Why do Jehovah Witnesses push to go to meetings?

Question

Ive studied on and off for so many years with JW's and I do believe that they have a lot of info correct but I am still doubtful of them being that one true religion. I have a big problem with organized religion but at the same time I do believe that you need to have some sort of organization that can help and direct you and support you as well. It's tough for me. I've gone to meetings on and off for years but at times I just don't feel the need to go since so much of the stuff is so repetitive. They say it's necessary to go to meetings to keep your faith going and not dwindle. I honestly just don't feel like going because they are so pushy about it. I don't know???

Answer 1

I've got a massive library of Watchtower Society literature here at home, with boxes full of Watchtower magazines - you know, the ones with main study articles in the middle, used at Kingdom Halls every Sunday. The same material is used all over the world, the same questions at the bottom read out by the leader, the same answers offered by JWs responding (supposedly in their own words but no matter how they rehash it, they have to answer according to what the paragraph states.) Now, I would advise you that roughly every six years, the contents of those study articles is recycled and repeated. They have periodic bouts of subject matter though, of course, any 'old light' in them is replaced with 'new light'. There's always tweaking done, and it's never a virtual word-for-word repetition in the articles, but the subject matter is the same as several years ago.



The brilliant thing about going to a Church that believes in the power of the preached word of God is that nobody tells the minister what subject he is to preach on. The minister is free to spend time during the week seeking God in prayer and through Bible study, to eventually decide what passage of scripture he ought to expound to the congregation that week. I don't speak of liturgical groups that have a set yearly 'calander' of subjects. Where I go, we never know what the subject will be (unless the minister advises us that he will take the next xx weeks to go through a chapter in the Bible, or a book of the Bible. He's free to do that, too.) I take notes. We are not quizzed. We can discuss anything we like with the minister afterwards. Nobody chases you up if you miss Church for a week or two. But if you are ill, you will be visited and prayed for at the weekly prayer meeting. And we don't go around 'sheep stealing' from other denominations.

Answer 2

Two essential features of our worship are attending congregation meetings and sharing in field service. The two go hand in hand. One influences the other. Christian meetings incite to fine works, the finest of which is the Kingdom-preaching and disciple-making work. (Heb. 10:24) If we were to quit attending meetings, we might soon cease to preach because we would not be incited to do so.

At weekly meetings, we receive spiritual instruction designed to motivate us to preach. The urgency of the times is kept before us, impelling us to take the Bible’s life-giving message to others. We are encouraged and strengthened to endure in the preaching work. (Matt. 24:13, 14) By taking advantage of opportunities to comment at the meetings, we become more accustomed to expressing our faith before others. (Heb. 10:23) By enrolling in the Theocratic Ministry School, we receive training to be more effective ministers and to improve our teaching skills.—2 Tim. 4:2.

How Service Meetings Incite Us to Preach: All of us are encouraged to look over the material in Our Kingdom Ministry ahead of time. This information is then impressed on our minds as we attend the Service Meeting and see presentations demonstrated from the platform. When in field service, we can think back on Our Kingdom Ministry, recall the presentations that were demonstrated, and thereby give a more effective witness. This has been the experience of many publishers.

Answer 3

Lisa,



I'm glad to see that you have a good head on your shoulders and are able to be wise about what you learn.



The bottom line is this:



Meeting regularly with others that have similar religious ideas is healthy and stimulating. But the way that JW's do it, it purely arbitrary. The Watchtower gets to decide how many times you go to church - if they implement 2 meetings a week, you have to go. If they decide on 5, then again you have to go. Why? because they say so. You have no choice on whether you should follow every single of these pre-programmed activities, because if you don't attend regularly each of them, you are looked up as careless, faithless and not worthy of taking care of church responsabilities.



Going to church shouldn't be compulsory, it should be something that you do based on your needs. The JWs want you to believe that God himself needs you to be at every meeting and that if you dont, you've somehow let him down.



In reality God doesn't need you to be there, you are the one that needs to go based on desire, in the same manner that you eat when you are hungry.



If you are like me, and see that there is no evidence as it stands now, that God has a human organization on earth, why not join a non denominational church? - simply a place to go and reflect on the bible and talk to others openly about it?



It's truly eye opening when you go to such a place, the honesty and openness are refreshing, not the robotic - question then answer what you've underlined on this week's Watchtower - type of meeting. But instead you see people speaking from their hearts, on what they feel and think about biblical subjects without preconceived ideas and without being afraid to disagree openly if need be.

Answer 4

Congregation meetings are an important part of the activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Even when circumstances make it very difficult, they endeavor to attend their meetings regularly, in harmony with the Bible’s exhortation: “Let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near.” (Heb. 10:24, 25) So the meetings are a source of encouragement. Many things can distract us throughout the week and gathering with people who share your daily struggles and spiritual beliefs is enjoyable and is also an important way to strengthen our faith.

Answer 5

it's so that you will be a part of everything going on and will not hear about the opposition or be too "worldy." cults try to cut their members off from the rest of the world. you are right to doubt the claim that they are the one true religion. their bible is mistranslated to try to prove this. they use the fear of dying to keep you in. since you are already having questions, please google and look at these ideas and think really hard about it. it will help you to see why they need to keep you with the congregation... the repition is meant for indoctrination so that when a question arises, you don't even hve to think about it for yourself, you just regurgitate the same info over and over. there was a nice example of a JW on your page telling you not to believe that someone else is accurate because they go against what the JW's believe. This is due to large amounts of research and maybe even being a JW at some poitn. You know the saying about being on the outside looking in? theirs a lot of truth in that...



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Jw's and Johannes Greber

Jw's and William Miller

JW's and changing doctrines

JW's and masons

Charles Taze Russell and Mason

JW's and mistranslation of the bible

Jw's and misquoting biblical scholars

JW's and Adventism

JW's and brainwashing

JW's controlling government body

JW's and independent thinking



wow MOM C- the online dictionary and my own copy of the dictionary say that forsake means



for·sake (fôr-sk, fr-)

tr.v. for·sook (-sk), for·sak·en (-skn), for·sak·ing, for·sakes

1. To give up (something formerly held dear); renounce: forsook liquor.

2. To leave altogether; abandon: forsook Hollywood and returned to the legitimate stage.



so, it does not mean it is a must. see, this is the problem. you JW's get everything twisted up. It means not to give up, so you guys get all pushy about it.



and, Teller of truths, Hebrews 10:24 says and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works- it says nothing about making disciples and preaching to other people. nothing at all.

Answer 6

First of all, nobody's being pushy about it.



Secondly, if people weren't constantly in need of hearing God's laws and reminders because they break them so frequently due to their inherited sinful tendency, there wouldn't be any need to attend the meetings to have those laws and reminders reinforced in them.......with the purpose of helping shape one's thinking to be aligned with God's.



Third, again.....nobody's being pushy. Their encouragement for you to attend meetings regularly is out of concern for you and for your life.



**** FYI, I'd be wary of 'redvip's comments about Jehovah's Witnesses. He/she is known for their bigotry against Jehovah's Witnesses, which means anything they state is either completely wrong, or always twinged with sarcasm.



*** Jonathan's comments are typical of those who are completely ignorant of the Bible and of Jehovah's Witnesses. No hope? You call living forever on earth in paradise and in perfect health, the way God intended, is "no hope"? Wow....



*** Spare us that nonsense about the organization. If you're dedicated to God, then you'll follow the direction through his organization which he uses to care for his people the world over. Without organization, the preaching work wouldn't be able to be accomplished, nor would the dispensing of spiritual food throughout the world.

Answer 7

Because your life is on the line, we worry about your well being.



Let's use the example of a student that doesn't feel the need to go to school anymore. Nobody can force that person to go. But you can understand why her friends ''push" for her to go. In school, she will learn valuable resources that will help her in her life. The student believes there is no point in going because she already "knows" a lot. Can this student be successful in life, probably yes. But her knowledge of things will be much better if she attended school.



Now, in school a person learns physical and literal things, but what about spiritual knowledge? Isn't spiritual knowledge MORE useful and important? Satan is a very smart person. He wants people to believe that there is no need to meet together to worship. Remember in your studies when you learned about what happened in the garden of Eden? What did Satan claim? He claimed that man did not need God's guidance. Satan thought of Himself worthy to be worshipped, not Jehovah. So basically Satan wants people to feel as if there is no need whatsoever to follow Jehovah's guidance. The meetings are necessary for us to maintain ourselves "awake" in Satan's system. We care for you and only wish to help you.



I know that if I was to attend a church and not go, I would certainly want those members to show interest in me. If they constantly "invited" me to go to their gatherings it would show me that they truly care. There were times in which I felt like not going anymore, or at least for a short time. But I thank God that members of the organization showed their love and held out their hand.



We never want you to feel pushed. Nobody can force you to change your life. We only wish to share the Truth with you and fortify your faith. I just thought you should hear it from a Jehovah's witness.

Answer 8

One Thursday evening and one Sunday morning in a general week is not a lot of theocratic meetings.

Out of 168 hours in a week it asks for 3.5 hours of set weekly meetings in total. Most people give more than that to watching soap operas and reality TV.



Serving Jehovah is not about hours it's a way of life. So what if someone spends 1 or 20 or more hours in service to Jehovah. It's not a part time dedication.

What is in your mind how much of your life should be dedicated to God?



Edit:Nobody pushes you. You are freely able to leave if that is what you want. You could leave right now if you want. Who is stopping you?

Answer 9

Well, like they say, going to the meetings reenforces their doctrines.



The idea of them being the only organization that Jehovah uses used to be my biggest reason for rejecting them, too. I just didn't see any justification for it.



But now I have an ever bigger reason for rejecting them. Even if their organization is the only organization that Jehovah uses, there's still no reason to become a Jehovah's witness. Their doctrine of soul sleep makes it impossible for anybody to have any hope beyond death, so even if they're right about everything else, it doesn't really matter. See the link below for an explanation of why there is no hope given the JW view of soul sleep.

Answer 10

Well, I think part of it is, that they want to insulate you from the rest of the "world". The more time you spend in fellowship, the more you become to rely on your brothers and sisters, the less you need from the outside world. And that is what it really is all about, cutting out the "world" and its evil.



In a way, I think they might have something there. I mean the 'world' is a vile place. But it is very hard thing to do, cut yourself out of the world.

Answer 11

Jehovahs Witness is a cult. They intend to be pushy. They will run your life.

Answer 12

The same reason they come to your home. They want to induct you into their "crazy" cult! J/K