Close Encounters of the JW Kind...

Jim_TX

This morning (like many other mornings) I went to the local 'Stop-N-Shop' to get my wife a pint - of milk. She likes to drink a bit of milk during the day.

Anyway, on my way back to the vehicle - as I got in and was reaching for the key to start it up... an elderly lady (well... probably about my age - sheesh!) with grey hair, approached my car with a handfull of magazines - and said something along the lines of...

'Pardon me sir,...'

I didn't let her finish. As soon as I saw the magazines, I knew what she was all about (no - she wasn't waiting for a friend - or thinking that I would know directions to the local museum... - which I don't). I spoke very quickly, not letting her finish - or make her schpeil.

"No thanks. Been there, done that - got the T-shirt. Don't want the t-shirt."

Her look changed to a look of puzzled amusement... "...we don't have t-shirts...' she said slowly...

"Yeah... cause you kept that too." was all I could think to quip back at her - as I put the vehicle in reverse and backed slowly away.

My wife said that the lady had the most sour-frowny look on her face.

I know... I should've gotten into a long drawn debate - but I don't do that sort of thing.

Driving away - on our way to work, I looked at the wife (who has never been a JW - but 'studied' with one a long time ago - so knows what they are all about) and said, "Darn! I wasn't thinking! I should'uv told her that I'm an apostate!"

My wife looked at me puzzled. "...yuppers...", I continued, "...if I had said that, you would have gotten to see her turn tail and run!"

Still a puzzled look on my wifes' face, I said "... cause... to a JW... an 'apostate' is someone eeeeevil! The debil himself! - even though I personally don't consider myself an 'apostate'... it sure would've been fun. Oh well... next time, perhaps."

I kinda feel sorry fer this lady... there she is... out early in the morning - it was about 7:15-ish when she was working the parking lot... trying to get her 'time' in... before she had to meet at 9-am for their 15 minutes of 'daily text'... then off into the heat of South Texas.

Regards,

Jim TX

man in black

what an unreal life they lead isn't it ?

God will save me because I'm talking to people at 7:15 in the morning.

I remember those days,,,,,,,,, and I get the shivers when I think about them.

awildflower

"Yeah... cause you kept that too."

Very witty response, I like it!

shamus100

Why bother talking or debating them?

They're brain-dead lazy brains don't care about truth - just spoon-fed pablum.

OnTheWayOut

"Jehovah's Witnesses, we do more recruiting before 9 AM than some people do in a lifetime."

"They say you can't earn undeserved kindness, but we are out there just in case you can."

"We're not stalkers, we're just rude life-interupters."

Jim_TX

"Why bother talking or debating them?"

I know - I don't. Heck - even as a JW, I rarely could get into any sort of 'debate' where I knew what I was doing. I never mezmorized (just like memorized - but with a glassy-eyed look) the bible and scriptures like some did (do). I just never was really 'into' it.

I just know that there are some folks on this ex-jw forum that are very capable of debating jw's and look for any opportunity to take 'em on.

Regards,

Jim TX

Peaches1978

Good Morning,

Every morning there are a group of sisters that all they do is talking about every single person that walks by them holding the awake in there hands ( how nice ).... and two brother that block the escaltors to the train station trying to give people the magazine. when i reach the top all the magaines are on the floor and broken up.... dont they get the message?

AK - Jeff

It is always a losing battle with these people, unfortunately.

If you make a valid point they ignore it anyway. IMO that is the whole reason for the preaching they do - after enough times of meeting people with objections to the 'message', it gets easier and easier to just clump all ideas of a non-jw source as evil. They just tune everyone else out and go on.

After all - if these people are willing to turn their backs on husbands, wives, children, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters without a blink [or any serious thought about the validity of the arguments that relative makes for his reason for leaving], then why would they give a serious thought to anything we say to them in casual encounter?

Your approach was the best. Just keep moving people, nothing here to see.

Jeff

mindmelda

They're trained not to listen to the people they talk to...they talk AT them, with memorized little speeches.

When I really started talking to people I got in trouble...because I found out that they sometimes made sense!

Interesting how they get you in that frame of mind where you totally disregard anything anyone says to you on the other side of the door.

One of the things that shook me out of that many years ago was a guy saying to me that very thing. I asked if he'd like to discuss the Bible, the usual schpiel

He said something like, "You don't ever really 'discuss' anything with anyone. I know, I've tried for years to have a real discussion with Witnesses, and then I finally figured out that you're trained not to listen to other people, so nothing I said would ever penetrate."

I remember at the FS meeting being told not to listen to anyone else who gets out the Bible and "twists the scriptures". Because of being carefully taught that, Witnesses think that anyone else who uses the Bible in a conversation is "twisting" (with the help of Could it be SATAN!) it if they don't get the same thing out of it that JWs do. So, of course, you don't have to listen to anything they say because it's from THE DEVIL!

I remember going out in FS many years ago, and a sister stayed inside at a RV (as we called them then) for a long long time, and when she finally came out she said, "I'm not going back there, that woman is demonized. She has gotten together all these scriptures about what she believes that twists the TRUTH from the Bible!"

The sister was really upset...which means that the lady had scored some doctrinal points. It's always "Satan" getting you when that happens, of course.

blondie

jws go out early hopefully in areas where they know people are up and dressed and out and about as in your case Jim_TX.

Some because they live in areas where it gets extremely hot during the day and makes d2d difficult. Others to get their time going before the meeting for "field service." I used to go to the airport. That way you can start at 7 am, get to the group meeting at 9:15 or 9:30 (or 10 in some areas) and then make a phone call just as you leave or call on a perpetual NH near the KH, keep your time running during break by "witnessing" to the server, and then make a perpetual NH near your home = 5 hours instead of just 2 or less.

Close Encounters of the JW Kind...

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