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How are Jehovah's Witnesses perceived in your country?

^tl;dr admittedly. I said evangelists were the ones who were more vocal and specific about Hell, but if you read JW pamphlets, they insinuate that Satan influences people through rock music and things like that, and that by enjoying certain music you're somehow being "led astray" from the right path simply because the musician or genre in question does not have the same values as JW doctrine, so in my opinion it's same difference, and insulting your intelligence at the very least.

As far as wanting to know religion but not knowing where to look...well, that's what signs in front of churches are for. :p

Also, the Internet. Great resource, as is the public library. Religions need to modernize. We're in a world where answering your door is increasingly unsafe, and JW might be the least of your problems in some neighbourhoods, so yeah I don't like people I don't know knocking on my door and/or leaving stuff there. Nor should I have to waste my time telling them not to come. They can practice their right to religion in a church, and I can practice my right to no religion in my property and its secular periphery.

Oh, and I guess an explanation for my dislike of them is overdue. I didn't want to talk about this at first because...well, I don't want to give people who already think I'm a nutter fodder, but anyway. My mother's boss back when she worked for some home decking company was a Jehovah's Witness, and she had the utter nerve to suggest I should be "exorcised" (I'm assuming what was actually suggested was a deliverance or something along those lines in whatever JW do, but my mother put it in her Catholic terms and called it thus, hence the airquotes). Now, I wouldn't have known about this until mother dearest brought it up at the dinner table. Golly gosh, how charming, someone I've never even met suggesting I'm possessed by demons or something.

I realise not everyone of that faith is like her, but my exp. with JW [and most religious people, admittedly] has not been very good, so I am not fond of them. However, I don't think they should be persecuted as they have been throughout the times when in bulk they're basically annoying but harmless.

Also, to this day I remain unexorcised/undelivered and releasing Plague upon your world.
 
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Severus Snape said:
My mother's boss back when she worked for some home decking company was a Jehovah's Witness, and she had the utter nerve to suggest I should be "exorcised" (I'm assuming what was actually suggested was a deliverance or something along those lines in whatever JW do, but my mother put it in her Catholic terms and called it thus, hence the airquotes). Now, I wouldn't have known about this until mother dearest brought it up at the dinner table. Golly gosh, how charming, someone I've never even met suggesting I'm possessed by demons or something.
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I guess it depends on where you live here in the U.S. But I personally don't have a problem with them. I guess maybe it is because of the fact that I am a Brethren. They just see their views on God and Jesus differently the way other Christians do. I even once knew a kid back during the HIStory Era who's a Jehovah Witness. And I remember him talking to me a little about his religion. And I had found it kind of interesting. But it wasn't enough to make me want to be a Jehovah Witness. I still prefer being a Brethren. But my mother and her husband can't stand them. They don't even like them being in our neighborhood. When they are going around knocking on people's doors. So we really don't answer our door to them. If they ever come knocking on our door.
 
T.N.A. said:
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Oh yes. I'm assuming that's not typical, though, and that she only suggested it because she and my mother were friends and my mother must have been telling her about how ungodly I was. That was back when she was trying to fight my non-Christianity. I was fourteen and I was interested in new age spirituality, so I think that really alarmed her little Catholic soul, and since she knew her boss was religious (even though not Catholic), she must have told her about me and that is how that conversation must have taken place.

Now I don't believe in anything or anyone.
 
They canvas our neighborhood every once in a while, usually on Saturday mornings. I have opened my door to them and explain that I'm a Catholic Christian...they're usually very pleasant and leave their literature. I guess it's more like..."Oh, the Jehovah's Witnesses are out and about now..."
 
IMO this thread kind of turns more like into a debate about our beliefs instead of just saying how JW are treated in your country..
Just sayin.
 
MJJLatvia said:
IMO this thread kind of turns more like into a debate about our beliefs instead of just saying how JW are treated in your country..
Just sayin.
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Well, their beliefs and how they go about them affects how they are perceived by a given country, and by a given individual. There is no way to have this discussion without our beliefs [or lack thereof] influencing our perception of them, on an individual and general basis.
I've tried to not delve into the whole "does god exist or not" thing and just commented on what they actually do [most notably the whole door to door thing] rather than what they believe, because it is what they do that others see, and thus what mostly affects how they are perceived, I think.
 
There is a big difference in looking up to Jesus and Mary etc and actually working with them.
I dont think many people realise that you can really work with these masters. To me there is only
one religion, which is LOVE, (GOD's LOVE).
 
Sorry to resurrect a relatively old thread (6 weeks?) but guess something similar had been on my mind recently, and as I happen to be browsing here after a few months of not logging in at all, I felt it would be ok to contribute, albeit somewhat late.

I live in England, a notorious nation of moaners. I know this is a somewhat derogatory label, but having lived here my entire life, I feel I have the right to say that this is not an entirely undeserved label. People here do moan a lot. I try not to conform to this too much, but I guess everyone moans sometimes right? However, I do feel that sometimes people in England moan about JW (and other religious groups) just to have something to moan about. In fact, it almost seems to be a popular thing to do here. JW are often mocked in the media/comedy shows as well which I feel adds to this.

I have lived in various parts of the UK and I can honestly say that I have never been upset by the behaviour of a JW. So they knock the door and give you free booklets? How is that a terrible thing to do? Could it not be considered nice? If it's such a nuisance, is it so hard to just tell them not to visit again? But of course, if you did that here, you would have one less thing to moan about I guess ;)

I currently have regular JW visitors, a 14 year old boy and his father. Both have been nothing but kind and non-judgemental towards me and Motsey, my (almost) husband. It is worth noting that neither myself or Motsey are JW. In fact Motsey has been extremely open with them about the fact that he is a Muslim. They have NEVER tried to tell him his religion is wrong, nor talk him out of his beliefs. They actually remarked they are very similar. They always give us literature to read and then ask us about it the next time they see us, but they do not force this down our throats. One time, when Motsey was not feeling good I actually told them it was not a good time and they left immediately, passing on their kindest wishes. If we're not in when they visit they put a couple of booklets through the door with a nice letter.

These are not bad people, and their actions are not those of bad people, they're more the actions of kind people in my opinion. Whether we agree with them completely or not doesn't make them bad or nuts. I don't feel there's any harm in giving people a little of your time if you're in the mood, but if you choose not to, does it hurt to just be polite about it and then not curse them behind their backs?

I feel JW get a lot of unfair press in all honesty, as do many other religious groups. Just giving someone a little time to listen to their opinions doesn't hurt (and I mean really listen, not just assume you know their opinions from something you've heard/read elsewhere) and surely gives a better understanding of what they're all about which in turn builds tolerance in society :)
 
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