My first post - How do I stop JW Bible Study (nicely)? (page 2)

sf

Joke number 10,

Open you Bible again

Perhaps you missed it...

Bible Study was from the “What does God require of us?” magazine

They were studying a magazine, not the bible.

sKally

Sorry to hear about you father. I find the traditional Christian teaching of the afterlife is FAR better than the jw "soul-sleep". And, even though I am still a jw (for now) I think that the Catholic tradition of Purgatory and then heaven is a beutiful thing. After all, it's on the way to heaven, which as a jw is out of the question. Its understandable that your priest would be saddened at your involvement with the jw, but I doubt he would be angry, but likely will be able offer some good starting places as to the fallicies of jw theology, especially if he is a Franciscan or St Joseph. If you would like to investigate Catholicism better, he or his assitant can get you some resources. I don't trust the jw's on their info about other relions and get my Catholic supplies from catholiccompany.com.

How to say no to the jw? Just let them know you are not interested, considerate but plainly. They will likely push the issue and as was said, you don't need to get into a debate about it. You have the right to exercise your own free will on this. A simple "No, thank you" is MORE than sufficient. I agree with upside/down 100% that the sooner the better! The witnesses do build very convincing arguements. And it can take years once you are in to dig out from the other side. Also, the witnesses will likely paint the picture that certain people are the enemy and can't be trusted (like your family or parish priest). That's a sure warning that the jw are closing in. Your freindly jw may seem very nice and polite, but the organization is not so kind. I hope you can see through the smile to the wolf behind her. That should address both questions at the same time. Whether she accepts it or not is irrelevant. Losing a few customers is not worth what you lose in the future if you don't.

Take care and Good Luck!

luna2

Back when I first started studying with JW's, my marriage was failing. There was one point where I halted the study because my husband and I tried to reconcile and he was uncomfortable with my looking into the Witness faith. The sister who was studying with me wasn't happy, but she accepted my decision. Unfortunately, she called back three months later and I foolishly restarted the study. Ugh. What a dope I was!

At any rate, I mention this because if you want to ease out of studying without a direct confrontation, you could simply claim that you are too busy with work, with the family, with an exercise class, with whatever you can think of. You can smile and be pleasant...but just not be available. You might still keep them as customers this way...although I would NOT pursue the friendship. Ultimately witnesses really can't be friends with people outside their religion. They can be pleasant acquaintances, they can be customers or workmates or neighbors, but not true friends. I mean, really, they think everybody who isn't a Witness is going to die soon at Armegeggon...tough to get too attached to a person you believe is doomed to desctruction.

Of course, taking the soft way out might have repercussions in that they will probably stop by, email or call trying to get you to restart the study, but if you simply smile and say "no", they won't be able to get their hooks into you. If they become too insistant or too pushy it would be easy enough to tell them that you have no intention of ever studying again and request that they do not contact you about their religion in the future.

Honestly, it would probably be best to just tell them up front that you aren't interested, even if do you lose their business. Jehovah's Witnesses can be true pains in the rear end when they think there's even the slightest possibility of a new convert and, personally, I don't think it's worth the bother. LOL

Welcome to the forum and Good Luck!

kid-A

Emcee,

Its refreshing to see somebody proactively seeing the logical flaws in the WT theological teachings before

getting in too deep. I think to politely back out merely requires either 1) being persistent yet gentle

in trying to get satisfactory answers from the JWs for the excellent questions you raised (you will

soon realize they have no real answers to these issues) or 2) continue to come up with excuses about

being too busy, avoiding the studies, totally non-confrontational but they will eventually get the point that

you have genuinely lost interest.

Cheers

talesin

Welcome to the forum, emcee.

Bravo! You have done an excellent job of ferreting out the TRUTH about the JWs.

Good advice on this thread from most of the posters. I would go with the 'just say no' approach. If you go back and read Joker10's reply, you will see the type of response you will get if you try to point out any specific problems you have with 'the religion' to E&K.

They are not your friends. They are practicing a tactic called 'love-bombing', and it will quickly end as soon as you firmly tell them you are no longer interested in 'studying the bible' (lol) with them. They may remain customers, but the social aspect will most likely go *poof*.

I was raised in this 'religion', and this is the way they operate. It's sad, but true.

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!

talesin

Elsewhere

Abstaining from blood means not eating/drinking it, right? How can blood transfusions (especially one’s own blood) contradict the above?

Regarding the blood issue... The JWs say you must not "eat" blood or put it in your body... you might want to point out the following scriputes that say that it is ok to break one of gods laws for the purpose of helping someone, including eating something that one is not ment to:

(Luke 14:1-6) . . .And on an occasion when he went into the house of a certain one of the rulers of the Pharisees on the sabbath to eat a meal, they were closely watching him. 2

And, look! there was before him a certain man who had dropsy. 3 So in response Jesus spoke to those versed in the Law and to the Pharisees, saying: "Is it lawful on the sabbath to cure or not?" 4 But they kept silent. With that he took hold of [the man], healed him and sent [him] away. 5 And he said to them: "Who of YOU, if his son or bull falls into a well, will not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?" 6 And they were not able to answer back on these things.

(Matthew 12:1-8) . . .At that season Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath. His disciples got hungry and started to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2

At seeing this the Pharisees said to him: "Look! Your disciples are doing what it is not lawful to do on the sabbath." 3 He said to them: "Have YOU not read what David did when he and the men with him got hungry? 4 How he entered into the house of God and they ate the loaves of presentation, something that it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but for the priests only? 5 Or, have YOU not read in the Law that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple treat the sabbath as not sacred and continue guiltless? 6 But I tell YOU that something greater than the temple is here. 7 However, if YOU had understood what this means, ‘I want mercy, and not sacrifice,’ YOU would not have condemned the guiltless ones. 8 For Lord of the sabbath is what the Son of man is."

Cupcake

Welcome. I am sorry for the loss of your father. I too lost my father who was one of JW's in 2003

I agree with what Purza stated above: I don't think there is a way for you to do it "nicely". They will take offense, no matter how nice you are, and you will lose two "friends" and customers. But as the others said, they weren't really your friends in the first place.

Besides a true Christian is a follower of Christ. and people would turn there back on Christ and perscute him and he still was there for us and still is It is not the Religion but your relationsip with God that will save you.

So are you saying that the only reason why you are studying with JW's is because you dont want to lose them as friends or customers? think about this.

Wouldnt that be like they are judgeing you? Who are they to judge? who are they to disfellowship? to shun as if one is a ? We are all imperfect are we not? one can repent but only God knows what is in your heart.

Would God want you to serve man ( JW's) or Him? Would he want you to please man ( JW's) or Him?

Jehovah God knows what is in your heart and the heart of all of us. and if (JW's) turn your back on you or critize you just because you choose to follow you heart, and you know that deep down you are not doing anything Un Christ like, they have stubbled you.... Now what does the bible say about someone who stubbles you? If you loose your life because your brother stubbled you then they will also...

thats why I disassociated my self from them. and if im wrong for doing that... then the ones that have judge me, shuned me, or turned there back on me are just as bad as I am for that matter

CC

Scully

- Open you Bible again. Din't the founder of Chrstianity himself let his followers know to not associate with people who left the congregation?

If, by the term "the founder of Christianity" you mean Jesus, I challenge you to show me ONE scripture where JESUS says to "not associate with people who left the congregation."

OUTLAW

There is no nice way to stop..If your nice,they`ll just lay alot of guilt trips on you,in an effort to keep you in the cult..The right thing to do would be to send them to my house..I`ll put the BBQ on and it will be "Cold Beer and Roast Dub Sandwich`s" for everyone!!...LOL!!.....OUTLAW

blondie

If, by the term "the founder of Christianity" you mean Jesus, I challenge you to show me ONE scripture where JESUS says to "not associate with people who left the congregation."

Good point, Scully.

Many JWs get confused after hearing so much that the FDS represents Christ on earth. Ergo, anything the FDS says is the same as hearing it from Christ.

Blondie

My first post - How do I stop JW Bible Study (nicely)?

sf

Now What?

luna2

kid-A

talesin

Elsewhere

Cupcake

Scully

OUTLAW

blondie

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