Shy JW at the door ... the pain of it

by MrMonroe 36 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  MrMonroe

  Someone tweeted today: "A Jehovah's Witness who is shy to people at the door. Do I have to say it? #ironic."

  Those few words paint such a sad picture. How many JWs with little self-esteem and self-confidence, particularly born-ins who have never known anything different, are sent out into neighbourhoods to knock on the doors of strangers and speak to them, knowing the householder resents them being there? They just know they're going to be hated.

  It's an unnatural practice, no one in their heart likes doing it, and it just piles stress and misery on people who keep being told they "the happiest people on earth". They also believe that unless they keep giving and giving and giving their free time, Jehovah may not save them at Armageddon.

  Working in my own neighbourhood, I always dreaded the thought that the door would be opened by someone I knew, and it got the point where I began secretly compiling a list of addresses of the workmates on my side of town so, as best as I could, I could avoid ever calling on them.

  For schoolkids, the pain and embarrassment of field service, particularly when they were dressed in their Sunday best and encountered one of their schoolmates at a door, would be just excruciating.

  What a demeaning, controlling cult it is.
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  alanv

  You are right. I think what gets them through it, is that they are trained to answer the most used rebuttles. For instance many people tell the witnesses they are not interested. The response? 'What is it you are not interested in?' Householders reply 'I am not interested in Jehovah's Witnesses'. Witness replies 'Oh we are not here to speak about Jehovah's Witnesses, we are here to speak about the bible'.

  I remember there were many times I and others used that type of answer. Ah the good old days. Not!
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  Phizzy

  Yea, but what did you say when they told you to "F**K OFF!"

  did you reply "As I like both sex and travel I will sir" ?
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  carla

  Witness replies 'Oh we are not here to speak about Jehovah's Witnesses, we are here to speak about the bible'.-- yeah right.

  I have asked my jw about this on a number of occasions. Naturally, I never got a good answer and the subject was promptly changed. My opinion is that not everybody has the same 'gift'. Some are able to speak to strangers with no problem but for the very shy it must be horrible. It seems to me that it is a recipe for an anxiety disorder. I can't imagine the dread the shy jw must feel every week starting around Thurs or Friday knowing what must come Sat. morning. Week after week for the rest of their life?! There is no reprieve for the shy jw. Either go out and force yourself into this excruciating situation or be labled weak and possibly a bad association.

  Was it Assisi who said, 'preach the gospel and if necessary use words'(?) My jw cannot wrap his head around that at all.
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  designs

  Saturdays, being in High School, meeting fellow students at their homes....oh the painful memories.
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  EmptyInside

  I had a few anxiety attacks out in service. I just was not comfortable knocking on strangers' doors. I was so shy,and sometimes when I would finally get someone at the door,my mind would go blank.

  I found too,it would depend on who I was working with in service. Some elders and certain sisters intimidated me,so I was unlikely to do very well working with them.
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  finally awake

  I'm not shy, but it was still torture for me.
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  Band on the Run

  Oh, I was born-in. The entire family went door to door in our immediate neighborhood. Classmates were staring at me. My father was kicking me. How I wanted to be someplace else. Between the abuse at home, and the nasty people ( understandably) at the doors, the constant rejection left a permanent mark in me. I am shocked when people are nice.

  They sent me door to door in 3rd,4th, 5th grade. Can you imagine the arrogance of a little kid believing she knows more than you do? Imagine the authority I carried. I was so ashamed b/c I could not get a Bible Study. My cousins had them. It was prob. some personal deal.

  I was braced for strangers. Classmates, esp. older students, --the embarassment. My parents saw the interactions but did not say anything consoling.
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  wha happened?

  knocking on doors was absolute torutre to me. Although I seem very extroverted, back then I was a major wallflower. Talk about praying for someone not to answer the door. I rarely placed anything in service. Mostly street work, if at all. Also, I had a fairly poor view of witnessing door to door in our age. I remember asking the brother who I was studying with how many people in the congregation were the result of the door to door activity? He said maybe one. I just thought is was poorly executed, intrusive, and ineffective as a result. I honestly can't think of a day out in service that I thought was "enjoyable". I used to double up on street work just to avoid it and get my time in
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  Vanderhoven7

  Thanks for the insight provided in this thread. I actually have not thought much about the anxiety Witnesses must face as they go door to door.