Jehova's Witnesses

[deathboy]

Just reading up on Jehova's Witnesses as Liz mentioned that at least some of them don't celebrate birthdays (or several other Christian or general celebration times) - though I also found some sites refuting the reasoning behind this and saying that not everyone follows this doctrine.

I hadn't actually known all that much about them, other than that, as a youngster, my mom and dad had been to the USA, where dad had, for whatever reason, been interested in their church. Ever since then, we were visited maybe every six months by representatives who'd come round, have a talk and play us a video. Until I was about 10, I think, maybe longer than that.

Eventually, they stopped sending people (I think it became obvious that finally, my parents had gone off the idea), but they re-established contact a bit later when a family moved into our street. That made it even harder to ask them to leave, as they were good people, and our neighbours, and only doing what their faith told them, but I assume my folks had heard enough to know they weren't interested.

'Shows what good their educational videos and chats did to me as a kid - I can't remember anything whatsoever, except being a bit bored, and one about a puppy that died, which made me quite upset.

Reading around on the web, it reads (rather cynically) as though the whole thing was invented by Charles Russell to sell religious literature. Watchtower's still going strong, he must have been a bright lad.

I felt a bit sorry for the Jehova's Witness kids I met when I was young (only a few, I have to say) - they had the piss taken out of them by the rest of us (for the crime of being different, of course), and weren't allowed to socialise with us. Add to that the whole faith-spreading duties, seems a tough gig.

I can see why some of the tenets would appeal, there are a few differences that would make sense to an existing Christian (more sense, in fact), but there seem to be just as many ideas that are even harder to accept than the mainstream equivalent.

Next week on "things Scott gets suddenly interested in, then rambles about at length": Zoroastrianism! Bring an egg!

Comments

[megashrike.livejournal.com]

I'd feel sorry for Jehovahs Witnesses but they're almost the religous version of cold callers.


Next week scientology!

[echo-echo.livejournal.com]

I like the zoroastrian idea that your body is left to the birds, literally, when you die. Really seems to hammer home that concept of your body being mere flesh ad blood.

[markeris.livejournal.com]

Thats not just zoroastrian - it appears in several religions, and is the obviously missing funeral by air element that should logically be part of many others that have "burial" by earth, water and fire

[slutbunwalla.livejournal.com]

A close friend of mine is a recovering Jehovah's Witness.She grew up in it and I know she didn't celebrate birthdays or holidays. It's impacted her life in interesting ways. After leaving the church, she has had children and celbrates everyone's birthdays and is completely against censorship or shame.
She's really rad.

[moopet.livejournal.com]

I used to work with a JW. She didn't tell us straight away and it never affected out relationship, but she didn't celebrate birthdays and such, nor did she drink or swear. She played good pool though, and knew her way around the inside of a server. In fact, I'd say she was one of the nicest/ablest people I've ever worked with :)

[polydegmon.livejournal.com]

I dated one in school and I've a few in the family - really kind of cult like. We love our invented faiths around here, we do. Especially if they include end times or speaking in tounges. Hm, come to think of it, my old man used to collect Watchtowers - from back when they used to give timelines for the end of it all - before they threw their hands up and said 'Oh, I dunno - soon!'

[hippiegunnut.livejournal.com]

Reading around on the web, it reads (rather cynically) as though the whole thing was invented by Charles Russell to sell religious literature. Watchtower's still going strong, he must have been a bright lad.

Ah well, I guess it's better than a religion that was started as a bet.

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

Any religion that has a basis in "our religion is the one correct religion and anyone who disagrees is wrong" is trouble and should be banned IMHO. There are a whole bunch of stupid things that follow from such a belief, such as evangelicism, persecution, justification of otherwise unjustifiable wars etc.

Another religious concept that should be banned is "life after death". Religions which include this make it too easy to justify killing and suicide, and also make it easy to make excuses for not caring or being unpleasant ("it doesn't matter, I'll be better in the next life"). They also tend to develop unpleasant cults worshipping the dead and have violent/sick imagery (idols in execution poses, glorification of death etc).

[gaius-octavian.livejournal.com]

But that is the point of religion. Make life on Earth miserable and religion the sole path to paradise and you can cement your grip on power, which is the real core of religious groups. The same is true of the Communists, who instead of promising an afterlife promise a utopia for your grandchildren.

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

No, that's the point of some religions. Pagan, Hindu, Buddhist and Humanist religions don't include this clause and I can't believe that's an exhaustive list.

[gaius-octavian.livejournal.com]

If you're a Hindu and a Brahmin (I don't actually know that India's caste system is Hindu, but assuming it is) then the system works pretty well for you at the expense of the "untouchables". Similarly if you're a Buddhist monk and can spend all your time meditating (i.e. sitting) while the peasants farm for you, that's a nice life too.

Always look at who makes sacrifices and who benefits from them.

[aoakley.livejournal.com]

Is the caste system a function of the Hindu religion? If so, it definitely goes off my "mostly harmless" religions list.

[gaius-octavian.livejournal.com]

Apparently so.

[wolfspider13.livejournal.com]

If you think the Jehovah's are tough take a look at the Plymouth Brethren