Interesting thread. As a non-practicing, baptized Catholic…I tend to believe the Jehovah’s Witnesses, at least the ones I know, are more knowledgeable about the Bible than any Catholic I’ve ever met.
No, they know what sciptures to cite to supposedly tear down what they believe to be false doctrines. JW’s knowing scripture very well has been blown out of proportion many people. Yes, many rank and file JW’s know their NWT “version” better than alot of Catholics know the bible, but let me put it this way. One their best writers, Marley Cole, who I knew for 30 years, wouldn’t come close to Scott Hahn in a biblical debate. The JW theology is a mile wide and an inch deep.
What do they do in the Kingdom Hall? They READ from the Bible. Not a pre-planned booklet as the Catholic church does. It’s a meeting where everyone who raises their hand gets an opportunity to read, discuss and speak about what they’ve read, rather than listen to a priest recite the same thing over and over. There are no rituals, no idol worship, no money collection. There are collection boxes if one feels like donating. But a collection basket is NEVER passed around.
**A lot of bunk in this paragraph. Everything is preplanned at a JW meeting! They used WT publications as their study guides, ask precanned questions straight out of it, and give answers straight out of it. And I’ve never heard a priest give the same homily/sermon twice. Going to a JW meeting is their own version of a ritual, so this is a red herring argument. Catholics don’t worship idols, so this observation false. JW’s do have collection boxes in the back called contribution boxes. You’re not obligated to to put anything in the collection basket if you don’t want to. **
There are no crucifixes, or any cross for that matter. As it was explained to me, to display a cross with the body of Christ hanging from it is the same as if your loved one died in a car accident and you took to wearing a little battered car around your neck with your loved one’s dead body in it. Why would anybody do that?
Another silly argument. BTW, many Kingdon Halls have scripture verses quoted in prominent places somewhere within the building. Does that mean they are worshipping the bible?
There is no sit, stand, kneel. There are songbooks, Bibles of many different translations…NIV, King James, etc., and a very well organized library of literature for the purpose of answering questions, researching, and educating oneself on Bible truths.
**Sadly, this is true. There is no physicality in the JW services. They are not very reverent. Yet scripture describes instances of where individuals used their whole bodies in demonstrating worship. This seems to have been lost on JW’s. There are other versions of scripture in their back room libraries, but I have never seen versions that contain the deuterocanonical books. I wonder why?
**
It isn’t a cult. There are no “mysteries.” When a Jehovah’s Witness comes knocking at your door, they do it out of love for Jehovah God (yup, that’s his name…it’s in the Bible). It’s done out of love, not guilt.
**I think you’ll find that there are examples of ones that have converted who did not realize the disfellowshipping arrangement, for instance. Or the history of their own false prohecies. As for “Jehovah”, which versions? I know there are some, but many do not, and I don’t think the Jews render God’s name that way in their scriptures. **
You might be amazed to know that awhile back I asked a question somewhere on this site and I was responded to, privately, by someone who was too ashamed to admit for everyone to see…that I was right. Mary is not the “mother of God.” The member stated that an open response may offend some members.
PR has already knocked it out of the park on this one. Nothing to add.
And he did have them come back; hence my lovely conversation of late with 2 JWs.
