JW Friend

  • Thread starter Thread starter DwayneO
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

DwayneO

Guest
I am young and I come here to ask some advice. I have a friend who is a JW and I had been his friend before I knew that.

The problem is, he always tries to convert me or change my views on God. It’s not all the time, but he seems to pounce on the occation. I had even gone to one of their “meetings” to make him happy, because I think that as long as I don’t believe in what they tell me, I’ll be alright. That did exactly the opposite as he has been frequently trying to change me, and my beliefs.

I am of the Catholic faith, and he knows this, and everytime I mention something that is not believed by the JWs, he frowns upon it. What can I do? I do not want to lose this friend.

His beliefs are very Christian, and he has the same moral standards as I do, but every time I try to tell him about Catholicism he gets all angry, and states that it’s all lies, and that it’s the “devil’s work.” Most of the time when he says this, I usually laugh in his face because I think that both he & I know that it clearly isn’t. I think that from a very young age his parents and other fellow JWs have forced him to believe that anyting that goes against their beliefs or what they want is the devil’s work, and that it should be avoided.

His parents were a little more easy on me after I had gone to one of their meetings, but his parents are even worse than he is, harrassing me at every moment. I can’t hold a decent conversation with them without “Jehovah” coming into the picture, which wouldn’t be so bad if it were true.

The problem is, I’m not a very “experienced” Catholic, and I don’t know how to respond to his anger towards Catholics. The other problem is that his Kingdom Hall teaches almost every misconception about Catholics that ever existed. They believe the most rediculous things about Catholics, and every non-JW in general.

So could someone please help me to help him in at least understanding me and my beliefs, and maybe even accepting me as a Catholic, instead of another person to convert.

At this point, I’m very confused about JWs also. :whacky:
 
In my own experience, jws will be your “friend” only as long as they believe they have a chance of converting you to their “theology” and seperating you from your faith.
Once they recognize the futility of their proselyting you, they will fade from your side as a “friend” and count you among the abandoned who will not see “the new system”.
One way or another, unless you can get your friend to agree to disagree on the subject of religion, he probably will not remain your friend.
 
Thank you for the help everyone.

I guess that if he’s a real friend, he’ll accept me for being me, not for who he wants me to be.
 
40.png
DwayneO:
His beliefs are very Christian
Click to expand...
Make no mistake here. No they are not. Let me say this again. The teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are in no way Christian in nature or origin. Their entire doctrine is a collage of quasi-Christian ideology from Arianism (denying the divinity of Christ as well as of the Holy Spirit) and Gnosticism (knowing matters, the idea that God thinks as opposed to God being omniscient). Think about your associations with this person very carefully. Who is a friend? Does metal sharpen metal in this relationship? Or is he just trying to alter you into one of his group? What good comes from it? Do not be deceived, the JW’s are trained to constantly seek others to join their group. Each week they have Ministry School that drills into them a set of replies to arguments and ideas that is put out by the governing body in New York. BE VERAY CAREFUL here, this is dangerous business.
 
Yes… my experience with a JW coworker had me a little jarred. They are relentless in their seeking to convert others… they are taught that, it is a huge part of their beliefs. They know “their Bible” backwards and forwards and like to point out the “wrongs” of the Church. Just don’t be sucked in. :nope:
 
I work with a couple JW co-workers. This has also happened to me. They have tried and tried, but I hold my ground, and even show them things in the bible that prove they are incorrect.

They’ve stopped trying to convert me now, but it was only after they understood that I would not change. Your friend needs to understand the same thing about you. Tell him in no uncertain terms that you will not change.

BTW, JW’s are NOT Christain. They are quasi-christian. For instance, they believe that Jesus is actually Michael the Archangel, there is no Trinity, The Holy Spirit is a “power force” from God the Father, and many other things that are not Christian.

Do NOT be swayed by your friend.
Subrosa
 
I’ve copied something from your thread that I want to hit on…

His beliefs are very Christian, and he has the same moral standards as I do, but every time I try to tell him about Catholicism he gets all angry, and states that it’s all lies, and that it’s the “*devil’s work.” Most of the time when he says this, I usually laugh in his face because I think that both he & I know that it clearly isn’t. *

I hate to break it to you… but he actually DOES believe 100% that the Catholic Church IS the devil’s work. He believes that ALL religions besides the JW’s is the work of Satan. It is a cornerstone of their faith. 😦
 
every time I try to tell him about Catholicism he gets all angry

They are so used to being told that Catholics have no defense for their faith; when they see one able to do it, maybe they have a hard time handling it.

They believe the most rediculous things about Catholics, and every non-JW in general.

Yes. They believe that the Catholic Church is the devil’s religion, and that all Catholics, and in fact, all non-JWs will be annihilated in the soon-to-come Armageddon.

If you are going to their meetings, watch out Dwayno-O. What happens is that other things begin to come into play besides the rightness or wrongness of their beliefs. Friendships, acquaintences, etc., are formed, and then pretty soon the individual will begin to feel that others have expectations of them that they don’t want to dissapoint, etc. (The JWs stress the importance of “personal contact” when making new converts.) Also, after a while the attacks on the Church won’t seem as shocking as they were at first, etc., etc.

Jeff already posted his site:
catholicxjw.com/
What is below are linked to on Jeff’s site but I’ll post them anyway:

101 Questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses: webshowplace.com/question/
(There is a “Just for Catholics” part of the site which I highly recommend webshowplace.com/question/Catholic.html)

Pope St. Leo Pray to God For Us! (scroll down)
catholic-forum.com/members/popestleo/
 
40.png
catsrus:
In my own experience, jws will be your “friend” only as long as they believe they have a chance of converting you to their “theology” and seperating you from your faith.
Once they recognize the futility of their proselyting you, they will fade from your side as a “friend” and count you among the abandoned who will not see “the new system”.
One way or another, unless you can get your friend to agree to disagree on the subject of religion, he probably will not remain your friend.
Click to expand...
Catsrus, you’re right on the money here. Any ex-JW (like myself) can testify to the the truth of that statement. It only gets worse if you ultimately become a JW, because if you leave at that point, you’re likely to be considered an “apostate” and someone who is to be shunned at all costs. Family and close friends included…

It’s happened to me…my family has very little to do with me (and they don’t even know I’m Catholic yet). I shudder to think about what’s going to happen when they find out…

You’ve gotta be very careful around JWs, because once you begin going to their meetings, the subtle (and not-so-subtle) forms of mind control begin, and at that point, you can lose all spiritual bearings and wind up in quite a pickle.

Just be careful!!

In Him,
JP Augustine
 
40.png
DwayneO:
The problem is, he always tries to convert me or change my views on God.
Click to expand...
Of course he is. That’s his job. Te-he.

Um, maybe you shouldn’t hang out with him?
Of course that’s just my opinion established with no premises, but doesn’t the Bible speak about limiting the time you spend with fools?

Now please thank me for my incredibly unhelpful comments.
I expect a Thank You by the next post.
 
Case in point:

I’ve finally confronted my JW friend in one of our long distance calls why she felt the need to hide from me for 13 years the fact that she was a JW? (She was able to pull this off basically because she lives in Florida while I live in Ohio, her health is not good so I never expected any recognition from her on Christmas and birthdays, and she’s a huge science fiction fan so I always just thought her views on the “end of the world” were part of a wildly eccentric imagination or an extreme Protestant “Left-Behind rapture” type thing.)

Almost immediately she wanted to know if I’d still visit her in Florida, saying, “The elders will be so happy to meet you, and they say they’ll allow you to attend any church you wish.”

Having a dash of St. Paul’s fiery passion as part of my temperament, I bluntly and sincerely responded, “I’ll FIGHT anyone who tries to stop me from going to the church I want. Your elders have NO RIGHT to forbid me to do anything.”

Because as soon as this Floridian JW started talking about what the elders would “allow” me to do, the red flag and alarm bells started going off pretty quick that this was a vivid example of just the sort of infamous mind control that JWs are noted for.

Returning to a softer tone, I informed her that I would not feel comfortable in a Kingdom Hall, since JWs are not Christian because they do not believe that Jesus is God. Fascinatingly enough, she expressed mild surprise that I considered her a non-Christian, before immediately launching into an attempt to prove that Jesus is not God, of all the ironic things.

At this point, I am not convinced that this person is a real friend but perhaps merely someone who has in the past tried to convert me through deception and is simply switching to more open tactics of attempted conversion now that I’ve called her out. Either that or … well, she actually does seem to be acting as though she’s truly brainwashed. Now me being a well-rounded person with many hobbies and interests to share with a good friend, I’m able to find plenty of other topics for discussion with her besides debates on religion and politics … there’s nature photography, writing, science, horses, science fiction, Japanese culture, ancient Egyptian history, etc… I suppose time will tell what her motives are.

Meanwhile, I would be perfectly at peace if the best thing for me to do is move on if it turns out that the friendship is based only on lies.

I’ve told her that I’ve researched JWs and learned that she could be disfellowshipped for having a Catholic friend … she claims otherwise. Would anyone here like to share any insight?

Thanks,

~~ the phoenix
 
I’ve told her that I’ve researched JWs and learned that she could be disfellowshipped for having a Catholic friend … she claims otherwise.
Click to expand...
Disfellowshipped, no, I don’t think so, unless they’ve tightened the reigns - which is possible.
But she will be looked upon suspiciously and spoken of in whispers as one whose friendships are not of jehovah’s liking. she will be watched constantly to see if she stumbles in any way and may be called before the elders for a “discussion” of her behavior.
 
Dear catsrus,

Thank you for your answer. It could very easily be that the websites where I went to research JW friendships with Catholics are not the most reliable in the world.

…

Another note on this situation: While I’m willing to walk away from this friendship, I am also quite willing to stay … as long as staying would be to the benefit of our souls, and OF COURSE provided that my committment to the Catholic Faith is completely respected. I very much believe in forgive and forget … I only want to be prudent.

~~ the phoenix
 
They do not believe in the Truth because they don’t have it. A good resource for you to look up is the book called “Answering Jehovah’s Witnesses” by Jason Evert. It really is a good book! Don’t let them convert you, or even try. They do not have the truth, and it is very easy for someone who is not experienced to be swayed by them. This book points out some very interesting facts about them Their doctrinal changes, ext. Give this book a try:) Jehovah’s Witnesses are misguided, and misled. When dealing with them, be patient, and be kind. Pray to God for their conversion, and trust in Jesus. Talk to ex witnesses, they really can help you understand the organization, and that might also help you understand why your friend reacts the way he does. I can tell you, as an ex witness myself, that he doesn’t understand about Catholicism because he has been taught falsehoods about us, and that is why he reacts the way he does to it. He is not taught the Truth, and he sees things the way he is taught. The same as his parents do. They are heavily brainwashed, and heavily indoctrinated. This is why it is so important for us as Catholics to pray for their conversion, to help them see the Truth! I hope you enjoy Jason Evert’s book, because it is really true, and it helped me alot even though I have been out of the falsetower officially for 6 and a half years. It has shown me things I never knew about the Watchtower organization! It was a real eye opener! I was glad when my sister gave it to me! There is a chapter at the end of the book called " How do you witness to the Witnesses" It gives you some really good tips in there! I hope you can obtain a copy of it! Best wishes!
 
They do not believe in the Truth because they don’t have it. They are not Christians at all. A good resource for you to look up is the book called “Answering Jehovah’s Witnesses” by Jason Evert. It really is a good book! Don’t let them convert you, or even try. They do not have the truth, and it is very easy for someone who is not experienced to be swayed by them. This book points out some very interesting facts about them Their doctrinal changes, ext. Give this book a try:) Jehovah’s Witnesses are misguided, and misled. When dealing with them, be patient, and be kind. Pray to God for their conversion, and trust in Jesus. Talk to ex witnesses, they really can help you understand the organization, and that might also help you understand why your friend reacts the way he does. I can tell you, as an ex witness
myself, that he doesn’t understand about Catholicism
because he has been taught falsehoods about us, and
that is why he reacts the way he does to it. He is not
taught the Truth, and he sees things the way he is taught. The same as his parents do. They are heavily
brainwashed, and heavily indoctrinated. This is why it is
so important for us as Catholics to pray for their conversion, to help them see the Truth! I hope you enjoy
Jason Evert’s book, because it is really true, and it helped me alot even though I have been out of the falsetower officially for 6 and a half years. It has shown me things I never knew about the Watchtower organization! It was a real eye opener! I was glad when my sister gave it to me! There is a chapter at the end of the book called " How do you witness to the Witnesses"
It gives you some really good tips in there! I hope you can obtain a copy of it! Best wishes!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top