A JW experience

by Saintbertholdt 36 Replies latest jw experiences

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  Saintbertholdt

  Hi there all,

  This is a quick experience I have recently had and I have two questions at the end.

  A couple of weeks ago, the dogs were barking at the gate on Saturday morning and wouldn't you know it, it was some witnesses. There was a father with his lovely wife and their young daughter. The father did all the talking as mother and daughter just dutifully smiled and watched. So in the back of my mind I'm thinking, well on JWN I know what they would be advising: Royal commission! I decided against it because it was Saturday morning and I was busy with gardening and I didn't want to lay it on them too thick. They looked as if they were enjoying the fresh air and dad was going to show the family how to do a textbook presentation.

  Firstly I asked whether they were Jehovah's Witnesses, which they acknowledged immediately because I was being my friendliest self and so there was no reason to skirt around the fact. We started talking about this and that and then the sales pitch started. Dad gave me the old "Would you agree that world conditions are becoming worse" routine. I just answered the question as I would answer anyone who made that assertion. I replied that today in the modern world we enjoy things like motor vehicles instead of horses and carts, we have modern medicines like antibiotics which were unavailable a hundred years ago and that non existence made infections and sepsis high mortality diseases. I also mentioned easier access to food over the past century and didn't even expand on the topics very much. I wasn't pushing my point of view and was still being friendly while trimming some bushes.

  I was wondering whether he would counter with bad world economic conditions or something else, but instead he looked visibly perturbed. He then went on to a scripture and offered a couple of magazines, which I accepted. He did not ask for a donation and we parted ways amicably. I even waved goodbye.

  Now my questions are these: Was it just this man, or have witnesses today become derailed very quickly with the most basic arguments? (I found the ease with which I could make him hesitate was too uncanny.) Whats going on here? Its actually been on my mind quite a bit.
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  jookbeard

  one can have great fun with them when they pose this mind numbingly stupid question about how bad world conditions are in the 21st century , I've not been called on in over 20 years but in the rare chance I speak with them I ask them what particular age they would like to live in? the dark ages, the Victorian age, the bronze age etc? I to speak about advances in medicine, even in the Victorian age infant and mother mortality rates were incredibly high, I speak about the world population ( a pet subject of mine) at the end of most confrontations they have to admit that mankind has never had conditions so favourable to live in like now, but they end up going on that only God can bring his kingdom blah blah blah and bang on about that, more stupidity though. I ask them what world condtions will be like in 100/500/1000 years time, the advent of super powered computers that we will have access to, to advances in medicine and and stem cell research, the ageing process will be drastically changed and altered , designer embryos are very close, human cloning etc, its generally lost on them by this stage though
• 

  DJS

  Saint,

  Some possible reasons for his lack of engagement:

  1. This particular publisher wasn't prepared academically to engage you but isn't typical of publishers

  2. This particular publisher was prepared but not emotionally ready to engage on this specific day

  3.This particular publisher was prepared academically but dis-engaged on a permanent basis (loss of commitment) from trying to engage others who present an objection

  4. This particular publisher is representative of the typical publisher in their lack of ability/preparation to engage academically in theistic discussions or when objections are presented

  5. This particular publisher is representative of the typical publisher in their lack of commitment to engage anyone at any time once an objection is made

  6. This particular publisher is representative of the typical publisher in both their lack of ability/preparation and commitment to engage once an objection is made.

  Class?
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  Divergent

  Out of curiosity, which scripture did he read, by the way?
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  Calebs Airplane

  You basically ruined the presentation he prepared by going off script (you know... the delusional script they learn at the King Dumb Hall). Once that happens, they usually have no other recourse but to hand over the rags and run.
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  Saintbertholdt

  Hi jookbeard,

  So would you then say that counter arguments to their preaching have just become so much more sophisticated?
• 

  Saintbertholdt

  Out of curiosity, which scripture did he read, by the way?

  Daniel 2:44

  You basically ruined the presentation he prepared by going off script
  

  Oh yes I forgot, the householder has to agree :)
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  Ding

  I wonder if those vignettes at the KH where householders follow the script and gladly accept the literature lead some JWs to think that's the way things will really go at the door.

  I've often thought that real training would involve some opposition from the "householder."

  Of course, training on how to handle questions about things like the Royal Commission or false prophecies would only serve to wake up JWs who are in the dark, so they'll never do that.
  
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  jookbeard

  perhaps slightly more , the general questions they pose still wouldn't pose too much of an intellectual dilemma to a 10 year old though, just looking at them and using some basic logic in our objections quickly shows the flaws in these pointless and lazy presentations they continue to bother people with.
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  Fencing

  I could be wrong as I haven't been to a meeting in several years, but I was under the impression that the Society doesn't really encourage lengthy attempts to persuade householders anymore. They want you to get the magazine/tract/invitation into the householder's hands, or show them a video on your tablet, and leave. The training on how to counteract various objections at the door was on the decline even before I stopped going. No one really went over the "conversation stoppers" section in the Reasoning book anymore.

  All part of the general dumbing down, I guess. The kind of person who would really be affected by a question like "would you agree that world conditions are becoming worse" would make an ideal candidate for a new recruit, as it would show a complete lack of thinking ability.