Had a really interesting experience with a JW that came knocking on Sunday and have to say that I couldn't have dealt with him as well as I did if it had not been for new found knowledge on the web and spending the last four months reading. I have to say this is the first time a JW has tried to get away from me!!This is roughly how it went:
I amswer the door to one guy on his own who want to give me a tract and I said I knew all about JW's and he asked me how I felt I said "well what puts me off about JW's if that you insist that you are the only ones that will be saved and that you have to be a JW to be redeemed." He said that's not true and who had told me that so I told him I had studied with the JW's a while back and the underlying message was that If I didn't get baptised as a JW and engage in the work then there was no hope for me. He said not true you don't have to be a JW to be saved so I told him that our conversation was pointless and that I need not be converted and he needn't be door knocking. Aah but he has to share the good news. So I say lots of religions share their good news with me but you still say that you are the only true religion. He says you only have to look at Christendom and see them all going off to war to know that they are false and I say you only have to look at Buddhist monks in Tibet meditating for hours on end for world peace and the Dalai Lama suffering for his faith are you telling me they are false. Aah yes I see your point they are very peaceful loving the Buddhists. JW man looks back at tract for help.
So I re-start the conversation. The other thing that gets me about the JW's, I say, is all your false prophecies. JW man says "quite right", he actually admits it. I mean, what about 1975. Aah well there was a lot of commotion about that people were concentrating on that instead of being more spiritual in their outlook. But, I say, the reason they did that was because the faithful and discreet slave were instructing the people. Oh no you've got that all wrong. It was people who did that. So, it didn't say anything about that in the Watchtowers that are written by the faithful and discreet slave? Well, he says where did you read that. I read in the Watchtowers and Awakes from 1968 onwards the comments that were made about 1975. Well, nobody's perfect are they. No I said nobody's perfect but if I was a parent and I told my child they couldn't go out to play because it was going to rain in ten minutes and then they stayed inside the whole day expecting rain and then no rain came, how would that child feel. Would they trust me the next time I said it would rain. Shouldn't I make sure I give my children the right information. Aah, yes I see your point but that's all in the past now. You can't keep on looking to the mistakes in the past it's what you are doing now that counts. Okay, fair comment I say but it seems strange to me out of all the contact that I have had with the JW's they have never come clean about these mistakes and the background of their founder Charles T Russell. I have had to research all of this myself. No JW has ever told me about the false prohecies and contradictions of the past. Well, it's all new light we're getting now.
Okay I say, but another example is a man goes for a job and does not disclose that he has been in prison. Many months after being in that job his employers by chance find out. Even though this man has been a good employee this now puts him in a different light, even though now he's a reformed character, the employer is upset because the man did not come clean about his background. If old stuff matters so little why not just be open about it. Aah yes, very good analagy he says. Well I must go he says very nice talking to you. I think you're not getting that easy.
And another thing why have you changed your stand on the blood issue. Oh we haven't it's just the same. So you are not accepting blood products now at all I ask. Oh no that's all lies. That's all what the press have been writing to try and discredit us. So there is now change in your blood issue. Would someone be disfellowshipped if they took blood? To be honest he says, I don't know. You don't know. An issue that you place such importance on and you don't know if you would be disfellowshipped for it. I'd have to find out he says. It's an individual decision he says, but I say you could be disfellowshipped. I'm not sure he says I have to go now anyway. Just one last thing. Do you believe that Armageddon is coming soon and that is why you are preaching door to door. Yes he says and I say read Isaiah 5v19. Oh he says and has a look. Aah but that's taken out of context. God is talking to Jersualem. Jesus said we have to preach the news. So I say well that's the bible for you. I could stand here and prove anything using the bible including getting drunk and raping my father with my sister (YUK). The bible is full of contradictions. Oh that's were you are definitely wrong he says I've studied the bible thoroughly and there are definitely no contradictions at all. I say thank you for your time, very interesting chat but I find it laughable that anyone could say the bible is not full of contradictions. Have a nice day. JW man seems glad to get away.
I feel sorry for him really. Not angry at him but if they are gonna knock on my door then they deserve a run for their money. This is the first time I've managed to talk as much as them and also the first time a JW has tried to get away from me. I don't expect to convert any of them I just want them to question their own faith. It still makes me angry that whole mind control thing and the fact that they really believe that they are the only right religion.