When going in FS, I always felt like it was a one way street or conversation because I was there to argue and defend the contents of the WT and A! but none of us were allowed to consider as a possibility the other person's arguments. Our job was to turn their minds around but the people on the other side made more sense than I did. I was really bad at the doors because they could refute me so easily and I guess I never really believed in what I was saying to them. Questions that always came into my mind were How could I expect them to take and read our literature but I could not accept or read theirs? I felt so hippocritical doing that. They offered their literature to us when they came to our doors and we refused (shoe on other foot.) but when we went to their doors, we expected and pushed them to take ours. I really felt a COC with that all through the 37 years I was in.
Field circus a one way street job
by White Dove 10 Replies latest jw experiences
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OnTheWayOut
They offered their literature to us when they came to our doors and we refused (shoe on other foot.) but when we went to their doors, we expected and pushed them to take ours.
That was a problem for me. How can we think they are goats (or with new light, goat-like) because they don't
agree with the nuts at their door and don't want their literature. We didn't want their literature, either.We tell people to look at their beliefs critically, but when they offer to help us do the same, we say that we
already did so. How many actually looked at JW's critically? I have friends in the org. who still swear that
they did so. -
RULES & REGULATIONS
White Dove
I was full of fire when I first got baptized. I was a teenager with lots of friends who didn't understand what had happened to me. Preaching in school to anyone who would listen was counting service time for me.
Well,one my friends started listening and I would bring books over to his house. I would always invite him to the meetings but he would always decline. His mother walked in one time and I asked her if it would be ok if he read the books and came to one of our meetings. She said,''I will let him take your books and go to your meetings if you take one of our Catholic books and come to one of our services.'' I said that I couldn't read any of their books or walk into a Catholic Church. She said,''If you can't come to our Church,we can't come to yours.''
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Dorktacular
I always was willing to listen to other people's opinions. As far as anybody knew, I was kicking ass in the field service spreading the word! Ha Ha. One time, I had a 3 hour discussion with an Indian man who happened to be a professor of philosophy. It was an awesome discussion. But, had anybody known that I actually listened to what he had to say, I probably would have gotten in trouble. The heading at the top of the Watchtower should be "Close-minded Simpletons Pushing Magazines and Lunacy for Over 100 Years".
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looloo
i was speaking to a dub i knew inthe street once , her and her mate were handing out leaflets to passers by , her mate said we might aswell be talking in chinese for all the notice they take of us , i thought that was really rude of her to say in front of me (a non dub , because i used to study but left ) i should have said "i expect they would feel the same about you if they tried to give you one about thier church "
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ldrnomo
After reading these posts, it got me thinking that the borg doesn't want anyone to carry on long conversations with people that want to talk about their beliefs because it could make to much sense to the R&F member listening and could raise questions of doubt in the mind of that member perhaps getting them to go online to research more extensively.
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WTWizard
I have heard that from the platform. They would tell us that, if the householder accepted the littera-trash under the condition that we had to take one of their tracts, or would come to the Kingdumb Hell under the condition that we had to go to one service at their church, it was not acceptable. We have to get the person to give up their church, which they probably have a lifetime commitment in, for something that has so many rules that living up to them is going to exhaust them.
Result: I just came out and told the householders what religion we represented and hoped for that beautiful "Not Interested".
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real one
white dove I asked some witnesses the same question and the reaction was, we have the truth.
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MMae
I also came in during my teens. Since I was shown so many scriptures to back up what I was being taught - and being given explainations for all those things that seemed to contradict the Bible, I was convinced that the JWs must be worshipping in the fashion that God wanted. I was a true believer in the JWs. But I still thought it was stupid that we couldn't look at other's teachings - if for no other reason than to be more prepared to compare their beliefs with the scriptures. I always felt that the truth was the truth - so there should be no reason to fear doing research about other's beliefs.
I do remember one time at the door that the householder and I were discussing Ecclessiasties about soul sleep. She said all I needed to do was read those scriptures in context to understand what the writer was saying, then showed me the scripture that said, "under the sun." I remember that I felt betrayed that I had never been shown the scriptures in context before. I was very troubled. Back in the car, I asked for an explaination. One was offered, but I still felt like I had been deceived. You know, to this day, I don't recall what the explaination was, but I sure remember what the householder said.
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R.Crusoe
Bring to mind all the emotional pain, turmoil, worry, self doubt, self depression and self destruction!
Then ask how kind it is of you to go and give this to the next householder you meet as if God willed it?
It's psychological warfare! Pschological AK47s!
Another example of my God is on my side without the visible weapons!