by socstu 16 Replies latest jw experiences
As the title explains, I was going to type it up here but then realised I wanted to share the experience a bit more widely. So if you're interesting in reading about it and hopefully talking about it then just go to my blog: http://reflexiveaction.wordpress.com
:)
It's not worth the trip, folks.
JWs come to door, householder has an epiphany and says nothing important, closes the door and JWs leave.
moshe
Great insight Moshe, but I'd like to think that this forum was about taking an interest and supporting others with these types of things. I wouldn't call it an epiphany but it certainly stirred up a lot of past emotion. I'm not sure what you were expecting?
what type of things?
You can't directly teach a JW anything.
If you tell a JW directly that you know more than they do about some topic, they immediately trust the WT over anything you might tell them.
A more effective approach, I think, is to ask questions they would never ask by themselves, questions that require them to think in order to come up with answers.
So, for example, if you tell them that Rutherford was a false prophet, they will defend him to the death or simply walk away.
But if you show them his statement from Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p. 89, that we may "confidently expect" the resurrection of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in 1925 and ask, "In what sense was Jehovah God communicating through the WT organization when it published that statement?", you are more likely to force them to think.
They will probably say, "The WT leaders don't claim to be infallible or inspired."
From there, you might follow up in various directions, such as:
-- "Then why was I required to believe everything they published without question or be disfellowshipped?"
or
-- "Then how can you be sure that what they publish today really comes from Jehovah?"
or
-- "Brother Rutherford, the WT president who wrote that, believed that his message came from Jehovah, but clearly it didn't. So where did it come from?"
Wha happened?: I'm not sure I understand your question?
Ding: That's a really interesting angle, I think I've always aproached the issue with a disliking of their structure etc. but not really felt confident enough to challenge them using the material they provide. Maybe I'll use that one! Have you had any success with it? :)
I'm an old Sunday School teacher and I'm used to a half-dozen pairs of little eyes staring at me like I'm a demented alien. That's about as much weight as a Jehovah's Witness gives the utterances of a "worldly person".
Socstu,
Yes, I have had some success with the question approach involving various topics.
You have to know what you are doing. Some people who have tried to get through to JWs end up getting sucked in or sucked back in!
You don't always know if you've been successful, especially if you only get one opportunity to talk with them, such as a one-time encounter at the door. Even if your question made a terrific impact, JWs are masters at keeping a poker face, especially when there is a witnessing partner with them.
I once had a JW come back alone in order to continue the discussion because what I had asked him really bothered him. He eventually left the organization. That's rare, but it does happen.
The attitude you display when asking questions is critical. If you come across as a know-it-all who is trying to "stump the JW" or humiliate them, they will label you as a "mocker," "apostate," "opposer of the truth," etc. and simply kick the dust off their feet as they walk away.
For example, DON'T use the tone, "How in the world can you possibly believe (whatever it is)?" That's an attack. It will backfire.
Your best chance comes if you show that you are sincerely puzzled or confused, troubled, perplexed, stumbled, etc. (whatever verbs you find most effective), over the issue that you are raising... that this is an issue that really is a stumbling block to you accepting or remaining in the WT religion.
Again, make sure you are well prepared and know what the WT teaching and witnessing approach is or you may find yourself getting sucked in. Also, JWs are skilled at changing the subject and getting back to their prepared presentation. Make sure you know how that works so you can avoid falling into the trap. Also, make sure you ask questions that they haven't been trained to answer. For example, don't ask them why they don't believe in the Trinity. They will happily reply to a question like that with a totally programmed response and do no thinking at all.
Make sure they address your question. Don't let them turn the tables on you by getting you to start answering THEIR questions.
After you have raised an effective question, one good diagnostic follow-up question is, "Do you see why this troubles me?" Many hardened JWs will say, "No" or "Not really..." Then you can elaborate. "Well, for me it's a trust issue. No disrespect intended toward the leaders of the WT, but before I dedicate my life to a religion or pin my eternal hopes on someone's claim to speak for God, I would need to be sure... I personally couldn't do that unless... (and then get back to your question)"
That doesn't come across as an attack. That comes across as one person genuinely trying to connect with another person regarding legitimate questions about the claims being made by WT leaders.
It doesn't always work, of course. Some -- maybe most -- JWs are just interested in making a "sale." When they realize you aren't going to "buy", they will leave.
But sometimes you CAN get past the programmed WT mindset and reach the real human being underneath.
soctu, it's kind of annoying to open your new post and see you've directed us elsewhere through a link that does not work - at least on the computer I'm currently using. What is the "interesting experience" in a nutshell? What happened? What was said and/or done? What was your epiphany?
