Summary:
A subjective essay on Jehovah's Witnesses and a very personal view on life and religion. Non - Fictional
WHISPERS ABOUT THE WITNESSES
You may have heard them talked about, in a derogatory way most probably. They may even have visited you once or twice, but does anyone really know who 'Jehovah's Witnesses' are"
In the early 1870's an inconspicuous bible study group began in Pennsylvania, USA, now known as Jehovah's Witnesses. I was intrigued to learn that Jehovah is Gods personal name. 'Yahweh', translated as 'Jehovah' appears almost seven thousand times in the original Hebrew Scriptures, however most Bibles today substitute 'God' or 'Lord' for it. A book of the Psalms presented to all year seven students at my school contained a passage referring to 'Jehovah.' This was literally crossed out and written above was simply 'Lord'.
Contrary to popular belief, Jehovah Witnesses are not a cult. They are merely an organization who have made a dedication to God and whose primary interest is in other people's welfare. They believe the Bible to be the Word of God, and that it also is astonishingly historically accurate.
All Jehovah's Witnesses look forward to the paradise they believe is to come after Armageddon. They preach the word of Gods Kingdom by visiting peoples houses and distributing magazines and leaflets. This is the main criticism they receive; however teaching these beliefs is a commandment of God and the unselfish reason why they preach. They want others to be able to share in this paradise.
I suppose my interest grew so gradually that I was hardly aware of it, and before I knew it I was compelled to know more fascinating insights into a book I had long ago disregarded along with the rest of the world.
Having been persuaded by a family friend to attend their weekly meeting I was amazed by the homely and comfortable atmosphere that greeted me, in contrast to the hard wooden pews and harsh echoes of footsteps that I had personally found so disconcerting in churches.
The meetings involved discussions on topics relevant to today's society. A copy of the Bible lay on each lap, constantly in use as every piece of advice and every opinion were backed up by reference to the Scriptures.
In addition what continued to surprise me were the people I had the pleasure of meeting, each showing genuine warmth to friends and strangers alike. The Jehovah's Witnesses seemed to me to be happy, something rare among the dissatisfied population in the present day.
I began by learning a number of unexpected facts, which before I had simply accepted without question, and I wondered how there could possibly be so many inaccuracies in Christianity today. Not being a particularly religious person it was purely the realization of people's propensity to accept the words of bishops, vicars, priests and popes rather than the inspired word of God, the Bible.
Much of the religion has originated from pagan festivals. Nowhere in the Bible does it give a date as to the birth of Jesus Christ. How did the Roman church fix upon the date of 25th December?
Long before the Christian era itself a festival was celebrated among the heathen, at that precise time of year in honour of the Babylonian son of the queen of the heaven. Reverend Alexander Hislop, author of 'The Two Babylons', and not a Jehovah's Witness himself, admits it can be presumed that this festival was adopted by the Roman church in order to increase the number of believers in Christianity. Hislop says; 'This tendency on part of Christians to meet Paganism half-way was very early developed.'
Even today churches are introducing more contemporary ideas into their sermons, one Baptist minister demonstrating his newly learnt karate skills, and another hiring erotic dancers. In Croyden rock music was played instead of the traditional hymns, and discussions frequently revolved around sex. These are all desperate last attempts on the part of the clergy to salvage the dwindling number of churchgoers.
I was quite shocked to learn that the birth of Christ could not have occurred at the end of December, as the shepherds were watching their flock outside in the nighttime; this was not likely to be in the middle of winter. The words from Christ in the gospel are, 'Pray that your flight be not in the winter.' If the winter was so bad a time to flee in, it was hardly fit for shepherds to lie in the field in, and for women and children to travel in (women and children would have needed to return to the city they had been born in order to be taxed during the time of Jesus' birth).
As well as this, there are many incredible prophesies from the Hebrew Scriptures that have been fulfilled and recorded in the Greek Scriptures, such as the birth of the Messiah and the fall of Babylon. Archaeological finds support historical facts that can be found in the Bible and many can be viewed in the British Museum.
Only somewhat recently has it been possible for humans to travel far enough into space to verify that the earth is a globe, yet thousands of years before the Hebrew prophet Isaiah stated: 'There is One dwelling above the circle of the earth.' (Isaiah 40:22)
People had no conception of gravity until the famous discovery made by Isaac Newton. However, nearly three thousand five hundred years ago the Bible stated that; 'The earth is hanging upon nothing'. (Job 26:7)
I feel that we all have a deep spiritual need and many are very much aware of that need in todays stress ridden world. This has become more apparent as many are drawn to all sorts of healers, mediums, hypnotists and psychiatrists to solve various problems and help us deal with our daily struggles. The Bible however, reflects keen understanding on our needs that still applies to us today. In Jesus' teaching in 'The Sermon on the Mount' he showed his followers the way to true happiness, how to settle disputes, instructions on how we should pray, the wisest attitude to have towards material needs, the golden rule for relationships between friends and within family, and how to have a secure and happy future. Its counsel on how to attain a successful marriage, preventing juvenile delinquency and how to gain and keep friends is far superior to any books or counselors on mental health and psychology.
What has fascinated me recently is the sudden recognition of the Bible's historical accuracy. Numerous articles have appeared in newspapers such as the 'Daily Mail'. I read one article on the biblical story on the parting of the Red Sea, and how scientists now believe that this event may have actually occurred due to an immense volcanic eruption.
Furthermore it was suggested that the Ten Plagues were more than a mere story, and were also a consequence of this eruption. It was also implied that the Virgin Mary was raped by a soldier, as opposed to the idea that she was impregnated by God.
Finally there was an article I read somewhat cynically, entitled 'Cracking the Code'. Michael Drosnin claims to have discovered hidden messages by means of computer analysis of the Hebrew Scriptures. Certain words, numbers and spaces are skipped to reveal concealed messages. These messages supposedly refer to historical events such as the rise of Hitler, man's conquest on the moon and the Gulf War.
Why are these incredible and highly unlikely propositions even mentioned"
Maybe man is just too arrogant to confront the realization that we are not as superior as we might think. We seem to grab tight onto any suggestion that allow us independence and liberty, and tend to forget that the Big Bang isn't called the Big Bang Theory for nothing. It is merely a theory, and nothing else. Just as evolution is but a theory, and in the conclusion of the original copy of his book Darwin acknowledged that the idea of god is much more plausible. Scientists may be adamant it is fact, but fact is fact because it can be proved experimentally, however, no amount of time will prove that life can form from non - living matter, and it never shall.
Today, I and every other child in school are taught that the world was created from a huge explosion, vast oceans and stars were formed from matter, Homo sapiens developed from fish, and every life form in all their diversity originated from one single cell. Yet, also in school we will hold a book of hymns in our hand and sing 'All things wise and wonderful, our Lord God made them all.'
The song continues; 'Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings...'
We only need glance outside and consider the beautiful, well-designed world in which we live. Plants can photosynthesize; vital for oxygen we rely on to survive. Birds are born with the instinct to migrate in winter. Bats use sonar, eels create electricity and gulls can desalt seawater. Coincidence? The human eye is one of the most complex forms known. It is unlikely that we developed an eye by chance, considering that even the most ingenious machine will never be able to recognise objects by sight. It is far more likely that these remarkable every day things were deliberately intended to be this way, rather than by pure chance.
Most people seem to find these theories and suggestions much easier to believe than the concept of there being a Creator, able to perform many miracles.
However, true or not, it is evident that with this book the Bible comes a sense of peace, well-being and happiness to those that study its words, something which I believe to be a miracle in itself.
This is the complete article, containing 1,600 words
(approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page).
