Johova witness encounter

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Pydpiper

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For the past couple of years a couple witnesses have been coming by my home in the country, although not an uncommon occurance, it is escalating..
I am not a religious person, but my wife is. She teaches Sunday school (Christian) in our town and bases her lifes decisions on the good of other people..
These two witnesses have been showing up more frequently the past month or so and frankly, I am growing concerned. They are two attractive gals and in my home it is common for me to make my typical lewd jesters about why I don't slam the door..
Latly they have been giving my wife specific times as to when they are going to show, almost like an appointment, and my wife is following through with this.
I don't know or understand that religion and I am not sure how to respond to all of this.
I know they are recruitment people but I don't know what the outcome of all this will be.
Anyone have any thoughts on what may be happening? What is this religion about? If my wife falls prey to their recruitment procedure how does that odd church style react to religious indifferences in the home?
I don't know where to turn for guidance here, it's not my thing.
 

James S

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most important thing to do would be to chat with your wife about it I suppose. Is she just being nice to them because she doesn't want to be rude? If she tells them that she's done talking to them, thank you but dont come back, they wont. But they are obviously gearing up cause they have found a sympathetic ear.

Wikipedia has a decent article on them

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah's_Witnesses

and there are plenty of sites dedicated to being a little more alarmist. But it sometimes helps a lot to read about the entire belief system all at once. What they might tell you a little at a time and make sound plausible can sound really ludicrous if you read it all in one sitting without the people there to "explain" things.

here are a couple of others, I haven't read in detail, so I dont know how they figure. Be careful though of making them out to be too evil, as your wife obviously has an interest in these nice folks and is unlikely to consider them truly evil and that might backfire on you.

http://www.carm.org/witnesses.htm
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/80/story_8034_1.html
http://members.aol.com/beyondjw/

Some are just informational some are for people trying to get out. My only experience with them was through a very dear friend who took many years to get herself sorted out and happy again after leaving their faith and being completely shut out by her family.
 

Pydpiper

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Thank you James, those are great links, I will certainly do some reading..
We do openly discuss this type of thing, and my wife is probally the ear these gals are after, I just don't want them to push too hard, my wife has enough issues to contend with right now..
My concern is the fundementals of what this form of religion consists of, and with your links I will be more educated. :)
 

Greta

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My only "warning" here would be to all who would participate in this thread...

Be careful not to get into bashing religions or religious beliefs here... or this thread will be shut down very quickly. Just a reminder... CPF is a very diverse, international community. Tread softly... or take it Underground.

Personal experience... my mother's sister (my aunt) became a Jehovah's Witness some 30 years ago. Her husband never "converted"... and still hasn't to this day. However, all of her children and now her grandchildren have been raised with those beliefs. At first, it caused quite the broo-haha in our family... especially around the holidays. But even as a child, I couldn't quite understand why. The "problem" lies with those who feel that they have somehow been betrayed by the one who has converted. The one who has been converted is usually very secure in their beliefs and doesn't seem to have and "problems" at all. Personal beliefs and religions are just that... personal. And if those around that person cannot accept that and chose to become all indignant and "butt-hurt"... well... that's THEIR problem. Know what I mean?

BTW... my aunt and her family are my favorite relatives. They are very loving and sincere... with core ethics and morals that it sure would be nice if more people in this world had them too.
 

Sean

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Couldn't you just say "Not interested, we'll call you don't call us if we change our mind"?

Johova's witnesses are incouraged to go door to door so you shouldn't be alarmed that they do this.

I also would suggest you do some reading as James S has stated, and ask your wife what her intentions are.
 

Flying Turtle

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We had a couple Jehovas Witness folks come to the door about 10:30 Sunday morning. It's probably a good thing my wife answered the doorbell. I'm generally polite to any peddlers, but hitting on us Sunday morning takes alot of gall. I suppose they figured if we weren't in church at that time, we needed to be, and they could help. Still felt that to be an unnecessary and rude intrusion.

Geoff
 

cslinger

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I have a friend who's family had the same problem and it just got old. Well this friend of mine is a big guy who can make a face that can only be described as other worldly evil. I mean serial killer mean. Of course this guy is the nicest guy you could ever meet and wouldn't hurt a fly but the face is funny.

Well anyway after a couple months of getting hit by one of the door to door religions, not sure which he finally answered the door, with the face and said very calmly that "His lord Satan commands that he obey only one master and because of this he simply cannot be bothered with their religion." He said they just about ran away and a few years later they have never come back. Come to think of it he doesn't get much solicitation at all anymore. :D

Now you have to understand this guy is a Catholic school graduate so all this is just funny as hell to us.

Chris
 

jtr1962

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If your wife chooses to listen to them then it's her choice, or maybe she's just being polite. I remember once a long time ago answering the door to some Jehovah's witnesses. At the time I didn't know what they were about. Big mistake. If you let them they can talk your ear off all day. I finally made up some excuse about an appointment just to be rid of them. Of course, they asked when would be a convenient time to come back so I told them because of my job I rarely know when I'll be home. Next time they rang I just didn't answer the door. I've gotten pretty good now at telling if someone ringing the bell is trying to proselytize me (not just Jehovah's witnesses) so I just let it ring until they go away. Political party volunteers are probably even more annoying than "preachers". At least the preachers, in their mind anyway, are trying to do some good. The political hacks are mostly just pushing pointless causes or naive ideals. I remember one person who tried to get me to sign off on a petition for reduced class sizes. I told him flat out that class size isn't the problem, the teachers and parents were, and if wanted to continue to live in a fantasy land that smaller classes would cure everything he was more than welcome to but he wasn't going to get me to go along.

Honestly, a big problem I have with Jehovah's witnesses is that they just seem too pushy, especially if you say that you're not religious (that makes you ripe to convert in their eyes). If a person says I'm not interested, I already have another religion, or I choose not to believe in any religion, they should just politely leave. I personally resent anyone trying to push their beliefs on me, or worse feeling sorry for me because I choose not to believe at all. For all the religious freedom we supposedly have in the US, "none of the above" should be as valid a choice as any of the others.
 

James S

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I certainly wasn't "bashing" anybody or their beliefs in my post. The links I posted were mostly informational and not judgmental, except for the one that contains information for people trying to get out, and even that I thought was pretty even handed. There are plenty of truly vitriolic sites out there that I left out as they aren't likely to be helpful, only alarmist. But then, if you're looking for vitriol the internet is a great place to find it ;)
 

Greta

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I certainly wasn't "bashing" anybody or their beliefs in my post.

Never said you were... I was just posting a preemptive warning to any who may be thinking of going in that direction... ;)
 

alard

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Jehovah's witness encounter

Pydpiper,
I just thought that I might try to help you out with this situation.

As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I can tell you exactly what is going on.
Jehovah's Witnesses are first of all Christian. That means that they follow in Christ's footsteps. Since Jesus was a preacher, and commanded his followers to preach as he did, Witnesses feel it is their obligation. They try to find people who are interested in what the Bible really teaches. Then they study the Bible with those, in so doing, they dispell a lot of the falsities and myths about what the Bible says. The object, is to help people understand what God intended people to get out of the book that He inspired. Believe me, no harm will ever come of this. Recruitment is a poor word for it. Those who liked what Jesus said, followed him. What do you call that?

Why do they keep coming back? Your wife must have expressed interest in discussing the Bible with them. To some people this book is the most interesting topic there is. If it makes her happy, let her continue.
If she decides that she does not want them to come back, she simply has to tell them that she is not interested, and that they need not return.

As to your religious indifference, it should not be a problem. You should know that she may want to tell you some of the things that she is learning. That's good. Then you'll know exactly what they are talking about.

Is your religious indifference based on the things you see going on in the case of most organized religions? Many have decided after hearing what the Bible really teaches, that it makes more sense than anything else that they have heard. In the final analysis, most people's resistance to these teachings results from not really wanting to be told what to do by any god. They usually just find themselves a religion that suits their moral inclination, or no religion. Everyone does get to choose.
Hope this is helpful.
 

greenLED

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Re: Jehovah's witness encounter

What is it that the Bible "really" teaches, according to The Witnesses? I'm curious, as it seems like every religious group feels the Bible teaches slightly different things, interprets it under a slightly different light, or focuses on slightly different points. Thanks for sharing.
 

Pydpiper

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Again, thanks everyone for their input, I would hate to see this thread turn sour.
My wife interests are supported by me, she enjoys the company of these ladies (who were upstars when I finished starting this thread).
My concerns are that of my own ignorance, I just wanted unbiased opinions of this type of solicitation, and that is what I got. :)
 

geepondy

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My friend and his wife ended up divorcing because he never converted. It's a real shame because they are both nice people.
 

Empath

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Thank you, Alard. Often, when the topic of Jehovah's Witnesses is discussed, it's discussed from the position of assumptions, and lack of knowledge. The discussion is often negative.

Much of the resistance involved is due to some differences that are very noticeable. The Witnesses follow a much more strict application of the concept of "being in the world, and not of it". As a result they adopt a neutrality regarding the politics of the world and nations. That in itself, rather than being interpreted as neutral, is often interpreted as being anti, and doesn't appear to include the patriotic allegiances that is expected of "fine patriotic citizens". They don't observe "special days" of reverence such as national and religious holidays, other than an annual observance of Christ's death. Such beliefs separate them even more from the general public, and certainly established religions. In addition, their refusal to compromise with other religious philosophy leaves other religions in a position of non-compromise, and warnings from such religions to avoid them. Add to this mixture their extensive efforts to seek out any interested parties in a Bible study, and you get a lot of personal views regarding these visiting ministers that border on what's perceived as negative encounters. I use the term "ministers", because their congregations and membership consists entirely of ordained ministers, with no lay members. Generally, negative feedback comes from public, governmental, and religious fronts. There's no question of why discussions of Jehovah's Witnesses quickly becomes negative, frequently hostile, and generally beyond the realm of objective discussion.

C4LED said:
What exactly have they witnessed?

Never understood that part...

The reason for the title "Jehovah's Witnesses", is that they prefer to maintain a descriptive term not encumbered by particular time periods. Their name is chosen to indicate a particular God, witnessed to by those before the nation of Israel, and after, before Noah, and after, and also encompassing the Christian era.
 

bwaites

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Interesting reply, Empath, and somewhat different than what I have been told by my Witness friends.

Is this a personal view of the beliefs (are you a Witness?) Or is this what is officially epsoused by Witnesses and perhaps misunderstood by my friends? (My friends have never told me they were ordained ministers! Guess I have to have a long talk with them!) Or is this an accumulation of experiences on your part that is leavened by study?

Do Witnesses therefore see Christ as their Savior, if so, what relationship does he have to Jehovah?

Bill
 

gadget_lover

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I have to second Empath and Alard. They are generally very nice people with traditional morals and ethics. My brother's family are witnesses and we've discussed religion only a few times in the last 40 years. He is concerned about the fact that his brothers and parents will not join him in heaven, but has always respected our wishes regarding religion.

The biggest problem I've observed in mixed marriages is the conflicts the kids experience. One half of the family may celebrate birthdays while the other part does not. The family may go to two different churches. That kind of thing.

MY experience with door to door evangelists has always been that instead of making up excuses, I just tell them very nicely that I'm not interested in discussing religion, then wish them well with their efforts. If they persist (every once in a long while) I simply reiterate that I respect their choice of religion and don't wish to discuss it.

It helps to realize that the Mormons, the Witnesses and the other evangelists are simple trying to share something they feel is vitally important to you. They are sharing the most important thing in their life. Even if you don't agree with their choice of religion, you gotta give them some credit for trying to help others.

Daniel
Gee. In my extended family we have JH, Suffy, Catholic, Baptist, Fundamentaist Christian and Mormon. Oh, and athiests and Agnostics too. Ooops, Forgot my ex wife. Pagan, Very Pagan.
 

alard

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Jehovah's Witness encounter

geepondy said:
My friend and his wife ended up divorcing because he never converted. It's a real shame because they are both nice people.

To be fair, although I don't know your friends, it seems unlikely that this is the real reason for their divorce. People who love each other don't divorce over each persons choice of religion. Additionally, Jehovah's Witnesses will usually only divorce on the basis of adultery, because the Bible generally does not allow for divorce on other grounds.

So many people divorce these days for other reasons, it is easier to believe that your friends divorced for other reasons, perhaps complicated by religious differences.
 
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BIGIRON

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Good thread. I don't know much about the Witness religion, or any other organized religion, for that matter.

But I've had several friends, co-workers, and clients who have been committed Witnesses'. They have been, without exception, honest, dependable and kind. That's enough for me.
 
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