Life on the doors now

by wherehasmyhairgone 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  wherehasmyhairgone

  The last time I went on the field service was around the very early 90's. I have a genuine question for any JW that are active in the door to door work still.

  I lived for finding the person that wanted to debate things, I would always be the one to call on the local atheist, vicar, etc etc. and would hammer home all that was had learnt and research myself with the WTS literature of course. Now this was before the Internet really took of, and the availability of information and ideas seem so much more wide spread now.

  I remember using such lines as 'A house couldn't build itself' and ' Well you can't see air, but you know its there' and these argument never found any responses to them. Whereas now both these argument can be destroyed ( i realised this before I was even an atheist).

  SO how are the doors nowadays, do you find, people more informed about such things, or is it still 'I''m not interest' or 'i have my own religion', has the Internet in your opinion made things harder on the door, or have you seen no difference.

  Genuine question

  Steve
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  TIMBOB

  Its been a few months for me since iv been out. But, of my whole time of going out I remember there being the typical doors. There were people who were extremly opposed and wanted you off the property, people who would take the mags but would not develop into anything, a select few that were actually intrested and then another select few that would debate. I beleive it has been like that for some time now, at least since iv been in. The only thing that I think is different is that more people are aware of the witnesses and their beleifs.

  TimBob
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  wherehasmyhairgone

  Timbob,

  So you find people are more informed about the WTS now?.

  See the reason i brought this up is I was visited by 2 Witnesses about 10 months ago, with the magazine which had evolution discussed in it, with Dr. Behe interview, and they brought up the same argument about a house needing a builder, when I countered it, they had no response. Now 15 years ago i use to use the exact same illustration and didn't meet much opposition, so hence my question as to weather the Internet and availability of information is making things harder on the doors now.

  But it seem that it is the same as ever, majority as no-interest, some mags and a little discussion. So i am guessing the blood issue is still the biggest issue if people have a problem with the JW's then?

  steve
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  Open mind

  Trying to get people to talk, much less debate/discuss something is pretty much an exercise in futility. With the following exception.

  It seems like those that are having any "success" at all are the ones who are very personable and highly motivated. In other words, good sales people. It is, after all, just a sales call, but with the JW religion (carrots & fear) as the product.

  Open Mind
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  wherehasmyhairgone

  I guess that says a lot about me, I never got a study from anyone via the doors and was a RP for 4 years!..lol

  Good point about it being just a sales call, never thought about it that way.

  I was just really disappointed by the 2 that called on me, it was the same arguement and illusiontration that were used 15 years ago, I thought they might have uped the approuch considering the change in the availablity of the informtion to the householder.

  steve
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  Matt_fs

  I am curious what your response would be for "a house cannot build itself".

  Because I wouldnt know an answer for that.

  Cheers

  Matt
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  DJK

  with the magazine which had evolution discussed in it

  They were using issues like that before 1974.

  Not one of the newer people/families that entered my KH were inspired to be JWs from door to door work.

  I had heard the stories of 90% of my KH and my father was the only one to be caught hook line and sinker from door to door work.

  I have questioned many people, living in the area of about 5 congregations of Massachusetts, about door to door visits. They all say the visits have dropped from once every two months to once every four years. I see it to be once every eight years from the Haverhill, Mass congregation. How lucky I am.
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  Burger Time

  I think my response to a house having a builder is that, much like a house there are masons, carpenters, plumbers, etc...so just like us Science gives us mutliple special builders to build one large house. The only thing with the house illustration is that there has to be some type of General Contracter to get all these workers together. The only problem with that exception is God must be some kind of shitty GC because there sure are a lot of messed up animals out there that are supposdly "perfect". But if it is just random workers coming together with no direction this makes a lot more sense as to why we would have all these defects.
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  katiekitten

  S'funny, I was talking about field service with my mum this week. Neither of us have been out door knocking for years, but we reckon it must be getting a lot harder.

  She said she had 2 witnesses on her door that didnt recognise her, she gave them a lame-o excuse like "im busy" and they just rolled over and gave up straight away.

  We said that the door knocking was nothing like what Jesus had his disciples do. Basically they only had to mention it to people once and if they werent interested then fair enough they shook the dust from their feet and moved on. This business of going over and over and over the same doors for years on end finding new and more devious ways to get people roped in - like dont tell em your a JW "were doing a christian work", or dont tell em its even religious "were offering this Awake magazine about the lesser spotted greater throated blue weavil eater".

  Its just not natural for a normal human being. So glad I dont have to do it anymore.
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  BluesBrother

  Its just not natural for a normal human being. So glad I dont have to do it anymore.

  you and me both, KK .. I really disliked it

  I stopped in 1998 so I am not up to date but I noticed at that time that very few dubs were really up for a conversation with someone or keen to really "start a study" - most, me included, were filling time simply because it was what you had to do in order to remain a Witness We rarely got a hearer because of our negative attitude.