Eth 125 Wk 4 Assignment

Shanna Swisher

ETH/ 125

1/29/2014

I decided to do my report on Jehovah’s Witnesses, one, because they are a group I have heard and met with, and the second reason is because my step-brother converted to one. Their religious practices are different from what I thought. I have seen one of their Kingdom Halls where they worship, and it has no windows. I was told this was because they did not want anything to distract them from the worship of the Jehovah.

They believe in God and call him by the name of Jehovah, they believe in Jesus as well. They believe that Jehovah made Jesus, and that he is inferior to the Jehovah. They also believe that Jesus died on a stake and not a cross, which they consider a pagan symbol, imagine that. I have also been told that they do not celebrate Christmas or birthdays. Those who witness, are considered pastors. They have no set person who does the preaching, they have elders who take turns leading the worship that Sunday.

They are proliferate in making and distributing material about their religion. This is what they pass out as they go door to door, to spread the word of Jehovah and to bring light into people’s lives who have not received him. They believe in baptism, whole immersion, and communion. From what I was told, “communion” basically happens every night, like saying grace.

I know that they have jokes told about them that are not very nice. I also discovered that they have been persecuted like those of my faith. According to about.com Christianity, over 13,000 witnesses were sent to the concentration camps along with the Jews, and over 2,000 were killed. They have also fought many legal battles for the right to practice their faith. They still suffer from persecution in the Soviet Union.

Knowing what I know makes me more sympathetic to what they are going through, but at the same time, I know that they would do everything in their power to try to convert me. They would be nice about it. I know because I have...