How not to offend Jehovah witness friend?

Answer 1

I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses, so I think I can answer your question, at least from my perspective. Keep in mind, of course, that everyone is different, every one has their own personality, whether we are a Jehovah's Witness or not, and each person will find different things offensive, regardless of religion.

One thing that a person should remember about JW's is that you should not feel as though you have to 'walk on egg shells' around us to keep from offending us. We realize that our beliefs are not like most other people, and therefore what you do will be different than what we do. That doesn't translate into us being offended by what you say and do. We do not take offense at what people around us do, as long as it's not illegal, dishonest, or generally considered immoral. That means that we will not associate with people who do grossly immoral things like commiting crimes, committing adultry, etc. We would be offended by a 'friend' who did stuff like that. I would expect a large percentage of non-Jehovah's Witnesses would find the same things offensive as well.

But I have a feeling you are not talking about that. I have a feeling you are talking about issues that involve our religious beliefs, such as holidays and birthday celebrations, etc.

It's true that Jehovah's Witnesses as a group have come to the decision not to engage in the celebration of birthdays, certain religious and national holidays, and customs associated with them. There are some greetings we do not share in such as, "Merry Christmas." We have what we feel are very good reasons for not sharing in these customs. But we are taught by our organization to recognise that just because we have chosen a certain course, does not mean that others around us have to choose that same course, and we have no right to judge others based on that choice. We recognize all judging is done by Jesus Christ, and we have no right to do what only Jesus Christ has received the authority to do.

If for example, you were to invite your friend to your birthday party, if he has the right attitude, he will not take offense. To take offense means to 'look upon with disdain.' In that situation your friend should never look upon that invitation or you with disdain. Afterall, you thought highly enough of him to invite him to something that is very special to you. If he has the right attitude, he will probably be flattered, but will respectfully decline the invitation. If there is opportunity and you want to know why, I am sure he will be happy to respectfully explain our reasons.

An experience I had during a recent Christmas holiday was one of my workmates said, "Merry Christmas," then quickly recanted saying, "Oh, sorry, I probably offended you." It was then that I realized that appearantly the people around me didn't feel comfortable around me, and felt that they had to be very careful to keep from offending me. I immediately turned to my work mate and explained that even though I do not share in the Christmas customs, including the "Merry Christmas" greeting, I realized that he was wishing me well, and I would never take offense at such a gesture. From that day on till now, I have worked very hard to help people around me realize that they don't have to worry about offending me over things that involve religious beliefs. I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses, but religious beliefs aside, I am just like everybody else. So is your friend, who happens to also be one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

As you are probably aware, when you are dealing with any large group of people, there are those who have the right attitude, and there those who don't. As a group, Jehovah's Witnesses are no different. If your friend is one of the vast majority of Jehovah's Witnesses who have the right attitude in this matter, he will not be quick to take offense.

I hope this has both answered your question and put you at ease.