Posted by Cygnus [Cygnus] on November 01, 1999 at 09:21:49 {2gTL9dbN6k7eVbcAfU9ML4bdfUTIaI}:
In Reply to: this is true religion? posted by metatron on November 01, 1999 at 06:54:20:
JWs are absolutely no different from other religious groups who look out for each other. That really hit home with me when I attended a few different churches. Only one was sort of lukewarm and laid-back; the others were just like the Kingdom Hall (except that the little kids were pleasant, respectful, and not running around treating the place like a gymnasium -- well, there were swingsets and playthings outside for the kids for recreation during the week). Everyone was smiling, discussing church-related and social plans. One had a special visiting speaker from the Atlanta Bible College and after the services we enjoyed a buffet dinner (I wasn't shooed away at all, I was heartily invited to stay even though I wasn't a "member" of the church). The "loving" atmospheres were definitely comparable to anything I've ever experienced at any Kingdom Hall.
There's no question that JWs make way too much out of "Catholics killing Catholics" and so forth. One only needs to recognize the fact that if it were not for the wars of the 18th-20th centuries, Jehovah's Witnesses as a religious entity would not exist.