Random Rules And Rituals Jehovah's Witnesses Must Follow (15 items)

• 

  (#7) They Are Encouraged To Report Deviant Behavior Within Their Communities

  Jehovah's Witnesses are encouraged to report bad behavior within their community, such as smoking, viewing "worldly" movies, or even attending the church of another religion.

  This method of congregational discipline is designed to preserve unity and communal accountability; however, stringent rules often result in resentment in their younger members and a distrust of fellow Witnesses.
• 

  (#8) Door-To-Door Preaching Doesn't Stop On The Weekends

  Door-to-door evangelism, the act for which Jehovah's Witnesses are best known, is a full-time job, even for their youngest members. One former member of the group recalled preaching every single day of the week, even Saturdays and Sundays.

  "I barely got any sleep when I was a Witness... I needed the weekends to catch up on my sleep debt, but instead I had to get up at the crack of dawn to go out preaching...When you’re so exhausted you can barely stand up, it becomes absolute torture—both for you and the person you’re trying to recruit into a cult at 9AM on a Saturday."
• 

  (#12) They Have To Fill Out Service Reports

  Every month, Jehovah's Witnesses are required to fill out service reports. These accounts include statistics on how many hours they spent on door-to-door ministry and how much paraphernalia they distributed. The Society's elders receive these reports, and take note of who is falling behind their national average, recorded at one point to be approximately 10 hours a month.
• 

  (#3) They Can Die From Refusing Blood Transfusions

  In accordance with their religious law, Witnesses traditionally cannot accept any blood products, even when a blood transfusion could be life-saving. According to the Old and New Testaments, God's people are to abstain from consuming blood in any form, especially since they believe that blood represents life – to give blood would be to give life, a task they believe is always and only God's. 

  One woman passed away one week after giving birth because she refused a blood transfusion on religious grounds, despite her doctors' pleas that the treatment was her only option.
• 

  (#10) They Believe The Crucifix Is Pagan Propaganda

  Because Jehovah's Witnesses don't believe that Jesus died on a cross, they don't employ crucifix imagery in their worship, as do many other denominations of Christianity. They instead associate the use of the cross in religious worship with Emperor Constantine, whom they believe adopted the symbol from pre-Christian, pagan religions. 

  Witnesses cite the Bible itself as evidence that Jesus did not die on a cross, but rather a single stake. They cite the original Greek translation of the word, which indicates an object more akin to a single piece of wood than a cross. Since any pagan idolatry is strictly forbidden, they claim that no "true Christian" would worship using a crucifix.
• 

  (#15) They Don't Serve In The Military

  The Jehovah's Witness mandate to avoid political action and association extends to military service, which presents in issue in countries with required armed service participation.

  South Korea, in particular, has faced problems of this nature in the past, as they historically considered conscientious objecting a crime; however, they legalized the position in November, 2018.

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking