Clover Avenue.



Address.



Meeting Schedule.



This Kingdom Hall is located at 3022 Sawtelle Boulevard in between Clover Avenue and National Boulevard.





What does the Bible really teach?



"The whole earth will become a paradise."



Peace on earth.



Does your speech look like ripe or spoiled figs?

On Sunday, July 25, 2010 from 2:00pm to 5:00pm, I attended a “Kingdom Hall” (Jehovah’s witnesses do not refer to their congregational settings as churches), at 3022 Sawtelle Boulevard in between Clover Avenue and National Boulevard. I have never been to this type of congregation before. The website said the meeting started at 2:15pm, but it wasn’t until standing around chatting for half an hour that I realized I was speaking to members of the congregation who had just finished their worship. (If they call it worship that is, I’m not entirely sure…). Anyway, I have to say that my experience is probably a little skewed because I was really hoping people would talk to me about their religion for the sake of my posting, whereas I might have been irritated were I visiting for the sake of my own personal faith. I thought everyone I spoke with was truly kind.

An older couple gave me all sorts of pamphlets, and were especially concerned that I would need a copy of the pamphlet for the day’s meeting. The older man gave me his copy of a booklet called “The Watchtower, Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom”, which included lessons for the entire month of July. When I opened it I realized he had underlined passages throughout the entire booklet, and I tried to convince him I could get another, but they insisted I keep it so I could follow along with the 3pm meeting. The older woman opened up the booklet, “What does the bible really teach?” and turned to a page with people of all races and ages rejoicing together in happiness. She said, “See this, we believe that one day we will all be together in peace and happiness and there will be no sickness or suffering. We don’t believe in hell”. She goes on to say that Jehovah’s Witnesses differ from other forms of Christianity because there is a huge emphasis on interpreting the bible as literally as possible. She says their organization creates more pamphlets worldwide than most, and there is a new watchtower created in different languages, which is taught all around the world each month. I thought it probably provides some form of comfort, feeling connected in some way to many far away places in the world via your religion. Also, it is important to note that “Jehovah” is just another word for god. I thought it was funny that the woman stated that “Jehovah’s witnesses are the happiest people you will ever meet”.

When members of the 3pm meeting began to arrive, an older woman introduced me to her son and daughter-in-law, and got me all kinds of reading materials for the sermon as well as just to have on-hand after leaving. I had told her my visit was for my Masters program and she was eager to help me out. I looked around and wished I had dressed better. I was wearing a skirt, but it was too casual. People were in Sunday suits. It’s been so long since I have attended a formal religious gathering, and the dress codes are very different depending on the church (or, “Kingdom Hall”). Because the building wasn’t much to speak of on the outside, I incorrectly assumed that it wouldn’t be a dressy meeting.

We started off with a song called “Jehovah is my shepherd” (Psalm 23) and much to my dismay; we sing all three tedious verses. For some reason, even though it is a fairly large attendance, we’re noticeably not the best group of singers.

The sermon I sat through was for Jehovah’s witnesses from Beverly Hills. Most people attended Kingdom Hall twice a week. Weekends are for main sermons, one night a week is purely for bible study. There is a different speaker every week, and often the speaker is from another part of the country or world visiting. This week it was an African American man with a Jamaican accent who was somewhat difficult to understand. The older lady agreed with me afterwards that he was hard to interpret. What bothered me even more was that he really needed to hem his suit pants. The format of the sermon is that each speaker holds a microphone, and then asks the congregation questions throughout. Members of the Kingdom hall are encouraged to raise their hands and speak their answers into the microphone. To me, it was a little like being in a classroom, however slightly creepier because I was wondering, are they filming or recording people’s responses?

I was pretty shocked to see this on their website:

Your Accountability to God
The Bible is clear: God does not approve of or condone homosexual practices. He also disapproves of people who “consent with those practicing them.” (Romans 1:32) And “marriage” cannot give homosexuality a cloak of respectability. God’s direction that “marriage be honorable among all” precludes homosexual unions, which he considers detestable.—Hebrews 13:4.

A quote I wrote down from the sermon was “If we do not control our thoughts and behaviors, Jehovah could remove his spirit from us”. I mean, for me, this just sounds like a breeding ground for mental illness. Making people feel like they need to be in control of every single thought or action, and taking away the spontaneity that is human life, is rather ridiculous to me. They ended the sermon with discussion on how it is inappropriate to use foul language and listen to music pertaining to sex and/or violence. I don’t know – I’m an Eminem fan so I can’t really relate to this strictness. This is the part where I really felt like an outsider. And yet, I respect that for some people making strict choices or leading maybe a simpler or more conscious lifestyle could be rewarding.

I think broadening my awareness to include individuals who lead lives, which are much different than mine is important as a therapist. I was happy that I felt I really liked many of the people I met, and appreciated their kindness and positivity, regardless of whether or not we share the same belief system. I think I was actually less judgmental than I thought I was going to be.

For anyone interested in additional information, here is the official website for Jehovah’s Witnesses:

http://www.watchtower.org/