Several day ago on a very hot morning, two over-dressed preachers knocked on my door claiming to be "Sharing Good News". Many people know Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) for their benign magazine stands in airports and shopping centers. In reality their "Good News" is a slick recruitment pitch. They first offer a free bible study then hook you into a cult you cannot leave without having remaining family and friends shun you.
Once baptized as a Jehovah's Witness, it is impossible for a person to leave the organization with dignity for any reason. Individuals who leave or who are expelled are publicly ostracized, labeled "apostates" (traitor), and cut off from their friends and family. Jehovah's Witnesses claim that "all are welcome" at their Kingdom Halls (churches). Absolutely not true.
On a much sinister level, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that any day now, their god is going to personally bring about the end of the world, and when this happens he will kill every single man, woman and child who is not one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. A world doom or "Armegeddon" they incorrectly predicted to occur in 1878, 1881, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1938, *1975, 1984...
A Memorial to a False Prophecy - Left- Magazine cover from 1984
The right side shows that they have all "passed away".
The right side shows that they have all "passed away".
They make every effort to appear main stream although the cult's beliefs are deeply fundamentalist; creation not evolution (creationism), literal interpenetration of the bible, discouragement of higher education and misogynist rules (women cannot hold leadership roles or teaching positions). Plus the Jehovah’s Witness religion has long been known for its vocal and harsh disapproval of the LGBT community. As Lloyd Evens at the site JWSurvey.org states:
On a doctrinal level it teaches that any practicing homosexuals are sinful and deserve to die, and that very soon God will kill any such person at the upcoming battle of Armageddon.
One example of this escalation in rhetoric is the new Watchtower produced video drama, “Remember the Wife of Lot.” Below is a video that highlights the Witnesses' strong anti-LGBT statements. Stick with it or fast forward to see the horrible and scary ending scene.
Sadly, people believe in these cults as they provide a vision of certainty and redemption.
ReplyDeleteMarx was right - Religion is the opiate of the people. And like opiates, should be taken in measured doses and used sparingly for short terms....
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ReplyDeleteVelma
There is a kingdom hall just three blocks away from my home, and it seems there are witnesses covering my street almost monthly. Two of them, young women, came by our house even more frequently last summer. Since we almost live on our front deck when the weather is nice, these girls would catch us easily. I asked them once why they would even bother trying to convince us to join their religion (cult) when it's obvious that we are either a lesbian couple or, if I was read, a transgender woman married to a cis woman. We have already been condemned, after all! They replied that it was only their job to get us to come down to a meeting. I responded by telling them that, if either one or both of us were already destined to go to Hell, we certainly don't need to hasten it by being put through Hell in their kingdom hall now. They left and never returned.
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