In a lead up to their convention on August 18 at Gledswood Hills this year, The Area News got an inside look into their beliefs.

Jehovah’s Witness Jonathon Dower explains their stance on key issues: sin, life after death, stance on abortion and gay marriage, and the practice most people associate with Jehovah’s witnesses: door knocking.

“We worship the one true and Almighty God, the Creator, whose name is Jehovah. He often goes unnamed with other Christian religions. He is the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.”

“In the Bible’s original languages, the words for sin means “to miss a mark,” or a target. Thus, to sin is to miss the mark of God’s standards.

“However it also tells us that death atones for sin, hence there is no need for eternal punishment such as the hellfire doctrine.

Hell (“Sheol” and “Hades” in the Bible’s original languages) is simply the grave, not a place of fiery torment. Who goes to hell? Both good people and bad people. The Bible says that this common grave of mankind is “the house of meeting for everyone living.”—Job 30:23.

Even Jesus went to hell when he died. However, “he was not kept in hell,” because God resurrected him.

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The Bible says: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.”

Therefore, when we die, we cease to exist. The dead can’t think, act, or feel anything.

The Bible often compares death to sleep. A person who is fast asleep is unaware of what is happening around him. Likewise, the dead are not conscious of anything.

Yet, the Bible teaches that God can awaken the dead as if from sleep and give them life again. For those whom God resurrects, death is not the end of everything.

In the Bible, the word translated as “resurrection” comes from the Greek a·naʹsta·sis, which means “raising up” or “standing up again.” A person who is resurrected is raised up from death and restored to life as the person he was before.

Some are resurrected to life on a cleansed earth, some to life in heaven.

We respect peoples personal right to choose whether that be abortion or sexual preference. However even though the Bible disapproves of abortion and homosexual acts, it does not condone hatred of homosexuals or homophobia or anyone that is doing something contrary to its standards. Instead, Christians are directed to “respect everyone.”

The door to door work is a directive from the scriptures, and a pattern set by Jesus and his immediate disciples, preaching the “good news of the Kingdom.”

The other reason is to try to get a positive message of hope to as many people as we can. The results are an increase in our numbers, but also the satisfaction of giving people real peace, comfort and hope for the future.

Personally I've not had too many negative responses, I have had one or two door slams, but most people that aren't interested are polite, and will graciously decline.

However some are really looking for answers and are delighted to talk about spiritual topics.

“Birthday celebrations have pagan roots ... celebrations originated from the belief that on a person’s birthday, “evil spirits and influences have the opportunity to attack the celebrants” and that “the presence of friends and the expression of good wishes help to protect the celebrant.”

The book The Lore of Birthdays says that in ancient times, birthday records were “essential for the casting of a horoscope” based on “the mystic science of astrology.” This book adds that “birthday candles, in folk belief, are endowed with special magic for granting wishes.”

The Bible, however, condemns the use of magic, divination, spiritism, or “anything like this.”  In fact, one reason why God condemned the ancient city of Babylon was that its inhabitants practiced astrology, which is a form of divination.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are not preoccupied with the roots of every custom; yet when the Scriptures give such pointed indications, we do not ignore them.

Plus the early Christians did not celebrate birthdays. The World Book Encyclopedia says that “they considered the celebration of anyone’s birth to be a pagan custom.” The Bible shows that the apostles and others who were taught directly by Jesus established a pattern that all Christians should follow.