What's your religion?

[KDude]

I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and left at a young age. I can remember the discussions I had with the congregation's elders as they were trying to 'heal me'. They pointed at scripture after scripture, and I told them that I wasn't sure that I believed in the Bible. They shook their heads, packed up, and left.

I don't have one, but religion has always been an important part of my life. It's easy to be Methodist or Lutheran or Catholic if you're born one, but from an outsider's point of view the differences are minimal. There's really no compelling reason to become anything, except for the usual reasons people join religions, because of lonliness, loss of a loved one, or just conforming.

As far as God, I believe in goodness, which I think implies a God. If it's important for God to let me know of anyting else beyond that, 'he' will let me know. But, I have a feeling we all know already.

I gotta hand it to Jehovah's Witnesses who stick it through. It doesn't sound like a religion that endears oneself well with outsiders. Besides all of the door knocking, end times failures, and such.. Little things as well. One of the neighborhood kids I grew up with was JW, and I remember talking to his mom on Easter.. I had given her some confetti eggs to crack on someone's head, and she gave them back to me, saying she didn't celebrate. And then she went on explaining she didn't celebrate anything..Christmas, Birthdays, you name it. That's hardcore conviction. As serious as I am, I don't mind crushing a confetti egg on someone's head.

[Sniffles]

Christians who don't celebrate the birth and resurrection of Christ?

[Qlip]

I gotta hand it to Jehovah's Witnesses who stick it through. It doesn't sound like a religion that endears oneself well with outsiders. Besides all of the door knocking, end times failures, and such.. Little things as well. One of the neighborhood kids I grew up with was JW, and I remember talking to his mom on Easter.. I had given her some confetti eggs to crack on someone's head, and she gave them back to me, saying she didn't celebrate. And then she went on explaining she didn't celebrate anything..Christmas, Birthdays, you name it. That's hardcore conviction. As serious as I am, I don't mind crushing a confetti egg on someone's head.

Well, the thing is, it's not just conviction that keeps you there. The non celebration of the holidays is intended to keep you seperated from everyone else. If you have less connections, especially family connections, which is what the holidays are about, there's less to keep you from leaving the JW's.

Also there is a sort of self rightousness that 'rewards' you for being a JW. You know you are right and everyone else is wrong, and not only that, it's your God appointed job to show them. Some people are genuinely humble about their 'mission', but a lot of people consider themselves as elite.

I'm not saying there aren't 'good' JWs, I'm just saying that it is a unhealthy religion. My sister ended up being shunned by everyone she knew and her family because she got a divorce. She was being abused by her husband, but the JWs say that divorce is wrong under any circumstances.

[Qlip]

Christians who don't celebrate the birth and resurrection of Christ?

Their stance is that Easter was originally a pagan fertility holiday, and Chrismas was a pagan holiday as well. This is true, and in a way it's an admirable stance, but in truth it's just a way for them to isolate their members from the rest of society.

[Aquarelle]

^^Thank you for explaining, Qlippoth. JW is a religion I don't know a lot about and it's very enlightening to hear your POV.

[Sniffles]

Their stance is that Easter was originally a pagan fertility holiday, and Chrismas was a pagan holiday as well. This is true, and in a way it's an admirable stance, but in truth it's just a way for them to isolate their members from the rest of society.

Yes I'm aware of this stance, it goes back to the Puritains. How true it really is is actually debatable, and certainly as a Catholic I don't buy it at all. Celebrations and festivels are part of human nature, and they occur in the Bible. So I don't see an impoverished form of the faith as rather admirable to be honest.

[Qlip]

^^Thank you for explaining, Qlippoth. JW is a religion I don't know a lot about and it's very enlightening to hear your POV.

Oh, no problem. Luckily, it's something that's (almost) way behind me.

Yes I'm aware of this stance, it goes back to the Puritains. How true it really is is actually debatable, and certainly as a Catholic I don't buy it at all. Celebrations and festivels are part of human nature, and they occur in the Bible. So I don't see an impoverished form of the faith as rather admirable to be honest.

There's a lot of points of view on this. But, I have no dog in this fight. If you'd like I can send a JW over to your house, I'm sure they'd love to discuss it with you.

[Ivy]

I had an overzealous JW who kept coming to my house, when I stopped answering the door he got my name AND MY DAUGHTER'S from one of my neighbors (don't know which one, if I did they'd get an earful) and tried to convince my husband one Saturday morning to tell him when would be a good time to catch me at home. The hubster told him to leave and not come back because he was making me uncomfortable, but he was back the following Monday morning at which point I called the Kingdom Hall and the police. He didn't return.

[KDude]

^Wow.. That kind of reminds of that Hitchhiker skit in Creepshow 2.

I usually give off a vibe that repels JW's before even knocking. Not sure why. I might notice them.. and then peek out, but they always skip my place.

[BlackCat]

If a JW came knocking on my door and harassed me, I'd put on my black shirt with a giant red pentagram on it and see what would happen.