As I stood at my kitchen window, I could see them walking by the front of my house. Are they going to make that turn and start the small climb up the driveway?
"GROAN"! Here they come. Two ladies, probably in their late twenties. Appropriately dressed in their "preaching the good news" attire: brown, long, dull, and just slighty shabby.
I wait for the doorbell to ring. Hmm, it's taking them awhile. It must be that "Pioneer Shuffle" that I have read about on this forum. My drive way isn't THAT long. Still no ring. Then, finally, "bang, bang, bang" on the heavy metal screen door. "Sheesh! you ladies must have a doorbell phobia!". Ok, here I go.
"Hi! My name is Eve* and this is Mary*, we are out today to talk to people about the bible."
"Hi" I reply and lean against the doorjam. I'm just going to let them do the talking. I realize that with my minimal JW experience, I don't have the dub knowledge throw doctrinal zingers at them. Besides, they would just give me the usual canned response.
Blah, Blah Blah ( I insert Blah here because I don't remember exactly what she said, and I was hungry and my lunch was waiting!). Then, she asks me "What does Jesus Christ mean to you"?
Me: "Uh, nothing much." (Wow! Such eloquence! Such language command! Yet, it IS the truth)
Mary: "Nothing much? Can I share a scripture with you"
Me: "Sure, why not?"
Mary: (reads a scripture about love and jesus).
Me: (Blank stare)
Mary: (Pulls out a copy of The Greatest Man That Ever Lived and shows it to me) "Would you be interested in something like this?"
Me: "No"
Mary: "Can I give you this little hand out"?
Me: "Sure"
She gives it to me and off they shuffle down the driveway.
So, I gave this encounter some thought today. What I was struck by was that NOT ONCE did they inform me they were Jehovah's Witnesses. And how they use Jesus as the common thread to connect with people. The Mormons do this, also. You know, the "we aren't so weird, we believe in Jesus too!".
I was also reminded of sale pitches where the salesperson doesn't want to tell me the "price" of the product until he, or she, finishes his, or her whole, speech. The tactic is to get me so excited about the product, and it's features, that I won't be shocked at the price tag. I have walked out of presentations like this because they annoy me to no end. I ALWAYS want to know about the $$ upfront.
So, these ladies were doing the preaching "work" without informing me of the price. Which is to become a JW. I know you WTS historians have posting about the sales techniques that are used to recruit people, and I got to experience it first hand.
When my Grandmother went door to door she PROUDLY proclaimed what she was, and who she represented. Granted this was in the late 60's, and perhaps JWs hadn't gotten the bothersome reputation they find themselves saddled with now. Even when my JW schoolmate and I would go out in service we would make clear who we were. How things have changed.
It really is a publishing corporation, isn't it?
Andee
Edited by - BeautifulGarbage on 3 December 2002 21:38:58