on you to do so.

A good friend of mine was disfellowshipped from church cause she had sex... a lot... with her boyfriend. Her family disowned her and kicked her out of the house on the advice of the elders because she was 18 and should be able to fend for herself. Is this moral? How should family treat their family if their church disfellowships them? (She eventually committed suicide at 23 but was raised until she was disfellowshipped as a Jehovah's Witness)

Thats a very sad story. If she was disfellowshiped it is because she was a baptized sister. Im pretty sure that the Elders would not advise the family to kick her out...that is actually against what the WT Society advise:
WT Article 2002 KM stated:
6 In the Immediate Household: Does this mean that Christians living in the same household with a disfellowshipped family member are to avoid talking to, eating with, and associating with that one as they go about their daily activities? The Watchtower of April 15, 1991, in the footnote on page 22, states: “If in a Christian’s household there is a disfellowshipped relative, that one would still be part of the normal, day-to-day household dealings and activities.” Thus, it would be left up to members of the family to decide on the extent to which the disfellowshipped family member would be included when eating or engaging in other household activities.

Why don't they just hold meetings only on sunday? Why so many sessions? Seriously I didnt have video games as a kid but the Sunday, Tuesday, Friday with a family bible study and a personal bible study every week is ridiculously invasive. (Not to mention the entire weekends we spent 2 or 3 times a year at assemblies)

yes it used to be quite a lot of work to be a JW...they have made things much easier for us these days. We now only have the sunday meeting and 1 midweek meeting. The Society said that cutting the midweek bible study meeting (the one where we met at someones house) was to make it more affordable because petrol prices had been rising so much and many had to travel a long way for that 1hr meeting. They've combined the 'bible study' meeting with the Ministry School & Service meeting.

The Jehovah Witness's often predict the end of world and are always wrong. When I was going they said the world will end when the last person who was born in 1914 dies... Which could be any day right? When will the end of the world currently take place and are we truly living in the end times?

Yep true. I would rather be ready and waiting in expectation though, then feel it is years off and it suddenly arrives and im not prepared.

But they have had a new understanding of the 'generation' and it seems that the lives of those who saw the beginning of 1914 will 'overlap' with those alive to see armageddon... basically the generation includes people from back then and people of today. So we still dont know the exact time, nobody does... we just have to keep in expectation of it.

And just because I dont remember... Whats up with holy spirit? I deny the holy spirit. I just got a glass of wine and said Jehovah, lf you can hear me... I deny the holy spirit... I cant remember if that even actually matters though... Whats up with holy spirit?

im not sure what you mean?? there is nothing up with the holy spirit, its Gods active force, its his power.
If you deny it, i guess it just means that you deny Jehovah himself.

 

[Pegg]

Okay sO I am not viewed as the demonic cousin that plays demonic video games and encourages violence. :slap:

well i wouldnt view you that way... my son and husband play WoW and i certainly dont view them that way

 

[Sententia]

I did not expect anyone to respond to me but ok...

Yes to both...however, the 'rod' is the 'rod of discipline' ... the proverb is not encouraging the use of physical violence.

When I was a witness I witnessed children looking at their parents in fear and parents looking at their kids in ecstasy while singing this song. It touched me in a lot of ways and I felt the song encouraged abuse. Especially since never at any time was there a lecture on "parents should not beat their children."

I thought later usually on how abusive it is to have to sing "He says use the rod" after you have just been beaten by a rod. I appreciate your twisting of it but note your failure to acknowledge corporeal punishment and flawed fantasy that some Witnesses do not beat their kids. Because... New flash... Some do. Once you realize that you will probably realize that forcing kids to sing this song is probably not the most moral course of action. Just Sayin.

to stay away from them...along with anyone who practices divination. Satan and the demons are fundamentals in the bible and of course we still believe they are real entities.

Prove it. Its a bunch of nonsense and kids are scared senseless of these demons are as real as stop signs nonsense. I can walk out and show my 11 year old a stop sign and explain why its a good idea to stop. JWs often take their unprovable beliefs that demons are real way to far to the point of obvious child abuse and justify said abuse in the fantastical rationalization that they are only protecting the children. (To clarify they are irrationally justifying child abuse)

Jehovahs law is to treat blood as sacred, to pour it onto the ground so as to not misuse it in any way. We cannot conscientiously take another persons blood into our body because it is sacred to God. The blood represents the persons life force and its with that understanding that we still refuse blood transfusions.
We are fully convinced that we are doing the right thing in that regard. However i should point out that the elders are not going to stand in your way if you decide to take a blood transfusion. In life or death matters they will support your decision to refuse blood transfusions, but as soon as you decide otherwise, then they take their leave because they do not make any decisions for us nor would they ever put pressure on you to do so.

Probably why my mom is catholic. Sorry but this is just insane. You cant scientifically prove god and are often wrong about when the end of the world will occur but will stand in a waiting room and advise a mom with a son who will die without a blood transfusion to not get said transfusion and then when she says ummmmmm no I brought my son into this world and if a blood transfusion will save him then I say he should get one and you say ok but we are gonna have to leave because its your decision and we dont support it but if your son lives we will see in church next sunday.....

Its ridiculous. You are advising people let other people die rather then accepting a blood transfusion but then saying if you do accept it then meh... No problem... It happens.... Dont do it again... And quoting scripture to support it is ridiculous... Does the bible know better then medical science? Sigh...

Thats a very sad story. If she was disfellowshiped it is because she was a baptized sister. Im pretty sure that the Elders would not advise the family to kick her out...that is actually against what the WT Society advise:

Yep sad story. I do not think the elders advised to kick her out... What i think happened is this girl spent Sunday, tuesday, friday in church with her family since she was born. I think she also had a family bible study with her family and sometimes went with her family to have family bible studies with other families... (Like mine).

Then her mom and dad found out she had sex and reported it to elders who disfellowshipped her.... I think she still went anyways but at kingdom hall couldnt sit with her family... she sat in the back row alone. Her whole life had been spent at a kingdom hall where it was announced she was dis-fellowshipped and couldn't even sit next to her mom and dad.

Yep. Odd how that caused the family to separate.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Yes I have a question. Is it true that Jehovah's Witnesses encourage seperating oneself from non-witness family members?

 

[Pegg]

Yes I have a question. Is it true that Jehovah's Witnesses encourage seperating oneself from non-witness family members?

not at all.

We are encouraged to keep contact with them and to share our beliefs with them. Of course being a christian limits our involvement in their activities which may be opposed to christianity....would we sit around getting drunk with them if they were doing that, no.

So our association with them is limited only by the things they do that would interfere with our christian lifestyle.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

I see Pegg. Thank you. Another question, if I may.

I know Witnesses don't believe in hell, so what does a Witness believe happens to those who fail the judgment, and what can cause one to fail? Being a different religion?

 

[Pegg]

I see Pegg. Thank you. Another question, if I may.

I know Witnesses don't believe in hell, so what does a Witness believe happens to those who fail the judgment, and what can cause one to fail? Being a different religion?

thats right, we take the biblical view that 'hell' is the grave. So any who receive an adverse judgment simply die and return to the dust. There is no consciousness in death, so the bible describes death as a 'sleeplike' condition.

there are many things that cause a person to fail...the main one is obviously our own rejection of God and failing to recognize his sovereignty in our life. The reason being that one who refuses to accept God will not attempt to live by his laws.

With regard to our religion, there can literally be only one religion on this earth that God approves of and the reason for that is that he is a God of order and his laws, standards and morals are binding on every individual no matter where we live or what our culture is. So in the day of that judgment, he will judge us all in the same way. It is God we must prove ourselves to and if we choose to live by standards or morals that he himself did not establish, then we are only fooling ourselves. The moral to this story is that we must choose our religion wisely.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

One more question Pegg. I know Witnesses don't keep holidays because they're not Biblical, but what about the Jewish holidays? Can one keep them and be within the Bible?

 

[Pegg]

One more question Pegg. I know Witnesses don't keep holidays because they're not Biblical, but what about the Jewish holidays? Can one keep them and be within the Bible?

we dont keep any jewish celebrations...there is only the corresponding celebration we have with the jewish passover, but we call it the 'Memorial' and its the commemoration of Christs death.

Paul actually wrote about jewish festivals and it is clear that christians were not required to celebrate them... “Let no man judge you in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; for those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.” (Colossians 2:16, 17)
So these festivals were leading the jews to the Messiah...they were reminders, so to speak, of Gods purposes to come. With the arrival of the Messiah, the christians viewed these festivals as 'complete' and so were not expected to participate in them.

 

[Jensen]

Pegg,

Thanks for your answer. I have another one...

I've heard that JWs will not, or can not attend weddings, funerals, or church services of their friends and family who are not JW. Is this true? And if so is it only those that are baptised?

Jensen

 

[Mr Orange]

Pegg,

Thanks for your answer. I have another one...

I've heard that JWs will not, or can not attend weddings, funerals, or church services of their friends and family who are not JW. Is this true? And if so is it only those that are baptised?

Jensen

JWs see it as a conscious decision. If your going to feel unconfortable-guilty etc... then no. Yet if you feel its appropiate, then yes. Example a Bible student died who regulary attended meetings at the local kingdom hall for a long time, he also attended the memorial and conventions. The indervidual wanted to be a JW and was getting ready for baptism. Sadley the indervidual died. The inderviduals family were church goers and had the inderviduals funeral at a Born again Christian church. Many JWs attended his funeral for respect, JWs believe as long as the seeds are sown within the heart it doesn't matter. He still has a chance to be ressurected with the great crowd,

 

[Mr Orange]

we dont keep any jewish celebrations...there is only the corresponding celebration we have with the jewish passover, but we call it the 'Memorial' and its the commemoration of Christs death.

Paul actually wrote about jewish festivals and it is clear that christians were not required to celebrate them... “Let no man judge you in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; for those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.” (Colossians 2:16, 17)
So these festivals were leading the jews to the Messiah...they were reminders, so to speak, of Gods purposes to come. With the arrival of the Messiah, the christians viewed these festivals as 'complete' and so were not expected to participate in them.

Yet didn't Jesus celebrated his Bar Mitzvah? If so shouldn't JW follow his example?

 

[Pegg]

Pegg,

Thanks for your answer. I have another one...

I've heard that JWs will not, or can not attend weddings, funerals, or church services of their friends and family who are not JW. Is this true? And if so is it only those that are baptised?

Jensen

no that is not true. The WT organization do not impose any of these sorts of rules, its a bit of a misconception and its usually based on what individuals themselves choose to do.
The WT teaches us to live by our own conscience... so if I feel comfortable attending a wedding of a friend/relative who is not a JW, then by all means i can attend. Another JW may feel that going into another church is too uncomfortable for them so they choose not to... these choices have nothing to do with the WT organization and its policies or rules. Basically, the WT rules are restricted to what we find set out in scripture only. They do not go beyond that by imposing additional rules in all areas of our lives.

I have attended my grandmothers 'church of england' funeral service, i have also attended a friends wedding in a catholic church. We would individually have to decide where we would draw the line regarding our personal participation at such events.

 

[no-body]

no that is not true. The WT organization do not impose any of these sorts of rules, its a bit of a misconception and its usually based on what individuals themselves choose to do.
The WT teaches us to live by our own conscience... so if I feel comfortable attending a wedding of a friend/relative who is not a JW, then by all means i can attend. Another JW may feel that going into another church is too uncomfortable for them so they choose not to... these choices have nothing to do with the WT organization and its policies or rules. Basically, the WT rules are restricted to what we find set out in scripture only. They do not go beyond that by imposing additional rules in all areas of our lives.

I have attended my grandmothers 'church of england' funeral service, i have also attended a friends wedding in a catholic church. We would individually have to decide where we would draw the line regarding our personal participation at such events.

Is it true the elders of the kingdom hall the individual belongs to can castigate and frown upon the individual for doing things like that though? I've read stories of ex-jw being put down for mourning friends and family. I take such stories with a grain of salt. I'd like to hear the other side.

 

[Pegg]

Yet didn't Jesus celebrated his Bar Mitzvah? If so shouldn't JW follow his example?

we would have to take the significance of the event into consideration first. From what i understand, the term 'Bar Mitzvah' means an adult male Jew who is obligated to perform the commandments of the Torah....it is an initiation into that religion.

I dont know if Jesus celebrated this event or not because the bible account doesnt say...so If i was to 'assume' that he did participate in it, then it was because he was a part of Judaism and was performing the laws of the torah as he was obliged to do.

But the fact that its a ceremony of someone becoming a member of another religion means it is directly linked with worship and therefore the rule set down in Acts 15 would come into play: . Vs28 For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to YOU, except these necessary things, 29 to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication

attending would be a direct violation of this law set out for christians...things sacrificed to idols are religious in nature...but again its not always black and white because a wife may have an husband who wants her to attend with him and she would have to weigh that up herself...would her not attending cause problems in the family for instance?? It now becomes a conscience issue for something in that circumstance

 

[Pegg]

Is it true the elders of the kingdom hall the individual belongs to can castigate and frown upon the individual for doing things like that though? I've read stories of ex-jw being put down for mourning friends and family. I take such stories with a grain of salt. I'd like to hear the other side.

I have a non believing husband and he and his family do christmas, b'days etc and my elders actually told me that I should keep peace with his family by attending their events... so i cant say that i've ever experienced elders who frowned upon me for that. they are actually very balanced and know our individual circumstances so as to advise us how best to walk.

But look, im not saying they are perfect. Anyone can frown on what another does...no one is free from guilt concerning judging others. It seems to be a part of our imperfect human nature to judge others and the elders are also imperfect men who succumb to the same faults as all of us, so if some have gone too far in regard to castigating someone or making them feel bad over something they did, then its human error and nothing more. This is where forgiveness is needed on the part of all of us because we will fail at times and may have a genuine grievance with an elder or another in the congregation...it was the same in the first century:

Colosians 3:13 “Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely if anyone has a cause for complaint against another.”

We have to remember that God is 'leading' us to perfection... we are a long way off yet.