Do JW's use the bible to preach anymore?

by lostinthought 18 Replies latest jw friends

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  lostinthought

  So...I totally stopped going to meetings two years ago. Since then, I have gotten married and moved into my husband's home. His father and mother also live there. His father is a return visit of an older JW man, who I presume is an elder (he may even be at bethel, but I'm not sure). My father in law has no intentions of becoming a JW or studying with them. He just thinks the JW who visits him is a nice man that likes to chat, and apparently the JW has been coming over for years.

  Anyway, there has been a few times when my father in law has not been home so I have answered the door for the JW. Once during the memorial invites I answered. The JW just smiled at me and asked for my FIL, when I told him that my FIL wasn't available the JW just handed me the invite and told me to give it to my FIL...no explanation on what it was, no personal invite for me. This past weekend, my FIL didn't feel like talking to the JW so I told him I would take care of the visit that day. I was all ready to have a nice "biblical discussion" with them but our conversation went something like this:

  JW: is you FIL home?

  Me: He’s not available right now

  JW: Oh, I’ve stopped a few times recently and he hasn’t been home

  Me: yeah he’s busy

  JW: What’s your name?

  Me: (I tell him)

  JW: that’s a French name, do you speak French fluently?

  Me: No (funny cause the last congregation I was in was the french, I really don’t want them coming to visit me)

  JW: What do you do for work?

  Me: I tell him and I tell him where I work

  JW: That’s a bit of a commute

  Me: It’s not bad

  JW: I have these magazines, have you seen them before?

  Me: yeah, I’ve seen them around

  JW: Oh this ones about anxiety - - you’re wearing a running tee shirt do you like to run?

  Me: yeah

  JW: Oh some people like you run to relieve anxiety, give these mags to your FIL please.

  That was it, no opening the bible, no leaving mags for me to read, no asking if I was interested. Do the JW’s just go around making social visits nowadays?
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  Gulf Coaster

  Sounds like this was a case of a couple of old farts having a regular chin-wag, especially since it's been going on for years.

  Maybe he wasn't interested in you or anyone else because he was there for his regular chit chat session with your FIL.
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  punkofnice

  Actualy, that doesn't sound much different to how it was 5 years ago when I left.

  I know with the apathy trollies, they either don't stock bibles or they hide them.

  It's a numbers game.....how many hours and how many placements. That's what buys salvation...not REAL preaching.

  Let's review.......
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  OneEyedJoe

  They're just there to get easy time. There are some JWs that will take everything back to some scripture, and there are others that are just out to get the time while trying to avoid uncomfortable situations as much as possible. If it had been me, it would've gone much the same way whether it had been a year ago or 10.
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  Finkelstein

  Do the JW’s just go around making social visits nowadays?

  What Punk says , JWS are focused about hours, how many they make in a given month so they can put those hours into their publishers report, as well how many placements of literature they make.

  Its a bit of a numbers game that drives the typical JWS dour to door evangelizing.

  The FIL was focused on mostly because he was seen as a possible or probable receiver of the WTS's magazines.

  And JWS will count time when they make a visit to someone even though most of the conversation was about other topics of discussions.

  So there's your answer lostinthought.
  

  
  
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  CalebInFloroda

  Do JWs use the Bible to preach anymore?

  Now really...Did they ever?
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  The_Doctor10

  I was an MS for a about a year, pioneered for about half of that time, and through it all kept my actual preaching to a minimum. Most of my pioneer hours were informal at work pretty casual conversation, early morning where you basically just hand out magazines, and even when I did go D2D I kept it very brief, any returns were more or less regular conversation, never pushed for studies. I only did what I had to do to get the hours and keep my position. I became very apathetic towards preaching.

  As time went on, I more and more realized how little my beliefs were really playing a part in my life so why would I want to preach to someone else to bring them into this religion?
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  lostinthought

  i know he'll count me as RV if he runs into me on his next visit...
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  StarTrekAngel

  As far as I can recall we have hardly ever used the bible in preaching. The bible was only a tool to explain the magazine and not the other way around. I've been a JW for over 10 years. Granted that I know a couple of elders that would weight more on using the bible while preaching but the official education on how to preach, as given during meetings, was always as stated above. I remember we would have special session during the kingdom ministry encouraging us to try preaching from the bible only in our next field day.

  When you religion has to remind you about how the bible is a good preaching tool by itself, your religion needs revision.
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  Calebs Airplane

  JWs pretty much stopped using their Bibles in Field Circus sometime during the mid-90's. Before that, it was almost mandatory to read one or more texts, hand over the 2 rags and then hope the householder doesn't ask any questions that require any deep thought or insight. If they did, it would require a return visit.

  Now, they keep the presentation inside of 20 seconds, hand over the rags and run.