27 Mar '16 07:31>5 edits
I just got a text from a Muslim friend in Jakarta who said she was approached by a Jehovah's Witness in a shopping mall and given a spiel about the JW religion and a copy of Watchtower.
This is interesting, because it is illegal in this country to try to persuade someone to change their religion - such a prohibition is an extremely dodgy interference in one's freedom of religion and thought (I would say), but it is a basic building block of multi-faith harmony here, such as it is, nevertheless.
The law in Indonesia does not forbid people from changing their religion, although proselytizing to members of other recognized groups is prohibited by law. I support that JW member's moral right to proselytize, and to do so in that shopping mall if she so chooses, but her action was illegal ~ I hope she was or is aware, and that she is careful.
Anyway, my Muslim friend asked me if I'd ever heard of the JWs and what I thought. I told her that I have known JWs in the UK, Japan, and Australia ~ in some cases quite well on a personal level ~ and that I have spent some considerable time discussing things with JWs online.
I also told her that they share many of the same beliefs as other individuals and groups who identify themselves as being Christians, and that they are involved in various kinds of charitable work the world over.
However, I went on to tell her that, in terms of how the religion, its constituent groups, its leaders, and its individual members, conduct themselves and treat each other when there is found to be a lack of conformity and/or obedience, the psychological methods they use, as well as the ramifications of dissidence and leaving the group/church, I told her - to my way of thinking - the JW organization is comparable to the Church of Scientology, albeit [of course] not in terms of its core beliefs or doctrine.
Is that more or less a fair description?
This is interesting, because it is illegal in this country to try to persuade someone to change their religion - such a prohibition is an extremely dodgy interference in one's freedom of religion and thought (I would say), but it is a basic building block of multi-faith harmony here, such as it is, nevertheless.
The law in Indonesia does not forbid people from changing their religion, although proselytizing to members of other recognized groups is prohibited by law. I support that JW member's moral right to proselytize, and to do so in that shopping mall if she so chooses, but her action was illegal ~ I hope she was or is aware, and that she is careful.
Anyway, my Muslim friend asked me if I'd ever heard of the JWs and what I thought. I told her that I have known JWs in the UK, Japan, and Australia ~ in some cases quite well on a personal level ~ and that I have spent some considerable time discussing things with JWs online.
I also told her that they share many of the same beliefs as other individuals and groups who identify themselves as being Christians, and that they are involved in various kinds of charitable work the world over.
However, I went on to tell her that, in terms of how the religion, its constituent groups, its leaders, and its individual members, conduct themselves and treat each other when there is found to be a lack of conformity and/or obedience, the psychological methods they use, as well as the ramifications of dissidence and leaving the group/church, I told her - to my way of thinking - the JW organization is comparable to the Church of Scientology, albeit [of course] not in terms of its core beliefs or doctrine.
Is that more or less a fair description?