Scaring off JWs

[HaggisShuu]

There are some surface level similarities between the JWs and us. Such as rejection of the trinity, focus of gospel outreach and a tiered afterlife. (Of course once you look into it, the similarities vanish but I find it intriguing nevertheless). 

And so whenever I get something through the post or someone knocking on the door, I will engage with them. I've never been disrespectful, but the second they find out what religion I belong to, they end things. Quick. 
 

It usually comes in such a way that I present my views, and instead of provide their own point of view on them, they run away. 
 

Anyone know why this might be? 

Edited Monday at 04:27 PM by HaggisShuu

[NeuroTypical]

Another similarity is both of us have active missionary efforts, which is why you get an opportunity to scare them off in the first place.  

They first came around my house like 15 years ago.  I remember complimenting them on the artwork in the Watchtower.   Nobody does a "whore of babylon riding the beast" as well as the J-dubs!

 (View it and weep, Arnold Friberg!)

Anyway, I guess I was so friendly to them, my house ended up on their permanent list of places to go tracting.  Probably over half a dozen visits over the years.  

And yes, the visits are always short when they find out I'm still LDS.  But for whatever reason, that info doesn't make it into whatever file they keep on me, because another pair stop by next year. 

[HaggisShuu]

2 minutes ago, NeuroTypical said:

Another similarity is both of us have active missionary efforts, which is why you get an opportunity to scare them off in the first place.  

They first came around my house like 15 years ago.  I remember complimenting them on the artwork in the Watchtower.   Nobody does a "whore of babylon riding the beast" as well as the J-dubs!

 (View it and weep, Arnold Friberg!)

Anyway, I guess I was so friendly to them, my house ended up on their permanent list of places to go tracting.  Probably over half a dozen visits over the years.  

And yes, the visits are always short when they find out I'm still LDS.  But for whatever reason, that info doesn't make it into whatever file they keep on me, because another pair stop by next year. 

That is a dangerous looking wild beast! I can't help but feel all those heads may be a bit impractical though. 
 

[Carborendum]

46 minutes ago, HaggisShuu said:

...but the second they find out what religion I belong to, they end things. Quick. 
It usually comes in such a way that I present my views, and instead of provide their own point of view on them, they run away. 
 

Anyone know why this might be? 

I've been surprised at how little JWs know about our beliefs.  And they have no curiosity about it either.

At least, I read one of their books to get an idea of what sets them apart from other sects.

[HaggisShuu]

1 hour ago, Carborendum said:

I've been surprised at how little JWs know about our beliefs.  And they have no curiosity about it either.

At least, I read one of their books to get an idea of what sets them apart from other sects.

I think some of it comes from fear of disfellowship or disciplinary or whatever. Hard to know as they don't speak openly about it, but absolutely horrific tales can be heard from ex-members. 

[LDSGator]

I always try to be polite to them. If for no other reason than I lose my right to call out people being rude to our missionaries. 

[Vort]

1 hour ago, NeuroTypical said:

 (View it and weep, Arnold Friberg!)

Or Jack Chick.

[NeuroTypical]

4 minutes ago, Vort said:

Or Jack Chick.

Actually, nobody does a bloodthirsty-madman-dictator-Joseph-Smith as well as the Chick tracts.  (I'd post it, but it's technically against the site rules.)

 

[LDSGator]

16 minutes ago, Vort said:

Or Jack Chick.

Pure evil. After I saw a Chick trac at a very young age I was terrified all my friends and family would burn in hell for eternity just because they were Catholic. Big moment for a second grader. 

[Jamie123]

Many years ago I knew a Scottish ex-Catholic JW convert. He was always coming to visit me, sometimes alone and sometimes with his wife. I liked both of them a lot. He was an ex army man, who had also been an officer in the Royal Air Force. I also sometimes used to talk to his wife when I was on the bus into town. She was a very pretty woman, but she had a strange skin condition that made her come out in red blotches. This worried me the first time I saw it but she assured me she was fine. (Don't know why I'm telling you this detail - I'm rambling.)

Anyway, on one occasion he asked me "do you know who the God of this world is?" and was gobsmacked when I answered "the Devil". He wanted to know how I knew this, and I said it was traditional Christian doctrine and had been for centuries. This was news to him. He said he had had no idea until he had met the JWs.

It may not be talked about much - especially these days - but it's right there in scripture. The Devil promised to give Jesus "all the kingdoms of the world" if he would worship him. Its there throughout Christian literature: to give you one example, it is the entire premise of C.S. Lewis' "Cosmic Trilogy".

I didn't tell him (though maybe I should have!) that he must have very poorly explored traditional Christianity before rejecting in favour of JWism.

[Traveler]

I have a long history with the JW’s.  What I have learned applies to all religions.  Jesus has called his disciples to be a witness of him in all places.  Initially I thought this to be, in many places, a confrontational witness.  It is not difficult to confront a JW – like so many Christian (and other religious) sects they lack logic and reason in their applications of scripture and sacred things.  Those that lack the power of the gift of the Holy Ghost and ignore logic are sadly adrift – especially in this post-modern intellectual era.

It seldom helps to employ logic with someone whose dogma deliberately avoids logic.  The only hope is that they are touched by the spirit.  There is nothing we can say or do that will make any difference.  If they insist on confronting anything we believe, I believe the best response is to simply say, “I do not believe what you are specifically telling me of these things.”  If they ask me why, I will tell them the truth.  That what they are telling me comes across as illogical and the spirit does not touch me with the same understanding they have.

I do have a copy of their New World Translation of the Bible.  It is the only Bible that claims to be a translation and not a version.  Technically, that is not true – it is a version like all the other modern offerings of the Bible.  Never-the-less, it is an honest human effort to create a version from the vast array of the many variants of ancient Biblical scripture text.

I am willing to engage and invite anyone to come unto Christ through the more sure scripture of the Book of Mormon – especially if they have never read it for themselves and sought for understanding from the spirit.  If they will read the Book of Mormon, I am willing to discuss with them any thing they wish and answer, as best as I am able, any question they have.

 

The Traveler