Jehovahs Witnesses

Jehovahs Witnesses believe that the whole Bible was written by man but inspired by God in the same way as they believe their organisation is run by man but directed by God.   However, when they get things wrong they point to the fact that God is having to use imperfect humans and therefore mistakes are inevitable.  Yet they do not concede the same fallibility of the ancient Bible writers.  They accept it as Gods perfect word whether logical or not. For example take 1Cor 13: 7 and 8;   Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails. Apostle Paul was clearly getting carried away as he wrote this.  Many Bible scholars argue that he didn’t mean it literally so why did he write it?  There is a certain unambiguous simplicity to the sentence ‘love never fails’. Of course love cannot bear all things, there are extreme situations that will destroy the love of ...

Loyalty - that is the theme of the upcoming conventions of Jehovahs Witnesses.  It’s ironic that the Governing Body are demanding loyalty whilst forcing their congregation members to be disloyal to their own families and friends. There are hundreds of thousands of Witnesses who were born into the religion, they had it force fed to them every day during their formative years and then, in adulthood, they came to the conclusion that they didn’t believe what they had been taught. They then had a choice - stay in an Organisation that they believe is wrong, following their rules and regulations, or leave.  Most intelligent people will say they should leave - it’s obvious.  But if you have been a Jehovahs Witness you know it’s not that easy because to leave usually means losing all of your friends and your family. Leaving automatically marks you as disloyal and the upcoming conventions are being used to ‘tighten the screw’.  Witnesses are being told tha...

God, according to Jehovahs Witnesses, never changes.  His justice and standards are the same now as they were at the beginning of time.  So here is a conundrum; Why do Jehovahs Witnesses disfellowship congregation members who have committed adultery when many of Gods 'faithful' men who are revered by the organisation were serial adulterers? In fact why did God specifically give the command; You must not commit adultery and yet accept it from his own servants? I am of course referring to the use of concubines which are defined in the Oxford Dictionary as; 1. chiefly historical (In polygamous societies) a woman who lives with a man but has lower status than his wife or wives. 1.1 archaic A mistress. Don't misunderstand me, I am not defending adultery, however more JW's are disfellowshipped for adultery each year than any other 'sin'.  The organisation defends the 'faithful men of old' by explaining that God only tolerated t...

Has anyone been on David Ickes website?  For those that don't know Icke he was a former professional footballer (soccer player) and TV sports presenter in England who one day, during an interview, claimed that he was the 'son of the Godhead'.  Since then he has written and lectured on conspiracy theories. His theories are not as mundane as the usual ones such as we never reached the moon, JFK was shot by the mafia, Elvis is alive etc.  No, when I say conspiracy theories David Icke is on a whole new level.  On his website today is a thread about vampires and their link to The Red Cross.  He seems to be insinuating that The Red Cross harvests blood and body parts for consumption by the worlds leaders! Here is a short excerpt from his website; Interesting that the  Red Cross  has unlimited access to the  blood  and  bodies  produced by artificially engineered wars, while granted access to go behind both enemy li...

Apparently we are rapidly approaching Armageddon and the need to gather people into Gods organisation is at its most urgent - so what do Jehovahs Witnesses do?  They get rid of special pioneers (those that spend the longest in door to door evangelising), they get rid of district overseers (experienced evangelisers who lead the congregations in their area), reduce the number of Watchtowers and Awake magazines to just 12 per year (total) and put on hold many of their building projects that would help them to teach new converts. Why?  Is it because they believe Armageddon is literally just around the corner?   Hardly, in America they have just sold their New York premises (their head offices) for close to a billion dollars and they are re-locating to a cheaper area.  You wouldn't sell your head office and re-locate if you thought the biggest deal in your companies history was about to drop! So why, at this time when every effort and every dime needs...

Jehovahs Witnesses are well known for not celebrating birthdays and their reasoning behind it is interesting.  Firstly they believe birthdays are associated with witchcraft and spells.  Using Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legend as their reference they point to ancient myths that evil spirits would attack a person on their birthday and friends good wishes would ward these spirits away.  They also point to the fact that birthdays are necessary for horoscopes and candles were thought to contain magic to grant wishes. Let's start with the myths and legends first.  Even the reference they use is a book about folklore, myth and legend - it has no place in reality! This is an organisation that believes winged angels are directing their work.  They teach that demons roam the earth, manipulating men to carry out evil. Let's get a little perspective here, ancient men used to believe that spirits lived inside trees - would tha...

I've been accused of being disrespectful to God in some of my posts.  I would like to correct my accuser on one specific point.  My ire and contempt is directed not at God but at the caricature of God depicted by both Jehovahs Witnesses and the bible. Personally I doubt the existence of God however I am only basing that on my own conclusions and I have no firm evidence either way.  What I do dispute is the concept of an all-powerful, immortal being who embodies love, justice and mercy whilst displaying murderous jealousy, dishing out vindictive punishments, is openly homophobic and appears to be outrageously chauvinistic.   I have heard so many Witnesses argue that the bible does not have any contradictions yet the contradictions in Gods qualities alone are numerous.  Let me illustrate: 1 Sam 15 - This is what Jehovah of armies says: ‘I will call to account the A·malʹek·ites for what they did to Israel when they opposed them along their way c...

Jehovahs Witnesses of a certain vintage will recognise the title of this post.  It is also the title of a well known publication by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. It's a good question and one I'm sure we have all pondered in the past. Witnesses of course do not believe that this life is all that is on offer.  They believe that in the near future God will step in to mans affairs, rid the world of all wickedness (basically anyone who isn't a Witness) and create a paradise earth where nobody will grow old, get sick or die. A man in his forties who recently gave up being a JW complained that the only thing he missed was that hope for the future.  I asked him if he believed it and he answered 'of course not but at least it was a hope'. His comment got me thinking; why would someone miss a hope that they didn't even believe? In the UK we have a 'savings scheme' called premium bonds.  The way it works is that you buy bonds in...

Recently Jehovahs Witnesses introduced the fashion police - okay maybe not police but a set of rules that are posted on every kingdom hall notice board that dictates what is and what is not acceptable dress and grooming for JW's. Skirt length, dress tightness, jacket and trouser snugness all have specifications for what is and what is not acceptable.  Sisters must not wear their hair short, brothers must not wear theirs too long. Accentuating breasts or revealing thigh flesh is reproachable while tight trousers for men is out of bounds. These are rules and regulations for adults!  Seriously, does this organisation have so little respect for the common sense of its own members that it feels the necessity to treat them all like children? For years JW's have dictated that a man should not wear a beard - why? A beard is a natural state for a man, it is part of mans design (if you believe he was designed and created by God).  There is little doubt that Jesus would ...

Sometimes we just have to kick political correctness into the long grass and actually confront the realities that face us.  I am sure there are plenty of people out there who will scream blue murder at anyone who points out that reality; but who cares?  If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and swims like a duck - call it a duck, not a web footed water foul. Jehovahs Witnesses - which to my shame I once was (although in my defence I was born into the religion and brainwashed by it) - are, in no small part, not unlike the worlds number one terrorist organisation ISIS.  True, JW's don't wage a terror campaign against the West that involves suicide bombers and heavily armed gunmen - but that isn't because they don't want too.  If they believed God required them to carry out suicide attacks they would.  Their beliefs mirror very closely this vile and murderous organisation, in fact their ultimate hope is the greatest act of mass murder the world will ever ...

Saturday morning and praying for rain.  That's life for a lot of Jehovahs Witness children.  Another weekend of knocking on strangers doors and trying to talk to them about your religion.  The only respite to this drudgery is if it's pouring with rain, in which case my parents would give Witnessing a miss. There are some JW's who genuinely enjoy their ministry work but for most it's about being seen and being able to put in a monthly report that keeps you under the radar of the elders.  I am sure the the organisation would hotly dispute this claim however just a brief observation of a group of Witnesses engaged in the door to door ministry will prove that I am right. You will notice that some, usually the men, make a big play about ensuring everyone has enough territory, so they will spend much of the time walking between streets 'checking everyone is okay'. Others will knock on a door and spend five minutes or more waiting and talking to ...

Christian Scientists believe that sickness can be cured by prayer alone.  Mormons believe in  three celestial kingdoms of heaven.  Hindu's, Buddhists and Sikhs believe in reincarnation.  Catholics believe in eternal torment for sinners.  The Amish live without electricity because they believe it would 'connect' them to the world.  Radical Muslims believe that any non-Muslim is an infidel and must die.  Born Again Christians believe they can speak in the language Angels use to talk to God. Jehovahs Witnesses believe that life saving blood transfusions are a sin. If you attempt to point out the seeming absurdity of any of these beliefs each religion will vociferously defend their position, usually with anger that you have the temerity to question them and in many cases they will use the religious hatred card.  They will dismiss you as a 'non-believer', a spreader of false doctrine, insulting, a friend of the Devil, an apostate and...

Funerals at the Kingdom Hall are in most cases both crass and cringeworthy.  A funeral should celebrate the life of the deceased, remind the mourners of the qualities the person displayed and provide their friends and families with a memory of their passing. If that is the send off you want for yourself or a family member you might want to think twice about having the funeral at the Kingdom Hall.  JW funerals are like pop up adverts on a computer - annoying and inappropriate.   The deceased almost always takes second place behind unashamed proselytising to a captive audience.  Everything revolves around the Witness belief in a resurrection to a paradise earth where the children can play safely with poisonous snakes and lions will play with lambs without harming them.  Why God would create poisonous snakes and wild lions only for his ultimate goal to ensure they are harmless beggars belief - why not just create them harmless in the first place?...

A few years ago an elder explained to me the satisfaction he got from staking out a 'sisters' house with another elder, waiting all night until, in the early hours of the morning, they watched a man leave the house.  Based on that evidence he explained they had enough of a case to convene a judicial committee at which she was disfellowshipped. This was a single woman with natural desires (given to her by God according to JW's).  She was doing no harm to anyone, she wasn't cheating a spouse or flaunting her love life in front of other Witnesses.  So why spy on her?  Is she a criminal or an enemy of the state?  What right did these middle aged white men with limited education and sad little lives have spying on this woman? Their answer?  To keep Gods congregation clean.  Sex out of wedlock is considered a sin and therefore anyone who engages in it and is not repentant (repentant in the view of the judicial committee) must be disfellowshipp...

Once a year Witnesses hold a district convention, an assembly that is normally held in a sports stadium or large arena.  Thousands of Witnesses from the local areas converge on the convention site for three days of instruction.  The program is usually a series of tedious talks with the occasional gem when a genuinely interesting speaker is given a chance.  However, as much as the society would rather the program be the highlight the truth is that for most Witnesses it's the dinner break that holds the real appeal.  It's a chance for catching up with old friends and for the unmarried (as well as quite a few of the married) it's flirt city.  It's amusing watching all those sexual frustrations being revved up as the women eye the men in their sharp suits and the men try not to be too obvious as their eyes linger over the array of attractive females. If you have had anything more than passing dealings with JW's you will know that they have strange and unh...

In my years attending the Kingdom Hall I experienced many funny moments.  One brother who was having a difficult time in his marriage inadvertently opened a prayer with the immortal words; Our dear Heavenly Barbara! Another elder used an octopus as an illustration throughout his talk and frequently referred to it's eight testicles. The most cringeworthy moment came from an old Ministerial Servant who was asked to make the announcements during a Thursday meeting.  After stumbling through a letter from the Society his frustration boiled over and he uttered the word sh*t, both loudly and clearly, however instantly realising his dire error, he attempted to cover the expletives by a sudden and violent coughing fit. This faux par of epic proportions (foul language at any time for a JW is not acceptable) became not just the talk of our Kingdom Hall but every other within a fifty mile radius. The Ministerial Servant - lets call him Bro Sweary - desperately tried to pass t...

The Kingdom Hall is a strange, surreal place.  For the first time visitor it must feel as though they've been transported to some weird version of the Truman Show.  All the men and boys appear to have stepped out of a Marks and Spencers menswear department and all the ladies and girls are dressed in long skirts, high tops and sensible shoes.  Most of them have a permanent smile as if they're experiencing a seriously mellow trip. Normally, if you are a visitor, some spotty youth with a clammy handshake and a vacant expression will welcome you in, ask your name (which he promptly forgets) and point you in the general direction of the main hall.  He's the attendant, a teenager with potential to progress from mere publisher (a congregation member who engages in the door knocking but has no authority) to a Ministerial Servant (a congregation male member who still has no authority and is given the crap jobs but at least he's got a title). Once inside the main ha...