What's the first thought that comes to mind when wordly people think of JWs

by JH 39 Replies latest jw friends

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  DannyHaszard

  Read his story in the Maine Times [text version] Maine Times

  May 24 - May 30, 2001

  ‘Nobody likes Jehovah's Witnesses except other Jehovah's Witnesses'

  Danny Haszard is a third-generation Jehovah's Witness. He grew up believing the end of the world was just around the corner. Worldly concerns were unimportant - getting braces on his teeth, accepting his developing sexuality, finishing high school and even treating his ulcerative colitis took a back seat to the sureness of the rapture ahead. But a few years back, Haszard began to question the teachings of his church, and he ultimately left the spiritual community altogether. Since then, he says, he's been shunned; he thinks his mother died recently in Florida, but he has been unable to make contact with church members or his family. "Basically, I got voted off the island because I didn't sell enough Watchtowers," he says. Now, angry, sick and on a mission, he stages a one-man picket on a noisy corner across from Bangor’s City Hall.

  On a sunny morning shortly before Mother's Day, we sat on a wooden bench and talked as the traffic roared by.

  Maine Times: I don't know much about Jehovah's Witnesses. They come to my door once in a while and talk with me about my religious beliefs.

  Danny Haszard : Let me guess. You know they don't give blood and they don't celebrate Christmas and that's about it, right? Which is the great paradox, because they claim that they are the evangelists of the world, but for all the preaching and teaching they do, practically nobody knows anything about their teachings.

  Q: After a lifetime of Jehovah's Witness.........
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  Joel Wideman

  "Like Mormons, only without the magic pajamas and they can drink all the coffee they want."
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  gumby

  I still have my doubts Russell was a FreeMason.

  ....oops.....wrong thread, sorry

  Gumby
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  mrsjones5

  This has been said to me numerous times: "Arent they a cult?"
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  buffalosrfree

  When discussing Jdubs in college class one day, I was very surprised (not) that most there didn't know much about them, except that they woke you up early on a saturday morning.They had no idea as to jdub beliefs etc, except a couple knew that they didn't celebrate holidays. So much for their being a witness to the world, they (the jdubs) should really be asking themselves what it is they think they are being witness too. I know many have heard the b.s. about we are witnessing just by being out in the neighborhood walking door-to-door and that we reflect our love of God. What a crock I was in a class of 55 people and only two/three knew anything about them. Most had never had one at their door or at least not when they were at home. I just wished my last p.o. had been there to really hear about what people thought of them. They didn't think much because reather than being a witness to the world and spreading the gosplel of de Judge, they are a group that not many people think of or care about at all.
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  void

  That Tower Mag, is a common responce. For years I never told anybody that I was one, people were shocked that I was still a virgin at 20, though being shy it didnt cut it. It was so difficult to ever bring it up in conversation, but since I have asked a few people they just say stuff like "their funny" or "I dont like telemarketers".
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  Spectre

  I think its kind of telling that everybody gets the name wrong to begin with, I've even heard long time believers say "Jehovah Witness."
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  InquiryMan

  Quite a few mention the practice of Disfellowhipping and shunning, since that has been a topic often discussed in media (newspapers as well as television). I am almost sure that this issue and the blood issue is the most controversial aspect of JW in Europe. In Europe they are also almost universally referred to as a sect or cult, almost never as a church which is a term often commonly used in the US when referring to them. It is rare that they are referred to as christians. Mostly a movement with christian background or something along those lines.
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  PointBlank

  I work in a local hospital. So the first thing that goes through the minds of the staff on my rotation when the JW patient responds to the question of religion is release forms for rejection of blood. Other than that, the vast majority of people know nothing about JW's, and really don't care to.
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  undercover

  I was eating breakfast yesterday in a diner and at the next table was a group of college kids. One of them mentioned that he had a paper due in his religion class.

  Then they started discussing religion and one guy said that he went to church once in a while at his parents request.

  Someone asked him which religion and he didn't know. A girl said, "You don't know what denomination you are?"
  He said, "I ain't no denomination. I go because they ask me to."

  Then they started talking about the different churches they went to growing up. Then they started talking about the "weirder" religions. One of them had Mormon relatives so they went off on Mormons for awhile.

  I was listening intently because I knew it was only a matter of time...and I was right. One girl said, after everybody ripped the Mormons, "Yea, but the 'Jehovahs' are weirder. That's a fucked up religion there."
  Someone else replied, "Well, yea, that's a full on cult. The Mormons are close, but the 'Jehovahs' are just short of drinking Kool-Aid"

  They all got a good laugh out of that and the discussion moved on to something else.

  So from the mouths of babes, so to speak...