Introduction
For this paper, I chose Jehovah’s Witnesses because it is a relatively new religion that is different in many ways. Attitudes toward Jehovah’s Witnesses are ambiguous; many consider them a sect that can harm society. Others, on the contrary, believe that the movement is completely harmless. It is necessary to look at Jehovah’s Witnesses from different angles to understand which of the opinions about them is true.
Foundational Beliefs and Key Practices
Jehovah’s Witnesses are a worldwide society of Christians who actively witness to Jehovah God and his intentions for humanity; they base their beliefs solely on the Bible. Jehovah’s Witnesses are opponents of violence and genocide in all its forms (Chu & Seminega, 2021). The modern history of Jehovah’s Witnesses originates in the United States (Rota, 2019). Their headquarters are located there, allowing them to print biblical literature and send it to most of the world. However, Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe one nation is better than another. They live in almost every country: “The Jehovah’s Witnesses have emerged in the United States as one of the denominations that have attracted as many as a million members” (Melton, 2021, p. 39).
Differences from Other Religions
The main differences between the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion and others are:
The Bible
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the entire Bible is the Word of God. They base their beliefs on the Bible, not human tradition.
God
They worship Jehovah, recognizing him as the one true God, and openly tell others about him and what he intends to do for humanity out of love. Usually, all those who publicly testify about Jehovah are assigned to only one group, the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Jesus Christ
They believe that Jesus Christ is not part of the Trinity, but, as the Bible says, the Son of God, his first creation. He existed before he became man, and his life was carried from heaven into the womb of a virgin named Mary. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus gave his perfect human life as a sacrifice by which those who show faith in him have the opportunity to be saved and live forever. Since 1914, Christ has ruled as King, to whom God has given dominion over all the earth (Jakubowska et al., 2021). The Kingdom of God. They believe that humanity’s only hope is the kingdom of God; it is a real existing government; it will soon destroy the present ungodly system of things, including all human governments, and create a new system in which righteousness will triumph.
Heavenly Life
They believe Christians will rule as kings with Christ in His heavenly kingdom. They do not believe life in heaven is a reward for all good people.
Earth
They believe that God’s original plan for the earth will be fulfilled, that only those people who worship Jehovah will live on earth, that they will become perfect and live forever, and that even the dead will be raised and have the opportunity to receive these blessings.
Death
They believe that the dead know nothing; they experience neither torment nor bliss and are not in some spiritual world (Ringnes et al., 2019). They exist only in the memory of God, and therefore, their only hope of future life is resurrection.
The Last Days
They believe that since 1914, humanity has lived in the last days of this ungodly system of things, and only those who love righteousness will remain to live on purified earth.
Separation from the World
They strive with all their might to be not of the world, which is what Jesus said should distinguish his followers (Ransom, 2021). They show a sincere Christian love for their fellow man but do not engage in politics or wars. They work to provide for their families but eschew the world’s inherent unrestrained pursuit of wealth, fame, and entertainment.
Application of Biblical Advice
They believe it is already important to apply the advice from God’s Word to everyday life: at home, at school, at work, and in meetings. No matter how one has lived before, if he stops doing the things condemned in God’s Word and applies the advice it contains, he can become a Jehovah’s Witness. However, suppose he becomes engaged in such things as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, or drunkenness or begins to use drugs, lie, or steal. In that case, he will be expelled from the organization that does not please God.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Promotion of Mutual Understanding and Nonviolence
The first positive aspect of the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that they emphasize mutual understanding among the assembly members. All are encouraged to be patient, humble, calm, friendly, cordial, self-controlled, and loving. Understandably, this is not always done sincerely, and the motives are often not as transparent as one would like.
However, the fact remains that witnesses rarely yell and insult each other and, to say nothing of the non-normative language, rarely use physical force to resolve conflicts. Mutual aid is encouraged in the team, but most of these appeals are not fulfilled; gossip and criticism are not encouraged. The result is fairly high cohesion among believers observing from the sidelines.
Behavior Driven More by External Control Than Inner Conviction
Like ordinary people, witnesses have weaknesses and shortcomings, but these are much milder than in any other group. If a witness is jealous, he or she will not engage in malicious gossip, will not lie, and will not openly confront a rival. If this happens, the elders will quickly take action and no longer be members of the organization.
Thus, the low level of conflict, in this case, is not related to the special merits of the members of the organization but rather to the rules of the collective by which these people live. The control of behavior is exercised not by internal motivations but by external constraints; the fear of social deprivation is a very effective lever in the mechanism of seeming witness cohesion. Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves associate such cohesion with ‘Christian love’ and consider it one of the hallmarks of true religion.
Disillusionment from Unrealistic Expectations of Community Support
Many are attracted to Jehovah’s Witnesses, not primarily by their doctrine but by the group’s cohesiveness. Failing to find understanding and support from those around them, such people hope to find it with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Moreover, when utopian ideas of an ideal society collide with the reality of life, disappointment ensues. Often, such people leave the organization or lose their zeal.
High Moral Standards and Ethical Behavior
The next strength of Jehovah’s Witnesses is their high moral standards. These include, for example, sexual abstinence before and outside of marriage. No young witness should have sexual relations until he/she is married. Such a strict rule has resulted in many young and not-so-young people being deprived of fellowship each year for violating this rule and ceasing to be members. In addition, witnesses do not smoke, get drunk, or do drugs. Lying is considered a misdemeanor worthy of serious punishment; the same applies to stealing.
Comprehensive Training and Commitment to Religious Education
The Watchtower Society’s training system is noteworthy. From the simplest grandmother to the most well-educated, all interested undergo a training course to explain the basics of witnessing ideology. Deciding to become a member of the organization does not end there. Jehovah’s Witnesses follow their teachings on the topic of health as well (Jakubowska et al., 2021). All Jehovah’s Witnesses regularly participate in a specially designed program that is designed, on the one hand, to develop preaching abilities and, on the other, to deepen knowledge and conviction in the religious teachings of their organization.
Unverifiable Core Beliefs Relying on Interpretation Over Evidence
The first weakness I would call the unprovable nature of the basic theses of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion. Believers can cite as much evidence as they want to support these ideas. However, none of them, individually or even altogether, can give an unambiguous, convincing answer, for all these arguments are essentially just interpretations of facts.
People can talk as much as they want about the complex structure of the universe, but the conclusion that God created it will remain only a bold interpretation of the facts. Such theses abound in any religion, which is why any religion requires faith above all else, not an analysis of facts and cause and effect. However, Jehovah’s Witnesses persistently try to rationalize their faith and thus adapt it to the modern age of scientific progress.
Use of Intellectual Pressure to Justify Doctrines
In attempting to justify their religious doctrines scientifically, Jehovah’s Witnesses present them as the only true and correct choice regarding facts, science, and simple common sense. They then appeal to one’s desire to be enlightened and intellectually developed. As a result, the interlocutor has two choices – to agree with their conclusions or admit himself insufficiently sensible. These actions can be called intellectual blackmail. There is a third option when a person is so well versed in the issue that he can defend his views with arguments. However, such people are few, and Jehovah’s Witnesses prefer not to interrupt conversations with them since this is of little effect.
Incompatibility Between Rational Thought and Religious Faith
Religion and science go hand in hand, and it is impossible to rationalize religion because it requires faith, not evidence. Faith, on the other hand, is irrational. Faith is an experience, a feeling, not an intellectual activity. Moreover, the nature of faith is psychological. Therefore, the arguments of reason are more often than not powerless against it, as against any other emotion or desire.
Social Separation and Lack of Integration with Wider Society
The next ambiguous characteristic of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that their religious policy, as a whole, is to remove themselves from society. This religion within any state creates a separate society governed by its norms and laws and has its tradition, history, hierarchy, and self-defense methods. However, this new ‘state’ does not fit harmoniously into the surrounding society but opposes it for the most part. That said, it does not mean to say that Jehovah’s Witnesses, as a religion, are dangerous to the existing system, but rather that they are not very comfortable and disharmonious.
Active Engagement in Preaching as a Core Practice
Active participation in preaching is one of the main rites of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion. Unlike other religions, this movement actively tries to draw people into society (Ingersoll-Wood, 2022). It consists of the fact that every Jehovah’s Witness regularly starts and develops conversations on religious topics with strangers in the street, in the park, in transportation, and calling every apartment or telephone number in a row.
Unwanted Evangelism and Family Alienation
People are not thrilled by uninvited guests or annoying fellow travelers who try to bring up religious topics in every conversation. However, the family members of Jehovah’s Witnesses who do not share their views suffer the most in this regard. In various ways, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, sincerely convinced of this necessity, try to attract their relatives to the organization. Leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses community can alienate family members and friends (Aboud, 2020). Alienation should be singled out from unbelieving family members as another highly unattractive feature of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion.
Strengthened Family Bonds Through Shared Religious Activities
If all family members are within an organization, it usually positively affects the relationship. Moreover, the matter here is not so much in the miraculous influence of religion as in the usual psychological regularity – participation in joint activity unites. The content of this activity will be of relative importance; joint participation has a beneficial effect. Any facilitator of teambuilding training knows and uses this.
Emphasis on Family Life Within the Community
Credit must be given to the attitudes of witnesses toward the family, in general. Entire books devoted to this issue are published in the organization. Much attention is paid to choosing a future partner (understandably, exclusively from the circle of witnesses), organizing everyday life, and bringing up children. However, all of this turns out to be extremely insignificant before the gulf this same religion creates between members of the same family, witnesses, and non-witnesses.
Conclusion
Thus, the conclusion is that many of the negative aspects of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion can overshadow the positive ones. They cannot be called dangerous to society, but people who find themselves in that society will have difficulty getting out. Jehovah’s Witnesses are very restrictive of the actions and will of the person who belongs to that religion. In the 21st century, people are beginning to rethink their outlook on life. Although this denomination has not stood still and is trying to adjust to modern progress, many aspects are still outdated.
References
Aboud, A. (2020). An exploration of the lived experience of leaving Jehovah’s Witnesses (Doctoral dissertation, City, University of London).
Chu, J., & Seminega, T. (2021). Jehovah’s Witnesses as “citizens of the Kingdom of God”. In The Routledge Handbook of Religion, Mass Atrocity, and Genocide (pp. 269-279). Routledge.
Ingersoll-Wood, C. S. (2022). The Educational Identity Formation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Religion & Education, 49(3), 310-338.
Jakubowska, K., Chruściel, P., Jurek, K., Machul, M., Kościołek, A., & Dobrowolska, B. (2021). Religiosity and Attitudes towards Health, Disease, Death and the Use of Stimulants among Jehovah’s Witnesses. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(10), 5049.
Melton, J. G. (2021). Opposition to Jehovah’s Witnesses in the United States Through the Twentieth Century. The Journal of CESNUR, 5(1), 39-53.
Ransom, H. J. (2021). Leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses: Identity, Transition and Recovery (Doctoral dissertation, Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University).
Ringnes, H. K., Demmrich, S., Hegstad, H., Stålsett, G., & Danbolt, L. J. (2019). End time and emotions: Emotion regulation functions of eschatological expectations among Jehovah’s Witnesses in Norway. Journal of Empirical Theology, 32(1), 105-137.
Rota, A. (2019). Religion, media, and joint commitment: Jehovah’s witnesses as a ‘plural subject’. Online-Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet, 14, 79-107.