A Catholic Response to the Jehovahs Witnesses is a departure from the authors usual subject of books and articles on aspects of Catholic spirituality. Having met with many Witnesses over the years, she was prompted to write the book as a response to them. It also addresses the concern many Catholics have as to how to engage with Witnesses and how they might evaluate their teachings. It is written in an informal style to introduce readers to the various aspects of the doctrines of the Jehovahs Witnesses, and how a Catholic might respond to them from their own tradition and the theology of the Catholic Church.
Discusses the history and religious doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses and examines the parallels between the religion and George Orwell's novel, 1984
What would happen if I accepted an invitation to Bible Study from Jehovah's Witnesses? What would attending a Kingdom Hall meeting involve? And if I invited door-knocking Witnesses into my home? This book introduces Jehovah's Witnesses without assuming prior knowledge of the Watch Tower organization. After outlining the Society's origins and history, the book explains their key beliefs and practices by taking the reader through the process of the seeker who makes initial contact with Witnesses, and progresses to take instruction and become a baptized member. The book then explores what is involved in being a Witness – congregational life, lifestyle, rites of passage, their understanding of the Bible and prophetic expectations. It examines the various processes and consequences of leaving the organization, controversies that have arisen in the course of its history, and popular criticisms. Discussion is given to the likelihood of reforms within the organization, such as its stance on blood transfusions, the role of women and new methods of meeting and evangelizing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is the first major study of the enigmatic religious society. By examining the Jehovah's Witnesses' dramatic recent expansion, Andrew Holden reveals the dependency of their quasi-totalitarian movement on the physical and cultural resources have brought about the privatization of religion, the erosion of community, and the separation of 'fact' from faith.
Originale, insolite, renaissante, l'action religieuse émergente bouscule les habitudes, ébranle les certitudes, construit ici, maintenant, l'autre monde. Peut-on courir le risque ? Voilà que la question se pose et se résout en rumeurs publiques, poursuites judiciaires et tensions scolaires, lesquelles mettent à nu des mécanismes inédits d'institutionnalisation de l'expérience religieuse en modernité groupes tactiques d'intervention, cellules gouvernementales de crise, commissions parlementaires, cercles technocratiques précurseurs d'une ingénierie pluraliste. Sur fond de traditions religieuses, nationales ou républicaines, avec la perspective de la menace sectaire, s'esquisse sous nos yeux un religieux correct, acceptable. Comment est-il possible aujourd'hui d'inscrire l'exceptionnel, l'originel, le merveilleux, le transcendant religieux dans le quotidienne ? Et dans quelle mesure, paradoxalement, les gestionnaires de dieux ne repoussent-ils pas toujours plus loin la frontière religieuse ? -- By their nature, emerging religions explore unfamiliar territory and probe unchartered regions of human creativity. For these same reasons, religious transactions that venture beyond the boundaries of traditional religious frontiers often rouse suspicion, anxiety or even fear among the general population. As new religious movements seek to carve out their own niche in society, public controversy and opposing beliefs can spark bitter debates, and can even lead to calls for state intervention. How then do new or borderline religious groups negotiate or mediate the building of public space? What impact can the media have on new religions? How does the law withstand the "creative destruction" of religious innovation? In this provocative collection of essays, twelve experienced specialists break new ground in the sociological study of religion. Publié en français
Finding a proper balance between freedom and responsibility is a problem that has faced every serious Christian. For those raised in a highly structured religious environment, balancing loyalties to a religious organization, family, and personal conscience may raise difficult issues. Raymond Franz's first-hand account of the issues with which he struggled forms the theme of his first book, Crisis of Conscience. In Search of Christian Freedom, the sequel to Crisis of Conscience, provides even more comprehensive study. The issues and options discussed herein, although relating particularly to the structure of Jehovah's Witnesses, are not so very different from issues other Christians have faced and continue to face when they seek to reconcile considerations for conscience, loyalty, responsibility and freedom. This work will mover readers — of any religion — to consider seriously how much they value Christian freedom and to ask how genuine their own freedom is.
The First Encyclopedia available On The Subject Of Religion And American Law The interplay of religion and law has long been a major political and social issue in the United States. From the Salem Witch Trials to the current debate over school vouchers, court rulings have had a profound effect on people's lives. Now, a new encyclopedia provides detailed entries on all of the major Supreme Court decisions dealing with church and state, topical and theoretical essays relating to the issue, and cogent biographies of those Justices whose decisions have achieved landmark status in the debate. Comprehensive In Coverage And Scope Encompassing cases from the colonial period to the Supreme Court's important decisions in 1997, this pioneering volume is written in a clear, concise style that will be useful to professionals and specialists and accessible by students. With contributions by leading scholars in the field, this encyclopedia will benefit all reference libraries, students of law and religion, and anyone working in the field of church and state.
This book is very easy to read and understand for everyone. In our book I refer to the family members of the drug & alcohol addicted person as the victims of the addiction. This book goes into detail about how the addiction affects each family member and how the family can go into treatment as a family, regain the family unity and love they once knew. This book will show you what a child goes through from birth on into adulthood that was born into a family unit that has been afflicted with drug and alcohol addiction. In this book there is up-to-date information on all the street drugs, how to look for alcohol and drug use in the work place, and the medical illnesses related to heavy drug and alcohol addiction. You will learn about the three levels of addiction, the long road home, the intervention into the family unit, and much more. This book also goes into detail about the long process of addiction and how it brings a person to the point of death or to the lowest levels of life. You will learn about the whole process from detoxification through the treatment of the addiction. I am sure there is knowledge in this book that you have never seen before in any other book on this subject. We have tried to take every issue related to addiction and the family to its core. A counselor must have hope and faith in their skills, knowing that they can help someone turn their life around and achieve sobriety. Every counselor is always looking for that light to start shining in their client because that moment that client's light starts to shine is their "Dawn of Recovery."
Parental abduction told by the child. Bryan McGlothin, now in his 40's, tells of his life long search for his mother. Abducted at age 2 by his father, he found his mother at ag 33.
