Do Jehovah's Witnesses Have The Reputation THEY Think They Have?

by minimus 51 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  ezekiel3

  This story tells it all:

  Long ago when I thought being a JW mattered, I got to know a non-JW guy who was gay. He was in his 50's and quite the man hunter. To avert his advances I tried the classic defense: "witness to him!"

  This didn't seem to help matters a bit. In fact he professed to have many JW visitors, some of whom would call at his door (now there's a return visit!).

  I seriously doubted he was telling the truth, but he continued to tell story after story, he even knew some of the lingo, since "an elder" seemed to have been one of his callers.

  As time passed, we became friends and I asked if he would be interested in coming to the Memorial. I thought it would be quite an experience if I could get a pagan-queen to convert to "the truth".

  He agreed to come, mostly out of curiosity. The Memorial was held at a hall to accomidate 3 congregations at one time. We came in together and I noticed him chuckling as we found our seats. He leaned over to whisper in my ear, "That one in front of us, I know him." Well so did I, this dude was raised in the truth with a wife and kid. My condesending smile froze on my face, as I saw the red-faced brother quickly move his entire family from the row in front of us.

  He also came to a meeting in a different congregation with me. He knew I was beginning to question my faith, and wanted to see what the Book Study was all about. We went to the Kingdom Hall BS and arrived a bit late. A prominent brother turned from his seat to see who had come in. His face suddenly glazed into an expression like "what are you doing here?" My gay friend turns to me and says, "That one was a regular."

  Well that's one lesson I quickly learned: being a JW is not a protection in the gay world. Hell, it's practically a come-on!
• 

  garybuss

  
  More than a few people I know have the Witness group's practices mixed up with the SDA or the LDS groups or some other group. Many have never met a Witness or talked to one. Those who know Witness people always have an opinion but it's not the one we were taught at the Kingdom Hall. Words I hear a lot are "odd" and "weird".
  
  Now I think if people are curious about the Witness group, they use the Internet search engines:-)
  
  A surprising number are aware of the Dateline show and the pedophile issue.
  
  
  
• 

  Alwayshere

  The only people who think JWs are so special are JWs themself because that is what the WTS has put in their heads. I know there are sincere people in there but I think most people outside of that organization know it is a cult. Just wish it had not taken me so long to find it out. But guess like the saying goes "better late than never."
• 

  Mary

  The Witnesses' reputation outside their bubble, is basically a joke........people on know Witnesses as people who wake you up Saturday morning trying to sell you magazines, or for not letting their kids have blood transfusions. Until Dateline and 20/20 aired their dirty laundry, that was about all people knew about the Witnesses.
• 

  luna2

  The JW's are always spouting off about their great reputation for being honest, truthful, and trustworthy in business. I certainly know some who are, but there are an equal number who are as bad or worse than the "worldly" ones they so despise.

  I worked for an elder once who was a master at deception and double speak. He was so egotistical and convinced of his own superiority that nobody and nothing could make a dent. An example of his integrity and honesty was to have me write out checks to vendors, put them in stamped envelopes and give them to him to take to the post office. I soon found out that he'd put them in a designated spot on his credenza and this allowed him to tell people who called looking for payment that it was in the "mail". He didn't say U.S. Mail, right? He wasn't a liar. Nooooo. Only one of many fudges he'd pull. He just about single-handedly destroyed whatever positive reputation JW's had in that town. ...and he's not the only one I've run into that ran his business like that.
• 

  swiftbreeze

  thats a good question because we were always told how not to bring reproach because we have such a good reputation and blah blah blah...anybody that i ever told that i was a JW thought i was a wierdo...most people don't know anything about JW's accept that they don't celebrate christmas or birthdays.
• 

  zulukai

  They're legends in their own minds!
• 

  minimus

  EZEKIEL, I wonder how many closeted gay JWs exist. Either this was just a rare coincidence or there are lots of others that have not come out.
• 

  greendawn

  When I was studying with the JWs a friend of mine said to me: why do you want to get involved with those monsters?
  
  As time went by after baptism I realised that his description of them was very apt, though originally I thought it was a satan inspired accusation it was in fact the God inspired the truth. Given their shunning policies, constant lying and changing doctrine, redefining of the basic meaning of words, and centrally tightly controlled life they are indeed monsters.
• 

  Seeker4

  In the decade or so that I've been out of the Witnesses, I've talked with hundreds of people about them.
  
  Absolutely consistently, I've found that no one really knows anything about the Witnesses. People either are angry or irritated when they call house to house, or they tell me that they hide
  
  This whole idea that the Witnesses have some sort of reputation in society in general is a myth. Most people just don't think of the Witnesses at all.
  
  The biggest lie the Witnesses tell themselves is that they are known for preaching the "good news of the kingdom" house to house. NO ONE has any idea that that is the message the Witnesses are there to tell. They see them there selling magazines. Period.
  
  In a recent letter to the body of elders I told them all of this, and added that JWs are never presented seriously on TV. Where are they most commonly referred to? In comedy routines on the Comedy Channel. Serious television totally ignores them except for exposes like Dateline on abuse.
  
  The other day I heard a figure that made me do a double take about the supposed "growth" of the JWs. The Pentacostals have been around just about the exact same length of time as the JWs. Today there are an estimated 500 million Pentacostals, and they have become a force to be reckoned with. In that same amount of time the Witnesses have reached about 7 million members.
  
  So much for that "the fastest growing religion" myth the Witnesses used to spread!!
  
  S4