HER HANDBAG TOLD HER TO STOP PREACHING

raymond frantz

https://youtu.be/qzPJ3kzGIdI?si=x1xAZpqmeD1Zq5H2

Ah, yes, another shining example of the Watchtower’s *unmatched* commitment to rational thought. Forget logic, science, or even basic common sense—just blame that suspiciously cursed handbag for all your troubles!
SO this story comes from the 1966 Watchtower 15th December, link attached bellow in the description and it comes from the good old times when superstition, demonic attacks and paranoia were the order of the day for Watchtower writer, there we read:
"Another Christian woman kept a handbag given her by an aunt who was a fortune-teller. Using the handbag in the ministry, she experienced powerful thoughts of “Go home!” Bad thoughts rushed into her mind almost audibly, all of them anti-kingdom. She could not understand herself, as these negative thoughts entered her mind as if by telephone, so that she complained of “hearing herself think.” Only after getting rid of the handbag did she get relief."
So clearly evil spirits have nothing better to do than lurk in old handbags and haunt unsuspecting Jehovah’s Witnesses in their door-to-door ministry.
But let’s take a moment to admire the sheer brilliance of this story. A devout woman, supposedly under the divine protection of angels while out preaching, suddenly finds herself bombarded with anti-Kingdom thoughts—*but only when carrying a particular handbag.* So, what happened here? Were the angels on a lunch break? Or do demons actually have more influence over Jehovah’s Witnesses than their God does? If their ministry is *so* divinely sanctioned, why is it so easily disrupted by a piece of fabric gifted by an eccentric aunt?
And let’s not ignore the truly concerning detail: the woman’s mental state. She’s experiencing intrusive, almost audible thoughts that she interprets as demonic attacks. Any reasonable person might suggest a psychological evaluation, but no, in true Watchtower fashion, the solution is just throw away the handbag! The real question is, why did the elders allow someone in such a state to participate in the ministry? Were they so desperate for recruits that they overlooked what could be serious mental distress? Or did they actually encourage paranoia as a recruitment tool?
But wait, it gets even better when we read the previous paragraph:
"A vital question to ask if one experiences trouble with the demons is: Have you accepted any gifts from relatives or persons who dabble in spiritism? Any kind of article from such a person can cause trouble. In some actual cases it has been a radio, a sewing machine, a pair of shoes, jewelry, a “good luck” charm, a bathrobe, a blanket, a book. One woman had her bed tipped up at night when she tried to sleep on a mattress given her by her Spiritualist mother. A young woman had a fever of 106 degrees when wearing a garment given her by a Spiritualist."

So this wasnt just an isolated incident; apparently, demons have been wreaking havoc via sewing machines, radios, and—my personal favorite—a mattress. Imagine being an all-powerful evil entity with the ability to possess objects, and you decide the best course of action is to tip someone’s bed at night. It really makes you wonder: Are these demons just mischievous pranksters with a love for home decor disruptions?
This story raises far more questions than it answers. If a simple handbag can drive a Witness to the brink of spiritual collapse, what does that say about the supposed strength of their faith? If angels are meant to protect them, why does it take a handbag purge to fix the problem? And most importantly, if demons are truly running interference on their ministry, wouldn’t that suggest the Watchtower’s message is a little too *threatening* to the forces of darkness? Or perhaps—dare we say it—their “ministry” is more connected to superstition and manipulation than divine guidance?
At the end of the day, this story isn’t a cautionary tale about spiritual dangers—it’s a perfect example of how the Watchtower preys on fear and irrationality to keep its members in a constant state of paranoia. Because nothing strengthens faith like convincing people that their personal belongings might be demonically possessed

NotFormer

I had a little old JW lady tell me that she had bought a framed Bible verse which was doctrinally innocuous from a thrift shop and hung it on her wall. She felt that her house was under some sort of demonic oppression until she threw the offending object away.

LongHairGal

NOT FORMER:

I remember those days in the Witness religion maybe the 1980s(?)

There was a rash of dramatic stories of JWs who had to get rid of suspected demonized things because of strange ‘occurrences’ in the house after these things were brought home. . Maybe these things were bought at garage sales or were secondhand furniture gotten off somebody’s curb. Who knows what to think?🤷🏻‍♀️

Biahi

I remember those stories, too! Anything bought at a garage sale was suspect. You had to check if they were selling any games, making sure there wasn’t an ouija board there. If you saw anything like that, you couldn’t buy anything, because their merchandise was demonized. Demons were all around, waiting for an opportunity to “get” an unsuspecting witness. 🙄

no-zombie

Yep ... in Australia it was a thing around in the 80's too. I used to hear these kinds of 'experiences' in public talks all the time, used as another proof that we had the Truth. It was drilled into us so much, that none of us used to go thrift shops, just in case those secondhand shoes came with a free demon.

TonusOH

Using the handbag in the ministry, she experienced powerful thoughts of “Go home!” Bad thoughts rushed into her mind almost audibly, all of them anti-kingdom.

I'm guessing that the real story is that this woman was starting to have doubts about "the truth" and eventually was convinced to fall in line and decided to excuse her near-apostasy by blaming... HER ANTI-JW HANDBAG. I mean, yeah, it sounds stupid. But the best part is that she was believed and even had her experience immortalized in a JW publication!

And, yes, I heard those stories in the 1980s as well. Especially after the purge in the early 80s that got rid of Ray Franz, there were plenty of people worried that Satan and his demons were on full attack against the WTS because they knew the end was so near. My mother was part of a small group of sisters who loved to discuss this stuff, and who were constantly on the lookout for things that might serve as an invitation to evil spirits (woooOOOOOoooo!).

truthlover123

Oh does that bring back memories. In my area there is a second hand store with tons of clothing from the US- Frenchys and NO ONE should have been shopping there. Anything cast off may contain demons. You would not find a witness going into one, but ohoh an elders wife was first in line, every morning and wore the best. AT the same time it was a wrong thing to do. Demons were high on the list- even a TIME magazine had a report on it and the org followed up on that as a scare tactic. However I liked the clothes, most of them directly from retailers with tags on them. My mate would not go into one until I started bringing home shirts of top quality, brand new- that did it! HE was first to say "let's go to Frenchys". The closet was full of them(shirts) and believe it or not, he became an elder and a Frenchys addict. I just threw that in for a laugh. To this day, this outlet is still there along with Value Village- who overcharges and I visit very little but I have spotted some bargains.

jhine

I would have to ask if any of these stories told by the WT actually true ? They all start with ' A Christian man ' or ' A Christian woman ' , so very anonymous.

Jan from Tam

Journeyman

Oh dear, these kind of stories are so embarrassing.

In fairness, the JWs are not the only religious group who have used these kind of scaremongering superstitious stories in the past.

And as Jan said, we don't even know if the basic premise is even true. The WT has frequently quoted "experiences" of dubious origin and sparse detail which conveniently fit perfectly the narrative or argument they want to use at any given time.

road to nowhere

Journeyman:

You will hear the exact same stories with the only difference being change from JW to Baptist, Presbyterian, LDS so on

HER HANDBAG TOLD HER TO STOP PREACHING

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