Myths about Jehovah's Witnesses. Facts about Jehovah's Witnesses, or how they are trying to deceive you. Myths and facts

It is important to understand that the word “sect” is not so much a religious term (it is extremely rarely used in the media in this sense), but an insulting label that is hung on religious minorities with the sole purpose of inciting religious hatred. Today, not only clergy, but even quite secular journalists and officials like to call Jehovah's Witnesses a sect, and none of them will ever explain what this word means.

The Latin word secta means only "direction, flow." Its Greek counterpart is the word "heresy", which originally also did not have the negative meaning that it later acquired in Greek theology. Initially, any religious, political and any other groups, including early Christians, were called sects. For example, in English the word "sect" is still quite neutral, which is why it is used in the main English translations of the Bible in the New Testament. For example, Jesus Christ himself is called "the leader of the Nazarene sect" (Acts 24:5, American Standard Version, International Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, King James Version). This is what their religious opponents called Christians, and this did not bother the Christians at all, because the Jews were also divided into several “sects” (Pharisees, Sadducees, Euseites, Therapeutics, etc.). The 2nd century Christian writer Tertullian, writing in Latin, himself more than once calls Christianity a sect without any negative connotation (“However, this is the essence of our teaching, this is the origin of our sect and our teaching with its Founder.” “Apology”, part 1, paragraph 21).

Myth 2: Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists

Recently, the propaganda and non-scientific term "totalitarian" has been replaced by a more specific "extremist" one; specific because extremist activity is quite clearly defined and prohibited by Russian law. Previously, in Russian legislation, only propaganda of superiority with calls for violence was considered extremism. It was impossible to attribute this to the Witnesses, because the Witnesses do not call for violence. What to do? As they say, if the mountain does not go to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain: in 2007, the paragraph about calls for violence was simply removed from the law. That is why the Ministry of Justice in 1998 and the Moscow Golovinsky Court in 2004 found no signs of extremist activity in the Witnesses, and after 2007 all courts, including the Supreme Court, find them. No wonder, because now one can safely recognize as extremists: any politicians who criticize their political opponents; sports fans who consider their team to be better than others; owners of foreign cars who scold the domestic auto industry; and even any child who considers his mother the best in the world. They all promote the superiority of something over something, even if they don't hurt a fly. It is clear without words that such an amendment was made at the suggestion of the church with a very specific purpose. Of course, this clause will be applied specifically, only to objectionable groups, so Spartak fans can sleep peacefully for now (although who knows, all of a sudden United Russia will become a sponsor of CSKA tomorrow).

Any sensible person understands how absurd it is to accuse of extremism people who in all warring countries were imprisoned for refusing to take up arms, who do not even send their children to boxing and karate clubs. This is by far the most successful move by opponents of religious freedom in Russia since the early 1990s. Recall how the definition of extremism sounds today (paragraph 1 of federal law No. 114 on countering extremist activity):

Extremist activity (extremism): the activity of public and religious associations in planning, organizing, preparing and committing actions aimed at promoting the exclusivity, superiority or inferiority of citizens on the basis of their attitude to religion, social, racial, national, religious or linguistic affiliation.

Myth 3: Jehovah's Witnesses make money and exploit people

Sectarians claim, and many journalists and officials sincerely believe, that the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses exists for a purely commercial purpose, in which the leadership shamelessly earns money for ordinary believers. At the same time, the authors of this myth do not bother to provide any evidence in support of it - for example, a list of expenses of the leaders of the organization.

Yes, Jehovah's Witnesses accept donations, but first, what church doesn't? At the same time, Witnesses accept donations only at their own meeting places and do not set up flashy collection boxes at railway stations and other public places.

Secondly, the Witnesses' donations go exclusively to the publication of literature and construction and missionary projects, and not to limousines and residences for the patriarch, as in one Russian religious organization. You can check this at any time, since their financial statements are always available to the tax authorities, including in our country. A small stratum of professional ministers of Jehovah's Witnesses (missionaries and traveling elders) receive a very modest sum for basic expenses only. The same applies to all volunteer servants of more than a hundred management complexes. Even the leaders of the organization live in general scorched living in more than modest conditions, as mentioned above.

Fourth, many people think that Jehovah's Witnesses have some kind of obligatory minimum donations. This is not true. There are no requirements, norms and rules in this regard, everyone donates as much as he can and wants. Moreover, donations are absolutely anonymous, so it is technically impossible to check who and how much has donated. In theory, a Jehovah's Witness can spend a lifetime not depositing a penny, and no one will know about it.

Myth 4: Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christians ("pseudo-Christians", "pseudo-religious organization")

There is no single and unambiguous definition of what is considered Christianity and what is not. Each denomination can interpret in its own way what is considered "truly Christian", while it is invariably inclined to associate with this concept what is peculiar to it alone. Jehovah's Witnesses are no exception.

Based on their criteria accepted by most scholars, Christianity is the recognition of the New Testament as God-given scripture and the recognition of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, Lord and Redeemer. In this sense, Jehovah's Witnesses are "full" Christians, as they consistently support both positions. For this reason, independent religious scholars classify them as Christian denominations.

Jehovah's Witnesses uphold word for word one of the early Christian creeds, the so-called apostolic, dating back to the 3rd or 4th century CE. e. It sounds like this:

I believe in God, the Father, the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, died and buried, descended into hell, on the third day resurrected from the dead, ascended into heaven, seated at the right hand of God, the almighty Father; He will come from there to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the flesh, and eternal life. Amen.

If Jehovah's Witnesses support the Christian creed of the third century, but are not Christians, then who were the contemporaries of this creed and its authors themselves?
Some do not like or do not understand the name "Jehovah", but this is the biblical name of God, which the Witnesses did not invent at all, but simply borrowed from the Russian Orthodox lexicon. Anyone who wants to verify this can open the official Orthodox Synodal translation of the Bible on the book of Exodus, chapter 15, verse 3. In the 19th century, this name was widely known in Russia, Russian poets used it in their work (see A. Pushkin, “ From a letter to Vigel"; V. Zhukovsky, "Bible"; V. Benediktov, "And now"). The name of God is recognized in one way or another by all Christian denominations, and the fact that the Witnesses place a little more emphasis on it than others does not in any way give reason to deny them the right to call themselves Christians.

It is often presented as a fact that Jehovah's Witnesses are some kind of Judaizing sect that does not recognize Jesus Christ and his divinity. This is not true. Jehovah's Witnesses reject only the doctrine of the trinity of God, in particular the special dogma of the "one-in-being" of the Son and the Father, which no serious specialist in the history of religion would call primordially Christian, since it took shape only by the 4th century AD. e. The very term "consubstantial" (Greek homoousia) was considered heretical as early as the 2nd century, since it was first used by Christian Gnostic heretics. In the modern version, the doctrine of the trinity was formulated only by the 5th century AD. e., when the so-called Athanasian creed appeared.

In addition to Jehovah's Witnesses, there are other denominations and independent churches that do not recognize the doctrine of the trinity, but no one denies them the right to call themselves Christians. For example, there are about 600 Unitarian churches in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Are they not Christians either?

Myth 5: Jehovah's Witnesses are banned in many countries

The activities of Jehovah's Witnesses are restricted in one way or another in 25 countries. These countries are found only in Africa and Asia. Usually these are fundamental totalitarian regimes, either Islamic (Saudi Arabia, UAE) or communist (China, North Korea) persuasion. Often in such countries, either all Christian denominations are banned, or all but a few of the most numerous, “traditional” ones. Even the Roman Catholic Church is banned in China.

On the other hand, the society of Jehovah's Witnesses operates legally in more than 200 countries and individual territories, including without exception the countries of Europe and the Americas. These are all democratic and most developing countries. In most of these countries, the Witnesses have been active for decades and are widely known as an established, accepted religion.

In Moscow and Taganrog, the Witnesses are not banned, as one sometimes hears. Their LROs were liquidated as legal entities, but no one forbade religion itself. In addition, this is an unprecedented legal conflict in which an organization is registered at the federal level, but does not have the right to register at the level of a subject of the Federation. On June 10, 2010, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg confirmed the groundlessness and unlawfulness of the ban on the Moscow community of Jehovah's Witnesses and ordered them to be compensated. For Taganrog, a similar decision will almost certainly be made.

Myth 6: Jehovah's Witnesses recruit (zombify) people

A rather meaningless reproach, since any religious scholar knows that missionary work is the flesh and blood of Christianity. Christianity therefore became a world religion because first Jesus, and then his apostles, went and publicly preached - as they would say today, "recruited." Jesus in Matthew 28:19 directly commanded his followers, "Go and make disciples of all nations." It is clear from the New Testament that the apostles took up this task responsibly and talked to people wherever they could (Acts 5:21; 16:13; 17:1; 20:20). Jehovah's Witnesses are just following their example. However, as usual, the concepts were replaced by the corresponding negatively colored terms, and today one can hear or read that Jehovah's Witnesses are engaged in "recruitment", "imposition" and even "zombie".

However, what is "recruitment" and how does it differ from "preaching"? What was Jesus Christ doing - recruiting or preaching? Zombie Christ people or not? You can ask these questions to those who use these terms and ask them to explain what they mean by them. If the preaching of the Gospel is called recruitment, then the Holy Scriptures must be rewritten, because the word "sermon" and its derivatives appear in it 128 times, but "recruitment" - not once. When such language is used by unbelieving (or conditionally believing) journalists, this can still be understood, but when representatives of the church act in this way, one can only sympathize with them. To accuse someone of following the example of Christ and the apostles, one must either not know Scripture at all, or deliberately blaspheme it.

Of course, it is normal if someone does not like the preaching activity of Jehovah's Witnesses. But, as President Medvedev said, it is necessary to fight legal nihilism. It is a fundamental principle of a legal society that if something is not prohibited by law, it cannot be publicly condemned. Neither in Russia, nor in any normal country, is it forbidden to ring the doorbell with a religious sermon (as well as with commercial offers, political campaigning, etc.), so you just need to respect the law and the legal rights of other people, even if you are with them in do not agree on something.

Myth 7: Jehovah's Witnesses take property, apartments and money away from people

Or, more simply, steal.

The argument about the criminal activities of the Witnesses was invented artificially (and it is known by whom), and this is an example of one of the lowest and dirtiest technologies in interfaith disputes. No court in the world has ever been able to prove the fact of organized illegal actions on the part of the Witnesses as a religious organization; in other words, that it is a criminal organization. This, of course, does not rule out the possibility of individual Witnesses committing crimes, but even such cases are extremely rare. In the city with a population of 100,000 where I lived, the police admitted that they had never filed a complaint against Jehovah's Witnesses. Even the Baptists were complained about, but never the Witnesses. That is why the sectarians have to take an alternative path - first to ban the literature of the Witnesses as allegedly extremist (and it does not matter that it is not banned in any civilized country), after which the Witnesses themselves - for its distribution.

The impeccable honesty of Jehovah's Witnesses is known to all who know them not from newspaper articles. Let us give just one of the many cases from which their attitude to other people's property is clear. This incident is recalled by Viktor Gudshmidt, a Witness who served time for his faith in Soviet camps. It was published in the Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses for 2008:

One day at the end of the working week, when we were sitting in the garden, a large sum of electrical goods was brought to our camp. The driver was not our brother, but was from our camp, and the forwarder was from another camp. Since the warehouse was closed and the storekeeper was on vacation, the Witnesses were asked to receive and unload this expensive item.

We unloaded and piled the goods near the warehouse, not far from the barracks where our brothers lived. The freight forwarder was very nervous because the goods were not accepted according to the invoice and that there was no signature of the storekeeper. However, the driver told him: “Don't be afraid, no one will touch anything here. You are in another country. Forget about what happens outside the camp. Take the watch off your hand, put it anywhere, and tomorrow you will find it there.”

Soon the camp authorities came and demanded that the car leave the camp. The freight forwarder was told: “Leave the invoices, and tomorrow you will come and pick them up.” The next morning, he arrived and wanted to enter the camp to have the invoices signed for him, when the guard handed him the already signed documents... For the first time in his life, he saw something like this: that without him they accepted an expensive product, signed the documents, and everything was fair . But the most interesting thing is that this happened in a special regime camp, where "especially dangerous criminals" were serving their sentences. No matter how the propaganda against the Witnesses worked, when something like this happened, those around them clearly understood who the Jehovah's Witnesses really were.

The crystal honesty of Jehovah's Witnesses is their calling card, known throughout the world. Lost and found at their conventions, you can turn in a wallet with any amount of money, which will be returned to the owner. In their management centers there are "shops" where employees themselves put money into the cash register without any supervision. There are firms in many countries that employ only Witnesses. All these are known facts, which are most likely known to the authors of the myth of the Witness-Thieves. The problem is that they (the authors) do not want these facts to become known to the public.

Myth 8: Jehovah's Witnesses destroy families

To see the depth of this delusion, it is enough to compare the divorce rate among Jehovah's Witnesses. In countries where the divorce rate is more than 50%, this figure among Witnesses does not exceed 15%, and this includes those who are divorced before becoming Jehovah's Witnesses. During a survey conducted in Moscow, it was found that the vast majority of Witnesses categorically do not accept divorce. It suffices to compare this with the more than liberal attitude toward divorce among the Orthodox masses of Russians (see the sociological study of the Witnesses above on this page).

And here is what was written in the American Ethnologist magazine:

Jehovah's Witnesses are better than members of other faiths in maintaining a strong marriage bond.

By the way, in the context of the topic of the notorious “breaking up of families”, the following fact is interesting: in India, where discrimination against Christian denominations is legally enshrined in many states, exactly the same set of accusations are applied to these denominations: the destruction of families, undermining the traditional cultural foundations of society, etc. At the same time, we are talking about the most traditional and world confessions, such as Catholicism. This makes one think deeply about the true origins of such "anti-family" rhetoric; over how much of it is occupied by humanitarian motives and how much - by national-political ones.

Jehovah's Witnesses are among the most family-oriented religions. The lion's share of their publications is devoted to how to properly and Christianly resolve family troubles. Divorce is allowed only in the most extreme cases, such as adultery or physical abuse by one of the spouses. By the way, the same reasons are allowed in the Orthodox Church. There can be no question of any divorce due to a discrepancy between the religious beliefs of the spouses. The Witness will never leave his family because of his new religious beliefs, but will try to get along with relatives with love and respect if they prevent him from living in harmony with the faith. Believing children and adolescents whose parents do not share their faith are advised to be obedient and respectful of their parents even when the latter's behavior is far from Christian. The abuse of time in favor of anything, including religious service, is condemned if it comes at the expense of family and parental responsibilities. In Japan, the newspapers once wrote admiringly of a Witness father who turned down an outstanding career offer for the sake of his family: in a country where careers are a top priority for many, this is highly unusual.

the psychology of the modern Russian layman: there are good and bad religions, even if he cannot explain how they differ.
Myth 9: Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions, which is a direct attempt on health and life

The position of Jehovah's Witnesses regarding blood is primarily religious, based on the Bible verses Genesis 9:4, Deuteronomy 12:16, and Acts 15:28. It is fully consistent with the position of the early Christians, who refused to accept blood in any form. Christian thinker 2nd c. n. e. Clement of Alexandria writes: “Man has no right to touch blood, since his own body is nothing but flesh formed from blood.” There are other sources confirming that the first Christians did not allow the ingestion of someone else's blood. Yes, at that time blood transfusion was unknown, but is there a fundamental difference in how blood is taken into the body: through the mouth or in some other way? Interestingly, another 2nd century Christian thinker, Minucius Felix, condemned the medical use of blood as well: great evil." Knowing this attitude of the early Christians to blood, there can be no doubt that they would not have agreed to accept it into the body surgically.

Before delving into the complexities of this issue, it is important to understand the following: Witnesses do not refuse treatment at all, but seek treatment that does not include blood transfusions. This is a big difference both in essence and in content. Jehovah's Witnesses demand the use of alternative therapies that do not involve blood transfusions, and such treatments exist in abundance; moreover, they are safer and more effective. This is a conscious religious position, which corresponds to the principle of the patient's right to informed choice. This right - to choose forms of treatment - is enshrined in the laws of all democratic countries.

The position of critics of Jehovah's Witnesses is illogical and ambiguous. Even if we accept that Jehovah's Witnesses, as an organization, promote some methods of treatment, in this case, alternatives to blood transfusion, then what is illegal in this? Since when did it become a violation of the law to favor one method over another and publicly defend this position? Will critics just as well ban a conventional medical organization if it promotes alternatives to blood transfusions? Then it is necessary to ban any organization and any scientist who advocates one medical methods and techniques as opposed to others.

It is also important to understand that in Russia the problem around Witnesses and blood is artificially inflated. There are only a few real cases when someone has proven to have died from the fact that he did not receive a blood transfusion, but the number of cases of dangerous infections and deaths as a result of blood transfusion is huge. This suggests that the problem is 99% ecclesiastical and propaganda in nature, and only 1% medical and legal. Let's look at several aspects of this topic.

Blood transfusions are being refused in some Jewish circles. There are many cases when Jews in Siberia refused to drink the blood of a deer, rich in vitamins, and died of beriberi. There is a lot of controversy in Judaism and Islam around organ transplants. Or let's take such a provision of Islam as a ban on autopsy - again a whole bunch of legal, medical and ethical problems. And why does no one sound the alarm about the prohibition of alcohol in Islam? Medico-religious issues exist in many religions, if not all, but nowhere does it cause such violent indignation as in Russia, where it is used as a convenient propaganda tool against objectionable religious minorities.

Voluntary refusal of a patient from a blood transfusion is not a violation of the law. Sometimes reference is made to section 14.2 of the Law on Freedom of Conscience, which prohibits "inducing religiously motivated refusals to provide medical care." However, Jehovah's Witnesses do not persuade others to refuse, but refuse themselves; From a legal point of view, this is a big difference. Every decision a believer makes in favor of one choice or another is his personal decision. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses expresses only a theological position, to follow or not is a personal matter for everyone. Statements that the Witnesses “forbid” someone or “incline” someone to something are devoid of legal meaning: Witnesses refuse blood themselves, but do not demand it from others. Of course, if Jehovah's Witnesses broke into hospitals and forbade doctors from transfusing someone's blood, it would be illegal. But there is no such thing. Witnesses in their publications correctly and civilly explain the theological, medical and ethical aspects of blood transfusion, and each patient decides for himself whether to accept their point of view or not.

Moreover, the law just requires physicians to obtain written permission from the patient before transfusion. The Fundamentals of the RF legislation on the protection of the health of citizens (p. 30-33) states that medical intervention cannot be carried out without the prior voluntary informed consent of the patient, who may refuse this or that medical intervention, regardless of his motives and the opinion of doctors. Therefore, the failure of doctors to obtain the patient's consent cannot in any way be interpreted as a violation of the aforementioned paragraph 14.2 of the Law on Freedom of Conscience.

Further, the argument about Witnesses and blood is inherently based on low public awareness. When critics write that the Witnesses forbid transfusions and are therefore guilty of contempt for life, they do not undertake to prove that blood transfusions can save lives, and refusal to transfuse can kill. They assume it goes without saying. Meanwhile, in reality, the situation is extremely ambiguous and often directly opposite.

Myth 10. Jehovah's Witnesses admit nothing.

We must say that this is a complete slander. It is necessary, firstly, to sort out the question of what we recognize and what we do not recognize. First, let's look from the point of view of theological issues, in matters of faith. As if we do not recognize the cross of Christ, the feast of Easter, we forbid celebrating birthdays, and so on.

Cross of Christ. No, why do we recognize the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified. How can we not recognize it when in our publications we depict Jesus Christ crucified on the cross. The Bible clearly says this: (John 19:17, Matt. 27:32, Mark 15:21, Luke 23:26, Cor. 1:18)

Holy Spirit. We recognize the Holy Spirit as such. This is God's grace, this is precisely the Divine power that comes from Jehovah God. We do not humiliate the Holy Spirit. Yes, that's right, he can testify (John 15:26), instruct (John 16:13), speak (Acts 13:2), predict (Acts 21:10-11), grieve (Is. 63:10 ), distributes gifts to each Christian as He pleases (1 Cor. 12:11).
But here you just need to understand the question, is the Holy Spirit really the active force of God? After all, for example, when you turn on the light, it comes from a light bulb, but the light itself is not a light bulb, is it? So? Therefore, at the moment, the light from the light bulb is just the acting force. Just Jehovah through the Holy Spirit and communicates with people. We say "radio talks". But in fact, it is not the radio itself that talks, but the announcer speaks. So is the Holy Spirit. He is the active force of God. Indeed, in the creed it is said, “I believe in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father”

Easter. We recognize the very term "Easter" and the holiday as such (Numbers 9:1-7). Yes, this holiday was established by Jehovah himself through the prophet Moses. The Bible is very clear about him. This is how Easter is mentioned in the New Testament. Jesus also celebrated Passover.

Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was resurrected on the third day after his execution. Jesus rose bodily. The fact that he allegedly resurrected only spiritually is not true. Long before his suffering on the Cross, Christ predicted that he would rise bodily: “Jesus answered them: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up…. But he spoke of the temple of his body” (John 2:19, 21). It is quite obvious that His body was the same. It could not be destroyed by smoldering or decomposed into gases. “He whom God raised up saw no corruption” (Acts 13:37). And this was predicted by the prophet David (Ps. 15:8-11), whose words were quoted by the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost: “For you will not leave my soul in hell and you will not let your holy one see corruption ... resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, and His flesh did not see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, of which we are all witnesses” (Acts 2:27, 31-32). So, Holy Scripture testifies that the Lord rose again in the same body in which he suffered and died, and will appear in his Second glorious Coming.

Holidays: family, calendar, etc. We do not prohibit celebrating family or calendar holidays. Please. Whoever wants to celebrate. Birthdays, March 8, May 9, September 1, New Year, Weddings…. Etc. That we don't really acknowledge. We do not recognize pagan holidays. For example Maslenitsa, Halloween, jumping over a fire, Ivan Kupala, Valentine's Day and Christmas. Because Jesus didn't say that Christians should celebrate his birthday, and Jesus was not actually born on December 25th, he was born around October 1st. Scientists talk about it.

Heaven and Hell. Immortality of the Soul. We acknowledge the existence of Heaven, Hell, life after death. The soul is immortal. Yes it is. Shortly before the sufferings of the Savior, the Sadducees, who denied the immortality of the soul and any afterlife retribution, tried to tempt Him, but they heard in response that the existence of a person does not end in death, because “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for with him all are alive” ( Luke 20:38).

In the Old Testament, death was understood not as complete annihilation, but as the removal of the body from the soul and the descent of the soul into hell. The fact that conscious existence continued there is evident from the prophecy of Isaiah, in which Hell was presented as filled with living beings, all-conscious and all-understanding souls. “Hell of the underworld has come into motion for the sake of You Rephaim, all the leaders of the earth; lifted up all the kings of the Gentiles from their thrones. All of them will say to you: and you have become powerless, like us! And You became like us!” (Is. 14:9-10) - the prophet addresses the king of Babylon.

In one of the very long old articles by Anton Chivchalov, a Jehovah's Witness and blogger-ideologist-apologist, such "myths about Jehovah's Witnesses" are "understood".

Myths from the list of Chivchalov ()

Myth 1: Jehovah's Witnesses are a sect

Myth 2: Jehovah's Witnesses are a dangerous, "destructive" and "totalitarian" sect

Myth 3: Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists

Myth 4: Jehovah's Witnesses are a commercial organization

Myth 5: Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christians ("pseudo-Christians", "pseudo-religious organization")

Myth 6: Jehovah's Witnesses are banned in many countries

Myth 7: Jehovah's Witnesses recruit (zombify) people

Myth 8: Jehovah's Witnesses take property, apartments and money away from people

Myth 9: Jehovah's Witnesses destroy families

Myth 10: Jehovah's Witnesses refuse medical treatment
________________________________________ ______________________

I made my list myths of the Jehovah's Witnesses themselves, in which they believe and which they try to teach other people.

Myth 1: “We study the Bible. We know her better than anyone else."

Myth 2: "We love the truth."

Myth 3: “We only obey God.”

Myth 4: "We don't get involved in politics."

Myth 5: We love our enemies.

Myth 6: "Our organization is not for profit."

Myth 7: "Our activities are far from extremism."

Myth 8: "Our religion is good for society."

Myth 9: "We cast out only unrepentant sinners."

Myth 10: "We don't have a paid clergy."

Myth 11: "Our struggle is spiritual, not against people."

Myth 12: "We don't have idolatry."

Myth 13: "We are humble, we do not consider ourselves superior to other people."

Myth 14: "Our activity is absolutely safe for the state."

I think that this list of myths of Jehovah's Witnesses is by no means complete. But for now, I'll stick with this one.

I will try to disassemble these myths not too long.

Myth 1: “We study the Bible. We know her better than anyone else."

Let's check how well you personally, as a Jehovah's Witness, know something that is quite important for understanding the Bible. Here are some (just a few questions):

1. In which Bible verse does the word "sa-tan" refer to David, who later became the king of Israel? Are there other verses in the Old Testament where this word refers to people?

2. Who was by origin (and / or profession) a) the writer of the book of Ezekiel, b) Ezra, c) Jeremiah, d) Samuel, e) whose descendant was Zephaniah. Well, that's enough for a start. The list goes on. The answers are in the bible.

3. How different are the “genealogies” of Jesus Christ in the gospel of Matthew and the gospel of Luke?

4. How does the theme of slavery, literal and "spiritual" run throughout the Bible? Where does it start and how does it continue? What places in the Bible show that God was on the side of the oppressors?

5. What books of the Bible are attributed to someone else's authorship (this is called pseudepigrapha)?

The questions can go on and on. If you cannot answer them and see the connection between the answers, you do not know the Bible, do not understand it, and, moreover, cannot understand its essence. These questions are not the most difficult, rather easy.

What then do Jehovah's Witnesses study? Jehovah's Witnesses, under the guise of "studying the Bible," study and repeat other people's interpretations, which they are taught to study and repeat. Independent research with deviations in understanding and conclusions, not in accordance with the teachings of the ideological writers of the organization, is not only not welcome, but, with a high degree of probability, when discussed with others, will lead to expulsion from the organization, as well as a boycott of such "researchers ". They will be declared "apostates" and, in fact, "heretics", not to mention other labels.

Therefore, we can safely say that Jehovah's Witnesses study OTHER TEACHINGS and INTERPRETATIONS, and not the Bible itself and what is connected with it. These interpretations can be studied for years and believed in myths without understanding the essence. Although the essence is "under the nose."

Myth 2: "We love the truth."

The next myth that Jehovah's Witnesses firmly believe in. In his mind he is confused. Witnesses "truth" call their teachings (their totality), as well as the truth.

As for the first - I leave it alone. I wrote above that these are just interpretations that have nothing to do with truth-truth.
But do Jehovah's Witnesses love the "truth"? I believe this is a myth. Do not like.

Why do I think so? In order to understand the "truth" you need to consider different points of view, including the opposite. Jehovah's Witnesses avoid and learn to avoid everything that is different and can be argued from the opposite side. They do not engage in open discussions where they feel weak. They expel from the organization anyone who begins to show the falsity of any teaching or statement of ideological leaders. And because the fact that they "love the truth" is a myth.

Myth 3: “We only obey God.”

This is how the majority of members of this organization of Jehovah's Witnesses believe and again, are trained to believe. What the ideologists interpret to them is presented as "the truth from God." If ideologues decide what needs to be interpreted differently, they declare it a "new light" and launch a "new understanding". If it is necessary to return to the “old light”, they again declare it to be “new light” after a while and again trigger the necessary understanding, without remembering that it was “old” and replaced by “new”. Very comfortable position of manipulators. At the same time, everything is presented as acquired with the help of the “holy spirit of God” and with his “blessing”. As a result, Jehovah's Witnesses only listen to their volatile, manipulative interpreters. So "obedience to God", which, according to the belief of the Witnesses, "does not change" - this is again a myth. There is no "old light, new light, old light" with God.

Myth 4: "We don't get involved in politics."

A very strong myth among Jehovah's Witnesses, who firmly believe in it. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that NOT-participation in politics is NOT-participation in public holidays, political events, elections, military service, saluting state symbols, and something else. That is, Jehovah's Witnesses, as individual believers, proclaim non-participation in politics and their "neutrality". But this is only partly true.

Jehovah's Witnesses in their mass do not understand that in a number of cases "INACTION" = ACTION. I give an example. The man got sick. There is a Witness doctor nearby. If a doctor (Witness or not) does not provide urgent assistance to a person, then this will be considered as CRIMINAL INACTION, which is equal to the action - refusal to provide assistance.

In absolutely the same way, the authorities consider some INACTION in difficult times for the state, when the life and health of citizens, as well as the interests of the state, may be under serious threat. But that's not all.

Jehovah's Witnesses become participants in the information-ideological war. Yes, they do not act by force, and they are not trained to do so. But they are trained to conduct ideological work and actively carry it out. Below, analyzing the following myths, I will show how this affects the situation in society and in the state. Whether their high leadership is somehow involved in politics in other ways - most ordinary Witnesses do not know and are unlikely to find out in an open form.

Myth 5: We love our enemies.

Jehovah's Witnesses have several "enemies". Firstly, these are “false religions” (“Babylon the Great” according to their teachings), or, simply speaking, other ideologies, especially religious ones. It is their Witnesses who must destroy and fight them “spiritually” in the opinion of their manipulative ideologists. Therefore, the most influential religions in the country become the main "enemies". For example, in Russia it is the Russian Orthodox Church, and in Catholic countries it is the Catholic Church.

The next "enemy" of the Witnesses is "this evil world." Simply put, these are points of view that do not fit into the religious picture of the world of a member of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses. Such views, if they are in particular diametrically opposed to the beliefs and ideas of Jehovah's Witnesses, will be condemned and presented as "wrong, perverted, sinful."

According to the beliefs of the Witnesses (and the idea of their religious ideologists with justification “according to the Bible”), this world is ruled by Satan, as well as his power, especially if this power does not favor the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses. So the next "enemy", if it begins to restrict the activities of this group, is the authorities and officials of this state or locality. True, the Witnesses will not arrange a literal revolution, but by their positions and teachings they can create a negative image of the authorities, not understanding that the authorities should protect other fellow citizens and the interests of the state as an entity, and not the interests of any one organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, especially if these interests diverge radically.

Some of the worst "enemies" of Jehovah's Witnesses are "apostates" and "adversaries." These people are often well acquainted with the activities and teachings of this organization and can effectively counter it in the information-ideological war-confrontation. These people know the weaknesses of this organization, know its teachings, know and understand the psychology of Jehovah's Witnesses, can find weighty arguments and rebuttals in discussions, and therefore are demonized in every possible way by the leaders of this organization, again using the bible and inflating the "satanic position" in these individuals .

That is, if you look more closely, then "enemies" are all those who "resist the truth" and are not potential "bible students" for Jehovah's Witnesses. Only the degree of "hostility" and "danger" is different. Depending on the position in relation to the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.

How “love for enemies” is manifested is absolutely not clear. The position is often hostile. In relation to other religions - intolerant. In relation to the decisions of the authorities, which restrict the Witnesses due to negative influences in society, the same is true. In relation to society - a position of isolation and condemnation in many aspects. In relation to people who have departed or who dispute the “truth” of the teachings of the Witnesses, it is extremely hostile. Then what is "love"?

In the next post, I will continue to analyze the myths of Jehovah's Witnesses. Wait for the continuation.

Continuation "

If you ask an ordinary person what he knows about Jehovah's Witnesses, then most likely you will hear in response that this is such a sect. For many, it may be a discovery that Jehovah's Witnesses exist quite legally in almost all countries, and in some - for more than a hundred years. The Watchtower and Awake! this religious organization generally got into the Guinness Book of Records as the most massive with a circulation of 46 and 36 million copies monthly!

In a number of European countries, Jehovah's Witnesses are generally one of the main religions - in Italy it is the second largest Christian denomination after the Catholic Church, in Germany - the third after the Catholic and Lutheran. In Russia, the situation is more tense, although the number of adherents of this faith exceeds 100,000 people.

Back in 1991, Jehovah's Witnesses were officially recognized in Russia as victims of political Stalinist repressions, after which the Ministry of Justice even registered this religious organization. However, in the 1990s, “soft” repressions were resumed against these people - the terms “totalitarian sect” and simply “sect” flashed in the press every now and then.

A huge number of propagandists, sectologists and simply accusers immediately appeared, who began to fan the flame of religious intransigence. But the number of Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia numbers in the tens of thousands! Do critics know that the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses is international and the largest of all Protestant organizations in Russia? It is not surprising that the issue of perception of the trend is quite acute, which is why the main myths about Jehovah's Witnesses should be debunked.

Jehovah's Witnesses are such a sect. The term "sect" itself is not so much a religious concept as an insulting label that is often attached to religious minorities. This word is now happily hung by both clergy and journalists on Jehovah's Witnesses, although few people understand the true meaning of the term. Translated from Latin, secta means "flow" or "direction". The Greek analogue of the word is the term "heresy", which also initially did not have the negative meaning that it has now acquired. Initially, political, religious groups were called sects, even the early Christians were called that! And in the English language the word "sect" and now does not carry a negative connotation. But in Russian, only negative associations are associated with this word. Under Soviet rule, religious groups hostile to the state system were called so contemptuously. Naturally, the sects were considered enemies of the people, collaborating with foreign intelligence services. As a result, the neutral term was compromised, and today Russian religious scholars try not to use it. All over the world it is customary to use the word "sect" as a designation of one of the types of religious organizations. "Religious Encyclopedic Dictionary" says that the main difference between a sect and a church is the rejection of the world, the lack of bureaucratic organization and less formalized worship. But Jehovah's Witnesses do not have aversion to the world - they lead an ordinary life without going to a monastery, there is no vow of celibacy and rejection of worldly entertainment. Divine services are also quite formalized, and there is a bureaucracy of its own. There is theological opposition to Catholicism and Orthodoxy, but this feature is inherent in all Protestant churches, which no one calls sects. Yes, and Jehovah's Witnesses do not have a charismatic leader, their activities are open, consistent with the laws. In some countries it is not even a religious minority. That is why most independent religious scholars do not classify this religion as a sect. It is noteworthy that in the official resolution of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church "On pseudo-Christian sects" of 1994, Jehovah's Witnesses are not mentioned in this list.

Jehovah's Witnesses are a destructive organization with a totalitarian bent. It would be a mistake to call this organization a totalitarian sect, since such a concept does not exist at all. And the term was coined by very specific people who, on this basis, organized a movement to fight this invisible enemy. Facts about hundreds of thousands of destroyed families remain fiction. Nowhere in the world are Jehovah's Witnesses identified with dangerous cults and sects. In 1999, an official examination was carried out by the Ministry of Justice of Russia, in which it was directly stated that the actions and documents of the organization did not contain any calls for violence and inciting racial, national and religious hatred. A sociological examination carried out within the framework of the court in 1998 revealed that the dogma does not have any negative impact on intra-family relations, moreover, a beneficial effect on those who are in a state of mental crisis is inherent. Psychological examination showed that being in a community has a positive effect on intrapersonal attitudes. And the linguistic text of religious literature did not reveal any calls for evasion of duties established by law, on the contrary, there are calls for obedience to the law. Based on the foregoing, the court did not find anything illegal in the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses, and no signs of extremist activity were found. As for the accusations of other churches about totalitarianism, we can recall the wars of conquest by Muslim armies, civil strife in the Orthodox clergy, persecution and the Inquisition. Often, the concept of a totalitarian organization is understood as a certain style of managing it, which provides for tight control over the lives of members of the organization, the presence of a group of prohibitions and restrictions, as well as the existence of a system of punishments. The term "zombie" is also included in the term, finally intimidating unprepared listeners. In fact, Jehovah's Witnesses encourage people to align their lives with the Word of God. Naturally, the agreement also carries a number of limitations. However, the fundamental absence of restrictions is a kind of nihilism. In all world religions, there are hundreds of restrictions, sometimes very severe, but no one is in a hurry to declare them totalitarian. Below we will consider a group of myths that definitively debunk the idea of the totalitarianism of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Jehovah's Witnesses oppose the state. Speaking about the opposition of totalitarian sects to the state, it is forgotten that not a single church puts the values of the world above its faith, even in Orthodoxy it is said that the Church can refuse to obey if she is forced to deviate from her faith. Jehovah's Witnesses do not call for the overthrow of the system, on the contrary, their faith implies obedience to the state, as long as it does not require betrayal of its faith.

Jehovah's Witnesses exercise excessive control over people's personalities. The usual argument to support this fact is that Witnesses are prohibited from associating with expelled former members of the organization. However, similar norms exist in other religions, even in Orthodoxy: "If someone prays with someone who has been excommunicated from church communion, even if it was in the house: let such one be excommunicated (Apostolic Canons, 10)." Islam says: "Do not take Jews and Christians as friends: they are friends to one another" (Sura 5:51). In a number of Islamic countries, in general, conversion to another faith can be punishable by death.

Jehovah's Witnesses have a centralized management style, which indicates their totalitarianism. Today, this style is commonly referred to as the vertical of power. In general, the more traditional a religion is, the better organized it is. Such a centralized structure is characteristic of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. In them, the patriarch is practically a king, and his word carries the function of law. Without the blessing of a spiritual father, an ordinary parishioner cannot even take a step. Today, the bishop can single-handedly dissolve the Parish Assembly and convene it again at his own discretion. And the reason can be very formal - non-compliance with canonical rules. So, while scolding the Witnesses for their vertical structure, one should also scold other religions in the same way. Whether such a control system is good or not is another question.

Jehovah's Witnesses provoke their adherents to commit suicide. In many ways, people are afraid of sects because they allegedly provoke suicide in people with a weak psyche. However, people who have been studying Jehovah's Witnesses for many years note that there are only a few cases of suicide among them, and even then among those who have suffered from depression for a long time. Such statistics, of course, are not enough to confirm this myth. Again, double standards can be mentioned - in Lutheranism there were cases of suicides to prove their faith, during the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca hundreds of people die every year, there are stories of self-immolation by Russian Old Believers. However, no one is in a hurry to declare these religions as sects.

It is impossible to voluntarily leave Jehovah's Witnesses. In the community, the victim is allegedly entangled in "tentacles" and finally loses his will. There are also rumors that anyone who leaves the community will be punished. It is not surprising that against this background, centers for the rehabilitation of victims of sects appear. In fact, there are quite a few people who, at one fine moment, simply got tired of being Witnesses and simply left the community. No one forced them to return, cursed or threatened them with reprisals. In general, in any country keeping a person in such an organization against his will is considered a crime. Jehovah's Witnesses do not have problems with law enforcement agencies. It would be naive to believe that the Witnesses have been operating under the noses of European and American authorities for more than a hundred years, and that they are blind, not noticing the criminal nature. Entering the community is very difficult, it requires serious changes, but leaving, simply by changing your views, is easy. Such a step is no more difficult to make than in other churches.

Jehovah's Witnesses conduct extremist activities. Recently, more and more often, instead of the concept of "totalitarian" there is a new one - "extremist". Such a specific word is understandable, because this activity is clearly defined and prohibited by law. However, such an accusation is ridiculous - after all, Jehovah's Witnesses are one of the most pacifist denominations, they do not send their children to boxing and karate circles, and they are even persecuted for refusing to fight. However, in our country, an alternative service is provided for them. However, sectologists consider the very condemnation by the Witnesses of certain human actions as extremist. But in this case, we are all extremists, because we condemn other people, forbidding children to associate with bad children. Yes, and any religion explains which actions are right and which are not. Even Christianity directly denies salvation to Muslims, since they do not recognize the dogmas about Christ.

Jehovah's Witnesses have a commercial interest in their activities. This myth implies that the activity of the community is aimed at making a profit. Non-commercial activity is in no way connected with either the production of goods or the production of services; accordingly, there is no goal of making a profit in it. As for the Jehovah's Witnesses, we can say that they consistently oppose profit-making from religious activities. All their activities are fully sponsored by voluntary donations. And this is easy to verify, since the financial statements of the communities have never been hidden. Literature has always been supplied either free of charge or at cost (as required by some laws), classes are also free. Any commercial activity is prohibited in the meeting places of believers. Against the background of other confessions, this distinguishes the Witnesses. They do not have church shops and do not provide liturgical services for money. Any waste of personal funds of the community for personal purposes is prohibited. The leaders of the Witnesses live in modest conditions and participate equally with everyone in public works. This can be seen during a tour of the New York World Community Center. Yes, and in all the charters of the organization this is spelled out, therefore there are no facts confirming this myth.

Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christians, but rather a pseudo-Christian organization. There is no single and unambiguous concept of who can be considered a Christian and who is not. Each denomination has its own opinion on this matter, usually invariably associated with this concept is what is characteristic of them. In this case, Jehovah's Witnesses are no exception. Most scholars accept the following criteria - recognition as God's writings of the New Testament and Jesus as the son of God. But in this aspect, the Witnesses are full members of the family of Christian denominations. This community upholds word for word the Apostolic Creed dating back to the 3rd century. The word Jehovah hurts the ears of many, but this is just the biblical name of God, not invented by the Witnesses, but borrowed by them from the Orthodox lexicon. It is often said that the Witnesses do not recognize Jesus and his divinity, but this is not the case. They simply reject the doctrine of the trinity of God, in particular the dogma of the oneness of the Son and the Father. By the way, such a belief can hardly be called primordially Christian, since it took shape only by the 4th century. In addition to Jehovah's Witnesses, there are many other independent churches and denominations that do not recognize the doctrine of the trinity. Only in North America there are about 600 of them. However, no one denies them the right to be called Christians.

In many countries, Jehovah's Witnesses are banned altogether. One way or another, their activities are really limited in 25 states of Asia and Africa. But these are either countries with totalitarian regimes or Islamic persuasion (Saudi Arabia), or communist (North Korea). In such countries, either all Christian denominations are often banned altogether, or only traditional ones are allowed. What can I say - in China, the Roman Catholic Church is banned. But in more than 200 countries and individual territories, Jehovah's Witnesses operate legally, including all of Europe and the Americas. As can be seen in all democratic and most developing countries, the community is not at all forbidden. Moreover, states support this movement in every possible way, for example, in Sweden, the Witnesses are officially allowed not to perform military service, in France about 50 associations are exempt from taxation, in Greece and Romania they are given the status of a "recognized religion", and in Italy an agreement has been signed with the government. The activities of the community are not prohibited even in Cuba and Belarus.

Jehovah's Witnesses are engaged in recruiting people and their subsequent zombification. This statement is meaningless, primarily because missionary work in itself is the blood and flesh of Christianity. That is why it became a world religion - Jesus, and then the apostles publicly preached, today they would say that they "recruited" their flock. Jesus commanded his apostles to preach, what is wrong with Jehovah's Witnesses following their example? Today, in relation to them, there is simply a substitution of concepts. Did Jesus Christ preach or did he recruit? Did he zombify people or not? Today, the state is beginning to fight legal nihilism, therefore, it is impossible to publicly condemn what is not prohibited by law. In no normal country is it forbidden to ring the doorbell with a religious sermon. The preaching activity of Orthodox priests is welcome, why should we ban the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses? Zombies, however, could not be confirmed by any specialist, it simply does not exist! Even the methods of NLP, which are so prevalent in today's society, are not taught to the Witnesses. Their whole activity consists in reading Bible quotations to people and offering relevant literature. And what kind of zombies can we talk about if joining the ranks of the community provides for the rejection of alcohol, smoking, deceit, foul language, etc.? How can one influence a person so that he is cleansed of this, and why, then, does the state not use these methods, at least in matters of re-educating asocial elements?

Jehovah's Witnesses take away people's property, apartments and money. Admirers of this myth, simply put, accuse the members of the community of theft. Such an argument is artificially invented, it is an example of the use of dirty technologies in interfaith disputes. No court in the world has ever been able to prove organized crime. In fact, the crystal honesty of Jehovah's Witnesses is their business card, which is known throughout the world. It can be mentioned that their administrative centers have shops in which people themselves put the required amount into the cashier. And in many countries there are enterprises where only Witnesses are employed at all. These are all well-known facts that many prefer not to notice.

Families are destroyed by Jehovah's Witnesses. To refute this myth, one should look at the divorce statistics among Jehovah's Witnesses. In those countries where in ordinary families this figure exceeds 50% among members of the community, it is no more than 15%, while this includes those who have already divorced before joining the organization. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of Witnesses categorically reject divorce, better than others while maintaining marital ties. It is interesting that, for example, in India, traditional Christian denominations, in particular Catholicism, are also accused of destroying families. Jehovah's Witnesses are one of the most family-oriented religions. Most of the publications in their press are devoted to how to correctly and Christianly resolve emerging family troubles. Divorce remains the most extreme cases, only in the case of infidelity or physical abuse by one of the spouses. A witness has no right to leave his family if his views are not accepted in it. Believing children and teenagers are encouraged to respect and listen to their parents, even if the behavior is far from Christian morality. In Japan, they wrote with admiration about a Witness who gave up his career for the sake of his family, in this country such a step looks rather unusual. All this is bearing fruit - in many countries, the publications of the Witnesses are even used in government educational programs. Agree, it is ridiculous and absurd against this background to hear about the destruction of families by the community.

Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions, as this is allegedly a direct attempt on their lives. This position is of a religious nature and corresponds to the position of the early Christians, who refused to accept blood in any form, which is evidenced by the thinkers of that time. It is important to understand the following - Witnesses do not refuse treatment in principle, they are simply trying to find a method that would not include a blood transfusion. That is why they ask to use alternative methods, which, by the way, exist, moreover, they are more effective and safer. Such a conscious religious position corresponds to the rights of the patient, which is enshrined in the legislation of all democratic countries. How can you criticize the Witnesses for preferring one method over another, even accepting that there is some kind of propaganda going on in doing so. In this case, by analogy, everyone who preaches alternative methods of treatment should be banned. This topic is deliberately inflated, there are only a few proven cases of death from non-transfusion, but the number of infections and complications introduced is enormous. Thus, it is obvious that the problem is predominantly of a church-propaganda nature, and not of a medical-legal nature. But there are similar trends in other religions as well. So, the same transfusion is refused in some Jewish circles, Judaism and Islam are ambivalent about organ transplantation, in Islam there is a ban on autopsy and even alcohol is prohibited there! But nowhere is there such indignation towards this problem as in Russia. Meanwhile, voluntary refusal of blood transfusion is not a violation of the law. Moreover, the Witnesses do not urge others to do the same, they simply refuse themselves, making a personal choice. And blood transfusion itself is not always a panacea, for example, in the United States in the 70s, 3,500 people per year died from hepatitis caused by blood transfusion, but today the problem has worsened due to the spread of AIDS. The expediency of the blood transfusion itself is now being questioned, with the exception of the case with a large blood loss. So do not look at Jehovah's Witnesses as suicidal fanatics who refuse the benefits of modern medicine. Today more and more people are refusing blood transfusions, in the US Witnesses make up only 15% of them.

March 18th, 2014 05:06 am

In one of the very long old articles by Anton Chivchalov, a Jehovah's Witness and blogger-ideologist-apologist, such "myths about Jehovah's Witnesses" are "understood".

Myths from the list of Chivchalov ()

Myth 1: Jehovah's Witnesses are a sect

Myth 2: Jehovah's Witnesses are a dangerous, "destructive" and "totalitarian" sect

Myth 3: Jehovah's Witnesses are extremists

Myth 4: Jehovah's Witnesses are a commercial organization

Myth 5: Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christians ("pseudo-Christians", "pseudo-religious organization")

Myth 6: Jehovah's Witnesses are banned in many countries

Myth 7: Jehovah's Witnesses recruit (zombify) people

Myth 8: Jehovah's Witnesses take property, apartments and money away from people

Myth 9: Jehovah's Witnesses destroy families

Myth 10: Jehovah's Witnesses refuse medical treatment
________________________________________ ______________________

I made my list myths of the Jehovah's Witnesses themselves, in which they believe and which they try to teach other people.

Myth 1: “We study the Bible. We know her better than anyone else."

Myth 2: "We love the truth."

Myth 3: “We only obey God.”

Myth 4: "We don't get involved in politics."

Myth 5: We love our enemies.

Myth 7: "Our activities are far from extremism."

Myth 8: "Our religion is good for society."

Myth 9: "We cast out only unrepentant sinners."

Myth 10: "We don't have a paid clergy."

I think that this list of myths of Jehovah's Witnesses is by no means complete. But for now, I'll stick with this one.

I will try to disassemble these myths not too long.

Myth 1: “We study the Bible. We know her better than anyone else."

Let's check how well you personally, as a Jehovah's Witness, know something that is quite important for understanding the Bible. Here are some (just a few questions):

1. In which Bible verse does the word "sa-tan" refer to David, who later became the king of Israel? Are there other verses in the Old Testament where this word refers to people?

3. How different are the “genealogies” of Jesus Christ in the gospel of Matthew and the gospel of Luke?

5. What books of the Bible are attributed to someone else's authorship (this is called pseudepigrapha)?

Myth 2: "We love the truth."

The next myth that Jehovah's Witnesses firmly believe in. In his mind he is confused. Witnesses "truth" call their teachings (their totality), as well as the truth.

Myth 3: “We only obey God.”

Myth 4: "We don't get involved in politics."

Myth 5: We love our enemies.

So. I continue

Myth 6: "Our organization is not for profit."

Despite the fact that the majority of "Bethelites" do not receive a normal salary and social benefits, nevertheless THERE IS PAID CLERGY. Only his circle is much narrower, if we talk about decent content. "Ordinary Bethelites" - as a rule, they are not included in this circle, but are maintained by society as "voluntary slaves".

Myth 11: "Our struggle is spiritual, not against people."

What is bad for society, for the individual, is bad for "people" as well. Angels, even if they existed, they do not care about the "struggle of people." But the real harm can only be done to "neighbors", real people. Read the posts and you will understand that "not against people" is a myth.

Myth 12: "We don't have idolatry."

Yes, not only idolatry, but even the "trinity" is among the Witnesses. For example, here is a post

The organization and its leadership has become an idol. The Bible has also become an idol. Mythologized personalities of the past from the Bible have turned into idols. Most of the Witnesses do not use any mind when reading the Bible. The publications of the "Faithful Servant" are "gifts from an idol", they are "the highest explanation of religious truth".

Myth 13: "We are humble, we do not consider ourselves superior to other people."

That this is not so evident from the way the Witnesses treat people of other religions or beliefs. Arrogance, a "feeling of being chosen", a certain "elitism" before God, a dismissive attitude towards "blind people" from "false religions" or towards atheists (in general, a lower caste in the eyes of believers) - all this speaks for itself.

Myth 14: "Our activity is absolutely safe for the state."

Well, everything is simple. Again, choose tags about "Ideological extremism", about "Jehovah's Witnesses are involved in politics", "Jehovah's Witnesses and the state" and others - and read.

In Russia, an information war is going on against Jehovah's Witnesses, a Christian denomination known for its steadfast moral principles and active missionary activity. In the secular press and religious publications of traditional denominations, it is very rare to find a reliable and objective assessment of Jehovah's Witnesses. As a rule, the description of this denomination comes down to mentioning widespread myths, horror stories, the use of distortions of views and religious practice Jehovah's Witnesses. Former Jehovah's Witnesses, supported by apologetic and anti-cult centers created by the Russian Orthodox Church, are actively involved in the creation and distribution of such misinforming and disorienting materials. The booklet created by a group of apostates led by Stanislav Kovtun was no exception to this kind of material. booklet “They want to deceive you. Facts about Jehovah's Witnesses. Probably the remnants of the conscience of the authors, driven into the depths of the subconscious, nevertheless showed themselves, because the authors admitted, albeit unwittingly, in the title of the booklet that they wanted to deceive readers. In the booklet itself, truth and falsehood are mixed so masterfully that only a well-informed person or just an attentive and thoughtful reader, accustomed to checking facts, will see the deception.

Of course, such booklets are not created for Jehovah's Witnesses, they are designed for relatives, neighbors, work colleagues, classmates, and their purpose is simple - to incite hatred, contempt, disgust, fear towards Jehovah's Witnesses. Such materials cause concern to relatives of Jehovah's Witnesses, which leads to tension in families, conflicts at home and at work. at school, etc. Of course, the relatives of Jehovah's Witnesses are motivated by good intentions, but, being unable to verify the facts, being in captivity of prejudice, hear the answers, and understand that Jehovah's Witnesses do not agree with them and do not believe such materials, not because they are zombies, but because it is obvious to them the absurdity, absurdity and falsity of the accusations that are being poured from the side of the anti-cultists and their allies. It is very painful to hear such accusations from people whom you love and respect. It is no less painful to think that your loved one is in danger that he himself does not notice, and who rejects all warnings, exhortations and requests. In order to show the groundlessness of fears, to show incompetence, dishonesty, frank deceitfulness of the creators of such materials, I decided to comment on this booklet, in the hope that at least someone who reads my blog will change their attitude towards Jehovah's Witnesses and if they do not share their views, then at least they will become more tolerant towards relatives or neighbors who have become Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah.

A notable feature, practically a linguistic marker of materials against Jehovah's Witnesses, is the voluntary or involuntary mixing of concepts and the completely erroneous use of the terms "Religious Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses", and the Watch Tower Society (WTS). Often term The OSB is mistakenly used by critics as a synonym for a religious organization. In fact, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is now a religious literature publisher and the main legal entity used by Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide. In addition to the Watchtower Society, there are several other legal entities that represent the interests of Jehovah's Witnesses, perform administrative and other functions. Here are some quotes from the literature of Jehovah's Witnesses clarifying the difference between the terms RSD, Jehovah's Witnesses, Governing Body.

Jehovah witnesses. Governing Council

*** w98 15/3 With. 18—19 par. 3 Live according to Christian dedication how free people ***

But some might argue that the Witnesses are not talking about the Watchtower Society (or more commonly, the "Society") as a legal instrument. Is it true that the Witnesses consider the Society to be the ultimate authority in matters of worship? The book Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom gives the following explanation: organ and used it. Therefore, by "Society" is meant the faithful and discreet slave" (Matthew 24:45). This is the meaning that the Witnesses mainly invested in the concept of “Society”. Of course, the concepts of "legal authority" and "faithful and discreet slave" are not equivalent. The directors of the Watch Tower Society are elected by choice, while the Witnesses who are part of the “faithful slave” are anointed with the holy spirit of Jehovah

*** w01 15/1 With. 31 Important ad ***

Brother Barr drew attention to one significant point: “The 'faithful and discreet slave' and his Governing Body are entrusted with the care of higher and broader interests than those entrusted to any legal entities. The statutes of each legal body set out the purposes limited to the scope of that body. However, our Master, Jesus Christ, has placed the faithful servant over all his “property,” or kingdom interests on earth” (Matthew 24:45-47).

Brother Barr said of the Pennsylvania Corporation: “Since its incorporation in 1884, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania has played an important role in our modern history. However, this is only a legal remedy, which, of necessity, is used by the "faithful and discreet slave".

The organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses has undergone some changes in the course of development. Of course, this can cause confusion and misunderstandings for people who are not well informed, but in this case, the booklet was written by former Jehovah's Witnesses who were elders, ministerial servants, pioneers. Therefore, it is still not clear to me why they call the members of the religious organization of Jehovah's Witnesses members of the Watchtower Society, and the leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses leaders of the RSD. There is either incompetence here, or the adoption of a bad habit of inaccurate treatment of termins by representatives of anti-cultist organizations, for which many former Jehovah's Witnesses who have become apostates now work.

The second feature of anti-witness literature is the use of the unscientific term cult, or destructive cult, in relation to Jehovah's Witnesses. The word cult in this case is a calcois of the English word cult, which is not used by most academic scientists in relation to religious groups, due to the negative semantic load. In the sociology of religions, the term cult was introduced by the American sociologist Howard Becker to expand the sociological typology of Weber-Treltsch religious groups. Cults, in Becker's understanding, were small religious groups without a clear organization, which emphasized the private nature of personal beliefs. The terms destructive cult, destructive cult, destructive sect arose in the pseudo-scientific milieu of anti-cultists. Whether Jehovah's Witnesses are a sect or a cult in more detail.

The main focus of the treatise is on two claims of Jehovah's Witnesses: that they strengthen families and show love for all people.

“Becoming a sectarian, a person ceases to put the family in the first place and is ready to sacrifice it to his leaders. A wife (or husband) who has entered into a sect will be obliged to engage in recruitment, visiting houses and apartments and participating in other activities”

Indeed, preaching is very important in the life of a Jehovah's Witness, and they have a strong biblical basis for this. *** w97 15/1 With. 23—24 bases 5 . To ak help people to know God's requirements ***

preaching, as well as the work of making disciples, is a duty, a requirement on which our very life depends. Paul put it this way: “This is my necessary duty, and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16; compare Ezekiel 33:7-9). However, we preach out of love, not just out of duty. We love God first, but also our neighbors, and we know how important it is for them to hear the good news.—Matthew 22:37-39.

But is family preaching more important? Here is what is written in some publications of Jehovah's Witnesses.

*** w98 1/6 With. 20 Who must take care about family? ***

Parents who love their children do not neglect their care. If a Christian neglects the performance of his parental duties, then this is tantamount to the fact that he renounces the faith, as follows from the words of Paul to Timothy: “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for his household, he has renounced the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8)

*** w96 15/10 With. 22—23 par. 10—11 Father and elder — how cope With both roles ***

Even an elder father with a wife who is a Christian finds it difficult to judiciously allocate time and attention between his wife, children, and tasks in the congregation. Scripture makes it clear that a Christian father has a duty to take care of his wife and children. Paul wrote, “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8). In the same letter, Paul pointed out that only married men who have proven themselves to be good husbands and fathers should be recommended as overseers.—1 Timothy 3:1-5.

11 An elder must 'take care of' his household not only materially, but also spiritually and emotionally. The wise King Solomon wrote: “Do your work outside your home, finish it in your field, and then build your house” (Proverbs 24:27). So, taking care of the needs of his wife and children, with regard to material means, feelings and rest, the overseer should also build up his household spiritually. This takes time—time that he will no longer devote to the business of the congregation.

*** fy ch. 11 With. 131—132 par. 8—9 store world in your home ***

There are many practical tips on how to change the attitude of a spouse. For example, if your husband does not like your religion, do not give him a serious reason to complain in other areas of life. Keep your house clean. Watch your appearance. Do not be stingy with expressions of love and appreciation. Do not criticize, but support your husband. Let him know that you are looking for guidance from him. Do not retaliate if you feel offended (1 Peter 2:21, 23). Be aware of human imperfection and if an argument arises, be the first to apologize (Ephesians 4:26).

9 Don't let congregation meetings become an excuse for not having time to cook for your husband. In addition, you can choose to participate in Christian service at a time when your spouse is not at home. A wise Christian wife will not preach to her husband when he is not in the mood to listen. Instead, she will follow the advice of the apostle Peter: “You wives, obey your husbands, so that those of them who do not obey the word may be won by the life of their wives without a word when they see your pure, God-fearing life” (1 Peter 3:1 , 2). Christian wives do their best to display the fruits of God's spirit (Galatians 5:22, 23).

*** fy ch. 11 With. 133 par. 11 store world in your home ***

If you devote a lot of time to the affairs of the congregation, the wife may feel left out. "I want you to spend more time with me!" “Perhaps this is the reason why she resists your efforts to serve Jehovah. Be patient. Your loving attention can eventually help a wife join true worship (1 Peter 3:8, 9; Colossians 3:12-14).

It may seem that the accusations written above are made by atheists, but not by people who consider themselves believers and consider themselves Orthodox. The purpose of such accusations is to frighten and cause concern for relatives who have begun to communicate with Jehovah's Witnesses or study the Bible with them. For any Christian, the family is a value. But on the other hand, a Christian may be faced with a very difficult choice - to obey the requirements of relatives or to follow Christian principles.

*** fy ch. 11 With. 131 par. 6—7 store world in your home ***

At the same time, while loving and respecting your husband, will you try to show this devotion to God in a way that does not irritate your husband? (Matthew 4:10; 1 John 5:3).

7 Jesus pointed out that this would not always be possible. He warned that due to opposition to true worship in some families, believers would feel separated, as if a sword had passed between them and the rest of the household.—Matthew 10:34-36.

Matthew 10:34—37: ...Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to separate a son from his father, a daughter from her mother, and a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law. 36 And a man's household will become his enemies. 37 He who values his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. He who treasures his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me...

“She will have to instill her beliefs in her children, not allow them to participate in holidays, including refusing their own birthday”

The obligation of parents to give their child a religious upbringing, even if the spouse has other religious views, is requirement of almost all religions. Here are the principles they follow.

*** fy ch. 11 With. 133—134 par. 13—15 store world in your home ***

What if your husband does not allow you to take your children to congregation meetings, or even forbids you to study the Bible with them at home? In that case, you will have to balance several responsibilities: your responsibilities to Jehovah God, to the headship of your husband, and to your beloved children. How can all this be combined?

14 You will certainly pray for it (1 John 5:14; Philippians 4:6, 7). But in the end, it's up to you to decide how to behave. If you tactfully show your husband that you are not encroaching on his headship, resistance may eventually weaken. Even if your husband forbids you from taking your children to meetings or having regular Bible studies with them, you can still teach them. Try to instill love for Jehovah, trust in his Word, respect for parents (including the father) and a sincere interest in other people, and try to teach them the value of conscientious work through everyday conversations and your good example. Perhaps in time your father will notice the good results of such upbringing and appreciate your efforts (Proverbs 23:24).

15 If you are a believer and your wife is not, then the responsibility for raising your children “in the discipline and admonition of the Lord” falls on your shoulders (Ephesians 6:4). At the same time, of course, you must be kind, loving and reasonable in relations with your wife.

*** w02 15/8 With. 31 Questions readers ***

Regarding the relationship between believing and unbelieving spouses, the apostle Paul wrote: “For the unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, but the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her brother; otherwise your children would actually be unclean, but now they are holy” (1 Corinthians 7:14). A marriage union in which at least one of the spouses worships God is considered holy by Jehovah, and the children from such a marriage are also holy in his eyes. A wife who is Jehovah's Witness must do everything in her power to help her children accept the truth, and she can rely on Jehovah for the rest.

When children grow up, on the basis of the knowledge received from their parents, they will decide what position to take. Perhaps they will make the right choice by heeding the words of Jesus: “He who values his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). They should also remember the command, “Children, be obedient to your parents in the Lord” (Ephesians 6:1). Many young people, despite the strongest opposition from an unbelieving parent, decided to obey not him, but God. How rewarding it is for a parent who is a Jehovah's Witness to see that his children, despite resistance, have decided to serve Jehovah!

*** w05 1/3 With. 19 par. 13 Wise instruction for marital steam ***

It is good if the wife can tactfully explain her beliefs to her husband. But what if he doesn't want to listen to her? This is his right. All is not lost, however, for the behavior of a Christian wife can speak louder than words. Many husbands who were initially uninterested in their wives' faith and even resisted after seeing their good behavior became "disposed to eternal life" (Acts 13:48). Even if the husband does not accept Christian truth, his wife's behavior can make a favorable impression on him, and as a result, the family will become stronger. One man, whose wife is a Jehovah's Witness, confessed that he would never live up to the high moral standards of a Witness. Nevertheless, in his letter to the editor of a newspaper, he called himself "the happy husband of a charming woman" and sincerely praised his wife and her fellow believers.

As can be seen from the above quotes, Jehovah's Witnesses try their best to keep the peace in the family, take care of their loved ones and give a good upbringing to children. For many non-religious and secular families, religious or secular holidays are the only way to spend family time. Jehovah's Witnesses try to make time for their loved ones throughout the year. They do not need special days to meet with friends, give a friend a gift, have a picnic or a party. Here are the statements of the children of Jehovah's Witnesses themselves.

*** ed With. 18 Teach children in multi-confessional society — difficult a task ***

Although my parents don't give me birthday presents, they do buy them for me on other days. I really like it, because such gifts are a big surprise for me” (Gregory, 11 years old).

“Many guys look forward to Christmas just because of the presents. But they give me gifts or take me somewhere all year round. My parents took me with them to other countries – to New Zealand, Brazil and Fiji” (Kaleb, age 10).

“My friends and I have fun, and from time to time we give each other gifts just for fun” (Nicole, 14 years old).

“At school, many people ask me how I can live without Christmas and other holidays. I don't feel left out. We do something all the time as a family. We have very good friends with whom we spend our holidays. We go hiking and skiing, and often invite guests over. It seems to me that if others knew how much fun we have, they would be very surprised” (Andriana, 13 years old).

“I never felt like I was being deprived of something because we don’t celebrate Christmas and other holidays. On holidays, when we don't have to go to school and when dad has a day off, we play something, go to the movies, watch TV. We spend a lot of time as a family” (Brian, age 10).

*** kl ch. 13 With. 126—127 par. 17 How charitable image life brings happiness ***

Naturally, God-fearing parents do not wait for special occasions to show love to their children. A thirteen-year-old Christian woman said: “Our family is very fun... my parents and I have a very close relationship, and when other guys ask why I don’t celebrate different holidays, I say that I have a holiday every day.” And here is what a seventeen-year-old Christian said: “In our house, gifts are given all year round.” Unexpected gifts bring much more happiness.

This phrase is very remarkable: “Understanding all this, the spouse (or spouse), whose wife (or husband) has become involved in the sect of Jehovah's Witnesses, finds himself in a dilemma – turn a blind eye to everything or fight for children. Often this leads to a tense situation in the family and divorce. Naturally, after reading the false horror stories given in the booklet, the spouse will begin to worry, but who, in this case, is responsible for the tension in relations in the family? Jehovah's Witnesses recommending respect for unbelieving spouses and maintaining peace in the family? Or are people deliberately and purposefully spreading false information about them? Family problems related to religious choice are found in all religious groups, and Jehovah's Witnesses are no particular exception. The main reason for such problems is not so much a religious choice as a lack of respect for the opinion of a spouse or a child, a habit of authoritarianism, overprotection of a marriage partner or children. In other words, the conditions for conflict are created over the years, and religion is more of a pretext than a reason for the development of the conflict. Of course, by cultivating a tolerant and respectful attitude towards different religious groups, teaching to solve problems not by such radical methods as divorce, family conflicts of this kind can be avoided. But people who publish literature critical of Jehovah's Witnesses are interested in fighting them by any possible means and methods. Unfortunately, family conflicts, to which they themselves partly contribute, play into their hands, and give rise to statements about the danger of Jehovah's Witnesses for the family. I understand that many Jehovah's Witnesses did not act in accordance with the recommendations given above, but the vast majority did the best they could. Sometimes it took years for relatives to accept the religious choice of a Jehovah's Witness, years of hard trials of faith, and this process went much easier, people paid attention not only to criticism, but also checked its authenticity, tried to understand what and why Jehovah's Witnesses believe.

“But what if the whole family is Jehovah’s Witnesses, and someone suddenly decides to leave the sect? It will no longer be possible to do this. For example, if one of the family members leaves the sect, then contact with him by the relatives remaining in the sect should be completely stopped”

Is this really so evident from the article posted on the official website of Jehovah's Witnesses.

http://www.jw.org/jehovah-witnesses/frequently-asked-questions/avoid/

Do you shun former members of your religion?

We do not avoid those who were baptized and became Jehovah's Witnesses, but then did not preach to others for a long time and, perhaps, even stopped communicating with fellow believers. On the contrary, we try to contact them and try to reawaken their interest in the spiritual.

We do not automatically exclude from the congregation someone who has committed a serious sin. However, if a baptized Witness begins to intentionally violate biblical moral principles and does not repent, he or she is excluded from the congregation. The Bible clearly says, “Remove the evil one from you” (1 Corinthians 5:13).

What if the head of the family is expelled from the congregation, but his wife and children remain Jehovah's Witnesses? Although they will still be related to him by blood, they will no longer have the religious fellowship of the past. The excluded person will remain a husband and father for the family. They will continue to go about their daily business with the whole family.

A disfellowshipped person may attend our religious meetings. If he wishes, he may also receive spiritual help from the elders of the congregation. Their goal is to help everyone who has been expelled become eligible again to be called Jehovah's Witnesses. Those expelled from the congregation who reject inappropriate behavior and show a sincere desire to live up to biblical standards can always return to the congregation.

“The Watchtower January 15, 2013 (p. 16) prohibits all adepts from communicating with such relatives—children and parents—even by e-mail. It is not surprising that as a result of such inhuman and anti-Christian attitudes, families experience conflict and break up.”

Behavior with an excluded relative depends on whether he is an adult, and whether he lives with the family.

*** lv With. 208—209 How relate to excluded from meetings ***

In some cases, the excluded family member still lives with their close relatives. Considering that exclusion is not in itself a reason to break family ties, all family members continue to go about their daily activities together. However, the sinner, having chosen the path of sin, severed the spiritual ties that united him with the believing family members. Therefore, God-fearing family members can no longer maintain spiritual fellowship with him. For example, if the family is gathering to study the Bible and the excluded person is present, then he cannot participate in the discussion. However, if a minor child is excluded, it is still the responsibility of the parents to guide and educate the child. Therefore, loving parents may choose to conduct a Bible study with their child.—Proverbs 6:20-22; 29:17.

In other cases, the excluded family member lives separately from his relatives. Although situations may arise from time to time when it is necessary to settle family matters, such communication should be kept to a minimum. God-fearing family members do not look for reasons or excuses to associate with an excluded relative who lives apart from them.

Recommendations in The January 15, 2013 Watchtower (p. 16) dealt specifically with cases where an excluded relative does not live with the family. It is difficult to imagine a family where people living under the same roof communicate with each other via e-mail. The Watchtower magazine for January 15, 2013 is available on the official website. And anyone can make sure that Jehovah's Witnesses did not make any changes regarding the issue of communicating with excluded relatives, it was just another reminder regarding the behavior with such people to remind not to look for excuses for communicating with such people. Biblical Grounds for Disfellowshipping.

“At the very first visits, a person is warned about the inadmissibility of interference in the “study” of close relatives and friends. The study brochure What God Requires (p. 3) says in the very first lesson, “Not everyone will be happy that you study the Bible, but don’t let anyone stop you.” In the future, if relatives or friends begin to dissuade a person from meeting with RSD representatives, they will begin to look like accomplices of Satan.

In the mentioned brochure, there is indeed such a quote, but it is the relatives that are not mentioned in it. Nowhere, in any publication, does the expression accomplices of Satan refer to relatives who exert pressure to force a person to stop communicating with Jehovah's Witnesses. Relatives who behave in this way are regarded as misguided people and should be treated with love, patience and respect.

*** pe ch. 2 With. 23—24 par. 23 Enemy eternal life ***

It is quite possible that even close friends or relatives will tell you that they do not like your Bible study. Already Jesus Christ Himself warned: “The enemies of a man are his household. Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:36, 37). Relatives may try to discourage you by doing all this in all sincerity, because they do not know the wonderful truths found in the Bible. But if you quit studying the Word of God when resistance arises, what will God think of you? And how can you help your friends and family understand that accurate knowledge is vital if you give up? If you stick with what you learn from God's Word, it may in time affect them so that they, too, will become acquainted with the truth.

*** g03 8/11 With. 27 What, if native not share your faith ***

At 1 Peter 2:12, Christians are exhorted to: “Let your conduct among other nations [unbelievers] continue to be exemplary, so that … they may glorify God through your good works which they observe.” Often, relatives who do not share our beliefs see the difference the Bible has made in our lives. Let us remember that many of those who were indifferent to or opposed to Bible truth now think otherwise. It may have been years before, in the course of close communication, a person, seeing the good behavior of a life partner or child, understood what explains this good behavior. And if a person does not accept biblical truth, then let it not be because he was neglected by his Christian relative

“The usual society will gradually become “worldly” and dangerous for “spirituality” and “eternal future”, and people will begin to divide into their own – in the cult – and everyone else in the “world of Satan”. The future adept must learn to seek satisfaction and social circle only in the closed environment of sectarians. Friendship and marriage with a non-cult person is prohibited.”

1 John 2:15-17: ...Do not love the world or what is in the world. Whoever loves the world has no love for the Father, 16 because everything that is in the world: the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and boasting of one's wealth, is not from the Father, but from this world. 17 And the world passes away, and its desires, but he who does the will of God will live forever.

1 Corinthians 15:33:...Make no mistake. Bad communication ruins good habits...

James 4:4: ...Adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? ...

*** lv ch. 3 With. 25 par. 2—3 love those, whom loves God ***

2 This is how the Bible expresses this immutable truth: “He who walks with the wise will become wise, but he who deals with fools will suffer” (Proverbs 13:20). About this verse, one Bible reference says the following: “To walk, or communicate, with a person is to feel love and affection for him.” You will probably agree that we tend to imitate those we love. Indeed, because we have a strong emotional attachment to those we love, they can influence us for good or for bad.

3 To stay in God's love, it is important to choose friends who will be a good influence on us. What is needed for this? Simply put, we need to love those whom God loves and be friends with those who are friends with him. Just think: can we find better friends than those who have the qualities that Jehovah wants to see in his friends? Then let's find out what kind of people God loves. If we consider Jehovah's point of view, it will be easier for us to choose good friends.

1 Corinthians 7:39, 40: ...The wife is bound as long as her husband is alive. But if the husband falls asleep in death, she is free to marry whomever she wants, only in the Lord. 40 But I think she's happier if she stays the way she is. And I think that I also have the spirit of God.

Regarding marriage, it should be mentioned that in Orthodoxy and other Christian denominations, marriage with a non-believer or non-believer is either directly prohibited or welcomed. Canon 2 of the VI Ecumenical Council says, “It is not proper for an Orthodox husband to copulate with a heretical wife, nor for an Orthodox wife to combine with a heretic husband. below, to copulate with the sheep of the wolf, and with part of Christ the lot of sinners. And if anyone transgresses what we have decreed: let him be excommunicated. But if some, while still in unbelief, and not having been numbered among the flock of Orthodox, were united among themselves by a lawful marriage: then one of them, having chosen the good, he resorted to the light of truth, and the other remained in the bonds of error, not wanting to look at the divine rays, and moreover, an unfaithful wife wants to cohabit with a faithful husband, or, on the contrary, an unfaithful husband with a faithful wife: then let them not be separated, according to to the divine apostle: for the unfaithful husband is sanctified in regard to his wife, and the unfaithful wife is sanctified in regard to a faithful husband (1 Cor. 7:14). In accordance with Russian legislation until 1917, "Russian subjects of the Orthodox confession are not allowed to marry non-Christians at all," such marriage was not recognized as "legal and valid." Children born in such a union were recognized as illegitimate, had no rights to inheritance and title, and the relationship itself was recognized as adulterous.

In contrast to such harsh, and as yet unrepealed rules, Jehovah's Witnesses respect the marriage bond even if only one of the marriage partners is a Jehovah's Witness.

Trying to present the rules of behavior of Jehovah's Witnesses, common and understandable to any believing Christian, as something dangerous, critics are digging a hole not only for Jehovah's Witnesses, but also for religions that are considered traditional in Russia.

To be continued