JW at the door: Where the Hispanics at?

[jw2lds2catholic]

I had an interesting encounter with JWs just 10 minutes ago. After having a laugh with my husband (who isn’t home) I decided to share this y’all.

The door bell rings and two gentleman dressed in suits are there. First thing the younger one said was “Ma’am, do you know of any hispanic families in the neighborhood?”

Startled, I said “Uh, no”. In my head I was thinking: I know exactly who you are. I could recognized that standard sized gilded “bible” anywhere so why would I tell you who my 'hispanic" neighbors are so you can try and convert them to a religion I wouldn’t recommend to my passed mother. Lastly, how rude can you be!? No introduction in terms of who or what you are.

So feeling a little snarky I then said “What you don’t speak English?”

To which the same man replied with a laugh, Of course, it’s just that we only have spanish literature so it would be hard to translate." He then opened his satchel revealing a stack of “Watchtower” and “Awake” magazines all in spanish. “If I had Engllsh ones I would share them with you.”. Then he made a kind comment about my dog.

After a few words, I asked “Are you Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons” Of course, I knew the answer. He replied “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” And with that they wished me a good day and moved on.

I had been a JW for severals years in my youth and this is was the craziest line-opener yet. I don’t think this is the approach they recommend at the Theocractic Ministry School. DIdn’t even bother to share ANY message with me but wanted me to rat out my spanish-speaking neighbors so they dump their propoganda on them. Hilarious! And btw - never did get their names…

 

[agent_grey]

I just mention John 1:1. And then when they give me the God doesn’t mean Jehovah thing I quote the first commandment. That is usually the end of the converstation.

To put it simply the new testament places Christ between us and God. Wich only works if Christ is an integral part of God.

From there I drop the Yahwey Bomb. The only scripture in english that uses the correct name for God is a catholic translation called the Jerusalem bible.

 

[Apollos]

“What you don’t speak English?”

youtube.com/watch?v=rxUm-2x-2dM

 

[ConstantineTG]

“Ma’am, do you know of any hispanic families in the neighborhood?”

I would have responded with, “do I look like the Yellow Pages to you?”

 

[PattiDay]

This happened many years ago. My mom and dad were sitting on the porch the day after my grandmom’s funeral. Two JW’s approached and launched into their script. My mom asked them to please leave, that she and my dad were Catholic, and that they had just buried her mom the day before. One of the JW’s asked if my grandmother was Catholic. Mom told him yes. He said, Well then your mother is in hell". My dad had to physically restrain my mom so she wouldn’t hit the guy. Their dog, a big, gray muzzled old black Labrador Retriever, took matters into her own hands (er, paws). Without so much as a yip, she launched herself off the porch (a small miracle considering her hip problems) and landed on the guy, sliding her big, muddy paws down the front of his suit. They must have a long memory, because my mom lived there another twenty years, and no JW’s every showed up at the door again.

 

[SteveVH]

I have always found this to be an opportunity for evangelization and invite them in on one condition; that they promise to come back at least five times. After the first time, they have never returned. Since then, not a single knock on my door. I’m actually a little disappointed because I rather enjoy engaging them.

The reason they do not return is that they actually have a little map with them and mark the houses they have visited. Some houses, mine included, have an X drawn through them. I know this for certain as I found the map of our area which was left behind by one of my employees who was JW. I wasn’t sure what it was and so looked at it to try and identify whose it was. She was more than a little upset that I had found it.

 

[oneGODoneCHURCH]

This happened many years ago. My mom and dad were sitting on the porch the day after my grandmom’s funeral. Two JW’s approached and launched into their script. My mom asked them to please leave, that she and my dad were Catholic, and that they had just buried her mom the day before. One of the JW’s asked if my grandmother was Catholic. Mom told him yes. He said, Well then your mother is in hell". My dad had to physically restrain my mom so she wouldn’t hit the guy. Their dog, a big, gray muzzled old black Labrador Retriever, took matters into her own hands (er, paws). Without so much as a yip, she launched herself off the porch (a small miracle considering her hip problems) and landed on the guy, sliding her big, muddy paws down the front of his suit. They must have a long memory, because my mom lived there another twenty years, and no JW’s every showed up at the door again.

Not only was that a very cruel thing to say, but very much against the JW’s teachings as they do not believe in Hell.

Good for the Dog.

 

[Sufjon]

I had an interesting encounter with JWs just 10 minutes ago. After having a laugh with my husband (who isn’t home) I decided to share this y’all.

The door bell rings and two gentleman dressed in suits are there. First thing the younger one said was “Ma’am, do you know of any hispanic families in the neighborhood?”

Startled, I said “Uh, no”. In my head I was thinking: I know exactly who you are. I could recognized that standard sized gilded “bible” anywhere so why would I tell you who my 'hispanic" neighbors are so you can try and convert them to a religion I wouldn’t recommend to my passed mother. Lastly, how rude can you be!? No introduction in terms of who or what you are.

So feeling a little snarky I then said “What you don’t speak English?”

To which the same man replied with a laugh, Of course, it’s just that we only have spanish literature so it would be hard to translate." He then opened his satchel revealing a stack of “Watchtower” and “Awake” magazines all in spanish. “If I had Engllsh ones I would share them with you.”. Then he made a kind comment about my dog.

After a few words, I asked “Are you Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormons” Of course, I knew the answer. He replied “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” And with that they wished me a good day and moved on.

I had been a JW for severals years in my youth and this is was the craziest line-opener yet. I don’t think this is the approach they recommend at the Theocractic Ministry School. DIdn’t even bother to share ANY message with me but wanted me to rat out my spanish-speaking neighbors so they dump their propoganda on them. Hilarious! And btw - never did get their names…

Dear friend w2lds2catholic: I am trying to gain an understanding of some of the nuances among Christians. I will admit that I don’t understand them very well. Do the psalms say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”? I’m confused that you wouldn’t be happy to find devotees of Jesus at your door. Can you explain some of this to me?

Your friend
Sufjon

 

[jw2lds2catholic]

Dear friend w2lds2catholic: I am trying to gain an understanding of some of the nuances among Christians. I will admit that I don’t understand them very well. Do the psalms say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”? I’m confused that you wouldn’t be happy to find devotees of Jesus at your door. Can you explain some of this to me?

Your friend
Sufjon

LOL, If you read my post, I had to infer that they were ‘Christian’ or JWs since they did not bother to introduce themselves. They could have been vacuum cleaner salesmen for all I know looking for sales leads among the spanish speakers among me. That I was not their desired demographic and thus summarially dismissed is what I found amusing. Had they wanted to ‘talk’ I would have been happy to accomodate them provided my opinion was respected. However, as an ex-JW all I would have to do to end the conversation (from their perspective) is to mention that little fact. [BTW - JW must shun me and not give me the time of day because of my former membership and subsequent rejection of the faith as evidenced by crucifix around my neck along with the Jack’o’laterns on my porch]
Mormons, on the other hand, are much nicer. I give them water and chat with them a bit about the old ward. They respect my choice to not attend their church anymore and don’t solicit me for referrals.

 

[Sufjon]

Hi (name removed by moderator): Some Jehovah’s Witnesses came to my door a few times and they talked about Jesus, so I took it that they were Christians, so now I am even more confused than before. Aren’t followers of Jesus Christians? Anyway, I invited them in for coffee and they stayed for quite a while. I enjoyed their visit. They never mentioned their dislike for the Catholic Church to me. To the best of my recollection they never mentioned the Catholic Church in any regard.

Anyway, this is part of my general confusion regarding Christianity - the divisions among Christians. I am learning more about it. Today I have learned that Christians don’t always consider other followers of Jesus to be Christians. I am both puzzled and troubled by this as I try to incorporate Christian beliefs into my own life. I wonder if I will ever be able to do this. Well, that’s my problem and not yours I suppose.

Thanks again for the clarification.

Your friend,
Sufjon

 

[Sufjon]

LOL, If you read my post, I had to infer that they were ‘Christian’ or JWs since they did not bother to introduce themselves. They could have been vacuum cleaner salesmen for all I know looking for sales leads among the spanish speakers among me. That I was not their desired demographic and thus summarially dismissed is what I found amusing. Had they wanted to ‘talk’ I would have been happy to accomodate them provided my opinion was respected. However, as an ex-JW all I would have to do to end the conversation (from their perspective) is to mention that little fact. [BTW - JW must shun me and not give me the time of day because of my former membership and subsequent rejection of the faith as evidenced by crucifix around my neck along with the Jack’o’laterns on my porch]
Mormons, on the other hand, are much nicer. I give them water and chat with them a bit about the old ward. They respect my choice to not attend their church anymore and don’t solicit me for referrals.

Thank you for the reply jw2lds2catholic. I guess it must be a Jehovah’s Witnesses vs Catholic thing. The ones who came to my house three weekends in a row knew very well that I wasn’t Christian and they were very nice to me. They also knew that based on my religious beliefs that I had no need or inclination to convert. Very few of us throughout history have. We are happy to add Jesus to our worship, but it just becomes part of what we already do. In fact, I am trying to understand Christianity better. Anyway, in spite of all that they kept coming back and we had some great conversations. We ended these visits with what seemed to be a good deal of respect for each other’s beliefs. I am sorry that there is this conflict between your church and theirs. I hope it ends.

Your friend
Sufjon

 

[SalomeBintullah]

Hi (name removed by moderator): Some Jehovah’s Witnesses came to my door a few times and they talked about Jesus, so I took it that they were Christians, so now I am even more confused than before. Aren’t followers of Jesus Christians? Anyway, I invited them in for coffee and they stayed for quite a while. I enjoyed their visit. They never mentioned their dislike for the Catholic Church to me. To the best of my recollection they never mentioned the Catholic Church in any regard.

Anyway, this is part of my general confusion regarding Christianity - the divisions among Christians. I am learning more about it. Today I have learned that Christians don’t always consider other followers of Jesus to be Christians. I am both puzzled and troubled by this as I try to incorporate Christian beliefs into my own life. I wonder if I will ever be able to do this. Well, that’s my problem and not yours I suppose.

Thanks again for the clarification.

Your friend,
Sufjon

It’s my understanding that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not consider themselves to be Christians. They refer to the rest of Jesus’ followers as “apostate Christendom.”

It’s how you define “follower of Jesus” that determines whether or not you are actually Christian. Majority consensus is that in order to be a Christian you must believe: in the Trinity (3 persons in 1 God), in Jesus as 1 person of that Trinity, that Jesus took on human form, that he died on a cross for our salvation, and that he rose from the dead on the third day.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are Unitarians (they believe in 1 person in 1 God). They believe that Jesus is actually the archangel St. Michael, that he was impaled on a torture stake, and that he did not rise from the dead.

Defining “Christian” can be pretty tricky, especially if you aren’t Christian yourself, so I hope this helps.

 

[rbrownr]

[No message]

 

[Sufjon]

It’s my understanding that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not consider themselves to be Christians. They refer to the rest of Jesus’ followers as “apostate Christendom.”

It’s how you define “follower of Jesus” that determines whether or not you are actually Christian. Majority consensus is that in order to be a Christian you must believe: in the Trinity (3 persons in 1 God), in Jesus as 1 person of that Trinity, that Jesus took on human form, that he died on a cross for our salvation, and that he rose from the dead on the third day.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are Unitarians (they believe in 1 person in 1 God). They believe that Jesus is actually the archangel St. Michael, that he was impaled on a torture stake, and that he did not rise from the dead.

Defining “Christian” can be pretty tricky, especially if you aren’t Christian yourself, so I hope this helps.

Thank you SalomeBintullah, that’s very interesting. I am learning a good deal from being on this website.

Your friend
Sufjon

 

[SalomeBintullah]

(name removed by moderator);7219635:

Jehovah’s Witnesses are not considered Christians by the Church. QUOTE]

And your Church is considered Christian by who ?

Many, many other Christian churches, both Protestant and Orthodox. For the most part the only Christians who don’t consider us to be Christian are some Fundamentalists (and even they will often make an exception by saying “some Catholics are Christian”). In other words, millions of mainstream Christians believe us to be Christian.

 

[MarianD]

Dear friend w2lds2catholic: I am trying to gain an understanding of some of the nuances among Christians. I will admit that I don’t understand them very well. Do the psalms say “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”? I’m confused that you wouldn’t be happy to find devotees of Jesus at your door. Can you explain some of this to me?

Your friend
Sufjon

The “He” mentioned in that Psalm is Jesus, not everyone claiming to follow Jesus.

Also, as said before, Jehovah’s Witnesses aren’t Christian because they reject the Divinity of Christ, which is required for all Christians (Catholic or non-Catholic) to believe.

 

[rbrownr]

Also, as said before, Jehovah’s Witnesses aren’t Christian because they reject the Divinity of Christ, which is required for all Christians (Catholic or non-Catholic) to believe.

Belief in “Divinity” of Jesus required by who ?

 

[Sufjon]

The “He” mentioned in that Psalm is Jesus, not everyone claiming to follow Jesus.

Also, as said before, Jehovah’s Witnesses aren’t Christian because they reject the Divinity of Christ, which is required for all Christians (Catholic or non-Catholic) to believe.

Thank you MarianD: I suppose I was confused by the fact that they didn’t use an upper case H in He. Anyway, I suppose it’s a pity that this isn’t what it means. I kind of like the idea of everyone who comes in the name of the Lord being blessed. In my faith everyone is blessed anyway, but it sounds rather nice to be blessed in a special way for coming on the name of the Lord.

As for divinity, why would there not be divinity in Jesus if God’s divinity is throughout all of creation anyway? If all things exists within Him, and He within all things, how then is Jesus not divine?

Your friend
Sufjon

 

[MarianD]

Belief in “Divinity” of Jesus required by who ?

By all Christians up until 1876, when the Jehovah’s Witnesses were created.

In fact, every leader of every community of Christians in the 4th century got together to declare this as a matter of faith for all Christians (First Council of Nicaea) and to denounce anyone else who said otherwise (in particular, Arius). The Western and Eastern Churches split in 1054, but they still followed the declaration of those leaders. In the 1500s, people split from the Catholic Church and still followed the decision of those leaders.

So what makes you think that 1500 years later, a group of people all of a sudden got it right where millions of people in the past millennium got it wrong?

In fact, the Bible says that only God is our savior (Hosea 13:4, Isaiah 43:11, Isaiah 45:21). Then, that same Bible says that Jesus Christ is our savior (Luke 2:11, Philippians 3:20, Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1, 2 Peter 3:18). Is this Bible, put together (not written, but put together) by the same leaders of the early Church who declared that Jesus is Divine, wrong? It’s the same one you use.

You should visit this site: bible.ca/jw-questions.htm

 

[campeador]

Belief in “Divinity” of Jesus required by who ?

Required by Jesus.