Witnesses include diverse mix of cultures
Posted: December 24, 2009 at 11:07 a.m.
When Dirk and Victoria Clark moved from Los Angeles to Arkansas after retirement, their friends teased them about the culture shock awaiting in the Ozarks. The Clarks, longtime Jehovah’s Witnesses, weren’t concerned. They had family waiting for them — fellow Witnesses at the local Kingdom Hall.
This story is only available from the archives. Click here to contact the online desk.
Religion, Pages 27 on 12/24/2009
(Advertisement)
« Previous Story
Kingdom work
An inside look Basic beliefs and key differences with other Christians No Triune God — Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity. They see God, whom they call Jehov... Read »
Next Story »
Comforter in mind? Here are some tips
Dreaming of a highquality down comforter? Look for one with a higher “fill power” (a standard measure of its fluffiness). White goose down is the best filler. Read »
Comments
To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers. Please read our comment policy.
The Watchtower society is big money, being one of the top 40 New York City Corporations making nearly one billion dollars a year. That's just from one of their many corporations.
Unlike in the case of Christians who are persecuted in other lands for talking about Jesus Christ, Jehovah's Witnesses are largely persecuted for following the teachings begun during the second presidency of the Watchtower, when Joseph Rutherford took over in a corporate flap and began changing doctrines quickly in the Watchtower belief system.
He claimed that angels directly conveyed truth to some of those in leadership. He coined the name Jehovah's Witnesses to make them stand out from being witnesses of Jesus, a typical evangelical expression (and a Biblical one).
Rutherford dumped holidays, birthdays and the 1874 date for the invisible return on Christ, and invented an earthly class of Witnesses, since only 144,000 can go to heaven in their teaching. The rest, meaning all 99.9% of Witnesses still alive, will live forever on a cleansed earth, under the rule of the Watchtower leaders in heaven, who will keep them in line by local elders known as 'Princes'.
If you have been witnessed to by Jehovah's Witnesses and you reject their message, you will likely die shortly at Armageddon with all the other non-Witnesses, since theirs is the only true religion, and (if they can live up to all the rules) they are the only ones to inhabit this new earth. If you believe Witnesses seem rigid now, any non-conformist during the future cleansed earth will be directly destroyed by Jehovah. Even now a Witness will be disfellowshipped for any one of many gaffs, such as smoking, taking a blood transfusion, or even voting.
To even vocally question the teachings of the Watchtower will result in complete cutting off, with family and friends usually being forbidden to talk to them. The Watchtower is a truly Orwellian world, in a time when Orwellian societies are nearly obsolete.
The Watchtower strives hard to control the flow of information to the individual Witness, and prefers that all instruction come through the magazines they carry door-to-door. Without this form of control, even as they themselves admit, they would believe just the same as other Bible believers.
My hope is that there will be a day in each of their lives when the Watchtower magazine is no longer needed, and they can go to college, vote for office, and contribute money and time to other, more vital causes in their community. More than likely they will then cease to be persecuted, except in a few societies more authoritarian than their own.
Sincerely,
Danny Haszard http://www.dannyhaszard.com
Posted by: Danny_Haszard
December 25, 2009 at 2:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Information posted by apostates (D. Haszard for example) is highly suspect.
"Neither the objective sociological researcher nor the court of law can readily regard the apostate as a creditable or reliable source of evidence.
He must always be seen as one whose personal history predisposes him to bias with respect to both his previous religious commitment and affiliations, the suspicion must arise that he acts from a personal motivation to vindicate himself and to regain his self-esteem, by showing himself to have been first a victim but subsequently to have become a redeemed crusader.
As various instances have indicated, he is likely to be suggestible and ready to enlarge or embellish his grievances to satisfy that species of journalist whose interest is more in sensational copy than in a objective statement of the truth." - Bryan R. Wilson, Ph.D., University of Oxford
Bryan Wilson (1926 - 2004), Emeritus Professor at All Souls College, Oxford was one of the most well known British scholars of religion and wrote extensively about New Religious Movements and apostates (ex-members who become openly critical of the group they were once a member of). In an article entitled Apostates and New Religious Movements
Posted by: Atticus
December 25, 2009 at 9:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Mr 'Atticus' you just did a cut n paste personal attack rant.
Excuse you,where is the suspected bias on doctrine?
Tell us about 1914 date please,can you contradict any of my posted facts?
Google:Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower
Posted by: Danny_Haszard
December 25, 2009 at 10:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Join the Jehovah's Witness, get baptized and if you ever disagree with even the smallest details of their teachings (and dare to tell anyone) then you get disfellowshiped.
You will be shunned by family, friends and all baptized members.
Truly this is a high control group that needs to be investigated before committing to.
Be aware that as you start studying with them they will tell you that *Satan* will use your family to be against your conversion. Why wouldn't they be against this high control group?
Your real family loves you and cares about you, not some religion that is run by a dozen or more old men in New York state.
Do a lot of homework and know fully what you are getting involved with.
http://www.freeminds.org
Posted by: USA777
December 25, 2009 at 10:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
You do have to wonder about anyone who would spend all that time prowling the internet and writing full page articles over a THREE SENTENCE mention of a nice family who finds comfort in thier religious beliefs! I know JW's, I got family who are JW's and nothing I read here fits them. I don't know about you but if I were trying to get factual information about somebody I wouldn't ask their EXwife or EXhusband!!
Posted by: DonHasband
December 25, 2009 at 1:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
There are plenty of resources available (books, websites, etc) that have firmly established the basis of calling this organization a cult. Additionally, the Jehovah's Witnesses are abusive - simply read some of the heartbreaking stories at http://www.silentlambs.org to see what I mean. And, the #1 child predator on the FBI's Most Wanted List right now is a Jehovah's Witness.
Once a person has discovered the truth about this cult, I cannot fathom how *ANYONE* could defend it.
The best source of info on JW is EX-members who are no longer under the spell of the Watchtower sect.
Posted by: MarionJ
December 25, 2009 at 2:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Judge a tree by its 'own' leaves. Feel free to request a brochure on any subject, and please accept our literature. Regards.
Posted by: Margarett
December 25, 2009 at 5:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Our priorities are different, but we do not exclude or forbid any type of education. We also spearhead reading and basic ed in other countries so these can learn and teach the 'highest' of education, the bible.
As for disagreeing once your baptized, well, it's like the rules of the highway. You can disagree, but you can't disregard. Rules are rules. Even games have them. There are various concequences for disregarding rules anywhere, and in any organization.
Regards, M
Posted by: Margarett
December 25, 2009 at 5:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
I'm sorry, me again.
If we thought we were better than everybody else, we wouldn't be at your doors.
Since everyones mind is on Jesus, may I say we have but one holiday per year at the end of March, and it's all about Jesus. ... Who reconciled us to the Father and opened the way to 'everlasting life' 4 different ways: 1 heavenly resurection, 2 earthly resurections, and a live salvation. M
Posted by: Margarett
December 25, 2009 at 5:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
FYI google search any religion, no wait, ANYTHING and you'll find a thousand websites slamming it. That is the nature of the beast. Further the accusations against JW's are exaggerated you might want to google "silent lambs exposed" to get a balanced view of the issue. All of this overathreesentence article! It's so silly!
Posted by: DonHasband
December 25, 2009 at 9:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
REAL WORLD NON-PR JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
The following SUMMARIES OF OVER 1400 JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES CRIMINAL and CIVIL COURT CASES will provide the BEST and MOST ACCURATE info about Jehovah's Witnesses, their beliefs, and how they ACTUALLY practice such day to day.
The following website summarizes 900 court cases and lawsuits affecting children of Jehovah's Witness Parents, including 400 cases where the JW Parents refused to consent to life-saving blood transfusions for their dying children, as well as nearly 400 CRIMINAL cases -- most involving MURDERS:
DIVORCE, BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS, AND OTHER LEGAL ISSUES AFFECTING CHILDREN OF JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
jwdivorces.bravehost.com
The following website summarizes over 500 lawsuits filed by Jehovah's Witnesses against their Employers, incidents involving problem JW Employees, and other secret JW "history" court cases:
EMPLOYMENT ISSUES UNIQUE TO JEHOVAH'S WITNESS EMPLOYEES
jwemployees.bravehost.com
Posted by: JJ2014
December 27, 2009 at 6:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Poem for Jehovah's Witnesses
A POEM ABOUT CHILD ABUSE IN
THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY
Suffer the little children
Jesus was heard to say
Let them come to me
Never turn them away
For children are so precious
Truly a gift from above
They are fully deserving
Of our unconditional love
We value all our children
The Watchtower declares
We shelter and protect them
Keep them from life’s snares
From the moment of their birth
And on into their youth
We teach them about Jehovah
And all his precious truth
Yet the Watchtower’s actions
Make their words a lie
For throughout their congregations
Children suffer, children cry
Their teaching gives no protection
From the danger that they face
From men that would abuse them
There is no hiding place
For these men are their brothers
And they are told they must
Always love and respect them
In them put their trust
So they are able to carry on
With their vile abuse
Safe in the knowledge
That they will not be accused
For the Watchtower’s rules demand
Two witnesses to every sinful act
So children have to suffer
And continue to be attacked
While the Watchtower turns away
Pretending not to hear
The cries of children suffering
In anguish, pain and fear
http://www.silentlambs.org
Posted by: MarionJ
December 28, 2009 at 5:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
As with any religious organization made up of people there will be those who betray the principles found in the Bible. The accusations against JW's by these anti exwitness folks have been examined by others and if you would like a balanced view please google Silent Lambs Exposed for a review of many of these charges.
Posted by: DonHasband
December 28, 2009 at 8:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Registration is required to make comments. Click here to LOGIN.
You can register for FREE to post comments and receive alerts.