What do you think about Jehovah witnesses that turn their backs on their own families?
94660
I was raised a witness and have not spoken with my still believing family members in years, its been very difficult losing my family because I choose to not follow their beliefs. It was very hard to watch and understand as a child how all the sudden no ones allowed to speak with a certain member of the congreation, how easy it was for members to just completely ignore someone theve know for years.As an adult I could certainly never be a member of this religion or any that takes this much control of ones life. Jehovahs Witnesses are considered a cult as previous poster noted.
421257
Maybe it helps keep them in line about their own behaviour if they think there's an omnipresent being looking over their shoulder ready to smite them.\n\nI believe in a omni-benevolent God, who loves us and is so merciful that He doesn't see the need in punishing his children. I think He smiles down on us and encourages us to enjoy the fruits of His Creation on earth. I find it hard to juxtapose a punishing God with my idea of what He is like.
410375
As someone who WAS a jw for 20+ years and and left (NO I was NOT disfellowshipped) I can tell you that the JW have what is known as the "two witness" rule...unless something is known and reported by two witnesses....it is just one person's word against another.  \n\nNow how likely is a pedophile to commit their crimes in the presence of two witnesses ?  So now instead of calling the Police...the good little brainwashed jw cult members report this to their local elders and are accused of slander and while they may not be "told" that they cant report it to the proper authorities...the elders use guilt and their position to remind them that they should not bring reproach on the jw name or speak ill of their brothers and should leave it all in jehovah's hand to deal with in his due time.\n\nMany that report the crimes anyway are disciplined...even disfellowship or shunned as most would call it.  Their family and friends who are jw's are told not to eat or talk with them...even to the point of treating them as if they were dead.  \n\nMeanwhile the true victim is now considered by "the organization" to be an evil apostate who is bringing shame on the jw name and suddenly the criminal is now the victim.  Sometimes the jw's even testify on their behalf in court.\n\nTHE SCARIEST PART OF THIS WHOLE THING is that even those pedophiles that are exposed are usually welcomed back into the jw congregation !\n\nThey are still out there in YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD! Nicely dressed, knocking on the FRONT DOOR TO YOUR HOME.  Smiling with a bible story book in their hand that they can't wait to give to YOUR CHILD !
349787
I think your question is rather retorical, if someone makes information about themselves public, it's rather hard to just "take it back" once it's out there. I really can't see the Jehovah's Witnesses having any legs to stand on. From what I read, these quotes in question were not some secret memo that might have some protection under the law, although I don't know if religious secrets are protected in the same manner as trade secrets. In any case if the statements are made publically or in a publically available publication (hence the word Public-ation), they do not have any legs to stand on.
1180125
yep damn right! who gave them the right to pester me in my own home and try to indocrinate their belives on me..if i wanted to be a muslim i would visit a mosque,if i wanted to be a Christian or Catholic i would visit a church,if i wanted to be a "Jovey" i would probably insist that a family member killed me in my sleep..peronally i think its just a sub-christan cult for people too tight to buy their kids Xmas pressies
450946
No, and this is one of my pet peeves. I changed my religion because my initial one felt "wrong" to me. I went searching for what felt right and I found it through my own quest. I didn't need anyone badgering me, which is how every person I met trying to convert another has come off. I hate when people try to lay their own beliefs on others.
848412
Ok, I know I'm gonna tick some people off with my opinion so do what you feel you gotta do......I use to be involved with them for about 15 years until I finally figured out what they were all about and kicked them to the curb....even if they don't all do what your co-worker and his wife are doing...trust me when I tell you that they are trying to be slick, they try to be reeeeeeeeel nice to you with all that sharing stuff in hopes of gaining your trust in hopes of you letting your guard down so they can put the squeeze on you to take a bible tract or start talking to you about Jehovah while all the time looking for an opening to invite you to the Kingdom Hall.  I've learned that you HAVE to be as you put it BLUNT AND DIRECT to them or they will NEVER leave you alone.  And he has alot of nerve telling you that you need to work on being so blunt when they need to work on taking NO FOR AN ANSWER if you were being REALLY blunt he and his wife would've understood by now that you don't want to hear that crap.
1162335
mormons and jehovah's witnesses do it all the time. Occasionally others do it as well, but only as a last resort. generally its because the person has done somethingthat goes against the church's rules.
386881
What do you think of members of other Religious Organizations that do not have the Bible Knowledge to go from door to door and talk to people, regardless of what Religion they may be.\n\nAnd do not tell me that other Religions do not use books, pamphlets, cd's, etc., because they do.  And most of them charge for these items, whereas this organization that you are referring to, gives everything for free.\n\nYou people are always complaining, when all you have to do is tell the person you are not interested, when someone tells me they are not interested or they are rude, I simply say: "you have a nice day" and move on, because there are people that are interested in talking, and they are not rude.\n\nOh, I do not want to forget this, there were 247,631 people in 2005 that were completely "brainwashed" and became Jehovah's Witnesses.\n\n"ron c" Michael Jackson is not a Jehovah's Witnesses, He was disfellowshipped about 20 years ago.  Who knows, maybe he belongs to your Religion.
912309
A common misconception is that Jehovah's Witnesses go from door-to-door because they feel it is their duty to "recruit". In fact, Jehovah's Witnesses would go from door-to-door even if there were no hope that anyone would change their religion, or even if no one would listen to them!\n\nThat is because Jesus Christ specifically assigned the house-to-house ministry to the Christian congregation, with no regard for specific results.\n\n(Luke 10:1,2) After these things the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. 2 Then he began to say to them: “The harvest, indeed, is great, but the workers are few. Therefore beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.\n\nJehovah's Witnesses are trained to direct attention to the bible, and move on when their message is unwanted. Since each congregation in the United States tries to call at every home in its territory at least twice each year, there is strong motivation for them to move on where little interest is shown. Also, the Scriptures help the Witnesses to expect little interest from most:\n\n(2 Timothy 4:3-5) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching ...and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.\n\nLearn more:\nhttp://watchtower.org/library/jt/index.htm\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/jt/
873145
Agreed, 100%.  I believe these people must be insecure with themselves and their beliefs to have to put down others.  It is not our position to judge others, so says God.
536890
Years back, my mother in law was having her morning devotion.  As she was praying, she prayed that the Lord would send her someone to witness to.  She no more than got up off her knees, and there was a knock on the door.\n\nGuess who???\n\nShe squealed with glee, grabbed their arms, and told them that she had just prayed that the Lord would someone she could witness to.  She pulled them in the house and started sharing.\n\nThereafter, except for training purposes, no Jehovah Witnesses ever came.\n\nLawrence\nhttp://www.truebiblesermons.com\n\nps.  When I said "for training purposes," that was correct.  They would bring new members to her house to learn how to deal with the "hard-core" unchangable person. :)
317672
They know and they still believe they are the only right ones. the door to door thing is a part of their brainwashing technique for the cute lil babies they bring to the door. you see they have that poor little baby stand at the door with them and when it gets shut on them they jump in and tell them that the people do not know the way of jehova and that is why they need to go out and preach to save all those lost souls. so as the child grows this concept is instilled in them over and over again. these poor little babies don't know what hit them until they get say into highschool where they see all the other peoples and experience their beliefs away from their parents and church. then often you get a really confused person that has a tendency to rebel in the worst ways. its sad really. what ever happened to free will and why are some religions so h@ll bent on controlling FREE WILL> Ha ha ha how ignorant was that down there i have read the bible many many times fron to back and skipping around and i do not appreciate the same people coming to my door over and over trying to debate my beliefs. its sad really that som many people have so many ways of preaching about the same book. for people to presume that even though i have read the book that i need to be taught how to believe is insulting!   and i agree those who are rude AREN'T THOSE WITHOUT FAITH.!!! YOU COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT ANY  BETTER THAN THAT!
1101174
Interestingly, such "hatred" should be expected by true Christians in this time of the end, and it actually helps identify Jehovah's Witnesses as Christ's true disciples:\n\n(John 15:19) If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you.\n\n(Luke 6:22) “Happy are you whenever men hate you, and whenever they exclude you and reproach you and cast out your name as wicked for the sake of the Son of man.\n\n(1 Peter 4:4) Because you do not continue running with them in this course to the same low sink of debauchery, they are puzzled and go on speaking abusively of you.\n\n(2 Timothy 4:3-5) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.\n\n\nIt seems signficant that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are the ones best known for their worldwide preaching work. Yet Jesus commanded that ALL who would call themselves "Christian" perform this public work:\n\n(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And, look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”
507554
If I'm busy working, it annoys me - but only momentarily because I just tell them I'm don't believe in God so I'm not interested. If I'm not busy though, I actually quite welcome it, because I like talking to people with different world views from my own. I see it as a challenge to win someone over to my viewpoint. So when Jehovah's witnesses knock on my door, I suggest to them that religion is inherently authoritarian and actively discourages critical thinking so that it can operate to keep people docile in their subjection to stable power relations. \n\nThe problem is that I find the majority of religious people prefer psychologically to accept a reassuring dogma rather than engage in a critical debate and meet the implicit criticism of a dissenting viewpoint. But I like to think that at the least they will appreciate the fact that I took an interest in their ideas and shared my own with them. After all, they do mean well, they want to help me... and nobody likes to be met with indifference
263439
I used to hide or open the door and immediately say that I was not interested.  Then I was fortunate enough to work with a girl that was a Jehovah.  She was so honest and truly lived my her religion.  She was not at all a hypocrite as some Mormons, Christians and Catholics I have know.  You know treat people badly, tell lies and get drunk, judge others and it is all okay just because you go to church on Sunday.  I never converted but I was truly fascinated by the religion.  How many other religions do you know that have faith so strong they spend hours and hours going door to door to tell everyone about it, despite being treated rudely by so many?  If you are reading this, it is for you Paula my friend!
759957
I'm pretty sure you can't be a witness for your own deed... sort of defeats the purpose of having a witness!