Well, it just happened. Two polite elderly ladies knocked on my door to share the good news of the Kingdom with me.
I was pondering whether I should speak against the organization, but immediately knew it just would not work. I thought I should say a polite but firm no. And I was at that when I noticed these two poor ladies walking around. One of them had her fingers very disfigured from arthritis. The other one was simply old and obviously poor, but I didn't feel sorry for her that much. So I listened.
The lady with arthritis asked whether I had a Bible. "No, I don't; my mother has one". "How do you learn the news from Jehovah, then?" "I just don't". "And, have you heard about the end of times?""Yes, and I don't believe there will ever be an end of times". "How come? It's in the Bible. Read..."
I read the verses aloud. "I don't believe this". Ms. Not so Nice joins the discussion and tells me that Jehovah warned Noah about the flood, and unbelievers were destroyed. "I know it's in the Bible, but I don't believe it happened". "But, Jesus also spoke about the end of times". "I know". Do you like the kind of world we're living in now? Do you see the violence? Do you notice how we are worse off than ever before". "I don't like this world, but I don't believe we're worse off than ever before".
"Please read here. Do you know why we bear witness?" Here I thought, "Of course I know, but you wouldn't like to know my source. Maybe you truly believe what you're saying, but your most immediate concern must be feeling that you're not guilty of my blood. Or, you want the elders off your back". I read the passage about not being bloodguilty. "Yes, my lady; you have warned me". "Read this now, please", and I read a passage about not trusting my own judgment. I wanted to say how in the world would I not trust my own judgment if they very much wanted me to exercise my judgment and leave all the other "snares and rackets", but I thought silence would do well, and it did. Then Ms. Not So Nice jumps in again and makes me read a passage about my being responsible for my own decisions. "I truly and fully believe that".
Voilá, out comes a Watchtower, but, of course, the watered-down edition, and they ask me whether I believe "the concept of sin is an outdated thing". "Let me explain this. I do believe things are bad, like killing or stealing. But I don't believe they are wrong because God tells me so, or because he will destroy me if I don't do as he says. I believe they are bad on their own demerit". "But, Jehovah doesn't want anyone destroyed. Read... he wants us all saved. He just says the wicked won't be resurrected. You know he resurrected people". "I believe my end will come when I die, and I'm fine with that". Ms. Not So Nice attacked again: "So you believe you're free to do anything, since no one is looking?" "No, I don't believe such a thing. I won't steal or kill anyone, for example, but my point is, I won't do it even though I know no one is looking". Ms. Not So Nice was clearly defeated here. She didn't speak again. The poor lady with the terrible case of arthritis said I could read the magazine. I pondered whether I should not take the magazine, which would mean she wouldn't place it, or whether I should take it, so she gets the elder off her back but, above all, I make sure the crap doesn't reach anyone who will actually read it or believe it. I went for taking it myself. "We ask for a contribution, but it's strictly voluntary". "Damn it", I thought, "so now I have to give money to the bastards in Brooklyn". I thought I wouldn't give her anything, but then I knew she would pay for it herself, and thought about her terrible case of arthritis. I gave them a very small sum of money and they said goodbye. I see it as the price to pay in order to keep the magazine off the streets. They were willing to talk to me again when they were back in the neighborhood. "Thank you", I said.
I suppose these two ladies saw me as a simple worldly who is going to die. I wonder if anything I said actually reached their minds.
I would love to hear comments about this. Thank you, people.