How can one understand unusual personal experiences such as when going from door-to-door?

Fernando

Given that I know how corrupt, dishonest and evil the Watchtower is, I have wondered how to understand a personal experience I had many years ago - long before walking out mid-2009.

After an unusual series of many "co-incidences" on a particular Sunday, my friend and I ended up at the door of someone who had been praying to God for someone to be sent to him, and who was expecting us.

I am still convinced it was by divine intervention, but cannot understand why a prayer is answered by sending representatives of an apostate organisation.

Also when taking up residence in a foreign country, under very difficult circumstances, I twice ended up "inadvertently" moving in to homes just around the corner from the KH. On one occasion it was about a 15 metre walk from my front door right into my seat in the KH!

Have you had similar experiences?

How would you interpret these or similar events?

Phizzy

The Universe is totally random, coincidences are simply that.

Mormons have the same experience as you, someone praying for help and then they knock on the door, I guess so do SDA's and other door knocking religions.

The diversity of belief of the knockers prove that it is serendipitous coincidence alone.

Over my years of being on the knock-knocks I had a number of experiences that I put down to Holy Spirit, I now know they were pure coincidence or otherwise rationally explained.

Londo111

There are allot of people praying out there all the time. But only a few groups that come to people's doors. As Phizzy said, this experience is not an uncommon story among these groups.

Oubliette

With 8 billion people on earth and 7 million JWs coincidences are bound to happen.

The human mind is made to try to find meaning in events. That being said, we also tend to interpret these events in keeping with our beliefs, whatever they may be. This is called confirmation bias.

Many people in other religions have similar stories to share. They all believe it is "proof" that they have the "Truth."

Take a look at this excellent thread on the subject started last year by wannabefree:

I prayed and then there was a knock at the door ...

Also, have you ever considered the countless times that people pray and JWs do NOT show up at the door? Where's Holy Spirit then?

As for "inadvertently" moving into a home near a KH, I'm a little confused how you could NOT have seen them before you agreed to rent/buy the place!!!

Did HS "blind" you before you signed the rental/purchase agreement?

Please explain.

punkofnice

'Chance and unforseen circumstance'.

I do not believe in god so to me (and I'm not trying to force this onto anyone), no amount of prayers makes a ha'peth of difference to anyone.

Coincidences happen. We just like to interpret them according to our confirmation bias.

As Dr Who said: I love humans. Always seeing patterns in things that aren't there.

Tater-T

you were going door to door for what you thought was God .. you ended up at the door of someone who was praying to God ...for someone to come to his door..

You were not there for God but, but a book publishing company.. so no prayer was answered...

let me bottom line it for you .. you were going door to door .. chances are pretty good that some one might have prayed before you got there..

It happened to me more than once in my fields service experience..

you go to enough doors something will end up seeming intentional ,

it would be odd if that scenario never happened .. what are the odds of going door to door looking for people looking for God and you never found ONE.. very slim

hope that puts it into perspective .. it is what is .. not divine intervention

therevealer

I don't believe in satan any more than in god. But for the sake of a jw argument that these represent guidance from jah, we must remember they also claim that satan transfers himself into an angel of light or some such. So maybe that's what happened. LOL

humbled

Absolutely true that the same stories show up aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllll the time in other religions.

But there are also stories that have elements too unusual to dismiss. My personal sense is that we are groping for a dialogue with God but instead buy a religion--Not the same thing.

I have had a hard time understanding why it took me so long to separate faith from religion. I needed a good hard dose of the JWs to cure me.

I wonder if God just lets events take place because we do stay locked away from a search and rarely undertake the journey of investigation without diving into a pre-fabbed program with answers-1-2-3.

Lots of stories out there for sure--I have no more reason to believe one over the other nor a reason to doubt that there may be "God"--My own experience led me to that. Funny.

Oubliette

I just prayed to God that JWs would avoid my neighborhood today and guess what? He answered my prayers! No JWs all day!!!

Woohoo! Thank you Jesus, thank you Jehovah!

humbled

Yes--I hear you, Oubliette. I wish I could laugh at it all.

But here is this funny saying also: "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they are not out to get you."

Tough for the paranoiac to stay clear of trouble :(

How can one understand unusual personal experiences such as when going from door-to-door?

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