Today, we’re going to see most of the things Jehovah witnesses can’t do and why they don’t believe in them.
- 1. Belong to another organization or club for the purpose of socializing with nonbelievers.
- 2. Have best friends and activity buddies who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses.
- 3. Associate with people outside their organization when it is not necessary.
- 4.Attend social functions sponsored by their employer unless attendance is required
- 5.Associate with coworkers after business hours in a social settings
- 6.Disagree with their organization’s rules and code of conduct.
- 7.Disagree with their organization’s doctrines.
- 8.Contribute to the Presidential Campaign Fund on their tax return
- 9.Join the armed forces and defend their country
- 10.Say the Pledge of Allegiance
- 11.Salute the flag
- 12.Vote
- 13.Run for leadership in their organization. (JW’s are ‘appointed’ and invited to be leaders.)
- 14.Run for leadership in any organization 15.Take a stand for any political issue inside their organization
- 16.Take a stand on any political or ‘worldly’ issue outside of their organization
- 17.Campaign for a political candidate
- 18.Hold political office
- 19.Discuss politics
- 20.Be a union steward or shop steward
- 21.Actively be involved in a union strike
- 22.Use a gun for protection against humans
- 23.Become a police officer if a gun is required
- 24.Wear military uniforms or clothing associated with war
- 25.Take yoga classes and practice the discipline of yoga.
- 26.Smoke tobacco and cigars 27.Work full time selling tobacco and cigars
- 28.Attend Alcoholics Anonymous
- 29.Donate blood
- 30.Have blood transfusions
- 31.Read books, magazines, publications, and literature from other religions.
- 32.Buy anything from a church store
- 33.Buy something at a church garage sale
- 34.Donate items to a church run store
- 35.Shop at the Salvation Army
- 36.Work for the Salvation Army
- 37.Work for another church
- 38.Play competitive sports on a school team
- 39.Play competitive sports professionally
- 40.Run for class president
- 41.Become a cheerleader
- 42.Go to the school prom or school dance.
- 43.Attend class reunions
- 44.Be hypnotized
- 45.Accept Jesus as their mediator
- 46.Join the Boy Scouts
- 47.Join the Girl Guides
- 48.Join the YMCA
- 49.Serve on jury duty
- 50.Study psychology, philosophy, sociology, and viewpoints that might shake their faith
- 51.Attend other Christian churches
- 52.Attend nondenominational churches
- 53.Attend non Christian churches
- 54.Get married in another church
- 55.Dating non believers is discouraged
- 56.Casual dating is discouraged
- 57.Dating someone without the intent of getting married
- 58.Having sex before marriage
- 59.Breaking an engagement, separation, and ‘unscriptural’ divorce may result in disciplinary action
- 60.Marriage to non believers is not recommended
- 61.Be gay or lesbian. Homosexuality is not acceptable.
- 62.Throw rice at a wedding
- 63.Get divorced unless the reason is adultery
- 64.Can’t remarry unless their ex commits fornication first
- 65.Toast drinks
- 66.Buy a raffle ticket
- 67.Play bingo
- 68.Gamble
- 69.Sing any holiday songs
- 70.Sing the National Anthem.
- 71.Celebrate Christmas
- 72.Celebrate New Years Eve
- 73.Celebrate Easter
- 74.Celebrate Mother’s Day
- 75.Celebrate Father’s Day
- 76.Celebrate birthdays
- 77.Celebrate Thanksgiving
- 78.Celebrate Flag Day
- 79.Celebrate Veteran’s Day
- 80.Celebrate Independence Day.
- 81.Celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day
- 82.Celebrate Valentine’s Day
- 83.Celebrate Halloween
- 84.Celebrate Hanukkah
- 85.Accept holiday gifts
- 86.Celebrate any holiday except the death of Jesus
- 87.Partake in the bread and wine that represents Christ unless they are part of the 144,000
- 88.Make holiday artwork for school
- 89.Engage in holiday parties at school
- 90.Take on a leadership role in school
- 91.Porneia
- 92.Do suggestive and immodest dancing in a public place
- 93.Attend a class, workshop, or seminar, sponsored by another church
- 94.Attend social events or fund raisers sponsored by another church
- 95.Use of bad language (curse words) is discouraged
- 96.Wear blue jeans, shorts, and overly casual clothing at the Kingdom Hall. See Dress Code
- 97.Wear pants at a Kingdom Hall if you’re a woman
- 98.Wear revealing clothes or skirts that are too short (looked down upon)
- 99.Wear long hair or facial hair if you’re a man (depends on the local customs of the country you live in)
- 100.Body piercing are discouraged
- 101.Tattoos are discouraged
- 102.State or imply that the Watchtower is not run by Jehovah God.
- 103.Have discussions and express Bible based viewpoints that contradict the organization’s beliefs
- 104.Say anything negative about their organization. JW’s must ‘speak in agreement’ and be ‘like-minded’.
- 105.Consider other religious beliefs as valid and truthful.
- 106.Acknowledge any prayer spoken by a non believer as valid
- 107.Take another Jehovah’s Witness to court (with exceptions)
- 108.Wear or own a cross
- 109.Own any religious picture
- 110.Own any religious statue
- 111.Engage in idolatry
- 112.Believe in miracles (except those found in the Bible)
- 113.Believe in ghosts
- 114.Witchcraft
- 115.Black magic
- 116.White magic
- 117.Consult with a psychic or become one
- 118.Study tarot cards, get a reading or give a reading
- 119.Study numerology or get a reading
- 120.Dabble in ESP (extrasensory perception), dowsing, or divination
- 121.Use a tool such as a pendulum to access information from the spiritual realm
- 122.Attempt to communicate with departed spirits.
- 123.Attend a seance
- 124.Believe in good luck or say things such as ‘Good luck to you’. Why?
- 125.Believe or say anything superstitious
- 126.Prophesy
- 127.Speaking in tongues
- 128.Laying on of hands
- 129.Energy healing such as Reiki
- 130.Read their horoscope
- 131.Study astrology or zodiac signs
- 132.Combat training, boxing, or martial arts
- 133.Go to heaven unless they are part of the 144,000
- 134.Worship Jesus as God
- 135.Idolize any celebrity or love and admire them to excess
- 136.Women can’t be elders
- 137.Women can’t be ministerial servants (assistants to the elders)
- 138.Divulge secret information to enemies and those not entitled to know.
- 139.Greet or talk with disfellowshipped persons (with some exceptions)
- 140.Associate with disfellowshipped persons except for immediate family living in the same house
- 141.Keep secrets from the organization. Jehovah’s Witnesses report friends and family members breaking the rules
Some Other Things Jehovah Witnesses Can’t Do
- Smoking
- Swearing
- Sex before marriage
- Receive a blood transfusion
- Donate sperm
- Donate eggs
- Use donated sperm
- Use donated eggs
- Be a surrogate
- Celebrating a birthday
- Signing a birthday card
- Celebrating Christmas
- Celebrating Independence day
- Celebrating thanksgiving
- Salute a flag
- Own a flag
- Take part in competitive sports
- Use external sources in bible research
- Take part in a bible study group without the Governing Body leaders permission
- Play with a Ouija board
- Use tarot cards
- Watching Harry Potter
- Talking to ex-members
- Visiting websites that say Jehovah’s Witnesses are wrong
- Getting drunk
- Being a homosexual
- Think that you might be a homosexual
- Think homosexuality should be accepted
- Disagree with anything printed in a Watchtower magazine
- Have an opinion that differs from their Governing Body leaders
- Wear tight pants
- Gamble
- Be alone with the opposite sex
- Look at pornography
- Own nude art
- Take an art class that involves a nude model
- Report a Jehovah’s Witness child molester to the police (unless there were TWO witnesses to the assault).
- Eat black pudding
- Be friends with non-members
- Talk to family members who leave the religion
- Join the army
- Read other religious or “holy” books
- (For women) pray out loud in the presence of man without covering her head.
- (For women) preach from the platform
- (For women) teach a man
- (For women) have any authority in the home
- Not inform the elders of how many hours they’ve spent knocking on doors each month. (Shepherd The Flock Of God, chapter 4, point 3)[57]
- Pursue a career
- Vote
- Have a political opinion
- Watch boxing
- Take part in boxing
- Take martial arts classes
- Kill (even if the person is trying to kill you or your loved ones)
- Sing the national anthem
- Swear allegiance to a monarch or the country
- Own religious icons or statues
- 61. Enjoy the Super Bowl
What happens when a Jehovah Witness breaks any of these rules?
As we can see, these rules are so much and it will be very difficult for someone to abide by them 100 percent, However, If caught breaking this rule, it can result in disfellowshipping or disassociation from members of the church. You will be looked down upon or judged negatively by individuals within the organization.
History of Jehovah Witness
Jehovah Witness is often regarded as an Adventist movement and it emerged around the predictions of William Miller in 1830s. Miller was a Pastor and he prophesied that Christ will return in 1844. When Jesus did not return as he prophecied, the Adventists divided into several numbers of factions.
In 1870s, the infamous Charles Taze Russell proclaimed himself as an independent but controversial Adventist teacher. This radical man rejected the truth that there’s hellfire and that it is a place of eternal torment. He instead adopted a non-Trinitarian theology thereby denying the divinity of the lord.
Russell also interpreted the Coming of Jesus Christ for the second time although the interpretation was in accordance with the literal meaning of the original Greek word. The word parousia (“presence”) is Greek and it suggests that Jesus Christ would appear again with an invisible presence. He further maintained that and the “Parousia”, or “Millennial Dawn,” had already occurred, in 1874.
In the same vein, substantial changes in the organizational continued as teaching and congregations programs came under centralized control. Further changes to the doctrine of Jehovah witness led to the prohibition of blood donation and transfusions by its members, abandonment of the cross, rejection of Christmas celebrations, etc.
