1. Life after Jehovah's Witnesses: website offers help to followers who lose their faith

Comment #176452 by ExJehovahsWitness on May 7, 2008 at 11:22 am

MPhil: Agreed, on all counts.

Podaar:

I find this a very interesting statement. Rather than engineered, are you saying religious dogmas [edit] (methods?)[/edit] have evolved in a natural selection manner and only appear to be designed?

I think that is pretty close to the definition of a meme and I certainly think that that is what religions are. They tend to begin with intention but over time split and change and die off very much like replicators in natural selection.

In the extremely off chance that you aren't familiar with memes, you can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme

I just think the Jehovah's Witness meme is an especially hardy, pernicious one.

2. Life after Jehovah's Witnesses: website offers help to followers who lose their faith

Comment #176440 by ExJehovahsWitness on May 7, 2008 at 10:38 am

Also am I right in thinking that only a specific number of them are going to paradise when the end comes (144,000?)and who makes the decision who's going or am I mixing them up with another religious club?

Let me put on my Jesus hat for a second here:

The witnesses believe that only 144,000 people will be resurrected to live in heaven. They get this from Revelation 14:1 which says:

"Then I looked and there was the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, 2 and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads." [New American Version]

As for the rest of human kind, they believe that there will be a judging of "the righteous and the unrighteous" and that those judged righteous will be resurrected to life on a "paradise earth". Everyone else will simply remain dead. Jehovah's witnesses do not believe in hell.

As for the question of why someone would get involved with witnesses, I could give a few reasons. Witnesses spend the vast majority of their time either learning how to teach the bible, studying the bible and bible related publications, or actually preaching. From a purely biblical perspective they can be extremely persuasive. People have an inherent need for meaning and structure in their lives (especially those in immigrant communities, who the witnesses are targeting all the more so as time goes on; in fact, my last assignment was with the Hmong immigrant community in Minnesota). Witnesses think they have the answer to that need and are good at explaining their reasons. Also, in my experience, most witnesses are extremely kind and generous people.

And (unfortunately) most people are more convinced by kindness than epistemological gymnastics.

At least for a while. When they change their mind they have a very hard road ahead of them.

3. Life after Jehovah's Witnesses: website offers help to followers who lose their faith

Comment #176419 by ExJehovahsWitness on May 7, 2008 at 9:40 am

Hey everyone,

I have plenty to offer on this subject as I was a witness for the first 24 years of my life. I served as a full-time door-to-door evangelist and ministerial servant (similar to a deacon).

Rod - I'm pretty sure that my mother, who has been a JW since 1972, carries the equivalent of a 'non-donor' card in her purse, the size of a credit card, which basically states that she refuses blood and organs on religious grounds.

It's her choice, and I'd like to think that I wouldn't countermand it. Fucking stupid choice though it be.
And she'd better not countermand my choice to have whatever the doctors feel is necessary.

Following someone to the operating theatre to get them to sign away their life for Jesus takes a special kind of cunt though IMHO.

Witnesses do indeed carry what is generally referred to as a "blood card" or advance medical directive. It states that they refuse blood transfusions in the event of an emergency. It was an interesting (and liberating) day when I finally threw mine out.

Also, due to the number of cases where doctors try to force witnesses to accept transfusions, members of the faith are now strongly encouraged by "the society" (witness lingo for the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the official Jehovah's Witness organization) to fill out a multi-page legal document called a Durable Power of Attorney, which may be the document referred to in this news item.

Leaving the witnesses is extremely difficult. More than one close friend of mine has attempted suicide due to witness issues. I too spent a couple of years in a deep depression on my way out. These sites are incredibly helpful. Science be praised! These people need all the help they can get.

Recently, there has been a letter drafted that has brought some success to people who want to leave the sect (we should just start using the word cult) but who do not want to be permanently cut off from their families (so that they can attend family member's funerals, etc. among other things). You can see a copy of the letter and some really interesting correspondence with the Watchtower headquarters at www.watchtowerletters.com. It is one man's attempt to leave the organization after being harassed by the elders. So far it has worked. Includes taped conversations with church officials. Interesting stuff.

Also, if you know any witnesses whose reason you'd like to appeal to, may I suggest this link: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-noahs-ark.html.

That page singlehandedly sent me out of the organization. Two books later (Finding Darwin's God and The God Delusion) and I was out. My life has never been better.

Sorry for the long post. :) Thanks for reading.