JW "Spirituality"

When I was growing up as a JW, I equated spirituality with active involvement within the Watchtower organization. Regular meeting attendance, personal study with the aid of Watchtower literature, and getting a certain amount of hours in service every month were all considered basic expectations of being a "spiritually minded person"."Spiritual goals" often consisted of receiving a certain title in the organization such as "Ministerial Servant" "Regular Pioneer" "Circuit Overseer" or "Missionary". The higher the rank of the title you attained within the organization, the more you were looked up to and respected. A lower rank however was often considered a lack of spirituality and such ones were usually labeled "spiritually weak" or "worldly".

There was no way of being spiritual outside of the organization. Any spiritual practices or experience outside of it were considered worldly or even forbidden. One of such forbidden practices is meditation, which I now consider to be a fundamental aspect of overall well being.

As I got older and began exploring life outside of the organization, I realized that my whole idea of what spirituality was had been skewed. Wikipedia describes spirituality as this;

"Spirituality is a process of personal transformation, either in accordance with traditional religious ideals, or, increasingly, oriented on subjective experience and psychological growth independently of any specific religious context. In a more general sense, it may refer to almost any kind of meaningful activity or blissful experience. There is no single, widely-agreed definition for the concept."

Spirituality can take on many forms and be practiced in many different ways. It is impossible to put an exact definition on it, however spirituality should always be a positive experience in your life. Spirituality should not be pushed on a person by exploiting their fears (e.g. death or losing loved ones). It should also not be used in a way to seek power over others or gain prestige. 

Spirituality is about personal transformation and that is between you and whatever higher power you believe in. To say someone is not spiritual because they are not of the same religion or hold different beliefs, is like saying a person who votes differently than you in an election is a pacifist. They merely chose a different spiritual path. Jehovah's Witnesses are usually unable to grasp this concept due to the inseparable connection they see between their organization and their relationship with God.

Jehovah's Witnesses don't stop there though. They also believe they are the only ones who have a scriptural hope of surviving Armageddon.

"Only Jehovah's Witnesses, those of the anointed remnant and the "great crowd," as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated by Satan the Devil." Watchtower 1989 Sept 1 p.19

"Similarly, Jehovah is using only one organization today to accomplish his will. To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it." Watchtower 1983 Feb 15 p.12

 I will discuss this subject more at a later time, but I think this really shows how Jehovah's Witnesses see themselves as the only ones on the road to salvation.

“People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road does not mean they are lost. - Dalai Lama”