D2D Visit - The 'Preaching' Lives On?

Joe Grundy

Just had an interesting (?) visit.

1.30pm, I was outside the front of my house on a small housing estate doing man-stuff on the car. Three young guys (maybe 16-18 or so) wearing long-sleeved shirts approached. Not Mormons, obviously, because they wore coloured shirts and ties (nothing garish) and had no badges. But they had the same clean-cut look and the same innocent smiles. JWorgs for sure.

Me: 'Hi guys'

Dub: 'Hello, we're Jehovah's Witnesses'

Me: 'Oh, I'm sorry. I knew you weren't Mormons because you don't have badges. Aren't you supposed to wear JW.Org badges now?'

Dub: (a bit confused) 'No, I don't think so'

Me: 'How can I help you?'

Dub: (producing leaflets) 'Well, we'd like to invite you to a special convention in Cardiff' (100+ miles away)

Me: 'Sorry, I'm off on holiday tomorrow. That's why I'm messing with the car - it can be a bugger to reach some of the bits, can't it?'

Dub: 'And we'd like to give you this leaflet about our new website'

Me: 'Is that the one with domain they bought off Jewish Women.Org?'

Dub: 'I don't know, it used to be Watchtower but it's changed'

Me: 'Have you got a few minutes while I get this oil off my hands, then you can come in for a cup of tea. I'd love to find out more about the witnesses'

Dub: (rabbit in headlights look) 'Oh sorry, we've got a lot of houses to call at. Thanks for your time'

... and off they went.

I very much doubt whether they'll get a more encouraging response anytime soon. I was polite, friendly, welcoming, interested and willing to spend time with them. I do have a beard, I did say 'bugger' and I was smoking a cigarette but I'm quite a nice bloke really.

They were all about the same age. The spokesman was the most confident, the second about the same, but the third seemed quite nervous (he looked a bit like Billy the Ex-Bethelite's avatar).

I never was a dub. If this is their standard of D2D preaching - even when they're theoretically young and keen and they had me three-on-one and I was inviting more, it's quite illuminating, I think. (And they forgot to give me their leaflets in their hurry to leave).

sarahsmile

That not the usual way door to door works! Most JWs would go inside your home and open a conversation with you. Give you a WT then come back. Return visit. They would come back at odd hours to catch you home. Turn you into a biblestudy.

Your smoking and worldly ways would not bother them! :-)

OneEyedJoe

You clearly knew too much about the org, which is scary to a JW. For some reason (I'm not really able to put my finger on why, exactly) any time I talked to someone D2D who responded like you did (i.e. clearly knew who we were, but was polite and kind and wanted to talk) I'd always get a weird feeling and want to get out of there. Maybe that was just me being afraid of my own doubts though, I'm not sure it's a universal thing.

One thing was always certain, no one who knew right off the bat who we were ever wanted to take the literature or start a study...that was always suspicious too.

darkspilver

What is it with jewish women? Gorbatchov was going on about them too?

Didn't Messrs Losch et al. just buy it from Douglas Sherrets?

But then, maybe you know know something about jewesses....

nudge, nudge, know what I mean, say no more

Anyway, off to the Frog and Parrot....

That's all folks!

DarK SpliveR

AndDontCallMeShirley

a bit confused; rabbit in headlights look; seemed quite nervous; ... and off they went

Just think how bad it would be if JWs weren't the "best trained", "most educated" preachers in the world.

Joe Grundy

I was only repeating what Gorby said!

When it comes to women I am 100% equal opportunities, and am doing my best to practice what I preach in this area.

(Just had a thought - you don't think that the HS chanelled via GB could see my past, do you?)

Pete Zahut

They like to be the ones with the questions and answers as well as the ones who hava an advantage over you rather than the other way around.

If you know your Bible, ask original "non cookie cutter" questions or already know something about their religion...they run. They are taught that most people don't know anything and it's their job to show them the error of their ways. It blows them away when they find out not everyone is as un questioning as they are.

Joe Grundy

In a way, I was disappointed not to have the chance to chat to them and maybe push some innocent but hopefully thought-provoking questions their way.

But:

1. I know that trying to discuss religion with the religious can be like trying to push a worm uphill

2. They would not have accepted anything I said

3. In a group of three, none would dare to show any interest in anything I had to say

4. Being harsh, they are not my problem.

I was thinking afterwards that very recent research shows that people in their age group are at their peak of techno-skills. I would be very surprised if they are not active on the internet (and they won't stick to the official one) and perhaps more importantly on the social networking sites. They don't need someone like me to raise doubts - I would guess that they already have them and just need an opportunity for further research and discussion and to express them.

Vidiot

Someone I once knew a long time ago called it the "not programmed for that response" reaction.

DesirousOfChange

Dub: (rabbit in headlights look) 'Oh sorry, we've got a lot of houses to call at. Thanks for your time' ... and off they went.

Once again, JWs visiting people . . . to distribute a tract . . . to encourage people . . . to go to a website . . . to ask online for a JW to visit..............but no time to talk to the person who asks for a visit in person right now?

WTF?

It's going to take a lot more than 17,000 hours for a new convert with this approach.

Doc

D2D Visit - The 'Preaching' Lives On?

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