JW's week after week trying to convert me (page 2)

AuntBee

Welcome, HBJ! Can you tell us the name of the renowned professor you studied with?

blondie

Jehovah's witnesses rarely listen to whatever a non-jw says; the jw thinks, they know they know it all.

They are not interested in exchanging ideas, because every non-jw is wrong.

Honesty

There is a reason why much of it seems to make sense when you crossed referenced it to even some of the oldest of the Scriptures that you have been privileged to work on...

For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

And no wonder! For Satan himself is disguised as an angel of light.

So it is no great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

One of the major issues you are having in your discussions with them over doctrine is that they take every scripture out of context. it is very easy to pull any verse out of the Bible and make it sound like it is supporting your viewpoint.

Think of it this way. They see the Bible as a huge jigsaw puzzle. If you take a bunch of pieces and put them together any way you want you will get the picture you want. The pieces might fit in those places but the picture will be skewed because the pieces aren't fitting in their proper place.

If you insist on talking to them force them to read things in context. Pretty soon they will see they can't win the discussion. And the more you insist on this the less willing they will be to return because they can't get away with taking things out of context.

Nobleheart

Welcome here HBJ!

You wrote "The WTBTS have admittedly stated that they have made changes to Scripture, much of it seems to make sense.."

Which of these changes seem to make sense to you?

Do you think that it's okay for JWs to make changes to the scriptures to fit their doctrines, or to force the Bible to 'make sense'?

Band on the Run

I find it amazing that an Oxbridge grad would spend so much time with them. Your debating points, shooting the breeze, a glimpse at something different, diversity, etc. emboldened them. From their viewpoint, you spent valuable time wioth them. They probably find Cambridge very funny. My family was very derisive of higher education. It is a cult based on everything they know. I don't mean in a perjorative sense. The Witnesses are extremely authoritarian and mind controil techniues are used.

B/c of the time you spent, they probably believe they defeated you. I would never piece together doctrine from a random scripture here or there. Paul's message of grace never occured to me until I was forced to read Paul by consecutive verses and chapters in college. Frankly, it is heresy for me that an educated person could believe they have knowledge. On the other hand, I do believe they are correct about some not essential stuff.

I forgot the term for one verse here, another book and verse there. Did not Shakespeare or Christ say the the devil can quote scripture for his won purpose.

So you excelled at Koine Greek. My dream was to major in New Testament at a major American university. I needed to master Greek as a requirement. The result was that Politcal Science became my major.

Aren't there any forums for savvy, educated Christians that are nondenomintal?

They believe crazy things. I am presently Anglican and their beliefs are orthodox but still crazy. My warning is not about the teachings per se but the mind control. You would be a feather in their cap, but, you will always pay a price for being educated.

wannabefree

You are a fish on their line.

You are a "Return Visit" (R V in JW lingo) in their monthly field service report and possibly even considered a "Bible Study".

If you answer the door with a shotgun in your hands (suggested in a non threatening manner) and tell them not to come back, they will mark you down as a "Do Not Call" and you will have a reprieve of their visits.

If you continue to converse they will continue to come back, yes, of course their ultimate goal is to have you as a brother, they can say that isn't what they are trying to do, because you have to become very legalistic when questioning a Witness. We learn at a very early age that giving a misleading answer is not necessarily dishonest. A Witness is not trying to convert you, all they can do is plant the seed, and water ... but God makes it grow, so technically, in the Witness mind, any conversion is between you and Jehovah, therefore they can say "we aren't here to convert you" and actually believe what they are saying yet know that that is the goal.

One of the meetings (actually dual meetings Theocratic Ministry School and Service Meeting) are all about being effective at making converts, looking for common ground, effective introductions, how to handle conversation stoppers, laying the groundwork for future visits ... it really is sales.

garyneal

When it comes to one's Salvation, you don't want to be wrong!

No you do not, and that was what prompted me to look more closely into their doctrines a couple of years ago and why I am posting here today.

Welcome by the way.

They came back with the example of someone claiming to be a believer and sitting around doing nothing, versus someone claiming to be a believer and showing that in their daily lives, i.e., door-to-door ministry, etc.

Yes, this tends to be the responses I get from my wife. What they can't seem to comprehend is that God's righteousness is so much higher than ours that it is impossible for us to live up to it. No amount of door to door work will ever give us enough 'righteousness' to be justified by God. The 'works' that are done by believers are done out of love not because they feel that they will gain God's favor.

I told them today that I absolutely would not ever recognize the authority of the watchtower, as I knew they were guilty of altering the Bible to say the least, and that would alleviate me regarding the joining of their congregation.

Which should right away tell them that you are not witness material. You know their baptismal questions are designed to affirm this recognition of their authority.

At any rate, welcome to the board, we all here have our dealings with the witnesses in one form or another. I am married to one and while she is a good person overall, her narrow worldview gives me a lot of fits. I just hope our daughters don't turn out that way.

DaCheech

the only way to prove a JW wrong is with their own literature............... print out their quackery printed in early years..........

also print out flip-flops of theology and ask them why should you believe when they're changing the stuff as much as we change our underwear!!

Jehovah's Witness faithful have to go to every meeting to find out the latest and greatest (missing one meeting is equaled to having the possibility of dying if armegheddon happens that day(.

good luck

Hortensia

All you have to do is meet them at the door and say, "Put me on your Do Not Call list."

And then refuse to discuss anything. Gently close the door.

Lady Lee said what I was thinking -- they take scriptures out of context. They select scriptures from all over the bible to illustrate what they believe. They need to consider context.

JW's week after week trying to convert me

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