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The bans Jehovah's Witnesses

| 7 July 2015

Jehovah's Witnesses living in a prison of rules that the Watchtower Society pretends to be willed by God. Some of these rules are truly absurd and devoid of both logical and theological sense.

Jehovah's Witnesses:

  • They cannot salute the flag. (Salvation 1939 p. 253; JW 1/7/77 p. 415)
  • They can't buy, accept or hold any religious object or symbol, nor wear it (JW 1/11/72 p. 647, 648; Sv 22/2/77 p. 28/30; Ks. 91 p. 85)
  • Don't eat mortadella or frankfurters (Blood, medicine and God's law, 1969, p.12)
  • They cannot in any way participate in any activity promoted by religious organizations such as funeral services (JW 1970 p. 735 e 1/7/68 p. 413; Minutes of 7/3/86)
  • They cannot attend weddings, baptisms, confirmations etc., (JW 1/10/61 p. 607 e 15/7/65 p. 444; circular 6/7/79; Ks. 91 p. 95)
  • They can't celebrate Christmas, Easter, birthdays or name days, mother's Day, of dad, on the day of St.. Valentino, on May 1st, the dead (JW 1/12/68 p. 735 e, 15/12/91 p. 4;Sv. 8/10/56 pp, 24-26;Yearbook 1976 p. 146; Ks. 91 p. 95)
  • The birth of Christ cannot be remembered (“The truth that leads to eternal life”, 1968 p.447)
  • You can't celebrate a birthday (JW 1/9/92 pp. 30-31; brochure, “Jehovah's Witnesses and the school”, pp 17-18).
  • You can't celebrate Father's Day and Mother's Day (brochure, “Jehovah's Witnesses and the school” p. 21; Sv.8 / 10/56 pp.24-26; “We reason …”, p.150).
  • You cannot participate in school elections and be a class leader (brochure, “Jehovah's Witnesses and the school”, p. 16).
  • You cannot work in companies that produce Christmas items (Km 3/1974; for a detailed analysis of the work that Jehovah's Witnesses may or may not do, we recommend reading the aforementioned Kingdom Ministry (Km) and that of 10/1976)
  • They cannot work in a bar or in a shop where tobacco is sold, lottery tickets and football pools coupons (JW 15/3/73 p. 163; Sv. 22/12/75 pp. 26, 27; Km. 3/74 e 10/76)
  • They cannot accept blood and, until recently, they could not accept transplants or vaccines of any kind, nor eat in aluminum containers. (The Golden Age, 30/1/35 p. 269; Consolation, 31/5/39 p. 3; JW 15/7/61 p. 447; Km. 11/90)
  • They cannot use fertilizers, feeding your pet food containing blood or giving it transfusions, buy plywood that has been prepared with blood-based glue, work where blood is used, for example, animal blood as fertilizer (JW 1/11/64 p. 639; 1/5/65 p. 282; Sv. 22/2/63 p. 24)
  • You cannot eat an animal that has been killed but not properly bled (“The truth that leads to eternal life”, 1968 p. 166)
  • They cannot accept religious literature from other denominations, they can only read their own (JW 15/8/84 p. 31, 15/3/86 p. 12; Km. 1/86 p. 4 ยง 7)
  • They cannot play cards even if the stake is a few cents (Sv. 8/12/75; Km. 10/70, 8/74)
  • They cannot engage in any political activity, to be the mayor or something else, or participate in school elections (Sv. 22/11/74 pp. 13/16; Circular of the 6/7/79 e 8/1/79)
  • They cannot eat Easter eggs, hares and easter rabbits (Sv. 22/3/86 p.7)
  • They cannot attend university (even secondary school first). (JW 15/8/53 p. 160, 15/9/71 p. 574; Sv. 8/11/69p. 15, 22/11/71 p. 8; letter of 7/12/85)
  • They cannot take headache pills frequently (JW 15/8/78 p. 32; Letter of 7/12/85)
  • They can not (sometimes) return to some people to discuss doctrinal issues, “it does not need to contend” (letter of 24/10/89)
  • They can't for research and studies, consult the Bethel library (letter of 5/10/83)
  • They can't if they nurse, give another witness a blood transfusion even if the doctor orders it (Letter of 12/9/80)
  • They cannot write and mail letters to newspapers without first having the elders read them (circular 25/1/90)
  • They cannot give personal speeches, but they must comply with the schemes provided by the Company (Circular of the 24/6/83)
  • They cannot blame the congregation for bringing an insolvent brother to court, but it is preferable to lose money; it is better to keep these shames hidden (JW 1955 p. 510, 15/11/86 p. 20, 15/1/91 p. 28; Ks. 91 p. 139)
  • They cannot send children to kindergarten (Circular of the 8/1/79)
  • They cannot be part of a jury (JW 74 p. 159/160; Sv. 8/5/79 p. 27/29)
  • They cannot criticize the Watchtower Society (JW 15/10/57 p. 621, 632; Qualify, 1963 p. 160; Ks. 91 p. 95)
  • They cannot toast, cheers (JW 1/10/68 p. 607, 15/4/94 p. 28; Sv. 8/6/85 p. 27)
  • They cannot wish “salute” a chi starnutisce (Sv. 2273/63 p. 31)
  • They cannot play chess and collect stamps (Sv. 22/12/71 p. 16, 8/9/73 p. 12, 8/1/95 p. 16)
  • They cannot be interviewed and provide information on the organization without being previously authorized by the Company (Circular of the 25/1/90)
  • They cannot drink certain types of wine (Sv. 22/2/63 p. 24, 22/3/84 p. 30)
  • They cannot use some types of hair shampoo (Letter of 24/4/75)
  • They cannot play video games (JW 1/1/84 p. 30, 31)
  • Don't make a toast either “gin goblin” (JW, 01-10-1968, p.607; Sv. 8-6-1985, p.27)
  • Don't wear a beard (JW, 1-2-1976, p.85; JW 15/9/1968 pp. 575-576; JW 1/2/1976 p.85)
  • They can't see television novels on TV (JW 15/7/87 p. 19/20)
  • Classical dance cannot be practiced (JW 1/2/76 p.85)
  • They cannot have masks in the house for ornamentation (Sv. 8/8/95 p.24)
  • They cannot think because it is harmful (JW 15/1/68 p. 44)
  • In a Geovist wedding it is forbidden to put sugared almonds in favor bags, use the popular wedding marches, throw rice on the bride and groom (Km. 7/67; JW 15/8/61 p. 511, 1/9/69 p. 534)
  • They cannot marry an unbeliever (Ks. 91 p. 132)
  • E’ not recommended (it was once forbidden), the use of psychologists and psychiatrists (JW 1/6/78 p. 31/32; Sv. 8/8/60 p. 30)
  • E’ It is forbidden to recite the Our Father with people of another faith (SJ. P. 26, 27)
  • Preaching on the street, they cannot count as field service, the time taken to have a coffee or a snack (Km. 5/79, 9/88 p. 3)
  • I know, how do you work as a postman; attention, a Christian would be condemned if among the places where he delivers the mail there were some thieves' houses or a company that sells idols? (JW 1/1/83 p. 26)
  • Don't raise money for the world or for a given cause (JW 15/8/65 p. 488)
  • You cannot smoke a cigarette (JW 15-11-1973, pp.688-696)
  • Don't keep pictures of Saints, make a bonfire out of it (JW 15/7/75 p. 423; Sv. 8/8/74, p. 5; Yearbook 1973 p. 55)
  • One must not have friends who are not Jehovah's Witnesses (JW of 15/7/91 p.23; JW of 15/1/91 p. 27; JW of 15/4/93 pp.15-16; JW of 1/7/93 p. 22).
  • You cannot participate in extracurricular activities such as organized sporting activities (brochure “Jehovah's Witnesses and the school”, pp. 22-23).
  • Professional sports cannot be practiced (Everything 8-11-1986, p.17,18)
  • You cannot be an animator in a sports competition or a queen in a beauty contest (brochure, “Jehovah's Witnesses and the school”, p.23).
  • You cannot participate in student dances (brochure, “Jehovah's Witnesses and the school”, p.24).
  • You cannot recite the Our Father with people of another faith (brochure, “Jehovah's Witnesses and the school”, pp. 26-27).

But “Christ freed us to make us live effectively in freedom. Be firm therefore in this freedom and do not go back to being slaves“ (Gal.5,1).