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| Are Jehovah's Witnesses a Cult or a Christian Religion? Jehovah's Witnesses do not seperate from society but interact with society in a positive way The message and religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is a positive one. Jesus Christ preached to the people in his day concerning "the good news of God's Kingdom." One Christian elder stated, "people have heard enough of the bad news of this world, the kind of news you hear on television every day, they need to hear the good news of God's kingdom, to give them hope." Because of the strong faith of Jehovah's Witnesses, and the hope that they have of the earth being transformed into a paradise, their strong belief and reliance upon God in the midst of adversity, Jehovah's Witnesses endured Nazi concentration camps and Russian Gulags, prisons and solitary confinement in East Germany, all for many years. It is not that they in themselves were strong people, but rather, hope helps one to endure, and faith in God, belief that he answers prayers and has a purpose for us, as well as the strength, that Jehovah's Witnesses believe, God himself supplies, helps one to endure. One woman in her 30's said that before she studied the Bible, she had no hope, all she could think of was a future in hell. After she studied the Bible and saw the hope that it gives for a paradise earth, that God is merciful and forgiving, for the first time in her life, she had hope, and that hope helped her to by happy, to have a purpose in life. Jehovah's Witness meetings, then, are not negative, but positive, and joyful, loving. The message is not one of guilt, but one of relief from guilt through a clean conscience based on the ransom sacrifice of Jesus. Through that sacrifice, one does not have to dwell in the past, but can find comfort that sins are forgiven, and one can look positively to the future. Please see Matthew 24:14. Psalms 103:7-14, 2 Corinthians 1:5,6. Jesus did preach that the end of the world was coming and that Christians should be prepared and take his warning seriously. Matthew 24:1-14. At the same time, Christians in Jesus day were joyful and happy people, as was Jesus himself. True Christians today try to reflect that same seriousness in their religion, at the same time to find comfort and joy in the hope, and extend that hope to others. Jehovah's Witnesses are Christian They follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. For them, religion is not something they practice once a week at church, but it is a way of life. They believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God and that Jesus paid the price for mankind's sins through his death. They do not believe that Jesus is part of a Trinity, but rather that God is the Father, Jesus is the only-begotten Son of God, and the Holy Spirit is sent by God and is God's active force. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is not God, and is not equal to God and that is what Jehovah's Witnesses also teach. John 3:16,36. Colossians 1:16,17. Acts 2:4. Jesus, did not pray to himself, but prayed to God. Jehovah's Witnesses pray in the same way Jesus did, to God, who is the Hearer of Prayer, and as Jesus taught, they pray to God in "the name of Jesus". Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father, except through me." John 14:6. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Religion of Jehovah's Witnesses strives to aid the community by: Promoting Moral Values Promote Racial and Ethnic Unity Promote Civil Liberties Their public ministry generally has a positive effect on the communities in which they preach and contributes to a positive moral climate. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ | |
| Who labels Jehovah's Witnesses as Cults? (This page is not from official information of Jehovah's Witnesses) "But we think it proper to hear from you what your thoughts are, for truly as regards this sect it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against.” Acts 28:22. About the first century Christians with whom the Apostle Paul was associating. Some religious groups such as some Baptist ministers, and evangelicals, Christian Apologetics, label Jehovah's Witnesses as a cult. The main reason for this is that Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept the Trinity doctrine and Jehovah's Witnesses evangelize house-to-house, as the early Christians did. Acts 20:20. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God and Jesus are "one" in purpose and unity, but are not the same person. They believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but do not believe that the three are one. Matt 28:19,20. They point to the Bible as the basis for that belief. 2 Tim 3:16,17. Encarta Encyclopedia defines a cult as, "a system of religious or spiritual beliefs, especially an informal and transient belief system regarded by others as misguided, unorthodox, extremist, or false, and directed by a charismatic, authoritarian leader." Jehovah's Witness beliefs are neither informal or transient, and Jehovah's Witnesses are not directed by a charismatic or authoritarian leader. As to the second point, in the eyes of most non-religious bodies, outside of Jehovah's Witnesses or the Baptist/Evangelical movement, Jehovah's Witnesses are not viewed as "misguided, unorthodox, extremist or false," although there are some websites and books, that endeavor to misquote the writings of Jehovah's Witnesses, taking statements out of context, to try to demonstrate that point, and deliberately omitting essential details and facts. If the position taken by the Christian Apologetics and some Baptist pastors were correct, then any religion who disagreed with their particular brand of religion would fit the category of a cult. Jehovah's Witnesses view Baptists as misguided and false in the teaching of the Trinity and hellfire. Baptists view Jehovah's Witnesses as misguided and false, in these same areas. It is a matter of Biblical interpretation, and one's beliefs, but neither Baptists, nor Jehovah's Witnesses need to label each other as cults, because they have differences of opinion in the interpretation of scripture. One Christian, not a Jehovah's Witness, commented on this subject stating, that the word "‘cult’ is thrown around to easily to dismiss those that we disagree with." (October 20, 2009) This is the case who accuse Jehovah's Witnesses of being a cult. One age old tactic of mental manipulation, propaganda, that many of us learned about in high school, is name calling. When all else fails, use name calling against your opponent. This is basically what some religious groups do in an effort to discredit Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses feel, that for their religion to be called "a non-Christian cult," is an attempt at slander. Jehovah's Witnesses are fully a Christian religion. They do not believe that Jesus was just another angel, as some claim, but that he was and is the Son of God, God's only begotten Son, unique in the Universe. by Margaret Thaler Singer, Ph.D. one will find that while most of the cults that are mentioned here employ tactics of mind control, or endeavor to use deception, have false fronts to lure people into their fold, take over control of people's lives, such as telling them who they are to marry, where they are to live, what their job must be, or that they need to give up their job in order to join the group, most live somewhat isolated from other members of society, though not all; Jehovah's Witnesses do not engage in any of these tactics, and in fact, the religious practice of Jehovah's Witnesses leaves most matters of decision as "personal decisions" rather than trying to exercise undo control over members of the congregation. Jehovah's Witnesses who are married to persons who are not Jehovah's Witnesses are encouraged to stay with that mate, try to make it work out, and to be exemplary in one's own conduct, even as the Bible encourages. 1 Pet 3:1-7. If a youth becomes a Jehovah's Witness, and his family does not share that faith, there is no reason for him to leave his household, o move in with other Jehovah's Witnesses. He can and in most cases should stay with his family, and have a normal, loving family relationship with them, just as he always has had, whether they be Jehovah's Witnesss or not. And has been the case in the majority of situations. Familiy who are not Jehovah's Witnesses Family members who were once opposed often find, that after a person becomes one of Jehovah's Witnesses, the family life does not suffer, but may even improve, as that person applies Bible principles of love and forgiveness towards all. This was the case in our own immediate family, and we maintain a loving relationship with our relatives who are Roman Catholic. My wife's family, who are also Catholic, we often visit, give gifts, go to their weddings, stay at their home, etc. Nothing has changed, but rather, when my wife became one of Jehovah's Witnesses, it greatly improved the quality of her relationships with her family, who are not Jehovah's Witnesses. We love them, pray for them, and try to help them in many different ways, including monetarily as we are able. We go to our non-Witness families' anniversary parties, graduation parties, and try to be reasonable with all our dealings with them. At the same time, we have studied the Bible with many of our family, and they have attended some of the meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses both here in the U.S. and overseas. They remain Catholic, but they enjoy the Bible studies and have enjoyed the meetings also. So that makes us happy, and we have a peaceful, loving relationship with them. Some have stayed with us in our home as well, when visiting. Additionally, when trying to teach the Bible to our family, we don't try to use psychological manipulation with them, and are not encouraged to do so by the Jehovah's Witness organization, in any way, that is, we never say, you had better become a Jehovah's Witness or God is going to hate you or destroy you. This tactic isn't effective, it isn't fair, and it is not what the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses is about. Rather, Jesus always taught people the truth from God, and allowed them to make their own decisions as to whether or not they wanted to follow him. So while Jehovah's Witnesses believe, as did Jesus, that the end of this system, "the end of the world," or the destruction of the wicked, will take place in the future, we also know that God is the judge, not man, and that we properly leave judgment to God. All of us, Jehovah's Witnesses or otherwise, have to answer to God, and being of one religion or another, isn't a guarantee of salvation. We need to sincerely practice the teachings of Jesus and put our faith in his sacrifice. This is the balanced approach to religion that is encouraged by Jehovah's Witnesses with regard to family who are not Witnesses. Everyone's family is different, and there might be other circumstances involved that makes it difficult to do all one would want to for one's family who might not be Christian, but this is what is encouraged by the Bible based literature of Jehovah's Witnesss. ****** Meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses and their ministry There are two meetings a week, and most Jehovah's Witnesses engage in at least some activity in the evangelizing work. Matt 24:14. The amount of time one can dedicate to that varies, some are housebound or have many responsibilities and so can do very little, others have a desire to volunteer for the full-time ministry or missionary work, it is each individuals choice. Those who enter the full-time ministry, if they desire or if their circumstances change, can simply stop doing so. It is up to each individual what they would like to do. Similarly, Jehovah's Witnesses encourage their young people to study hard in school, usually public school, rather than private or home-schooling, although some Witnesses choose to home-school their children. They are encouraged to prepare for responsibilities of life, to work in the secular world, to be able to obtain a job to support their families. Jehovah's Witnesses practice a brand of Christianity that is only more serious in its desire to follow closely the primitive Christianity as practice in the first century. The Christians at that time were "spoken against" as a "sect," "everywhere," according to the book of Acts. So They were looked on as being different, and as such were tagged with false names, as well. When encouraging others in the congregation, elders are encouraged to do so with love, kindness, reasonableness and tact, not to browbeat the flock, but to set a good example. Elders are shepherds not disciplinarians, and this proves to be the case for the vast majority of elders. There is a body of elders for every congregation, that is, there is not one single pastor, but a number of men who preside over each congregation. Usually there are 3-15 elders for one congregation. (at times areas which are sparsely populated, might have just 1 elder or even no elders for the congregation or group, but in the U.S. and most developed countries there are usually at least a few elders for each congregation.) See 1 Peter 3:1-5. 1 Timothy 3:1-12. There is always human imperfection, differences of opinion, and those with whom we might have a difficult time getting along with, in any social structure. But, it is hoped that love holds Christians together, and we put up with each other's faults and try to forgive, the same as in the family life of all persons. John 13:34,35. Matthew 18:15-35. Colossians 3:12-14. Sites and books which present biased information concerning Jehovah's Witnesses Some, though have gradually developed a spirit that is divisive, critical, even slanderous, and some such persons, formally Jehovah's Witnesses, lose the spirit of love, and start to reflect an intolerant spirit, critical and negative. Some such persons have websites and books that criticize details and individuals who are or have been Jehovah's Witnesses. These books and websites do not reflect the spirit of love that Jesus taught, and cannot be considered to be Christian, they are more akin to "hate sites," or can be considered "borderline hate sites," as one member of the board of an parental internet control software company put it, in reviewing a number of these sites which are opposed to Jehovah's Witnesses for one reason or another (September 2009, USA). This sites might be considered to be religious hate material or sites and books of extreme bias. As we have learned in school concerning the Internet, anyone can write a webpage, post it and write anything they want, whether they are qualified to write it or not or whether the facts are presented in an honest, or biased, even slanderous manner. This is the case with many of websites and some books concerning Jehovah's Witnesses. There are many sites and books, listed on this website, from secular sources, which have excellent, verifiable, balanced and accurate information about Jehovah's Witnesses, including points of controversy. However, there are many that reflect a spirit of hate an intolerance, such as has occurred in the past in Nazi times against Jews and Jehovah's Witnesses and others, and it is these religious and other opposers of Jehovah's Witnesses, sometimes former Jehovah's Witnesses who have turned against their former brothers for one reason or another, who very often deliberately distort the facts to justify their own shortcomings and negativity. So, then, Jehovah's Witnesses are not a cult. they do not practice the tactics of a cult, they do not practice any form of "mind control" as some have claimed, and it is up to each individual to decide if they want to be a Jehovah's Witness and to what extent they want to be involved and it is up to each individual to choose to be part of an organized religion or not. Some are more comfortable with worshipping God on their own, without an organized religion. This is their choice and Jehovah's Witnesses do not oppose those who make such a choice. For those of us who feel that there are benefits to being a part of an organized religion, we feel that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, that, while one does sacrifice some of his personal liberty, in that, in being part of any group or organized structure, whether it be at any job, working as a teacher, or being a part of a church or religious organization, or even in attending public school, there are certain pesonal liberties that one might need to forgo in order to be a part of that group, there are many benefits as well, which often times are of greater benefit than the limitation on one's personal freedom of expression. In public school, in many schools, the use of excessive profanity, as an example, or excessive aggressiveness with teachers, or other students, can, and has resulted in suspension. This would not happen if one was home-schooled, the possibility of expulsion from school would not exist. However, there are certain benefits of attending public schools, and parents take the risk that their can be expelled or otherwise disciplined, if they go to far in breaking the rules of the school. This is true also in religion. The Bible itself establishes certain boundaries for Christians, which are not arbritary, and if a religion abides by those moral boundaries, there is a certain risk, that if one flaunts those moral boundaries, and does not make effort to change, they might no longer qualify to remain an active part of a Christian congregation. This, at times happens. Elders are instructed, by the Bible and in their training, to try to help those who may have fallen into this type of conduct. At times, there are those, who don't respond to that help, and as the Christian congregation in Bible times and today, is a place of moral cleanness, some might find themselves as being outside the boundaries that have been established by the Bible for Christians. At the same time, Jehovah's Witnesses and elders are encouraged to "cultivate reasonableness" in their dealings with those who may stray from the path. So this gives some idea as to the way the Christian congregation functions, both today, and in the first century. It is a loving arrangement to give help and protection. The fellowship enjoyed by Jehovah's Witnesses is one of love. Christians are encouraged in the Bible to cultivate love and other Christian qualities, the fruitage of the spirit, "love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, and self control." Galations 5:22-24. Some are at differen levels of maturity in their stages of spiritual development, so even among true Christians, there are those who still need to grow in Christian qualities, really, cultivating the Christ-like personality is an ongoing process, one that on needs to continually try to develop. 1 Peter 2:21. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Ronald Schultz, Baptist minister, in a sermon entitled, Seven Signs of a Cult, states, 1. A cult worships its leader… instead of or more than Jesus. Jehovah's Witnesses worship Jehovah God, the Creator, Jehovah being the name indicated in the Bible. They do this, as the Bible says, "through Jesus," "No one comes to the Father, except through me." John 14:6.
2. A cult quotes its leader… instead of or more than the Bible. Jehovah's Witnesses quote, not any leader, but the Bible, as their authority.
3. A cult only believes part of the Bible. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16,17, "All Scripture is inspired of God, and beneficial for teaching, reproving, setting things straight."
4. A cult uses other books for Divine truth. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that their literature is not inspired of God, but only the Bible. They feel that their literature are only study aids, pointing the finger to, or a road map to the Bible. Therefore, they do not feel that their literature is infallible.
5. A cult requires allegiance to the leader rather than parents. Jehovah's Witnesses have no human leader, no charismatic leader, but consider God and Jesus Christ as their leaders. Also, Jesus said, "He that has greater affection for father or mother than me is not worthy of me." In other words, one's allegiance to God is stronger even than one's allegiance to family. However, if one's parents are not Jehovah's Witnesses, and one is a Jehovah's Witness, Jehovah's Witnesses are encouraged to continue to "honor one's father and mother," to "provide for one's own," and to show love to one's family, regardless if they are or are not Jehovah's Witnesses. One's religion has no bearing on the scriptural commands to take care of one's parents, and that relationship shouldn't change, due to any part on the person who is a Jehovah's Witness. One is required to show love to non-Witness family members, and reasonableness in respecting their beliefs.
6. A cult leader lies and makes threats. Jehovah's Witnesses are honest, and are encouraged to be honest in all things. There are no threats amongst Jehovah's Witnesses, and they endeavor to imitate the God of love, "God is love."
7. A cult emphasizes money. Jehovah's Witnesses do not emphasize money. While money is a reality our existence and survival, and is required to run any type of organization, it is not emphasized in the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Rarely is money featured in the meetings of Jehovah's Witnesses. The elders of Jehovah's Witnesses receive no financial compensation at all for their volunteer work in the congregation. Jehovah's Witnesses are not required to tithe, which they feel is part of the Mosaic Law, in what is commonly referred to as "the Old Testament" or "Hebrew Scriptures," but that Christians are encouraged to "give what each one has resolved from the heart, for God loves a cheerful giver," when it comes to any monetary contributions. Money is a reality in today's world, but it is not emphasized amongst Jehovah's Witnesses. In harmony with Jesus' words, "You received free, give free," Jehovah's Witnesses do not receive any financial remuneration for their house-to-house or Bible Study work, but in most cases, use their own personal resources to support this work. Elders and others among Jehovah's Witnesses work secularly to support their families, and those who volunteer to serve at branch facilities take a vow of poverty, which ensures that no man will enrich themselves on the work of the organization, and that includes the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses as well, whose rooms are no different, no larger, than those of those who have cleaning assignments at the branch facilities of Jehovah's Witnesses. Based then, on both a secular definition of the word cult, and a definition from a mainstream Protestant denomination, Jehovah's Witnesses are in no way a cult, or even resemble the characteristics of a cult. Jehovah's Witnesses are a religion, with established doctrines, and established facilities. Their teachings are not extreme, but they do try to closely follow the Bible. They do not isolate themselves from society, but work and go to school within normal secular and social structures. Jehovah's Witnesses work as teachers, principals of public schools, doctors, nurses, college professors, local government jobs, such as those in city hall, but are neutral in politics, do not preach politics in their services or take sides with polical parties, do not vote or salute the flag. They do however, pay all of their taxes and obey the laws of the land, as long as these laws do not conflict with the Bible.
Q: Once someone becomes one of Jehovah's Witnesses, is it cultish, in that, it is difficult to leave? To be or not to be a Jehovah's Witness is a personal decision. When one is raised in any religion, usually it is the parent's decision what religion that they will raise their children in. Jehovah's Witnesses are baptized when they personally make their own decision, as teens or adults, but are not born into the religion. Thousands are baptized daily from all walks of life, including many who are raised as Jehovah's Witnesses. On the other hand, many who once associated with Jehovah's Witnesses, including some whose families are Jehovah's Witnesses, drift from it, stop attending meetings, or choose to focus on careers instead. Even though Jehovah' s Witnesses try to "marry in the Lord," to other true Christians, according to the Bible command (1 Corinthians 7:39), some who are raised as Jehovah's Witnesses marry persons who are not. This is not something for which someone can be disfellowshipped for, but it can create difficulties when a household is divided. However, that person is still a welcome part of the congregation. If a person stops attending meetings, it is as simple as that. Many do that also. It isn't difficult. There is nothing cultish about leaving. Some who wish to leave, simply write a letter stating that they no longer wish to be a Jehovah's Witness. That's it. Some might have some issues with their own families who are Jehovah's Witnesses, but that has to do more with personal relationships with one's own mother or parents, rather than anything special about Jehovah's Witnesses. So, to answer the question, becoming a Jehovah's Witness and leaving the religion isn't that difficult, many do both, the numbers of Jehovah's Witnesses grows yearly, but there is nothing difficult in leaving the religion if one chooses to. Jehovah's Witnesses are not in any way a cult or sect, but a religion. Are Jehovah's Witnesses balanced? As a religion, yes, by what they teach, and what most Jehovah' s Witnesses practice, yes. There are some individuals among Jehovah's Witnesses who might, as individuals, not follow closely the teachings of the Bible on points such as being reasonable, or in continuing to keep family ties with those in the family who are not Jehovah's Witnesses, but it isn't because that they are being taught to do things reasonably, it is a person's particular situation, or difficulty in applying and balancing out Bible principles. For those who are Jehovah's Witnesses who might drift away or decide to not remain Jehovah's Witnesses, even some who have been raised as Jehovah's Witnesses, it might be likened to dropping out of High School, or dropping out of college. If you start college, your parents pay for it, and you go through a year or so, then you get tired of it and drop out, your parents will probably be disappointed, they might talk to you and try to encourage you to stick with it, your classmates might miss you, and try to encourage you, but that's about it. If you quit, it's your decision. We live with whatever decisions we make in life. The same is true with Jehovah's Witnesses, if a person drifts away or makes a conscious decision to "drop out," family or elders might speak with them, try to see if there is anything they need help with, is there any personal problems that can be remedied or issues with others that can be mended, but in the end if a person "opts-out," it is there decision, it's not difficult, and it is done daily. It isn't encouraged by this site, but what this is saying is, that people who write about how they "escaped" from Jehovah's Witnesses, or their parent's religion, this is not true, it's like escaping from a job, if you don't like the job and quit, you give your two weeks notice, you might be a little nervous before talking to your boss, but that's it. As far as mind-control, there is plenty of room for personal thought, personal decisions, and personal creativity within Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses don't practice any form of mind control. This is something that is made up by oppossers and apostates. ****** The author of this site has a psychology site which has some views a little different than what Jehovah's Witnesses have written in their publications, but it is done in a gentle, non-divisive, somewhat professional way to try to help others, and so, it is not looked down upon, but it is looked at as another viewpoint. It is accepted. Persons who are subject to mind-control, are usually persons who have never learned to think for themselves, or who are extremely vulnerable emotionally. Though, probably the majority of Jehovah's Witnesses are in blue-color jobs, there was an Awake article on teachers a few years ago, and it encouraged the profession, giving balanced praise for the work that some teachers do for the community, and encouraging the profession, which of course requires four years of college. There are many, many Jehovah's Witnesses, including the author of this site, who teach in public schools. To make it in public schools, you have to be malable, reasonable and tolerant of others beliefs and cultures. These are qualities that the Bible and Jehovah's Witnesses encourage. James 3:17. There are Jehovah's Witnesses who work for the government in civil jobs, there Jehovah' s Witness principals in public schools, doctors, psychologists, nurses in city and other hospitals, lawyers, college professors, persons from all walks of life. One can ask, is the Catholic Sunday school teacher, who teaches the children chatecism, according to the tradition of the Catholic Church using mind control with the children? Is the Baptist minister who preaches a heated sermon on hell fire, and in the same sermon encourages practitioners to give to the church as much as they can (money), using mind control? The evangelical pastor who requires 10% of one's income, and condemns non-believers, and non-evangelicals such as Jehovah's Witnesses to hell, is he using mind-control? The point being, why single out Jehovah's Witnesses for this false charge, all religions, then are in the same boat. And some indeed, reject, then, all organized religion, and if they consider themselves Christian, they want to do it on their own, without any organized activity. That is their choice. At the same time, the early Christians were organized in congregations and groups and were encouraged to meet together, to build each other up and to evangelize. So Jehovah's Witnesses choose to try to follow that pattern set by the early Christians, even though, every detail might not be perfect, it provides a fine arrangement whereby much can be accomplished, and where Christians can help one another through difficult times and encourage one another. The summation of the matter is, don't believe everything you read. The Jersey Devil isn't real, the Loch Ness monster and Big Foot in all likelihood don't exist, and Jehovah's Witnesses are not a cult of any sort, but a Christian religion, albeit, with different doctrines than the mainstream churces, but which is patterned after that of the early, first-century Christians. Oh Yes, and Jehovah's Witnesses do not teach that the earth is flat, (please see Science page, week of November 22,) as someone on the Wikipedia editorial "team" of Jehovah's Witnesses suggested. In this case, accepting Jehovah's Witnesses as Christians is a matter of tolerance, support of civil rights and religious freedom and when speak about the shortcomings of the Jehovah's Witness religion or organization, being reasonable, realizing that there is no government, no school system and no corporation which has the perfect structure. Humas are not perfect on earth, they are imperfect, so we can not look for perfection anywhere, because we are not going to find it. Will you find sincere Christians, who are serving and worshipping with a self-sacrificing spirit, without hypocrisy, and endeavoring to display love? Yes. Will you find perfection? No. Jesus said that you would recognize true Christians by the love they have among each other, not by the perfection of each individual. In the first century Christian congregation did you find perfection, was the organization of early Christians perfectly run? No, on both counts. The primitive Christian congregation had a host of problems, including, incest, immorality, dissensions, schisms, traitors, and so on. The Apostles wrote those early Christian congregations, apostles such as Paul, John, and Peter, to try to correct these problems. In many cases, these letters corrected the situation. Did that mean then that the early Christians were not serving God? Their worship was unacceptable? No, it didn't. God put up with imperfection, and helped them along so as to grow to maturity. The organization of Jehovah's Witnesses similarly has grown in it maturity in the past 40 years. It has become more balanced and reasonable in many respects. To a certain extent, it has become more broad-minded. It has matured. Some of the rough edges from the 1960s and 1970s have been ironed out. Some continue to try to criciticize Jehovah's Witnesses and figuratively "beat" them, for problems that have long been considered and dealt with. So, calling up every alleged imperfection and mistake of Jehovah's Witnesses for the past 100 years, and making websites and books painting a negative picture as such is unreasonable. No Christian church or religion, government or school can stand up to that sort of microscopic nit-picking. It isn't fair or reasonable to do that. The best advice then, is if you read sites which try to criticize or nit-pick at the faults of Jehovah's Witnesses, be balanced in taking these things seriously. There are many who are opposed to the work of Jehovah's Witnesses who try to discredit them at all costs. "The end justifies the means," even though it is deceptive, is the way many feel and act. How much better to cultivate the spirit mentioned in Colossians 3:12-14 by the Apostle Paul, in addressing the Christian congregation in Colossea, "Accordingly, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with the tender affections of compassion, kindness, lowliness of mind, mildness, and long-suffering. Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. Even as Jehovah freely forgave YOU so do YOU also. But, besides all these things, [clothe yourselves with] love, for it is a perfect bond of union. Also, let the peace of the Christ control in YOUR hearts, for YOU were, in fact, called to it in one body. And show yourselves thankful." Colossians 3:13,14.  photo: UniqueArt cannot be reproduced True Christ-like love transcends racial barriers. Assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses, Jersey City, NJ, 2008  Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom gives factual and detailed information on Jehovah'sWitnesses and is close to 800 pages, with historical and modern photos, as well as a brief history of the Bible and Christianity. It can help anyone who is doing research on the subject of Jehovah's Witnesses and is recommended.  What Does the Bible Really Teach is available online or from Jehovah's Witnesses, and outlines all that Jehovah's Witnesses teach and what it means to become one of Jehovah's Witnesses. There are nothing hidden in the teachings or practices of Jehovah's Witnesses.  The Secret of Family Happiness gives Bible based counsel for husbands, wives, parents and single parents. It helps parents to raise their children successfully, and can help any family to be more successful and happy. The counsel for families as found in the Bible is from God, and is timeless.  Jehovah's Witnesses care very much about the success of youth. They have published two books to help youths to be successful in life. This is volume I released in 1988. Volume II is also available from Jehovah's Witnesses. Youths who are not Jehovah's Witnesses and parents of youth who are not Jehovah's Witnesses, or studying with Jehovah's Witnesses, have expressed much appreciation for these two volumes. The Bible's counsel for youths works, even in this electronic and hi-tech age.  Questions Young People Ask - Answers that work. Volume 2 "Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart do you good in the days of your young manhood, and walk in the ways of your heart and in the things seen by your eyes. But know that on account of all these the [true] God will bring you into judgment. 10 So remove vexation from your heart, and ward off calamity from your flesh; for youth and the prime of life are vanity. " Ecclesiastes 11:9. Solomon These books can be obtained from Amazon.com at this link or from Jehovah's Witnesses.  The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived details the life of Jesus Christ, from the time of the pregnancy of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and the miraculous pregnancy of Mary, the mother of Jesus, through Jesus' childhood, and baptism, the temptations he experienced from the Devil, his teachings and ministry, all the way until the time of his tears and prayers in Gethsemane, the Lord's Supper, his betrayal by Judas Iscariot, Peter's denial, Jesus trial and death, and finally his resurrection. It is a beautiful book that is based on the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, combining the four accounts in chronological order. It is completely based on the Bible account, citing the verses pertaining to each chapter, and nicely illustrated. I had read the book several times when in my early 20's and it helped me to feel very close to Jesus and to God. It is recommended for all, but especially for young adults. This book can be obtained from Jehovah's Witnesses in many languages. Page updated: December 29, 2009 | | | |
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