Jehovah's Witnesses-What to Learn About Watchtower Society-Kingdom Halls-JW's Bibles and More

The following is from Google's AI powered overview function in response to an input inquiry by yours truly that is linked here. Before diving in, let me be clear. This isn't shared to either praise or diminish any individual Jehovah's Witnesses. That said, there is much to know and much to learn from why people may gravitate and stay in a group like the JWs. Because they go door-to-door in pairs, the odds are pretty good that you have met a pair or more of JWs during your lifetime.

Yes, the Jehovah's Witnesses are linked to the Watchtower Society, meet in Kingdom Halls, use their own Bible translation that differs from the Trinitarian view of Jesus, and have made failed predictions about the end of the world. Research has been conducted on how psychological factors like habit and confirmation bias can lead individuals to accept or ignore information within groups, and these studies can provide insights into the behavior of group members and how they respond to disproven beliefs.

Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Society

• Link to Watchtower Society: Jehovah's Witnesses are directed by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, which serves as the main legal and administrative entity for the group.
• Kingdom Halls: JWs meet in buildings they call Kingdom Halls, a name that was suggested in 1935 to emphasize their preaching of the "good news of the Kingdom".
• Bible translation: JWs have their own translation, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. It differs from standard translations on certain key points, such as the divinity of Jesus. For example, in John 1:1, it translates the verse to indicate Jesus was a god, but not the supreme God, which is a departure from the Trinitarian view of Jesus as co-equal with God.
• Failed end-of-the-world predictions: The Watchtower Society has made several predictions about the end of the world or major biblical events that have not occurred, leading to criticism.
• Psychological studies: There has been research into how psychological factors such as habit, confirmation bias, and other socio-psychological behaviors can lead people within a group to accept or ignore evidence that conflicts with their beliefs.
• Lessons from group behavior: Studies of this nature can provide valuable insights into how people respond when beliefs they hold sincerely are disproven, and what psychological and social mechanisms are involved.

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According to JW.org, there are: "Approximately 1.3 million Jehovah's Witnesses" in the U.S. So, there are about 1.3 million of our fellow Americans who believe things that are demonstrably untrue, no matter how sincerely they may have been led to believe in them.

But let's dig deeper into Christian history.

• Major Bodies before 1517: It is generally fair to say that by the time Martin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses in 1517, the two most prominent and widespread Christian bodies were the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East. These two had formally split in the Great Schism of 1054 over issues of papal authority, the filioque clause in the Nicene Creed, and cultural differences.
• Other Pre-Reformation Groups: The notion that all earlier rifts were perfectly healed is an oversimplification. Other groups had broken away earlier and persisted outside the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox "mainstream". These included the Oriental Orthodox Churches (such as the Coptic, Armenian, and Ethiopian Churches) and the Assyrian Church of the East, which separated after the Council of Ephesus (431 AD) and the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) over Christological differences. There were also smaller, more localized proto-Protestant movements in Western Europe, such as the Waldensians, Lollards, and Hussites, who challenged the Catholic Church before Luther's time and were often persecuted as heretical.
• Luther and Proliferation: Martin Luther, an Augustinian Catholic priest, initiated a movement that rapidly led to the establishment of the Lutheran Church and, shortly after, many other Protestant denominations (e.g., Reformed, Anglican, Anabaptist). The invention of the printing press facilitated the rapid dissemination of reform ideas, contributing to this unprecedented fragmentation.
• Healing of Rifts: While church councils (e.g., the Council of Nicaea) were often successful in defining mainstream doctrine and resolving many early theological disputes, they also led to definitive schisms with groups that would not accept the council's decisions. Attempts to heal the East-West schism (at the Councils of Lyon and Florence) were made but ultimately failed due to rejection by the wider clergy and laity.
• Modern Scenario: The scale of denominational diversity seen today, with tens of thousands of different "Christian denominations", is a direct result of the ongoing dynamics initiated by the Reformation and subsequent historical and cultural factors.

In essence, while smaller, older, non-Catholic and non-Orthodox Christian communities did exist before 1517, the Great Schism of 1054 created a permanent major divide, and the Reformation triggered the widespread, lasting denominational fragmentation that defines much of modern Christianity.

There is more to know. See the 'interactive detective story' linked here.

It is also good to remember that Catholics have clear evidence that supports their beliefs, including modern miracles. One of those miracles was witnessed by an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 people, many of whom were not believers.

Something similar that happens in politics too. But we aren't going to hit the political topic too hard today, just mention it and link the item below.

Don't get me wrong. God didn't make us to be robots. We aren't programmed and then lack free will. We all have free will. We can make choices, good or bad, right or wrong. The Bible is filled with stories of both good choices and bad choices. But the fact that people have free will and may make bad choices doesn't mean that making those bad choices is what God willed for humanity. The purpose of Jesus the Savior is precisely to save humanity from its own mistakes. That is part of what makes Jesus "the Good News." Jesus didn't want us to just go whatever way we decided to go, as parables like the Prodigal Son remind us. God knows we make mistakes. He provides the means to 'bring us back.' The institution which Jesus established to do that is demonstrably Catholicism. But again, to be clear, that doesn't mean that Catholics - or even Catholic leaders - are 'perfect.' Think of the Church as a hospital for sinners, including the sinners that work in the hospital.

Now, back briefly to politics. Because politics and religion ought to be considered in tandem in many (not all) cases.

IMHO, without properly motivated pastors, rabbis, priests and other religious leaders, our American society is in serious trouble. So long as people think that they can make up their own morality, their own religion - or lack of religion - we are subject to manipulation by businesses, by politicians, by mass media, and more. It is only when we get it deeply into our minds, hearts, and souls that God has a plan for us, that God wants what's good for us, and that because the Creator allowed free will that the good and bad exist side by side, and even within individual minds and hearts. As St. Augustine observed, our hearts are restless until they rest in God. St. Augustine led what could be called a wild life for years, until he finally became one of the most famous converts in the early part of the Church's history.

We need rock-solid beliefs or this or that smooth talker can lead us astray. Major religions, not just Christianity, teaches against deception for good reason.

Quoting Relevant Radio's Drew Mariani (who may have been quoting or paraphrasing someone else).

I don't follow the donkey. I don't follow the elephant. I follow the Lamb.

That ought to be a guiding principle for all humanity. That is how we get world peace. That is how we get peace in our homes, in our minds, and in our hearts.

Lamb of God, who takes aways the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

"We must obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29. Why? To find true peace. True joy. To gain eternal life.

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Other topics follow.

Thanks as always for checking in. When we find and follow the truth, there is hope for this world and for the next.

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> Solution: “Would-Be Homebuyers Need 80% More Income Than 4 Years Ago”

L. A. “Tony” Kovach is a publisher who has earned multiple awards in history. He and his family live in a manufactured home on private property in Winter Haven, FL. He is the co-founder of Manufactured Home Living News.com (MHLivingNews.com) and Manufactured Home Pro News.com (MHProNews.com), trade publications serving segments of the manufactured home industry. Having worked in several segments of the manufactured home industry for over 3 decades, Kovach is a widely acknowledged and often praised expert on manufactured housing.

According to scores of industry pros and three different AI fact-checks, Kovach is the most prolific, most rigorous, most factually accurate-document rich research-reporter on manufactured housing industry issues in the 21st century. But I do get fat finger typos. Please pardon those when you find them. ###

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