<p>Jag har valt att göra en kvalitativ undersökning som består av intervjuer med medlemmar i Jehovas vittnen, icke medlemmar samt avhoppare. Syftet med denna undersökning är att ta reda på vilka faktorer det är som bidrar till att människor väljer att ansluta sig till Jehovas vittnen. För att få en bredare bild av Jehovas vittnes organisation har jag valt att även utföra tre intervjuer med avhoppare. Intervjuerna med Jehovas vittnen utfördes gruppvis på Rikets sal i Halmstad medan intervjuerna med övriga respondenter som icke är Jehovas vittnes utfördes i hemmet eller på arbetsplatsen. Intervjuerna med avhopparna skedde till via mail och telefon. Jag kommer att ta upp respondenternas sätt att resonera kring valet de har gjort och även ta upp vad och hur icke vittnena resonerar om Jehovas vittnen. Avhopparnas´intervjuer belyser ytterligare hur organisationen inom Jehovas vittnen fungerar samt hur de hade det under tiden som vittnen. Uppsatsen kommer att belysa hur Jehovas vittnen resonerar kring valet att vara Jehovas vittne. Jag får ta del av deras synsätt om hur det är att leva i ett samfund som Jehovas vittnen. Jag</p><p>kommer även att presentera och diskutera de tankar som icke vittnen har om Jehovas vitten samt avhopparnas syn på organisationen. Efter den sociologiska analysen följer en slutdiskussion.</p>

Jag har valt att göra en kvalitativ undersökning som består av intervjuer med medlemmar i Jehovas vittnen, icke medlemmar samt avhoppare. Syftet med denna undersökning är att ta reda på vilka faktorer det är som bidrar till att människor väljer att ansluta sig till Jehovas vittnen. För att få en bredare bild av Jehovas vittnes organisation har jag valt att även utföra tre intervjuer med avhoppare. Intervjuerna med Jehovas vittnen utfördes gruppvis på Rikets sal i Halmstad medan intervjuerna med övriga respondenter som icke är Jehovas vittnes utfördes i hemmet eller på arbetsplatsen. Intervjuerna med avhopparna skedde till via mail och telefon. Jag kommer att ta upp respondenternas sätt att resonera kring valet de har gjort och även ta upp vad och hur icke vittnena resonerar om Jehovas vittnen. Avhopparnas´intervjuer belyser ytterligare hur organisationen inom Jehovas vittnen fungerar samt hur de hade det under tiden som vittnen. Uppsatsen kommer att belysa hur Jehovas vittnen resonerar kring valet att vara Jehovas vittne. Jag får ta del av deras synsätt om hur det är att leva i ett samfund som Jehovas vittnen. Jag kommer även att presentera och diskutera de tankar som icke vittnen har om Jehovas vitten samt avhopparnas syn på organisationen. Efter den sociologiska analysen följer en slutdiskussion.

Problemet som denna uppsats behandlat är den om hur en individ som lämnat Jehovas vittnen kan ha påverkast av sin tid i organisationen, med avseende på hennes upplevelse av och förhållningssätt till rädsla. Genom att ha intervjuat före detta medlemmar, läst aktuell litteratur i ämnet och genom att ha använt information från Jehovas vittnen själva har denna problematik försökt adresseras. De direkta frågeställningar som uppsatsen strävat efter att besvara är vilket eventuellt samband mellan Jehovas vittnens läror och rädsla somkan skönjas, samt hur de intervjuade före detta medlemmarna förhållit sig till den antagna rädslan. Gemenskapen baserad på Jehovas vittnens organisation och läror har varit ettfrekvent återkommande begrepp i de intervjuer jag fört, och den positiva upplevelsen av att få kontra rädslan för att förlora gemenskapen, har till sist framträtt som den mest markantadetaljen i uppsatsens slutsats.

Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka vad som leder till att man lämnar en verklighet, för att träda in i en annan. För att undersöka detta har fem före detta medlemmar av Jehovas vittnen intervjuats. För att belysa deras berättelser har flertalet teorier och tidigare forskning presenterats och använts i analysen. Anledningarna till att intervjupersonerna lämnat församlingen har varit ifrågasättanden som satts igång på antingen intern- eller extern nivå. På intern nivå rör det sig om värderingar i församlingen som inte stämt överrens med individens egna, eller levnadssätt efter hårda krav inom församlingen. På extern nivå har anledningarna till avhopp bestått av ett ifrågasättande som grundar sig i en jämförelse av verkligheten som vittne gentemot verkligheten i majoritetssamhället.

Zugl.: Freiburg (Breisgau), Pädag. Hochsch., Diss., 2009

The purpose of this thesis is to identify power structures and instruments of power within the Jehovah’s witnesses and investigate how they affect the baptized youths baptized within the organization. The material consists of qualitative in-depth interviews and is analyzed with Foucault's theories of power. The results show that the participants have a very strict relationship to the rules of the congregation and also that they take great care in observing these rules carefully. It becomes evident that young members are exposed to disciplinary measures from the organization. It is also quite clear that the youths internalize hegemonic ideals and that they therefore try to discipline themselves in order to achieve a self image as a good servant of God. The participants concede that they are constantly being surveyed by the congregation and they also express that God is constantly surveying them. Within the organization there is a reward/punishment system which’s purpose is to strengthen the will to follow the organizations rules. My investigation shows that there are power structures and instruments of power within Jehovah’s witnesses that strongly affect the world within which the interviewees live. The instruments of power identified in this thesis drill the participants’ mental and physical operating space. In the thesis I also differentiate power structures within the organization. Foucault’s diffuse concepts about “the power” are concretized using the organization of Jehovah’s witnesses. The ones who represent “the power” are the ones who gain an advantageous position within the organization, but “the power” also stems from the atmosphere, discourse, and hegemonic ideals that surround the organization.

Vi är två lärarstudenter med inriktning mot gymnasieskolan som genomfört en undersökning om en sluten religiös rörelse. Denna studie handlar om fyra kvinnors personliga berättelser hur det är att leva, lämna och livet efter en sluten religiös rörelse, Jehovas vittnen. . KASAM-teorin är ett verktyg att analysera hälsa och ohälsa vilket är användbart i kommande religionsundervisning. Med hjälp av denna teori analyseras berättelserna för att definiera hälsa och ohälsa. Det visade sig att familjesituationen påverkade kvinnornas mående mer än Jehovas vittnen

The purpose of this Master’s Degree is to identify and understand different techniques of argumentation in written texts originating from the religious movement Jehovah's Witnesses. The purpose is also to contribute with a theoretical and methodological framework for other scholars. The focal point of the thesis is sexuality and how the authors of the texts try to convince the members to follow the movements' doctrines in this regard. I use a modified version of the well-established grounded theory method. The material is analyzed partly with concepts introduced by Mooney in 2005 but overall the analysis is made in an unbiased way without theoretical support. Theoretical models and terms are instead used in the final analysis to understand how the different techniques of argumentation are supposed to work. These theoretical models stems from, among others,  Foucault, Meerloo, Ben-Ze'ev, Mooney, Berger och Luckmann, Granström and Rapp Young. In the Master’s Degree a great number of techniques are identified within the following five categories: Guilt, Doubt, To nurture instead of convincing, Seemingly logical arguments and Groupthinking. Within the category of Guilt the techniques play on the reader's feelings of guilt, and within the category of Doubt the techniques focus on the reader's feelings of doubt. To nurture instead of convincing is a collection of techniques with the purpose of nurturing already established notions and preconceptions among the readers. Seemingly logical arguments deals with techniques concerning semantic manipulation and lastly, techniques focused on groupthinking aims to bind the reader closer to the movement and tries to get them to reject the outside world. The goal here is for the members to achieve a state within group psychology known as groupthinking.

Summary To become, to be and to have been: about the  Jehovah’s Witnesses The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, in the following text referred to as the Jehovah’s Witnesses or “the organisation”, is a worldwide Christian organisation with about 6.7 million members. The organisation has many times, without any success so far, proclaimed Armageddon when they expect Jehovah to return to Earth. They interpret the Bible in their own, often very literal way, and require their members to live according to these interpretations. Among the consequences of this, members are forbidden to vote, to do military service or to receive blood transfusions. Apart from attending the three weekly meetings, members are expected to be active in missionary work, known as “publishing”. If a member fails to do a certain number of hours’ publishing, he or she risks being deprived of active membership status Sweden in general is considered to be a society where the population is not very religious. The formerly state-governed Lutheran church has lost its influence and the vast majority of ordinary Swedes do not visit church on other occasions than weddings, funerals or christenings. Expressing one’s own religious values has become somewhat of a private matter where publicity is seldom appreciated, which is contrary to the practice of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. This is one of the reasons why the Jehovah’s Witnesses are commonly perceived by average Swedes as a “suspicious” religious organisation. The aim and methods of the study This dissertation seeks to describe and investigate the entering and leaving of a highly structured and hierarchical religious community, exemplified in this case by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. What are the thoughts and aspirations of someone who is considering becoming a Jehovah’s Witness? What are the priorities and what experiences seem important when a person is going through such a process? And when this person has finally reached his or her goal of becoming a member, is it the same motivation that makes him or her stay in the organisation for longer periods of time, possibly for the rest of their lives, or does it change during the process of entering, or does this motivation change its character during the transition from entering to being a regular member? Why do some of the members change their attitude to the Jehovah’s Witnesses from rejoicing to bitterness? And how does this process of exit manifest itself? In what way is it different from the process of entry? The respondents in this study were chosen from both active members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Sweden and those who have left the organisation for personal reasons. Repeated interviews with ten active members of the organisation have been conducted in the course of the study and compared to equal numbers of former members. The interviews have been semi-structured to deal with questions of how a person has come into contact with the organisation; how they retrospectively experienced the process of entry; the reasons for becoming a member. Questions have also been asked about life in the organisation. The group of “exiters” have also been asked about the experience of leaving, why they wanted to leave, and how this process was started and carried out. In addition to this I have analysed a four-year diary describing the time inside and the process of leaving the organisation. This has given me an extra psychological insight into the inner experience of someone who has gone through the whole process. The analysis has been done by categorising the content of the transcribed interviews. An attempt to outline a model of an entry and exit process has been made, based on ideas and interpretations presented in the interviews. The analysis of the diary has involved thorough reading, resulting in a division of it into four different parts, where each part has been given a certain key-word, signifying the author’s emotional state when writing it. A great deal of the information about the Jehovah’s Witnesses has been collected through discussion boards on the Internet, informal talks with members and ex-members, interviews with representatives of the organisations during visits to its different offices (Bethels), such as St. Petersburg, Russia, and Brooklyn, New York, USA. The context Each organisation evolves in its own context with its own norms, roles and stories that would not survive outside it. With this as a starting point, there is a chapter dedicated to the description of the organisation’s history, structure and activities. It has been stated that the organisation’s treatment of its critical members and the strategies for recruiting new members have evolved over the years of its history. At the beginning there was an openness allowing members to be critical. As the structure of the organisation has become more rigid and formalised, the treatment of internal critics has become much less tolerated and exclusion has become a frequent option. As a rule many new members have been attracted to the organisation when (1) the day of Armageddon has been pronounced to be approaching; (2) the members of the organisation have been persecuted or threatened with persecution; and (3) the organisation has discovered a “new market”. The processes for entering and exiting How the entering processes manifest themselves depends on whether the person has been brought up in the organisation or not. A person converting as an adult has to pass six phases before being considered a Jehovah’s Witness by the organisation. These are:  Contact with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Studying the bible with members of the organisation, Questioning, Accepting, Being active as publisher (spreading the belief), Being baptised.  For a person brought up in the organisation, the process to full membership is much shorter:   Upbringing in the organisation, Taking a stand on the belief, Being baptised. The exit process contains of seven phases:   Different levels of doubts, Testing of doubts, Turning points, Different kinds of decisions, Different steps in executing the decisions, Floating, a period of emotional and cognitive consideration of membership and its experiences, Realtive neutrality.   The process in and the process out are both slow and are accompanied with anguish and doubts. When a person is going through the process in or out of the organisation he or she experiences criticism. This is when people around the adept question the decision to continue in the process. The result of the criticism depends on where in the process the person is. If he or she is at the beginning of the process, the criticism will probably make the person insecure and the process will slow down or stop. If the criticism is pronounced in a later phase, the process will probably speed up. The norms of the organisation affect the behaviour of the members. There are techniques for inclusion that both bind members to the organisation and shield them off from the surrounding society. Examples of techniques for inclusion are the “work situation” and “closed doors”. The work situation signifies that members who do as the organisation recommends – doing simple work – often end up in the same branch of industry as many other Jehovah’s Witnesses. This often means that the person has other witnesses as workmates. If the person is unemployed or moves to another town it is easy to find a new job through connections in the organisation. Doubts and exclusions can lead to problems since they entail a risk of losing one’s job. This can also result in problems getting a new job. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not supposed to talk to excluded members, which of course mean difficulties working together. “Closed doors” means that members who do as the organisation recommends – not pursuing higher education, not engaging in civil society, working with a manual or in other way simple job, putting much time into the organisation – will, after a long life in the organisation, have problems starting a new life outside the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The language used in the organisation shows the community among the members, thus the language is one of the most important symbols. A special way of thinking is created through the language. It binds members to the organisation and sometimes it can work as a way to get back into the normative world of the organisation. Randall Collins’s (1990, 2004) thoughts about “emotional energy” have enabled an understanding of the solidarity and unity in the organisation. This also gives an understanding of the way the members treat doubting and critical members. The members who want to exit have to open up the binding/screening off. A possible way to do that is through language, to become aware of the effect the language might have. Another way is to search for emotional energy in another situation. During the exit process, shame might be of some importance. When members become aware of the shame they feel, because they perceive they are “acting a belief”, the exit process might accelerate.

The purpose of this essay is to provide material that can explain the development and division of millennialism and in what way it has influenced Jehovah´s Witnesses and their millennial belief. The essay also brings up whether or not this area of Christianity is something that should be part of the religious studies in school.    The material used is previous research done focused on millennialism and Jehovah´s Witnesses, which then has been analyzed and read to give a better understanding of the two fields.    The results show that millennialism has developed alongside society and various historical events, such as the rise of the Roman empire, and several religious seminal figures have affected how Christians think about millennialism. It has led to three different ways of viewing millennialism, with the difference being the thought of when Jesus will return in the order of events that will take place in the end time.    The results also show that millennialism has a great impact on Jehovah´s Witnesses and their choice of lifestyle. They spend a lot of time preparing both themselves and others for the apocalypse, which they believe to be coming in the near future.