The urgent, lifesaving work of Jehovah's witnesses......hardly!!

by RayoFlight2014 30 Replies latest jw experiences

RayoFlight2014

Since June 2016 I have kept a journal of my encounters with Jehovah's witnesses at my door or in my Street.
I'm a a nosey bastard and a bit of a home body when I'm not at work so I don't miss much of who comes past my home or knocks at the door.
Will and Dill.
They came to my door on a Wednesday morning around 10:30am Mid June 2016, I was on afternoon shift and had been reading Bart Ehrman "Misquoting Jesus".
What follows is the conversation as best I could recount after they left;
Of the two young gentlemen, Dillon, the younger in appearance introduced Will and himself, he then proceeded to present me with a brochure about world conditions supposedly getting worse.
Me: I could stand at the door nodding in agreement if you like? But I don't agree...
Will and Dillon: No, No, we don't want you to do that!
Me: okay then, let's be clear, I do not believe that brochure to be correct, in fact it couldn't be more wrong.....what century would you like to show me that was better?
Will: Well, its a lot harder now to know who the enemy is and the wars are so complex!
Me: I agree that the complexities of modern warfare makes it difficult to know who and where the enemy is and how to protect ourselves, but rhat in and of itself does not provide evidence of worsening wars; either in their frequency or severity.
Also advances in medicine and its practice, humanitarian endeavors, global awareness and an overall majority wanting fair and peaceful outcomes makes for a much better and improving world conditions, not worsening.
Will and Dillon: ( silence).....
Me: Look guys, I want the truth, and that brochures statement is simply not truth; its content is typical of an organization that insists on giving a negative and deceptive portrayal of world conditions to support its own faulty worldview and teachings. If you value truth and want the facts, do your own research on the subject.
Will: Everything I read in Watchtower I compare with the bible and so far it all matches up.
Me: Well, the bible itself has its own dubious history, I suggest you have a read of " Misquoting Jesus " by Bart Ehrman.
Not only does watchtower project a negative worldview it indoctrinates its members to have a negative view of the non-believers who are to be destroyed at Armageddon if they don't respond to the message at the door. Da'd and Df'd ex jws are to be shunned and treated as if dead.
Will: No, we're not taught to view and treat people that way.
Me: Have you been to the latest convention?
Will and Dillon: Yes.
Me: Then you would have seen the video depicting a daughter that gets disfellowshiped and consequently shunned by her parents who are following the directive given by watchtowers interpretation of scripture.
Will: I don't recall that?
Jehovah's witnesses have made adjustments in the past such as we used to celebrate Christmas etc but changed as new thinking was revealed.
Me: Have either of you heard of Ray Franz?
Will and Dillon: Nope, who is he?
Me: The nephew of Fredrick Franz.
Will and Dillon: eh,... who is Fredrick Franz?
Me: He was a member of the governing body and the president of the Watchtower society; he died in 1992. His nephew, Ray Franz, was a member of the governing body too. After Ray was disfellowshiped he wrote a book called " Crisis of Conscience ", I encourage both of you to read it.
Will: Oh....No.... we don't read literature from people who used to be Jehovah's witnesses.
Me: Well, how can you find out the other side to the story if you refuse to examine it? How will you find the truth? You know what? - The greatest obstical to finding truth is believing you already have it.
Will: why was he disfellowshiped?
Me: He was disfellowshiped for going against a new directive by watchtower to shun a disassociated person; he had a meal with a Da'd friend who also happened to be his landlord and employer.
-- Our conversation took several turns after that and I suggested that looking at jwfacts.com online would be a good place for them to do some research.
They expressed the need to move on, so we shook hands and thanked each other for the conversation....then they were gone...
I felt they were either not being honest or they were very oblivious to the facts.
My next encounter with the witnesses was just over a year later, in July 2017, with a brief invite to the 2017 " don't give up " convention.
So much for the urgent work!
October 2017 was the next encounter, and I will share that with you all soon....sooner than Armageddon.
RayoFlight2014.
tiki

It is so absurd that they are so clueless about their religion and its history, teachings, etc...back in the 60's thru at least late 80's you had to know your stuff.
As for door knockers...I haven't seen them in this neighborhood for probably three or four years....never see them out on city streets ever either. Do they even do house to house anymore? Seems like it is no longer the thing.....that man with the writers inkhorn must be very bored with no foreheads to mark.
stillin

This "lifesaving work" is well illustrated by their mad rush to have a meaningful discussion with ones who have left the fold. I think a couple of the locals came by to say "we miss you," but never to actually attempt to heal or "minister" to the wounds.
It seems that people like us, who once were active and robust members of the congregation of god, would get tended to more so than the ones who really don't give a rat's ass about the whole thing. It was hard to fade away from the "friendships" in the congregation. I am careful NOT to say anything that might cause distress to a Witness when I see them, out of consideration for their choice. People have to figure things out for themselves.
It's too bad that they are so afraid of hearing anything out of synch with their beliefs.
Vidiot

RayoFlight2014 - "...they were either not being honest or they were very oblivious to the facts..."
Either way, not a pretty picture.
Vidiot

stillin - "...they are so afraid of hearing anything out of synch with their beliefs."
'Course they are.
That would mean that their beliefs might be wrong.
Few people realize just how precarious one's entire mental and emotional well-being becomes when one allows said well-being to become dependent upon said beliefs being right.
Finkelstein

he then proceeded to present me with a brochure about world conditions supposedly getting worse.
One of the long standing "selling" propagations by the WTS is that the world is getting worse therefore mankind is living in the end times or last days.
This is actually untrue there is well documented scientific verification that the World in its ongoing climatic events has stayed continuous since Biblical times and before.
In relating to humanity itself, things have actual improved and have gotten better as far as health, crime and other harmful social behaviors due to man's own secular laws and intervention.
Finkelstein

The WTS created its doctrines to spur on and enhance the proliferation of the literature the WTS published plain and simple and what they have created scripturaly was a sinning apostate version of the Gospel of Jesus.
The leaders of this religious publishing house have exploited the existing public belief in the bible to serve its own means of literature sales and distribution.
JWs will probably never obtain their own personal salvation through Jesus because their of faithful alliance to the sinning apostate men of the Watchtower Corporation or now known as JWorg.
Vidiot

Finkelstein - "...things have actual improved and have gotten better as far as health, crime and other harmful social behaviors due to man's own secular laws and intervention..."
Bingo.
I've said this before, but I've found that one of the best ways of refuting the "worst time in human history" thought-stopper is...
..."well, which era would you rather have lived in? The Old West? The Middle Ages? The Roman Empire?"
days of future passed

I remember stockpiling incidents that pointed to the worsening of the world. Every negative action by politicians and world leaders. And if there were positive things like breakthroughs in medicine or humanitarian efforts - you only had to repeat the WT's phrase "they are just rearranging the chairs on the Titanic" to know how futile they were.
After being out for a few years, I only had to listen to the jw at work nodding and talking in a conspirator tone about "how bad the world is" to really see how well the WT has convinced people that it's true.
The only thing about the present world that is really scary, is that the whole world can go up in radioactive dust from a deluded ruler.
Pete Zahut

I've talked to so many JW's who really believe that as JW's they don't believe that only non JW's will be spared at Armageddon.
I've asked them if the preaching work is "urgent" and they say "Yes, we're living in the time of the end and it's a life saving message that we're spreading".
I've asked them what happens to those who don't listen to your message and become Jehovah's Witnesses. You see the light come on but they'll say "We leave it up to Jehovah to read people's hearts and decide".
If he's going to read people's hearts anyway, why the urgency?
If you really want to blow their minds, ask them how long it will take them to become perfect once Armageddon is over.
They'll tell you that it will happen gradually over the 1000 year reign of Christ.
Then ask them about the extremely elderly or someone who was diagnosed with a terminal illness before Armageddon broke out and was given 6 months to a year to live. If they are spared at Armageddon because they are righteous, how will they make it for a year let alone 1000 years. Will they die of old age or that terminal illness and be resurrected later?
Once again they'll tell you that Jehovah will see to it that these things are taken care of.
They spread their teachings as if they are base on indisputable facts but magical thinking is the order of the day when their logic doesn't add up.

The urgent, lifesaving work of Jehovah's witnesses......hardly!!

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