Seb_Maya

Somebody I know has started attending bible school run by jehovas witnesses. Her boyfriend has managed to talk her into it.
I know almost nothing about their beliefs/doctrines/dogma.
Does anybody have any criticisms of what they think to be particularly erroneous/nonsensical beliefs/doctrines/dogma posited by jehovas witnesses?

malookiemaloo

Don't know all that much about the JW's but in addition to certain 'unusual' views, the real reason why they are not considered mainstream Christians is because they do not believe in the deity of Christ ie they do not believe that Jesus is God.

I think, but I may be wrong in this, JW's believe that Jesus was a created being, lower than God but higher than man.

I am suspicious of them because thay have their own Bible-the New World version-translated by their founder, Tate Russell who did not know Greek. Always a bit dodgy if you insist your own Bible is the only one.

No doubt other contributors will be able to provide more and better info.


malookiemaloo

Oxymoron

One of their most hideous practices relates to blood. They refuse to allow transfusions, even if one of their own children will die without it.

GreggLD1

And this from a passage that says you shouldn't eat animal meat with the blood still in it. How you get from that to refusing a intravenous infusion of human blood is beyond me.

Gregg

P.S. By the by, it looks like this thread should be in General Religious Discussions.

WinAce

Watching them tie themselves in knots over rationalizing away all their failed end-times prophecies is more hilarious than asking regular Christians why Jesus didn't come back 'before all standing here are dead'.

Boro Nut

That's right. Considering the whole sect was based on the notion that the world was going to end next Tuesday (so don't bother changing your socks) back in 1800-and-something you would have thought the founding fathers would have realised it's raison d'être was fucked within 6 months of starting out. Apparently not. Another slack handful of failed prophecies at least taught them to keep their mouths shut, so some good has come of it. It’s also a useful repository for paedophiles by all accounts as well.

I think they rely on large Catholic families for new recruits, on the promise of an escape from spiralling Chirstmas and medical costs.

Boro Nut

rem

Seb_Maya,

I'm a former JW. I was raised in the cult by my parents until I woke up in my early twenties and got the hell out. There is an excellent DB at http://www.jehovahs-witness.com where many former and current JW's can answer any questions you may have.

rem

Craig

Hey brother (sister?) rem!

I too was raised as one. They are indeed a freaky cult full of contradictions and changed doctrine. When you first start studying, it all seems to make sense and they really tout the "fact" that they alone have the "true" interpretation of the bible. They even refer to the religion as "The Truth" when the speak about it internally, as in "I came into the Truth when I studied with my neighbor." Gag.

Recently their repeated method of protecting molesters has put the Catholic Church to shame.

That link rem provided is a great one. Make sure your friend goes there and reads all that she can, because once she's a Witness it will be forbidden to her and grounds for excommunication.

Another great link that uses their own reading materials to show how much their doctrine changes can be found at

http://quotes.jehovahswitnesses.com

Read up, and pay particular attention to their end world predictions.

WinAce

Come now, all cults refer to their own dogma as 'the Truth' and 'the Light' and 'the Salvation'. It's part of the mind control and reshaping process so finely pioneered by Christianity.

Craig

True, but the Witnesses are an extreme. They do not believe anyone that is not a Jehovah's Witness will be saved. Some religions may hint at that, but this is a central tenet of their beliefs.