Jehovah's Witnesses

[Mr.Nedich]

I actually used to study under Jehovah's Witnesses, but I left a couple years ago after I felt people were so misguided (albeit with good intentions). I respect a lot of what they teach and a lot of it is a good sale, but I just can't accept the Watchtower Society and the council in Brooklyn as being the mouthpieces of God. It's the same reason I never found Catholicism enough to convince me, Jehovah's Witnesses like to see themselves as tearing down the falsehood of the Church, but with the Watchtower Society, it's the same thing just painted and resold in a different fashion. Plus, I don't agree with the 'shunning people from the Kingdom Hall until they have atoned' logic, it's essentially guilting people into submission. I like and can see the light on a lot of the teachings of Witnesses and some of it has imprinted on me (Not smoking or tattoos because they violate the temple of the body.) but I just can't agree with the level of control over people the Watchtower puts over its people. The Watchtower Society and the level of unrealisingly blind devotion many Witnesses show towards it really does make it not very far off from being a cult and it's sad because I think they preach some nice ideas. Now when a Witness comes around and tries to preach to me when they're out on Service, I just politely decline. I'd love to have some of them see the light of just how hypocritical the Watchtower Society's existence, which is so inextricably bound up in the Witness culture, is and they don't realise it. So I know it's a fruitless theological discussion if I try and debate it because the past times I've tried this it only becomes a circular discussion where one of the older Brothers just shakes his head gently and says "It's not like that.", so I've given up trying to discuss that.

 

I know a lot of people probably don't care, but I figure maybe some will find this an interesting story from my experience with Witnesses.