Do JW's now avoid "live" persons they meet in the field?

donny

Lately, I have been encountering several JW's who are out placing flyers inviting folks to the upcoming District conventions. I am usually out for my 10:00 - 11:00 am lunch stroll and when I walk the streets of nearby residential areas, I have been seeing several JW's out in service (I counted 12 yesterday - 8 women and 4 men).

In 4 instances over the past 9 days, I have placed myself in a situation (such as sitting on a park bench that is along the sidewalk they are on or stopping my stroll before they get to me) and each time they just smile and say hello and continue on their path. Not once did they try to engage me in conversation or attempt to witness to me.

Back when I was in, I would always talk to anyone whom I encountered during my door-to-door strolls, especially if they seemed to give a friendly nod. What has changed?

P.S. I dissassociated back when I was in Dallas, TX, so no one out here in Northern California knows who I am.

Donny

CuriousButterfly

As a JW we are supposed to go to every live body we see. Even if we are out in FS in a neighborhood. That is odd they did not approach you, then again I do not. I do not like bothering people. FS is not my thing..

sir82

JWs used to be trained enough that they felt confident approaching anyone they saw, certain that their "Bible knowledge" would surpass that of whoever they spoke to.

Not any more. Training is virtually nonexistent, and only the most superficial presentations are demonstrated. No - absolutely no- effort is made to teach JWs how to defend their faith or overcome objections stronger than "I'm not interested".

blondie

Back about 15 years ago I remember the WTS encouraging talking to people on the street, in the park, waiting in their car in a parking lot, at a bus stop, etc. The congregation I was in actually arranged practice but most were uncomfortable with it. Just one newly reinstated woman was energetic enough to do it and embarrassed the rest in the group. I can imagine now without training few do it now.

Room 215

It isn't that the dubs aren't still pressured to do it; it's simply that more and more of them avoid doing it....

wannabefree

LongHairGal

Yes, I think they are actually afraid of people. In the old days, sometimes we were challenged and had to make an effort to have a little debate now and then. I hated this because very often the 'householder' had more ammo or presented a question from left field that I as a lazy JW didn't have the answer to. So, I said I would get 'back' at some future time.

Nowadays, the JWs won't even chance this. They are probably told to avoid 'apostates' and can never know if that person out in the field is a dreaded 'apostate' who will embarrass the hell out of them with knowledge of the dirt on the JW religion. They also know deep down inside that their flimsy belief system cannot stand up to any sort of scrutiny. They DREAD any sort of questions.

undercover

I noticed in my last days that more and more dubs were just kinda going through the motions. They weren't really eager to meet people or engage in conversations. They presented the magazines, accepted defeat and slogged on to the next door. They went to great lengths to avoid talking to any more people than they had to.

But yet, even though they're afraid to try to engage people in service, they sure will go to great lengths to defend the bOrg to anyone on the inside that grumbles, complains or questions.

The evidence of that is present on this board. How many of us have posted experiences of questioning the WTS or a teaching only to have elders, parents, spouses and any other number of JW acquaintances crawl out of the woodwork to correct us and "help" us back to the fold...

It is an interesting phenomenom... you won't defend your faith to outsiders...but you'll bend over backwards to defend it when one of your own questions. Is it cult programming to act this way? Maybe it's a self-defense mechanism. Deep down you know something's wrong, but as long as we're all in it together, we'll be alright...but if someone wants out, it disrupts the delusion of everything being okay... I dunno...sometimes I think too much about this stuff...

miseryloveselders

I think its a natural adaption to the apathy towards the JW message. When I go out in field service, I fully expect to not having a meaningful conversation with anybody. Field service to me involves knocking on doors with nobody home. Or people being too busy to coverse. Or people not being interested. I expect to leave older magazines in the doors of not-at-homes. One thing, I can't count how many times after getting a "I'm not interested", I go to the next door, and the last person who wasn't interested yells over to me, "they're not home, and neither is the next house!" To which I reply, "thanks buddy!" You become so used to his pattern, that when you see a live person, you figure to yourself, "why bother." Plus when people are out and about, I hate to bother them anyway.

JediMaster

Holy Spirit lets them know you know way too much and they won't be able to stand against you. May be you should aproach them??

Jedi Master

Do JW's now avoid "live" persons they meet in the field?

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