JW Faith - Cold, Hard Facts, no Preaching please

Factual Questions
1

Hello - mods please move this post if I’ve put it in the wrong Board.

My mom recently became a Jehovah’s Witness.

I’m curious about the beliefs of this faith - I am not interested at all in hearing why it’s great, or why it’s awful, which is all I’ve been able to find on the 'net.

I’m wondering where I can find ‘facts’ about this faith / religion. Is there some kind of online religious encyclopedia (similar to webmd for medical questions) that can give an UNBIASED explanation of their beliefs regarding such things as: the end of the world, blood transfusions, homosexuality, etc?

Thank you!

2

There are various sites on religion and exposition of the various religions practiced by mankind from when recorded history got started. Enter ‘religion’ into Google search engine.

My recommendation to you is to go with your mother and find out what the Jehovah’s Witnesses say about themselves, their doctrines and practices.

If you however already belong to a religion which prohibits you from taking this course of investigation or acquaintance of other religions, then I think you should depart from your present religious loyalty; for it requires you to commit intellectual suicide. And when you commit this kind of a suicide, then you are no longer possessed of the most precious component of humanity.

After you have found out what the Jehovah’s Witnesses are all about from themselves, by your own personal on the spot and on hands contacts, then you might want to find out what others say about them. Now, you make your own determination who have the real picture of what the Jehovah’s Witnesses are all about.

You want to find sites that "can give an UNBIASED explanation of their beliefs regarding such things as: the end of the world, blood transfusions, homosexuality, etc?”. Shouldn’t you better decide for yourself what your attitude should be in regard to these questions?

I will give you three criteria for making your decisions about them, when the time comes to you yourself to adopt and act or not act on them:

First: “Primum non nocere”, meaning in English: First, don’t hurt (not anyone and not yourself), in the choice of an answer and a position.

Second: “Ultimum, non nocere”, lastly, don’t hurt.

Third: “Interim, semper non nocere”, in between, always don’t hurt.

What is it to hurt? Not to do anything painful at the least physically or even just emotionally to others and yourself; and certainly don’t ever compromise your intelligence, reason, and free inquiry, and freedom.

Good luck in life!

Susma Rio Sep

3

Well, if you just hang out at home for a few days they will come by and give you a “Watchtower,” talk to you about their faith and accept donations.

4

I must preface this by saying that I am a JW, but I promise–no preaching. :slight_smile: I will try to answer your question as best I can.

You’ve asked a really good question; I know the Internet search thing can be frustrating. The problem is that you either find sites that are generally intended for Jehovah’s Witnesses, which don’t really need to explain the beliefs, or you find “hater” sites, which are very negative–and not very objective. Even sources that try to be objective often get it wrong in some respects, although some written sources are helpful.

That being said, I will try to explain a few things that may make things clearer to you, a little bit at least.

  1. Jehovah’s Witnesses view the Bible as a guidebook to life, as practical today as it was when it was written. We try to live as close to 1st century Christian standards (when Jesus Christ was living on earth) as we reasonably can.

  2. You can sort of get a feel for specific things by going to the official website, www.watchtower.org, though it won’t answer all your questions.

  3. The best way to find these things out is by communicating with a Witness.

Question: Do you just want to know the “what” of our beliefs, or do you want to know the “why”?

5

MY SO used to study with JWs. Off the top of my head, they equate Halloween with devil worship. They do not celebrade any holidays for that matter, I think it has to do with not putting celebrations ahead of Jehovah. Same with birthdays.

6

Thanks to those of you who have replied so far.

I think maybe I didn’t explain myself very well (shocker!) :slight_smile:

What I’m looking for is an UNBIASED source of information regarding this religion, so that I can understand it a bit better.

I have absolutely NO interest in becoming a JW. I actually tried a couple of times to ask my mother, but it seemed that all of the “information” she provided me was actually rhetoric that followed very questionable logic.

For example, i asked her why they are so against homosexuality. Her answer: homosexuality is “bad”. Me: Why? Her: Well, look at AIDS -it’s God’s way of weeding out homosexuals. Me: Why? Her: Because it’s bad. Me: Why? Her: Well, look, they’re spreading AIDS … etc etc. Very circular, faulty logic in my opinion.

I don’t believe the watchtower site would provide me with what I’m looking for. Maybe there isn’t such a site?

The closest example I can come up with is webmd.com - you look up a disease or a symptom and it gives you information. (And no, please, I’m not comparing the JW religion to a disease, it’s just an example). I would like to find a site that gives me similar, fact-based information about the JW faith.

7

Not exactly, Jeff. Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t think there’s anything wrong with celebrations in and of themselves. Each common holiday celebrated today by Christians (Christmas, etc.) has its roots in non-Christian religions. (Check out any standard, reputable encyclopedia regarding the origins of Christmas, and you will see what I mean.)

Referring to the first point I made in my first post, the first-century Christians also did not celebrate Christmas, Easter, etc. Jesus, in fact, commanded his followers to celebrate one time per year–the commemoration of his death (and everything it meant).

8

Do you have any reason to believe watchtower.org is in any way factually erroneous when it comes to JW faith? Can you give us some examples of what you believe to be non-factual on that website?

This seems like an odd request. If I wanted to find factual information on Mormon faith I would visit the LDS website. If I wanted factual information on Catholic faith I would do the same. Why shouldn’t this apply to JWs? What could be a better source of factual information on what any religion believes and preaches than its own publications?

I suspect that what you really want is the low-down on JWs. The trouble is that is going to be impossible to obtain factual information on. It’s way to subjective to be of any objective value.

If you believe that your mother doesn’t fully understand the church’s teachings (and it seems maybe she doesn’t) then why not simply look up what the church officially teaches? For example a simple search using ‘homosexuality’ produces the following that directly answers your question “why they are so against homosexuality”:

BTW, I suspect JWs don’t hate homosexuals, which is why your mother had difficulty answering. I don’t know, but I imagine that like most Christian sects they claim to ‘love the sinner and hate the sin’.

I’m sorry I don’t understand what information you want so it’s hard to recommend a source that provides it. Can you be a little more specific? I know you have said that you don’t believe it can provide what you are looking for, but can you tell us what you are looking for? Watchower.org seems to provide all the facts on JW faith (although it’s slow and the graphics are crappy and the search function sucks), so I assume that you are not looking for just facts.

9

For a fairly neutral presentation (in brief) of Jehovah’s Witness information, try the Witness page of ReligiousTolerance.org.

10

Pisces Princess, your mother may not fully know how to answer everything you are asking her, as she has not been doing this very long. It’s a lot to learn.

There really is no unbiased source of information for what you are looking for. Even WebMD is not a truly unbiased source of medical information, though it IS very informative. All human knowledge is colored by human experience.

Jehovah’s Witnesses’ beliefs are based on information found in the Bible. That is where you should look for the most unbiased answer to your questions. If you are just curious about the choice your mother has made and what it entails, then you should accept your mother’s answer at face value.

I, however, as a Jehovah’s Witness of many years, know that your mother’s answer has little basis in fact and probably stems from a personal bias. The explanation which your mother used was simply an attempt to make sense of something of which she has little knowledge (as of yet). This is very understandable and common; it’s just human nature. Ask her the same question a few years from now, and her explanation will probably be quite different.

To continue with your example of homosexuality, Jehovah’s Witneses do not practice homosexuality. To answer your question from the Bible, which is the basis of JW’s beliefs, 1 Cor. 6:9-11 says that “neither fornicators … nor men who lie with men … will inherit God’s Kingdom, and yet that is what some of you were, but you have been washed clean, but you have been sanctified …”. Additionally, Romans 1:24-27 says, in part, “… for both their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature, and likewise even the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full recompense for their error.”

*NOTE: I am not trying to be preachy; it seems to me from your example, though, that you asked your mom why homosexuality was “bad.” The above is just an example. *

The preceding scriptures are a sample of scriptures in the Bible that deal with homosexuality and sexuality in general, as to whether homosexuality is good or bad. Only you can answer that question after having attained accurate knowledge. We’re not saying it’s good or bad; that’s not the issue. The issue is Jehovah’s Witnesses do not practice homosexuality because of what the Bible says, and you will be hard-pressed to find a more unbiased answer than that.

Also, I am in full agreement with what Blake said (including the part about the site design). :slight_smile: The website will give you some of the information you’re looking for.

11

Pretty good site, **tomndebb[/]. That may be what the OP is looking for. It’s the best source I’ve seen thus far. As I said in my last post, though, there is no truly unbiased source of information, and all human knowledge is colored by human experience.

For instance, the last sentence on the page is pretty biased with no cites, studies, or proof of any kind. Quote: “Disfellowshipping can have a devastating effect on a person whose entire religious, family and social life are grounded in the Society. It has occasionally resulted in suicide.” This sentence does not truly characterize the common outcome, nor does it indicate the state of mind of the individual being disfellowshipped.

12

Dang, the fabulous TOMNDEB beat me to it. For as close to an unbiased opinion as you’re going to get (at least on the 'net), religioustolerance.org is definitely the place to go. I happen to think they’re a little too open-minded on occasion, but I’ll take that over prejudiced any day of the week. Good information on a host of faiths, without the baggage of wanting you to belong, or wanting you not to belong. “WebMD” for religion is actually a pretty good description. (“WebDD”?)

13

From the religioustolerance (now there’s an oxymoron for you)web site–thanx tomndebb:

"In the very near future, the battle of Armageddon will begin. Jesus, under Jehovah’s divine rage, will execute vengeance upon the rest of Christendom and followers of other religions. The Witnesses refer to other religions as Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion (Revelation 17)."

Yes, the quote is out of context and found nowhere in Revelation 17. Still, in a way, it tells us all we really need to know: This particular religion is the only one true, real religion; all the others are false. They need vengeance executed upon them by an enraged, unforgiving Jesus Christ, who will slaughter, among others, most Christians. OK…

Here’s a question I just thought of: What if ALL the religions are actually false, including each and every one that claims it’s the lone exception to the rule? (Note that I’m not being a “hater” or saying they ARE actually false. Just a “what if?”)

14

Thanks to you all for your answers and your input.

Tom - I’ll definitely check out that website - it sounds like it will provide the kind of information I’m looking for.

Thanks again!
PP

15

I have question for JWs inspired by tomndebb’s link.

What happened in 1914?

16

Well…If you read literature PRIOR to 1914, it was supposed to be the end of the world. When that didn’t happen, they said Chrsit returned but it was invisible. Supposedly the generation of 1914 would live to see the end of this system. That was changed in 1995. Actually the definition of a ‘generation’ was changed in 1995 to be rather open ended. They get to the 1914 date via ‘bible chronology’ based on the fall of Jerusalem in 607 BC. What’s the problem? Most historians and archaeologist believe that the fall was actually in 586/87,but CT Russell had to make it work out to 1914 (because he took most of his ideas from the Adventists) so he found an abscure historian or two to quote supporting 607. Did you know they built a house (or rather, a mansion) in San Diego and actually willed it to Moses,Abraham etc because they claimed they would return to earth in 1925?

On the blood issue, they used to also ban organ transplants. many people died. Later ‘new light’ came and they became ok. No apology for those who died. At that time, those who took an organ transplant or openly disagreed with the policy would have been shunned. Eventually the policy on blood will change. It will change slowly (in fact, some blood components that were once banned are now acceptable) so as to avoid lawsuits. The info is out there. In fact it’s in there own literature. Just another cult.

One more interesting thing. They put out a CDROM available only to JW’s containing all the old Watchtower mags. However when you compare whats on the CD Rom with an actual copy of the magazine, many of the now embarrassing statemant are removed. Very Orwellian. They’re also forbidden, or at least strongly ‘encouraged’ not to speak with former members or opposers. I wonder why…

And yes…for those interested I can provide more cites than you care to imagine.

17

Below are listed some of the “milestones” in the WT’s official statements regarding blood and organ transplants:
1909 Acts 15:1-35 (including prohibition on blood) not considered as law for Christians. WT REPRINTS 1909, p. 4374

1945 Denunciation of blood transfusions as pagan and God-dishonoring. WT July 1, 1945, p. 198-201

1961 Taking a blood transfusion is grounds for disfellowshipping. WT, 1961, p. 63, 64 Donating organs (eyes) for transplant up to your conscience WT, 1961, p. 480

1963 Any fraction of blood considered as a nutrient not to be used in medical treatment. WT Feb 15, 1963, p. 124 (See also Awake! of Feb 22, 1975, p. 30

1964 Cosmetics in which cows blood is used are condemned, as well as fertilizers which contained blood. Pet owners told it is wrong to allow transfusions to be given to sick animals. Food with blood in it not to be given to pets. Awake! May 8, p. 30; WT p. 127, 128

1967 Organ transplants are a form of cannibalism and to be shunned. WT Nov. 15 1967, p. 702-704 (Compare 1961)

1977 Blood transfusions are organ transplants: “ … man a person might decline blood simply because it is essentially an organ transplant that at best is only partially compatible with his own blood.” Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Question of Blood, 1977, p. 41 (Compare 1961)

1978 Ban on certain blood fractions lifted for hemophiliacs. (Wt June 15, 1978, p. 30 (Compare 1963).

1980 Organ transplants are a matter of conscience, decided by the individual. WT March 15, 1980, p. 31 (Compare 1967, 1977)

1984 Accepting a bone-marrow transplant is up to your conscience. WT May 15, 1984, p. 31.

1985 An infant accepting an autotransfusion of minute amounts of blood for test purposes is up to the conscience of its parents. (letter correspondence).

There has been much speculation as to what the next position taken by the WT will be on blood. It is likely that they will allow for more loopholes in their interpretation of what is “lawful.”

One thing for certain, though. For the WT to admit that they were wrong would cause too great a stir in their ranks, so any changes must be presented as “new light” in order to make it appear that “Jehovah” is making the changes, rather than a few men on the Governing Body.

18

Absolute rubbish. I own a copy of that CD. For $55 you or anyone else can order one from the local church. If you are too lazy for that you can wait until they come to your door and ask them to order it for you. They will even deliver it for free, though I suspect you’d need agree to sit through a sermon to get it.

The idea of secret ‘members only’ information within the JWs is ludicrous. Whatever else their faults may be I’ve never seen an organisation so gung ho about forcing all there informaion on others.

19

Perhaps. I tried to get one via the headquarters and was turned down. Anyway, the major point is that information IS changed to eliminate embarrassing statements. That is NOT rubbish and i’ll be glad to give you a list of examples where information was changed. Try requesting copies of the publications by Rutherford,Russell, and even some of the ones written by Franz and let me know the response you get.

20

To be more specific, the Watchtower Corp. used to release the years watchtower magazines in the form of a ‘bound volume’ Perhaps they still do. There were changes made in what was printed in the bound volume compared to the original loose magazines. The CDRom reflects what was printed in the bound volume.