Profile of a Religious Community

As part of his high-school geography course, 15-year-old Philip was assigned to investigate and report on one of the sporting, political, cultural, or religious communities in Sydney, Australia, his home city. Philip chose to report on the local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, of which he and his family are members. The students were instructed to speak to 20 members of their chosen community to provide, among other things, a profile of “the factors that characterise the community.”

After compiling the results of his survey, Philip wrote: “[The local] congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses is a religious organization that meets together primarily for the purpose of learning from the Bible. During these meetings, passages are read from the Bible and then explained. The meetings are also aimed at instructing us how best to teach others about the Bible. This is carried out by calling from door to door in order to meet people at their homes, where they are most comfortable. All members of the community take part in this work on a regular basis, in varying degrees, according to their circumstances. Along with learning the Bible themselves and teaching others about it, the community also distributes the informative, up-to-date journals The Watchtower and Awake! which contain many interesting articles on nature, history, and global and local issues. We also endeavor to provide distressed people with support after terrible world atrocities, such as September 11, and we provide helpful publications on such themes as marriage, family life, and youth.”

Because of the quality of his research and the way it was presented, Philip received the highest grade possible for his report. If you would like to learn more about the work that is carried out by Jehovah’s Witnesses, speak with them the next time they call or contact them using the address nearest you listed on page 5.

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Philip

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Italy

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Australia

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Brazil

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Netherlands