Jehovah’s Chosen People
“71. God Promises A Paradise”, My Book of Bible Stories, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, 1978.
The following is an excerpt from my MFA thesis, You Will Be With Me in Paradise, published in 2023.
I was born and raised as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. As one of Jehovah’s chosen people, I was taught that it is our sacred duty to preach the Kingdom news to all who will listen, so they will know that God’s name is Jehovah and can have the opportunity to learn the Truth. We knew that Armageddon could come at any moment, and only the true worshippers of Jehovah would survive and receive everlasting life on a Paradise Earth. We looked forward to the promise in Revelation 21:4, “[...] he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” If we remained faithful servants of Jehovah, then one day we could become perfect and live forever.
My purpose in life was predetermined and designed solely around being a Jehovah’s Witness, and the expectations are quite high to be one of God’s true followers. We were expected to read the Bible every day, read from the daily textbook, read the new magazine and book releases, study and prepare comments for the four meetings we attend at the Kingdom Hall each week, practice and rehearse our scripts for the theocratic ministry, go preaching, only associate with other Jehovah’s Witnesses, and pray to Jehovah God several times every day.
We followed Jesus’ commandment to preach the good news to all the nations, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.” (Matt. 28:19, 20) We received training each week in the Theocratic Ministry School on how to be effective public speakers, how to use illustrations, how to make persuasive arguments, and how to reason from the Holy Scriptures. This training prepared us for the field ministry, the activity that Jehovah’s Witnesses are most famous for, and it was our greatest purpose. All members of the congregation are Publishers of the Kingdom Ministry, and as Publishers we were expected to preach a minimum of 10 hours a month to remain active in the congregation. Pioneers are volunteers who have committed to preaching 70 hours each month. We were taught that everyone’s goal should be to pioneer at some point in their life. Some of the most spiritual members of the congregation were ones who served as Pioneers for many years, and we were to endeavor to be like them by devoting our lives to the Kingdom Ministry.
We were to be no part of the world. School children were not allowed to salute the flag or recite the Pledge of Allegiance and must leave the classroom when a birthday or holiday is being celebrated. Extracurricular activities were also forbidden because that would be spending time with bad association instead of worshiping Jehovah. So that meant absolutely no sports, no marching band, no plays, no prom, nothing. We were frequently reminded of the dangers of spending time with worldly people: “Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits.” (1 Cor. 15:33) Likewise, adults were only allowed to associate with colleagues while at the workplace and must keep contact to a minimum. It was preferred that you work in a business run by your Christian brothers and sisters.
College and other forms of higher education were not allowed. The Governing Body has provided guidance on the pursuit of higher education in the Watchtower magazine explaining the dangers of higher education for Jehovah’s people and reminding us to put Kingdom interests first, admonishing us: “How sad that some have fallen away from the faith as a result of succumbing to the demands on their time and energy or of getting entangled in unscriptural conduct at college!” Likewise, serving in the military was not allowed, nor was voting or participating in any political conversation or activities. We were constantly reminded that we must remain no part of the world.
If you were caught committing any wrongdoing, then you would be punished. A judicial committee made up of your local congregation Elders would meet with you to investigate your sin. The Elders determined how serious your sin is, your level of repentance, and they decided the severity of your discipline. The gentler punishment would be a private reproof, your congregation privileges being revoked without any formal public announcement. The severe punishment was disfellowshipping, which is a practice of shunning or excommunication. If you were disfellowshipped, then the Elders determined that your sin was either too great, or you were not repentant enough, to return to the congregation. At the next congregation meeting, an Elder would get on the platform in front of the entire congregation and say, “So-and-so has been disfellowshipped. They are no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” All members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, including your immediate family, would no longer be allowed to talk to you. They were to treat you as if you didn’t exist. We were frequently reminded that the practice of disfellowshipping is an act of love, it reminds the sinner of what they have lost, it motivates them to get back into good standing with the congregation, and most importantly disfellowshipping keeps the congregation clean and removes any reproach to Jehovah’s name. A person can be disfellowshipped for a minimum of 6 months, but the punishment can last for years, and in some cases for decades, until the Elders can see that you are truly repentant.
When you are a Jehovah’s Witness, there isn’t room in your life for anything else. It requires constant work, and it will become your only identity, all other parts of your identity and sense of self will be stripped away. We were told to put on “the new personality” (Col. 3:10), to “watch how [we] walk” and watch how we talk “because the days are wicked.” (Eph. 5:15-16) We were to take care not to stumble our fellow brothers and sisters and were reminded that our conduct is proof that we are Jehovah’s chosen people. We were to do everything we could to be faithful servants of Jehovah so we could make it to Paradise.
