Were you told to avoid telling HH's that they would be killed unless they listened?

by highdose 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  highdose

  One of the many things as a child growing up as a JW that i never understood was this: A elderette told me her husband would be going to see the non jw freind of one of their sons. It seems that the freind had directly challenged the jw son and asked " are you telling me that if i don't become a jw that god will kill me?". The son hadn't known what to say to this, bearing in mind of course that the JW belief is "yes you will die at armargeddon if you don't become a JW". Hence they were sending round an elder to "deal with it". The elderette admitted to me that course they would have to be told they would die, but " we don't like to tell people that do we?"

  Was this a one off, or did you find JW's uncomfortable and wanting to skirt around this issue?
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  JWoods

  It was an unwritten rule. I don't know of any written instructions on this, but everybody (well, almost everybody) knew not to do it - and of course the demonstrations in KM school or the assembly never did. Heck, they actually tried to avoid saying they were JWs until they pulled out the magazines and made it obvious. The correct way to start out was - "we are bible students".

  I have seen some JW people slip and say it if they ran into a strongly opposed person at the door and lost their temper.
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  jambon1

  Jehovah's Witnesses have the most disturbing, distasteful & repulsive set of beliefs on the planet.

  We know it. They know it. Why would they want to get into the nitty gritty of it?
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  highdose

  Because Jambon, and this is what i thought as a child: it is moraly correct to tell someone the truth about what your peddling. Anything else is mis selling. I was never comfortable with the JW way of soft soaping the bible studies and protecting them from the hasher rules of the borg untill they had been safely baptised and couldn't get away.

  But them the cult has never been moraly correct has it?!
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  jambon1

  HD - I know. They don't dare venture into the distasteful parts of the message. Telling people that god will kill them is extreemly offensive.

  As I said, they know it.
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  JWoods

  The people that studied with my parents did not even mention the blood issue or opposition to war or flag salute until they had them pretty well hooked at around 3 or 4 months time.

  This has long been a JW tactic, and highdose is correct: It is morally dishonest.
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  WingCommander

  Whoa!! Hold up here; I think we have some conflicting doctrine!!

  Yes, as a child growing up in the 1980's, I recall it being very clear that anyone not a JW would die at Armaggedon.

  1.) Back then, we were seen as still being doing the seperating of the sheep & goats.

  Fast Forward: The "What Does the Bible Really Teach?" publication plainly and clearly states that anyone who died BEFORE Armaggedon would be resurrected and given another chance during the 1,000 year reign of Christ. (which we are now technically almost 100 years into)

  2.) Due to a doctrinal change of heart (New Light) the seperating of the sheep and goats is now to be done by Jesus, in the future, possibly during the Great Tribulation.

  So......which is it? Are all non-JW's to be dead, OR are they all going to be resurrected, allowed to become JW's during the 1,000 year reign of Christ, and then be destroyed once Satan is allowed out at the end of the 1,000 years?

  This is all very confusing I believe. Either JW's are the ONLY ones allowed to survive, or NOT. You can't have it both ways. However, the BIBLE answers this for us, in the verse that states that the resurrection would see BOTH the righteous, and UNRIGHTEOUS brought back. I take this to mean that even unrighteous people would be resurrected, shown Jesus' supreme rule, allowed to perfect themselves and make themselves right - righteous. I think that's pretty merciful of God, and shows he is willing to give mankind several chances. However, this doesn't really seem to jive with JW teachings of the vengelful, unmerciful, spitefull God, does it?

  - Wing Commander
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  JWoods

  I think the teaching always was that people who died in Armageddon would not be resurrected as that was a "judgement time". Others who died before Armageddon would be, except in certain cases. Contraversy existed over Adam and those who died in the flood, or Sodom & Gomorrah, and such from time to time. (Judgement by god again) But the basic point is that JWs still teach that if you are not a JW you are pretty much toast at Armageddon. (Unless possibly you were in Red China or somewhere and were of good heart and had not rejected the message) And, the point of this thread is well made: The JWs are very quiet on the ugly parts of their doctrine when they try to recruit an innocent non-JW.
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  babygirl30

  It was NEVER mentioned 'outright' but ALWAYS 'implied'! Back when i was 21, I was dating this guy that wasn't a JW (ooooohhhh....the horror)!

  Anyhow, this guy was RARE: mature, non-religious, comes from a GOOD solid family, college educated, never married and no kids! Top it off with him being gorgeous - and he was a serious catch!!!! To this DAY my mom talks about this guy and how she always liked him (and he really got along with my mom too). So my parents hassle him to study - they tell him "If you want to have our approval, you NEED to become a JW" so this sweet man does...he studies with the PO of my cong at the time. Then he just couldn't TAKE anymore...long story short...he quits studying and my young and dumb ass dumps him. Either way, point is that my mom was SO upset by this guy NOT wanting to study anymore that she tells me

  "Well, he can't claim ignorance anymore. Once you KNOW Jehovah's name - you are held responsible. It's his LIFE that is at stake, he needs to realize that."

  I remember CRYING (yes...at 21 hearing that broke my heart) and threw me OFF because I just could not understand how in the world this amazing man who had never done anything 'wrong' in his life would be killed by a God that WE (as JWs) were touting as 'loving' all because he made a CHOICE not to serve him? He had the biggest heart of anyone I had ever known, and his fate lied in the hands of an org that dictated whether he was 'accepted or not'? That was really a turning point for me...even way back then.
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  dgp

  Of course I don't believe I will be destroyed at Armageddon (well, I don't think there will ever be an Armageddon), but I have a comment, as a wordly. What if the person delivering the Almighty's message were so dumb that the worldly found a good reason not to believe him? Would Jehovah still hold it against him, as in "I know you were visited by a dumb JW, but it doesn't matter, you're done anyways"?