Watchtower vs Islam: Why the deafening silence?

by raymond frantz 53 Replies latest watchtower scandals

• 

  truth_b_known

  One reason is the major change in how the Watchtower once pressured Jehovah's Witnesses to be competent in making a "fine witness" through "personal study". Witnesses were expected study on their own to make their public ministry more effective. In this case, Witnesses would have to study Islam to effectively engage on the topic with Muslims.

  The Watchtower has changed its stance on this. Personal study has been reduced. Witnesses are actually discouraged getting into deep topics of faith. The fear of the Watchtower is that Witnesses will find out the truth about the Truth.

  It is easier to witness to persons who profess to be of a Christian faith (common belief system) and simply ask them to visit the JW website or watch a video.

  The Watchtower knows good and well that new members have predominately always been the children of current members. Out of fear of current members becoming educated and leaving it is safer to limit witnessing.

  Side Note:

  There are 3 Abrahamic religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All 3 are manmade religions. Christianity simply hitched its wagon onto Judaism, which is a manufactured story of a people who were desperate not to lose their national identity from being conquered by every world empire through history.
• 

  slimboyfat

  I think this was the latest brochure aimed at Muslims, from 1998.

  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18663390-the-guidance-of-god-our-way-to-paradise

  There have been various booklets, brochures and tracts aimed Muslims, Jews and Hindus over the years. I think they’ve generally abandoned that approach for all religions. You don’t see articles aimed at Catholics these days either, whereas they used to be very common.
• 

  slimboyfat

  As suggested in the Good Reads review, this brochure Real Faith - Your Key to a Happy Life appears to be an update in 2010, but if Muslims are the intended target audience then the hints appear so vague to me as to be barely perceptible.

  https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/real-faith/what-is-real-faith/

  Many of the people in the photos look variously Asian, it tends to use “holy scriptures” in place of Bible, emphasises that Jesus was a “prophet”, emphasises the oneness of God, mentions that Moses got the Ten Commandments from angels, touches on the theme of violence. I guess it’s a very gentle attempt to target literature these days. I wonder if there are equivalents for Jews and Hindus.
• 

  raymond frantz

  slimboyfat, this last link is very vague as you said, can not tell if it targets Muslims
  
• 

  markweatherill

  No, them Muslamics are just not 'rightly disposed'.
• 

  slimboyfat

  All the images are patterns real photos, perhaps also a nod to Muslim avoidance of artistic depictions of nature. No painted animals or fruits as you usually get in Watchtowrr literature for example.

  No wait, there is, so forget that. 😇
• 

  Earnest

  Raymond frantz : [Islam reacting to opposition with violence] might be true [of] Muslim countries but [isn't] true [of] Western European countries w[h]ere Muslims are usually immigrants, there could have [been] a pilot program to reach this people but I never saw any meaningful effort towards them

  There is extensive preaching to immigrants in Western European countries. Some muslim families still react with violence should a family member convert, so this "program" is not highly publicised. The fact that you never saw it does not mean it doesn't exist.
  
• 

  Anna Marina

  But what about those who want to be called 'Jews' - I knew one who converted to WT. He told me his father held a funeral for him. Nasty things go on behind the scene with lots of different religions. But we did not hold back from knocking on the doors of 'Jews' and telling them God was Jehovah. At which point the door would usually close.

  I have met Moslems on min. Funniest one was with 3 Kurds who were delighted to have us in. With glee they told us they were just like us. When away from their religious teachers they loved nightclubbing and drinking. I felt strongly they had got the wrong end of the stick but I struggled to tell them that. They were so thrilled to be in England.

  I wonder if Mohammedanism is being kept relatively untouched because those Witnesses that leave, (who are still interested in God or just want be in a cult), might be attracted to the apparent morality Moslems appears to have (along with multiple wives, easy divorce and underage sex). They look like an alternative Watchtower to me. But you can't drink. That could be a problem for some. Ahem.
• 

  raymond frantz

  Earnest, in all my 50 years as a witness in 2 countries I never heard or saw any organised attempt to prosylitise Muslims
• 

  waton

  Anna marina, jn addition, many elders would fit with glee into the roles of the imans, singing: Listen obey and be blessed, islam meaning submission., being able to mete out the death penalty to dissenters. With that many heads rolling, the ranks of those ruling with Christ for a thousand years (Rev 20:3) would quickly swell. wt writers are just too chicken to put their neck on the line, willing to sacrifice the rank and file though, as Earnest maintained.