Jehovahs Witnesses

[flip-flop]

Religion or Cult? What differentiates the two? If it is a matter of numbers, when does a cult become a religion?

[gary baldy]

Cultists are usually vulnerable people who have been drawn into the cult against their better judgement and if of sound mind would probably not be there.
Jehovahs Witnesses are free to come and go as they please and in my experience are some of the kindest, most giving, open minded people you are likely to meet.
They are not at all dogmatic or preachy and you could be sitting next to one at work for years and not know it.
Nice people imo and one of the more saner religions (never hear of a JW suicide bomber do you?) and not at all cultish.
...and no i am not a JW myself!
I think you should find more out about certain groups of people flip flop before making wild (and somewhat offensive) judgements on them.

[VINNY100_2]

I Dont see that flip-flop has made any wild offensive remarks or judgements on J.W...flip-flop was just asking a reasonable question.

[gary baldy]

The way i see it he is comparing JW's to a cult which is not only incorrect but slightly (not wildly as you put it) offensive, although they are used to such accusations i'm sure.

[Hammond Egg]

He wasn't making a comparison, he was asking whether the JWs were a cult or not - no judgement there. And gary baldy, you used the words "wild judgements."

As I understand it, cults are usually centred around a particular leader who claims to have special insight, knowledge or powers. This certainly doesn't apply to the Jehovah's Witnesses, though if the word existed at the time I suppose it could have been applied to the followers of Jesus.

I haven't found the JWs I know to be particularly open-minded, but there are far worse people around.

[plonker]

Cults need to be financed. The donations in the JW religion is voluntary. Cults take money from you as compulsory. They have one leader who sees him self as a christ-like person.

[Greedyfly]

Personally I have Jehovahs in my family and through growing up with them I have seen some terrible things - BUT I dont blame that on the religion, I feel it held a hand in it but not entirely to blame. In the end the whole that part of the family split apart and the woman is on the run from her husband and is no longer a 'believer'. But aside from this I dont know of any other Jehovah or much about the religion apart from the usual blood donor type things, so Im not sure. I personally have no belief in religion at all of any kind.

[plonker]

Greedyfly, terrible things happen whether u r a JW or not. It probably would have happened anyway even if they were not in the religion. It is what u want in life that matters in the end and religion becomes a background.

[flip-flop]

Wasn't judging them at all - as Vinny says, it was merely a question and there was certainly no comparison drawn in the Q.

I said "Religion or Cult"? Not "They are like a cult".

[happy_face]

I have yet to come across another 'religion' that comes knocking on my door every Sunday preaching about Christ and the bible and asking for donations.

[Booldawg]

their leader pronounced the end of the world in 1914 - and they still persist.

[Coobeastie]

Followers aren't particularly free to go as they please . My sister in law up until her teens was a jw as this was her mothers belief..

She then decided that it was not for her and the bile that was thrown in her direction was terrible. (you're going to burn in hell...your friends are going to burn in hell...you can't see your mother anymore etc)

.

[Joosey]

I have good friends who are JWs that is why I know a bit about them They do not predict the end of the world 1914. They do believe in the end of the system. They do not believe in Hell.And apparently they do not ask for donations - that would be up to you. And of course you will get family troubles in any family - Bible or no bible. I am sure lots of parents have had a rocky relationship with their growing children - Parents in every family will reach a point where they dont like them going out with 'blacks' or 'Asians' or ' whites' or being 'gay' or turning 'punk' or whatever - Parents are not perfect either.

[flip-flop]

Did anybody ever see The Simpsons episode with The Movementarians.....................................................