Jehovah’s Witnesses are members of a Christian denomination who are known for their door-to-door evangelism and teachings that are different from mainstream Christianity. There are many things that Jehovah’s Witnesses avoid or dislike due to their specific beliefs and practices.
Holidays and Birthdays
One of the most well-known practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that they do not celebrate holidays or birthdays. This includes major holidays like Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving. Jehovah’s Witnesses refrain from celebrations like these for the following reasons:
- They believe many holiday traditions have pagan origins or promote pagan themes and ideology which they wish to avoid.
- They think birthday celebrations encourage self- centeredness and materialism.
- They prefer to distance themselves from nationalistic holidays and politics.
- They think the Bible does not command or encourage celebrating holidays, therefore it is not required for Christians.
Instead of celebrating holidays, Jehovah’s Witnesses will have at most a minor family gathering on significant holidays like Passover and may spend more time preaching on those days.
Patriotic or Political Symbols
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe they owe any special allegiance to earthly governments or organizations. They stay politically neutral for these main reasons:
- They give their full devotion and worship to God and his Kingdom, not any nation.
- They follow Jesus Christ who stayed neutral toward politics.
- They believe governments soon will be destroyed at Armageddon and replaced by God’s Kingdom.
For those reasons, Jehovah’s Witnesses refrain from saluting the flag, participating in political events, or joining the military. They believe saluting a flag can become a form of worship, which they reserve for God alone. They avoid politics because they don’t think governments can bring true and lasting solutions to human problems.
Blood Transfusions
Jehovah’s Witnesses are well-known for refusing blood transfusions, even when it’s a life or death situation. This is one of the most controversial practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses, but they adhere to it strictly based on their interpretation of these biblical principles:
- The Bible prohibits eating blood, so they avoid transfusions as a matter of obedience.
- They believe blood represents life and is sacred, so it should not be tampered with.
- They think God views blood as belonging to him and not to be used however humans wish.
- They believe transfusions are not necessary medically if alternative treatments are used.
Instead of transfusions, they accept non-blood alternatives such as blood fractions, transfusions of their own pre-donated blood, and other procedures that conserve blood.
Serving in the Military
Jehovah’s Witnesses take literally the Bible’s command to “love your enemy” and therefore stay neutral in political affairs and avoid military service. Their reasons are:
- They believe Christians should imitate Jesus who promoted peace.
- They want to maintain neutral Christian principles by not taking up arms for any nation.
- They think warfare goes against their conscience and promoting peace.
- They view all humanity as their brothers, so cannot bear arms against them.
Instead, they preach love, teach Bible principles that can resolve conflict, and try to treat all people as equals. They hope God’s Kingdom will soon end all wars.
Higher Education
While not completely prohibited, Jehovah’s Witnesses tend to discourage pursuing higher education for the following reasons:
- They believe this world will soon come to an end, so secular education seems unnecessary.
- They feel secular universities can erode faith and cause students to abandon beliefs.
- They prefer to stay separate from the world and not pursue material rewards.
- They think time is better spent sharing their message and studying the Bible.
However, obtaining basic education and learning a useful trade is viewed positively. If they pursue higher education, they are encouraged to maintain spiritual priorities while avoiding anything immoral.
Close Friendships With Non-Witnesses
Jehovah’s Witnesses try to associate mainly with each other and limit close friendships with non-Witnesses for these reasons:
- They want to avoid negative influences or immoral behaviors.
- They wish to spend time sharing their beliefs with others.
- They think close involvement with secular society can erode faith.
- They prefer friendships that will encourage spiritual growth.
They may have cordial relationships and do business with non-Witnesses but are cautious about deep personal involvement. However, they do try to maintain ties with non-Witness relatives if those family members are respectful of their beliefs.
Gambling
Jehovah’s Witnesses avoid gambling or games of chance for these main reasons:
- They view it as an unwise waste of resources God provides.
- They think it demonstrates greed, fuels selfishness, and encourages crime to support the addiction.
- They believe spending money should focus on necessities and advancing faith.
- They feel the thrill and risks of gambling goes against developing healthy, ethical values.
Therefore, they avoid casinos, lotteries, raffles, and usually shun betting on any events or games. The money and time is better spent supporting their ministry and aiding others.
Idols, Images, and Pagan Symbolism
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the Bible prohibits idolatry of any kind. For that reason, they do not have images or artwork depicting God, Jesus, angels, or saints. They refrain from using images and symbols with pagan roots for these main reasons:
- They think such symbols can become objects of worship and this violates their belief in monotheism.
- They want to avoid any association with magic, witchcraft, or spiritualism.
- They feel idols and images typically arise out of human imagination, not God’s Word.
- They think venerating images can lead to unfaithfulness and corrupted teachings.
Common examples they avoid are crosses, religious statues and icons, pictures of Jesus, mystical symbols, and decorations with pagan roots like Christmas trees.
Excessive Materialism
Jehovah’s Witnesses avoid becoming caught up in materialism and consumerism. Their reasons include:
- They give devotion to God over money and possessions.
- They do not want to become obsessed with temporary things of this world.
- They think secular desires compete with spiritual goals.
- They believe God can provide what they need and prosper their work.
Therefore, they tend to live modestly, avoid overindulgence in luxury goods, and do not flaunt wealth. They generally pursue occupations that provide sufficient income without fueling greed or selfish ambition.
Strong Patriarchal Structure
Jehovah’s Witnesses follow a male-led organizational structure based on these beliefs:
- Bible principles give authority to men for spiritual leadership.
- They think God’s intended design is patriarchal.
- They believe men were created first and given primary responsibilities.
- They do not think women are suited for authoritative roles in the congregation.
Women do not serve as elders, ministerial servants, public speakers, or teachers to men. They do not cover their heads or remain totally silent, but generally defer to male leadership.
Alternative Service and Secular Work
Instead of pursuing politics, military service, or higher education, Jehovah’s Witnesses focus on these activities:
- Volunteer work at their Kingdom Halls and religious institutions.
- Part or full-time evangelism and preaching work.
- Secular trades or occupations to earn a living without compromising beliefs.
- Community service to benefit people in practical ways.
Their goal is to stay busy advancing their faith through teaching, worship, and displaying love locally and globally. Work is a means to avoid idleness and support themselves financially.
Disfellowshipping
If a baptized Witness unrepentantly violates key doctrines and will not change through counsel, they may be disfellowshipped based on these principles:
- Serious wrongdoing is condemned in the Bible. Unrepentant wrongdoers in the congregation must be rejected.
- Disfellowshipping protects congregational purity from corrupting influences.
- Shunning tends to shame unrepentant wrongdoers into returning to God.
- Loyalty to Jehovah requires separating from all sin and wrongdoing.
Disfellowshipping is seen as a last resort to bring sinners back to God. Shunning shows love by rescuing the drifting one from grave danger. Those disfellowshipped can still attend meetings but are publicly shunned until repentance is evident.
Rejection of Mainstream Christian Doctrines
Jehovah’s Witnesses consider mainstream Christian teachings corrupted by pagan traditions and human philosophies. They base their beliefs solely on the Bible. Differences include:
- Rejection of the Trinity and viewing Jesus as an angel, not God.
- Denying the immortal soul survives death and believing in unconscious death until resurrection.
- Believing few go to heaven while most inhabit a paradise earth.
- Rejecting concepts like eternal torment in hell and purgatory.
These and other doctrines separate them from other religions. They believe these “truths” were restored through deeper Bible study and guidance by God’s spirit directed organization.
Secular Entertainment
Jehovah’s Witnesses avoid entertainment that promotes themes and values contrary to Bible principles. Reasons include:
- Avoiding violence, crime, sexual immorality, and the occult.
- Staying separate from secular culture and ideals.
- Not wanting movies, music, games etc. to distract from spiritual goals.
- Preventing entertainment addictions that can waste time and resources.
They tend to stick to wholesome forms of recreation, entertainment with redeeming value, and activities that strengthen relationships and faith.
Conclusion
In summary, Jehovah’s Witnesses avoid many practices common to society due to their goal of adhering closely to Bible teachings, even if it means separation from the world. Their main focus is living by God’s standards, maintaining loyalty to Jesus Christ and his Kingdom, and finding true meaning in spiritual activities that advance faith. This leads them to willingly avoid holidays, politics, higher education, secular associations, and other elements they view as dangerous compromises to true worship and morality.