Getting biblically educated while going door to door.

by R.F. 10 Replies latest jw experiences

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  R.F.

  I now recall that i've had an unusual amount of run ins with pastors, preachers, etc, when going door to door. When talking to others in the congregation they said they hadn't encountered the volume of these these guys as I had. The interesting thing is that I ran into them while working alone. There was one elder I worked with alot and can only count on one hand how many we ran into together. Anywho, when I ran into the pastors while alone they pretty much schooled me on the truth about Jesus Christ and grace, and they were quite knowledgeable about the WTS. Adhering to my strict JW training, I quickly dismissed these guys as being wrong, however I just stayed and listened to them. We would have discussions for 45 minutes at least and I was truly getting educated on the Bible. Maybe it's a good thing it happend while I was alone because if I would have been with someone else(another pioneer, Elder, MS) they would cut the conversation off and leave immediately.

  I'm still an active JW on the verge of leaving but I have confessed union with Christ in the proper way recently. I plan on going back to some of these pastors and thanking them for the experiences.
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  Junction-Guy

  Thanks R.F., what a good experience. You're right though, if you had not been alone, then the other JW would probably decide to leave than stick it out.
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  bigdreaux

  yeah, it's funny. when your a dub, you think you have all the answers, and everyone else is stupid. i recently hung out with a really cool guy that married my cousin. he is non-denominational. i told him i didn't believe the bible, but, believed in god. he made alot better points than the dubs ever could. i still don't acceptt eh bible, but, respect people that do believe it more now thanks to him.
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  R.F.

  Your welcome JG. I still don't understand why Dubs are so quick to leave. If you have the truth then whats the worry?

  Bigdreaux...I find that to be the case as well with ones outside the WTS. They read and study the Bible. JWs read and study publications that tell them what to believe about the Bible.
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  Honesty

  I've learned more about the Real Jesus in the 2 1/2 years I've been free of the Watchtower cult than I did in the 43 years I was trapped in a box.
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  neverendingjourney

  My experience with the JWs thought me that JWs can be put on a spectrum. On one extreme you have true, sincere believers that honestly believe they are doing the will of God. On the other extreme you have complete company men. JWs more to the sincere believer side of things tend to stay longer at these calls because they believe they have the truth and Jehovah will help other people see this. JWs more to the company men side of the spectrum have no patience for those calls. They just move on and go to the next house. Their purpose is to put in hours and hopefully find some poor vulnerable soul to convert.

  There was a religious guy that I used to call on not long after I got baptized. He kept asking me questions about old doctrine, Russell, Rutherford, etc. I asked the C.O. if I should continue calling on this guy and the C.O. said that I shouldn’t because that man had been reading apostate literature and we should not contaminate ourselves with such things. That's a true company man, puts the organizations’ interests first. You don't want the faithful coming back from field service and asking the elders tough questions.

  I think that people that are more to the sincere believer side of the spectrum eventually find out the JW religion is a farce and leave. The people closer to the company man end of the spectrum thrive in the JW theocratic hierarchy. The longest-serving elder (by far) in my hometown is a true JW company man. The organization could print something tomorrow that says Jesus is not really God's son and he would adopt that belief in an instant. He's all about keeping pace with Jehovah's chariot

  I think you encountered more pastors in field service because you were willing to listen to them. You weren't a company man. A company man would have listened to that voice inside of him that says those people are demonized and have cut off the conversation and moved to the next door. The true blue JWs didn't like it when I spent time talking to religious people. It somehow wasn't viewed as a very "spiritual" thing to do.
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  smellsgood

  neverendingjourney,
  
  very good insight! Very observant and astute of you!
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  Reefton Jack

  Interesting - in my time with the Borg, ministers of religion were generally reluctant to speak to the JWs at all.
  (One Baptist minister, in fact, could never wait to get rid of us fast enough).
  
  This was explained to me as being the result of their previously having (to quote) "tried arguing with the brothers, but usually coming off second best." (end of quote).
  
  It would seem that at one point, at least, the dubs were better at arguing than most they encountered?
  
  (Or maybe it was a legacy of Rutherford's "Tearing Down of False Religion", as he called it:
  - delivered by someone whose approach closely resembled that of "Screaming Skull";
  - who usually gave the impression at least of being slightly deranged!
  - and whom you would no more want to carry out a conversation with, than you would with a wild animal locked in a cage!)
  
  
  Whatever, I can only ever recall one minister of religion who was in any way interested in having much of a conversation with me.
  
  
  
  
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  blondie

  It varies with ministers; some are well-trained in the Bible, some not. I found many times though that they would be surprised at my position on "earning" the "free gift." I never fell into line with the WT spiel on that and can use the scriptures quite well to explain it.

  But it was 2 non-jw Protestant missionaries back home for a visit that got me to start investigating the WTS basis for their beliefs using material (not ex-jw or anti-jw) other than the WTS publications. That is also when I realized how often the WTS does not quote its sources in its material or misquotes the sources. I bought my first computer about then too.

  Blondie
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  zack

  I didn't encounter too many "pastors" in DtD, but occasionally I would have to deal with them and their church committees professionally.

  I remember at one meeting I had to have with them, these guys show up in their vehicles, enter the building, set up table and chairs, the pastor asked

  one of the men to open the meeting with a prayer. He prayed to his father, ended the prayer in Jesus name, and then we got down to business.

  I saw no images, no crosses, etc...

  I knew that their religion had been around much longer than mine. It struck me that WE had copied THEM. How were the JW's different? These were nice people,

  good people. They were very pleasant in their business dealings. I spoke with their Pastor on several occasions and found him to be kind and mild.

  No lightning bolts from Heaven struck me down. No demons followed me home.

  The JW's tear down others. I didn't get that impression from these folks.