Has anyone grown up as a Jehovahs Witness?
396440
negative because, i am a sinner
229260
Only once... but throughout the many decades in my personal quest, I have journeyed, searched, visited, learned, queried and studied AT LEAST a couple, or maybe three, dozen other religions before settling down quite satisfied with what I found near and dear to my heart today.\n\nIn addition to Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Zoroastrianism, Shamanism, Zen and Stoic religions that I have studied or scanned, I have also had close relationships and acquaintances with people [girlfriends & friends] of some Protestant faiths, Wiccans, SDA, JW, Mormons, Episcopalian, and several Atheists, UFOlogists, Freemasons and Jewish friends and business associates along the way. And, needless to say, I've been quite a sinner and a hypocrite of prodigal proportions! LOL.\n\nBut by comparison, my Faith today is at least ten times much more stronger than what my original convictions used to be, having had a "solid" background of being born and raised in a devout Catholic family environment, and even becoming an ex-seminarian myself.\n\nHowever, ultimately, I found that there is only One Truth and that begins with being true to one's self first!\n\nPeace be with you!
855276
Yes!!!!!!!  i know because i grew up in a Pentecostal evangelical church (Assemblies of God).  I am now 26 years old and looking back I'm glad I decide to leave that fear mongering cult at age 21.  Image growing up and every sermon the pastor fills your heart with guilt and makes you believe you need god or else fire and brimstone, to a child or adolescent thats scary.\n\nBTW don't give me the crap ohhh well those Christians aren't the REAL Christians, because that's the same thing we use to say about you!!
479792
As one of Jehovah's Witnesses,I find the truth is the best.No one will be offended if you say what you feel.\nChrist gave his disciples a commission and that was to go and preach the good news about God's Kingdom,and make disciples by teaching them Bible truths.So as disciples of Christ that is what they are doing.\nIf you are sincerely not interested let them know,they may be disappointed as many of us are when people aren't interested in learning about our Creator and Heavenly Father\nhowever,you won't be the first and you definitely won't be the last.
919373
I was 16.  From a non-believing background.  Borderline alcoholism.  Attracted to christians by their love and simple joy.  \nWhen I realized Christ was alive and present in the room where I was, I couldn't resist Him.  I told someone the following day I had been born all over again, and he showed me that the expression was in John's Gospel.  A month later a Christian asked me when I was saved, and I was stunned:  "saved" - what a wonderful word!  That really described it!  So I became a Christian withoutg having been exposed to the two major buzzwords of evangelical Christianity! lol.  That was over 40 years ago.  I have never regretted it.
1135684
Liars will not inherit God's Kingdom.  (See Revelation 22:8.)\n\n\nIt's fairly obvious from your Q's and A's (not to mention that cancer stick dangling from your mouth) that you are not a true witness of Jehovah God.\n\n\nHowever, if you are sincere in your search for the truth and wish to attend meetings, you will be welcomed at any Kingdom Hall.  Just look in the Yellow Pages under "churches" and the subheading "Jehovah's Witnesses" to find the halls in your area.
617140
I once had a biblical "match" with a Jehovah's witness and they ended up losing and I ended up converting them into Christianity.\n\nI have never met a salesman who was trying to sell me a product that I can actually use.Last salesman was trying to sell a photography service for 20 x the price of my local JC Penney's photography studio....\n\nI feel bad for them all....They are either brainwashed (the salesman) or they have nothing better to do (Jehovah's witnesses) And yes, I do mean it the way I wrote it. LOL
777903
Jehovah's Witnesses are not "bad".\n\nA common misconception is that Jehovah's Witnesses go from door-to-door because they feel it is their duty to get a householder to "question his beliefs". In fact, Jehovah's Witnesses would go from door-to-door even if there were no hope that anyone would change their religion, or even if no one would listen to them!\n\nThat is because Jesus Christ specifically assigned the house-to-house ministry to the Christian congregation, with no regard for specific results.\n\n(Luke 10:1,2) After these things the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. 2 Then he began to say to them: “The harvest, indeed, is great, but the workers are few. Therefore beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.\n\nJehovah's Witnesses are trained to direct attention to the bible, and move on when their message is unwanted. Since each congregation in the United States tries to call at every home in its territory at least twice each year, there is strong motivation for them to move on where little interest is shown. Also, the Scriptures help the Witnesses to expect little interest from most:\n\n(2 Timothy 4:3-5) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching ...and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.\n\nLearn more:\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/jt/
614124
I agree with Unknown. In the majority of cases, children adopt their parent's religion.\n\nHowever, Jehovah's Witnesses must study the Bible, and make a conscientious choice to dedicate our lives to Jehovah. This includes children whose parents are Jehovah's Witnesses.
568977
Mormon founder Joseph Smith was a mason, and much of the Latter Day Saints ritual and secret ceremony that takes place behind closed doors is extremely similar to it.  \n\nEven though Jehovah Witness founder Charles Taze Russell based most of their doctrine from what he learned when he was with the group that is now known as the Seventh Day Adventists, Russell also dabbled into the spirit ism realm, and probably did use similar methods that Masonry has to get his new, "divine revelation" (I use the term sarcastically.  I am a Born-Again Christian, who believes that both groups are cultic).  Russell even sought the means of well known spiritist Horace Greber, by having him go into a trance, and then give the interpretation for what is now the Jehovah Witnesses "Studies in the Scriptures" Bible.  Its interpretation of John 1:1 (...and the word was a god) clearly violates the proper Greek rendering of the passage, which is, "...and the Word was with God, for God was the Word"\n\nIN RESPONSE TO THE GIRL ANSWERING AFTER ME........\n\nI did not say the Watchtower has secret rituals.  My point was that Russell got his NWT translation from a spiritist.  As far as me not having a clue about your organization, well, I have been around long enough to have seen your "infallible governing body" have to backtrack on things they have said many times.  I was a young teenager in 1975, when they proclaimed that Armeggedon was definetely going to happen that year.  I know the organization will tell you that is not true, but I had many Jehovah Witness teenagers hand me tracks and try to convince me it was going to happen before the year was over (I was a freshman in High School at the time).  This is not the only time the Watchtower has missed the mark on this subject.  On the basis of Dueteronomy 18:21-24, the Watchtower, as well as its people (I know they teach that all of its members are prophets of Jehovah) are not to be feared!!\n\nHave you ever thought about why they don't want you to read or listen to anyone outside of Jehovah's organization?  It is because they do not want you to know the truth about their history.  Paul was not offended in Acts 17:10-15, when the Bereans searched the scriptures to see if what he was saying to them was really true.  \n\nI don't know how old you are, but, I challenge you to break outside of the controlled mindset of the Watchtower to do an independent study of the history of the organization you belong to.  They have manipulated many, made false predictions about Armegeddon, and use the control tactics of not letting you listen to anyone else so as that they do not get exposed for who they really are.  I have done this study on your organization, and, if you would like, I would be more then happy to email you my studies.  But, until you can say that you have researched the matter on your own, please do not say that I do not know what I am talking about.
642881
As one of Jehovah's witnesses, I can honestly tell you that yes going door to door is part of being a JW and that every one of us does it. The reason we go from door to door is a biblica command. Since you dont want quotes i won't put it here but there is a biblical reason for everything we practice including going from door to door. If you ask any Jehovah's Witness they can show you from your own bible. If you don't want Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on your door just tell them. We respect the wishes of others and if you ask us not to come back then we wont. I hope that answers your question.
1055465
I was raised in southern christianity and left it at an early age because it did not make sense\n\nNo problem with the religion, just the hateful narrow minded people who claimed to speak for God.\n\nAfter over 30 years as a seeker, I became a Bahai.
1080770
Jehovah Witness is in fact a cult. Several ex followers have spoke out about them and there is a ton of anti sites and articles on them. \n\n I personally don't have any respect for cults period.
788723
Jehovah's Witnesses do not keep a central list of all Jehovah's Witnesses, but they are well known for the family-like unity.\n\nLearn more:\nhttp://watchtower.org/e/jt/\nhttp://jw-media.org/people/statistics.htm
451161
I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
413741
I was in a cult, awhile back. It was considered a church, and from all appearances, it seemed to be. They followed the Bible, they were very social, and at first, it was fun and I learned alot about the Bible. After several years, things got tougher, as the church "discovered new truth" and the atmosphere changed from seeking the truth in God's word to complete "CONTROL! We were watched, members reported to the ministry about what other members were doing, ( tattletaleing) There was alot going on, and it was not a feeling of God's love, and family, anymore. They disfellowshipped people because they asked questions, or were considered troublemakers. Then other members were not allowed to talk to them, and if they did, someone reported them to the ministers and they were disfellowshipped. \nThey then instituted a "biblical" no makeup for women rule, which made some of us want "proof" from the Bible, and it just wasn't there. At that point, this and having more and more control put on me, and questioning it, I was disfellowshipped..It was a Blessing in disguise! \nI kept in touch with many other former members of this church, and we helped each other in de-programming ourselves from this cult. We met for many years, privately, where we proved all things according to the Bible, and got out from a controlling situation. \nWhen I first got into this church, it was wonderful, but then when things changed, lots of members left, and lots got kicked out, but it was very traumatic for all of us, because we had been brainwashed into believing that we were losing our Salvation, and that made us fearful to leave. Of course, when a person is brainwashed, they don't know they are brainwashed! We all believed, at the time, that we were in the one and only "God's true church!"\nThe membership of this church, which still exists, has droppped over 75%. \nThis was a long time ago, and I won't ever forget it or the fear I had. I've grown Spiritually since that time, and I've not joined another church, as the lessons I've learned have been very valuable...and one of them is that I can worship Christ as a personal relationship, and that the "true Church of God" is made up of many people from all over the world, those who follow God. We don't have to go to a building, as the church is not a building.\nI too, have come back to life, and have never felt freer!
1146090
Don't listen to these people, besides eating & drinking, the next thing is negative answers, which most of them just sit and wait for a ??? like yours.\n\nAsk them "how many became members of your religious organization?" last year.\n\nLast year 2005, 247,631, became Jehovah's Witnesses and everyone of these had to change their minds pertaining to the false teachings that they had been taught, these were people that used their own Bible, King James, etc., 28,384 were from the United States. \n\nAsk them "how many buildings to worship in did you build last year?\n\nDuring the service year, 2,340 Kingdom Halls were completed around the world. This represents an average of 195 halls per month, or just over 6 per day! Since November 1999 when the construction program in lands with limited resources began, 7,730 Kingdom Halls have been built. In many areas, once a hall is finished, meeting attendance soars and halls are soon filled to capacity.\n\nBy the way "lightblue 100" most of what he says is "untrue" "lie" this person just hates Jehovah's Witnesses, which he has a right to do so, or he is one of many "disfellowshipped" who have nothing better to do, but  to talk in a negative way and why? \n\nSome of the offenses that could merit disfellowshipping from the Christian congregation are fornication, adultery, homosexuality, greed, extortion, thievery, lying, drunkenness, reviling, spiritism, murder, idolatry, apostasy, and the causing of divisions in the congregation.\n\nBelieve me, the best thing to happen in your lifetime is this:  Become a Jehovah's Witness and have a future, which they do not, remember what King David said in chapter 37 of Psalms\n\n9 For evildoers themselves will be cut off,\nBut those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth.\n\n11 But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth,\nAnd they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.\n\n22 For those being blessed by him will themselves possess the earth,\nBut those upon whom evil is called by him will be cut off.\n\n29 The righteous themselves will possess the earth,\nAnd they will reside forever upon it.\n\n34 Hope in Jehovah and keep his way,\nAnd he will exalt you to take possession of the earth.\nWhen the wicked ones are cut off, you will see [it].\n\n40 And Jehovah will help them and provide them with escape.\nHe will provide them with escape from wicked people and save them,\nBecause they have taken refuge in him.