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031064
Guest
there is a JW at my work trying to convert me. Ever since he started this, I have began reading and memorizing a lot of scripture so that I could rebut his falsities. any advice here?
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KarenNC
Guest
Tell him to leave you alone, you have no interest in further discussion on religious matters. He’s not any more likely to listen to you than you are to him, so why waste work time on it?
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jschwehm
Guest
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Ravyn_Guiliani
Guest
tell him you are not interested and that you do not wish to be counted as ‘witnessing time’. if it persists speak to your boss.
there is nothing you can do to convert them. All you can do is pray.
Ravyn
there is nothing you can do to convert them. All you can do is pray.
Ravyn
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quantumDeus
Guest
sigh Wouldn’t it be nice to have an American Inquisition?
All humor aside, I know what you mean, Ravyn. Trying to convert JWs is generally futile. You aren’t talking to a human being, you are talking to a regurgitation machine of the Watchtower.
So I would urge what the others here have: tell the JW in your workplace that you aren’t interested. Or tell him you are celebrating a Black Mass and would be honored if they came over and helped you light the black candles on the pentagram.
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vZwire
Guest
If you really want the behavior to stop, you may tell your supervisor of what is happening.
At that point, the employer is liable if the behavior does not change, under very strict federal harassment laws.
Most companies have a discreet “1-800” number you can call if you feel that you are in anyway uncomfortable with another employee.
You are in no way obligated to “warn” the offender if you don’t want to.
Hope this helps.
At that point, the employer is liable if the behavior does not change, under very strict federal harassment laws.
Most companies have a discreet “1-800” number you can call if you feel that you are in anyway uncomfortable with another employee.
You are in no way obligated to “warn” the offender if you don’t want to.
Hope this helps.
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Ravyn_Guiliani
Guest
LOL that would not have stopped me. In fact after I left JWs I became a witch for a few years. Seriously the only thing that will stop a JW from talking to you is if you tell them you are an apostate or have been disfellowshipped.Or tell him you are celebrating a Black Mass and would be honored if they came over and helped you light the black candles on the pentagram.
No scriptural proof of anything from any Bible but their own New World Translation will mean a hill of beans to them. It was their own Greek Interlinear that I accidentally opened to Revelation chapter 7 one day that took me out of the ‘Org’. I never would have believed it if it was not in their own publication.
You can ask the JW–get him to write this down–to read Revelation 7:9-11 in their “Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures” and look at the original greek words for WHERE the Great Crowd is and WHERE the angels are (in the sight of the throne), and ask them if the angles are on earth? or is the Great Crowd in heaven? because it is the same word/phrase—same place.
One thing led to another for me and soon I realized they were wrong about the Trinity and basically everything.
Ravyn
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quantumDeus
Guest
In any event, what is of utmost importance is that, despite the obstacles, you wanted to find the truth and did. Welcome to the flock with the rest of us sheep.
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Aramis
Guest
Multiple prongs to consider:
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Prong one: The Civil approach.**
- DO NOT DEBATE WITH HIM. He’s seeking debate. Simply tell him, “You go ahead and believe whatever it is your faith teaches. Leave me be, and come back when you have something work related to discuss.”
- If, after a clear statement like that, and if legal in your area, record the next attempt, and your rebuff repeated. And there will usually be another attempt, record it, and then walk straight to the boss, and ask to file a grievance against the individual, and play the tape. If you are in a union shop, take it to the shop foreman.
- see the good quotes provided by others.
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Prong three: the snarky** - ask him if he’s one of the elect… and if he doesn’t know, reply with “Get thee behind me, Satan!” in a clear voice.
- ask him if he is trying to get you to know him in the biblical sense…
- Ask him for a dozen copies of the Kingdom interlinear for your next book-buring.
- Ask him for help dealing with the mormons coming to your door
- Ask him why he doesn’t follow the OT dietary laws.
- hand him Jack Chick’s Dark Dungeons, and invite him over for a game of D&D…
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TraditionalCath
Guest
Yup. Get yourself the book called " Answering Jehovah’s Witnesses"
by Jason Evert. Tells you all you need to know when conversing with witnesses.
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Vaclav
Guest
I disagree very strongly. You are talking to a human being (and yes I realise this statement was made in part jest). This individual is your brother, your neighbour. We are called to love him like a brother.
My advice is to listen to vZwire if it is really at the level of harassment. No one has to work in a hostile environment and that includes attempted conversion to another faith.
If it is not hostile, and mutually acceptable by both of you, then I think the first thing to do is pray for his conversion. In fact, perhaps put him on the prayer list here and at your church (of course without giving his full name). Wouldn’t we all love to see the Jehovah’s Witnesses return home?
Then I think the advice of the others here, especially those who have experience with the Jehovah’s Witnesses would be very worthy.
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quantumDeus
Guest
Yes, it was part in jest. But watch the behavioral pattern of JWs at your door. All the characteristics of brainwashing, hence the comment. At a humanistic level, yes I can love them; the fault is the Watchtower’s, ultimately.
That was my advise as well.
Of course praying is helpful, and most emphatically, yes we would love to see wayward brothers and sisters in Christ return to the fold.
I have only interacted with JWs, not been one. As Ravyn pointed out, trying to overcome the indoctrination of the Watchtower in a short visit to your doorstep is not going to bear fruit. Even knowing that, I do try to plant the seed. Perhaps then God, in His infinite wisdom, can supply the spiritual watering required.
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cockatoo
Guest
Hmm i don’t know if this will work. Everytime a JW goes to my grandma’s house before they are able to speak my grandma says, “I’ve got my own religion” and closes the door. They rarely went to her house. However, since this is at work it probably won’t work. You could try and make it clear to him that you don’t want to convert. I think JWs will keep on trying to convert you the more you try to prove them wrong, sometimes. Oh and I had a friend who would use there bible against them, she did it pretty well. The JW’s I knew from my online school basically beleived that their version of the bible was the only right one.
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Daniel_Marsh
Guest
If he is hassling you, odds are you are not his first target. Say, something to your supervisor that he is creating an hostile work enviroment by his behavior. Odds are he is not doing a good job in the first place because he is not concentrating on his work.
In fact, you may want to ask him for his address, so you can bring friends who are knowledable to his doorstep.
Say, something like “hey, this is not appropate at work. What is your address, phone number, so I can drop in on you when you are busy to talk about this.”
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puzzleannie
Guest
having faced this very situation on the job, I told the individual if she did not stop harassing me and co-workers during business hours we would bring the matter up with the boss. We did so and she was told to cease and desist, and to remove her literature from the waiting room.
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yessisan
Guest
That’s how got them from coming to my house! I told them DH was DF’d and in 3 months they haven’t showed
(even after DH was reinstated).If you haven’t told your coworker how long you’ve been Catholic, you might just tell him you were a JW and became an “apostate”. But the best way to deal with this is by telling your employer. You cannot be preaching to people at work. Work is for work! My uncle works at a county office and he kept on finding Watchtower magazines in the bathrom and the lobby. He found out one of the janitorial people was leaving them, he caught her in the act and because he’s a supervisor, he told her it’s against the law to be doing this at work and while working. They have to concentrate on what work is. That is a type of harrassment!
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CHEMNITZTHEGREA
Guest
JW’S believe that Christ came invisibely in 1914 and set up his kindgom. Ask them to explain Zech 14:4. As far as I know the mountain has split in two yet.
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quantumDeus
Guest
Actually, according to founder Charles Taze Russell – he of miracle wheat and milennial bean fraud fame – said that Christ came in 1874 and the end time would be in 1914.
Of course, this came and went. Watchtower continued this practice of trying to predict the end until sometime in 1970s, I believe. They were losing too many members due to their failed predictions and dropped it altogether after that.
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valdeere
Guest
I also recommend Answering Jehovah’s Witnesses by Jason Evert. Don’t just memorize scripture, that’s what they do. I have found that the Witnesses that come to my door don’t really know the Bible, they only know what they have memorized.
I talk with the Jehovah’s Witnesses when they come to my door. They come about every month. The two that come to my house are such nice ladies. They are doing what they have been told and what they are expected to do. I pray for them because they really think that they are on the right path.
They know I am Catholic and I am friendly to them and treat them with kindness. As a Catholic, they expect me to turn them away immediately and I refuse to do this. Debating with them will not win them over, so I visit with them, tell them what I think…agree with them sometimes, but also point out why I disagree (and will always disagree) with something they have said.
Understanding the entire message of a Bible passage is much more effective than tossing quotes from scripture back and forth. They can take any quote out of context, show it to you, ask you what you think, etc. But I always ask them to read the whole chapter so we can discuss ALL of it…usually, they change the subject slightly…they are very good at this.
Anyway, the book is very good. Pray to the Lord to help you in your discussions with this man (if you want to continue your discussions).
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Chris_LaRock
Guest
Ask him if, to his knowledge, ancient Hebrew alphabet had a letter that sounded like “J”. He will most likely try to provide an answer for you, look it up, learn that ancient Hebrew had no “J” letter, realise that God’s name couldn’t be Jehovah, and begin asking himself “what else are they wrong about?”.
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