I Grew Up In A Congregation Of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Here’s What It Was Really Like.

It’s easy to accidentally misspeak about them, because they avoid nearly all terminology common in mainstream Protestantism, like “church,” “hymn” or “cross.” They reject the Trinity doctrine and hellfire. They don’t celebrate Christmas, Halloween or Easter, citing pagan origins. Same goes for birthday celebrations — partly because of the origins of the candles and wishes, but also because they see birthdays as evoked in a negative light in the Bible. They limit their contact with nonbelievers; it’s rare for someone unrelated to a member to be invited over for dinner. All of this is in an effort to keep their spiritual health unstained and their standing with God intact. Worship takes place in functional buildings called Kingdom Halls, which can be found in nearly every country in the world.