Jehovah Witnesses Religion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jehovah Witnesses Religion - Research Paper Example The first misconception that I had about Jehovah’s Witness congregation members is that they were forced to knock on people’s doors and witness to them all of the time. This always gave me the impression that they were very aggressive individuals. I do not mind meeting with people in my home to talk about my religious beliefs. Evangelical groups and Mormon missionaries have often visited me. I don’t know if it is simply a matter of style or what, but the Jehovah’s Witness members that I would meet with always seemed tense and ready to argue. I was told that this is the case because they are required to spend a set quota of time each week knocking on people’s doors, distributing the Watchtower magazine and trying to convert people into Jehovah’s Witnesses. My research into this religion showed me that Jehovah’s Witnesses are not required to knock on doors. They do it out of a motivation to spread the Gospel of Jesus, as they understand it. There are no quotas as to the amount of time a person needs to spend in this type of activity but the Jehovah’s Witnesses do make it clear that witnessing as an expected part of the religion, be it door-to-door or otherwise. I understand more fully now the doctrine and motivation that inspire Jehovah’s Witnesses to do what they do. The second coming of Jesus is central to their theology. They really believe that they need to get the word our now before it is too late. What I also learned from my research is the fact that when a special conference is planned, Jehovah’s Witnesses from surrounding areas will concentrate their efforts in order to try to convince people in the community to attend the conference (Byrd, 2011). My prior understanding of this religion was altered through this experience in several ways. First of all, I have a greater respect for the adherents of this religion. Through a greater understanding of their doctrine and after having met with several of them, I can see that my biggest misunderstanding was their motivation for door-to-door meetings. My early assumption was that no one would ever choose to do something like that unless they were compelled to do it. I believe d in all of the rumors I had heard concerning quotas and that they would lose their chosen spot in heaven if they did not go out to try and sell the Watchtower magazine. My research helped me to see past these misconceptions and to view members of the Jehovah’s Witness church in a new light. Instead of seeing aggressive people that were knocking on my door because church leaders compelled them, I now see dedicated individuals committed to living their religion as best they can. This change has been brought about by thorough independent research and meeting with Jehovah’s Witnesses so I could get to know them. What has not changed as a result of my research, however, is the difficulty I have concerning several specific points of doctrine. The preoccupation with the return of Jesus is something that I understood the Jehovah’s Witnesses had going into the research. Their peculiar beliefs concerning the 144,000 chosen to live with God and the evolution of the Earth into a place like the Garden of Eden do not endear me to their religion. Nor does the fact that predictions have been made in year’s past about the coming of Jesus that have been proven false or have been rationalized by saying that the return was â€Å"secret† in some way (What†¦, 2008). The best way to sum up how this experience has altered my prior understanding of the Jehovah’s Witnesses would be to say that I have a greater respect for them as people and adherents of a faith, but even more questions and reservations

Law Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Law Problem - Essay Example Jean-Guy Tremblay as the respondent. The judges present at the hearing were Brian Dickson C.J. and Lamer, Wilson, Gerard La Forest, Claire, L'Heureux-Dube, Sopinka, Gonthier, Cory and McLachlin The Facts The parties in this case were in a relationship which ended after five months of cohabitation. This was because of the beating which Tremblay used to hand Daigle, despite knowing of her pregnancy. At the time of separation, the appellant was 18 weeks pregnant. She, however, decided to undertake an abortion following the separation. The respondent sought an injunction from the court seeking to prevent the mother from having the abortion. The father of the unborn child wanted the court to grant his unborn child right to life. The trial judge in this court found that a foetus is a "human being" under the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. He therefore concluded that the foetus should be accorded a "right to life" under s. 1 (Tremblay, para. 2). Through considering this, the ju dge ruled that the respondent had the necessary â€Å"interest† to make the request for an injunction. The Quebec charter of human rights and freedoms provides for the protection of a foetus before birth (Art. 945). In this article, mechanisms for the protection of a foetus are provided. The article does not, however, accord any additional rights and freedoms to the foetus. The Supreme Court considered these facts before rendering a decision on the appeal. The Anglo- Canadian law does recognize a foetus to be a â€Å"human being† with the aim of protecting its future. It however, goes ahead to define that the rights and freedoms enjoyed by humans can only be accorded to a foetus when it is born alive. This meant that the foetus had to be born first for it to enjoy the privileges enjoyed by other â€Å"humans†. The father at this point was seeking to protect the unborn baby. The foetus is not in a position to defend itself in a court of law. The protection of a f oetus can only be done by a third party who has an interest in the future of the baby. The lower court based its ruling on the fact that the father had interest on the baby and was acting as a third party to protect the foetus. The ruling by a lower court awarding the respondent in this Supreme Court case injunction is what led to the appeal. The court of appeal, however, dismissed the appellant’s case and upheld the injunction that had been earlier awarded. Ms. Daigle, the appellant, then went on and appealed in the Supreme Court. Before the Supreme Court made its decision, she left the province of Quebec and went to the United States of America to terminate the pregnancy. Prior proceedings In the Quebec superior court, the father was the plaintiff while the mother was defendant. The father sought injunction to bar the mother from having an abortion. The court concluded that a foetus is a â€Å"human being† under the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. It the refore should enjoy a â€Å"right to life† and a â€Å"right to assistance† under ss. 1 and 2 respectively. While recognizing the inconvenience that would be caused by the injunction, the court decided the foetus’ rights should prevail in the situation (Tremblay, para. 3 & 4). The defendant appealed to the Quebec court of appeal and the case was dismissed for two reasons. First,