JW returns...

[Vasian]

I’ve talked a bit about my journey here.
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=407967

 

[adelore]

When I was a child I visited a JW meeting I guess there called. I don’t remember the teachings thank goodness as I was fairly young but one thing that struck me as odd that I’d like to ask what is the purpose of women, wearing long dresses to church, and having to sit on opposite sides of the church from the men, even there own family members. Also another thing that I found odd was the women were not allowed to speak. Maybe ex JW could clear this up for me please as honestly I know nothing about WT and that. This thread has been extremly informative and I’d love to understand, this religion to better pray for them, to find the truth. Even if that truth doesn’t happen to lie with our Catholic Church.

This sounds like a German Baptist Church, I’ve visited them too as an adult. The men and women do sit on opposite sides of the Church, even if they have family memebers there. The women all wear Long Dresses as you’ve described. This may be the church you are remembering from when you were young.

I’ve been to a Kingdom Hall before, and the JWs do sit with their families and friends. The men and women are not “Split” on each side of the Kingdom Hall.

 

[KathleenGee]

Finding out about the sects that came out of the Stone Campbell movement that draws on the New Testament…how several of them do not believe in Christ as True God and True Man…

And that they appear to reflect alot on their own righteousness in reference to theological beliefs…

 

[raqrodriguez]

The same JW lady I posted about returned today. She brought another lady with her. I was busy taking down my Christmas things when they arrived. I invited them in. She started with a Scripture reading after we talked a bit, then she started to hand me the Watch Tower and Awake Mag.

I smiled and said, “Oh wait a minute I have something for you too.” I went and got a Catholic Mag. and also someone last night posted about the King James Bible from back in 1611, so I went to the links, printed off the information, knowing I’d give it to my JW lady. (you know how the king james Had the “seven missing book” in it back then.)

I handed the Catholic Mag to her friend as she had her hands full with her Bible open, and her JW mags in her other hand. I was ready for her to give it back to me, I just knew that was comming, I would have been shocked, if she would have kept it.

She looked at the cover and polietly said, “Oh I don’t want to take your only mag.” I smiled and said, “It’s not the only one I have, I have 20 more, please feel free to take it.” Meanwhile she had handed me her JW mags. Then she says, “No really I can’t, I Wouldn’t read it anyway, because I KNOW the Truth.”

I looked at her and said, “Oh I’m not trying to convience you to become Catholic, I just thought you’d enjoy learning how we see things, so you could understand me more.” She then handed me back the Catholic Mag, and again says, "NO, I wouldn’t read it anyway. I KNOW the Truth. " She was a little huffy about it.

I then shocked her and handed her back her mags and said, “I thought we were just exchanging mags and trying to learn about each other, but since you feel that way, then here I won’t take these ones either. If that’s how you feel, that you’re not wanting to know what I beleive to understand me, then I don’t need these, because I LIVE the Truth through the Catholic Church.”

Her mought dropped open and then I said, “I’m sorry but I have to get back to work now, you be safe out on the roads.” and I walked them to the door and opened it. And I told them both very nicely to have a nice day, and I shut the door behind them.

My thoughts are these right or wrong but they are still my thoughts. For months I’ve tried being nice to this lady, yes I’ve even taken her mags. So today, I thought since I had a Catholic Mag, I had ordered it and I had ordered 20 copies so I could give them away. I knew before I even gave it to her that she wouldn’t accept it, but I had hopes that since I had been taking hers she would have taken mind. Even if she had no intention of reading it…by all means she should have taken it…goodness how do the JW’s hope to win anyone over, if they themselves can’t/won’t learn how others believe?

I mean after all if two groups are against each other, the wisest thing to do is find out what the other side thinks or feels, then you know how to approach them.

You can get more with understand and a good listening ear, (especially if the other party respects you as a person and is polite and listens) than you can by being stuborn and refusing to even hear what the persons thoughts are that You knocked on My Door. I ddint seek her out.

If she comes again, and I’m sure without a doubt she will, I’m just going to flat out tell her that I’m not intrested in what the Watch Tower has to say and that I really would rather she not come back.

Thank you for letting me ramble…

I know exactly what you went through. It is so frustrating when they do that. I mean come on, if your faith is so strong and you are so “convinced” that your faith is the one true faith, what are you so afraid of? My ex fiance is a JW and he told me that they are taught to not even look at anything that isnt from teh WTS because they are told its Satan trying to decieve them. To me its rude to not even take it and it makes me wonder. We all know they are brainwshed and im sure they use scare tactics to keep them from reading material from other religions because they know that once their followers do accept material from other religions there is that BIG opportunity for the truth to be exposed. Kudos my friend! I was wondering what happened with the lady lol. Keep me posted if they come back

 

[raqrodriguez]

Rence:
Then perhaps, maybe it is this relief from believing in hell that makes their belief so easy to follow. Wouldn’t it be nice if we would just disappear instead of being held accountable?

This is another reason why they think Catholics are terrible. They believe that God being merciful would never allow such a thing to happen. They think that we are horrible people for teaching our children this and they think the Church is horrible for teaching this to us. And they use scripture to “prove” their point but you can’t tell them that Jesus himself talked about burning in Hell numerous times in the bible. So is Jesus a liar? It’s just another way for them to twist scripture around and take it our of context.

 

[raqrodriguez]

Actually this is not all that new. I remember hearing this around the time I left about 15 years ago, specifically at one of their district conventions (their large, once a year gatherings). It’s really an absurd line of reasoning. The International Bible Students (they later changed their name to JW’s) when founded, believed alot of things that were more in line with most Protestant groups then and today. Then, they believed Christ dies on a Cross, everyone had a heavenly hope (they just believed 144,000 would reach a higher realm of heaven), etc, etc.

In response to their bible being the oldest, it’s interesting to note that during the first half of their existence they used the KJV and the American Standard in their ministries. So, at least in the first half of their existence, they used a much older and more correct version than what they use now.

Adelore, the only way to make head way yourself, in addition to of course relying on the HS to soften her heart, is to get them to look at the beginings of their own religion. This is tough, since they are told not to read any of their early publications. But, I feel this is the best way to get them to make progress. They first must question their own sects origins. Where it came from, who Russell was, how he reached his wild conclusions and so forth. The timing is probably very good right now, as they have recently “adjusted” their stance on their cornerstone belief on the 1914 generational doctrine teaching and I suspect that there will be quite a few that will start questioning the WTS. Hope this helps.

They are told not to read the early publications of the WTS?!?!?!?!? My goodness and not one of them has asked themself why not? WOW they really are brainwashed. We need to pray for these people right now! Everyone please take a moment and pray for them because this is serious. I’m sorry but my ex faince is a witness and he ended our engagement because I would not convert. I still care for him deeply and learning how cult-like his faith is, well it’s really scary. What if one day the WTS tells them its spiked koolaid time.

 

[CatholicZ09]

You had more patience with her than I would. I would’ve been like: “Well then, I’ll show you the door.”

 

[raqrodriguez]

When I was a child I visited a JW meeting I guess there called. I don’t remember the teachings thank goodness as I was fairly young but one thing that struck me as odd that I’d like to ask what is the purpose of women, wearing long dresses to church, and having to sit on opposite sides of the church from the men, even there own family members. Also another thing that I found odd was the women were not allowed to speak. Maybe ex JW could clear this up for me please as honestly I know nothing about WT and that. This thread has been extremly informative and I’d love to understand, this religion to better pray for them, to find the truth. Even if that truth doesn’t happen to lie with our Catholic Church.

I recently went to a meeting with my ex fiance who is a JW and that doesn’t sound familiar. We sat next toeach other and women were talkin and answering the questions in the WT material. Are you sure it was a JW meeting?

 

[adelore]

I’m really excited today in the mail I got the book, **“Answering Jehovah’s Witnesses” by Jason Evert. **I have quickly looked over differnet topics in this book, and read some of them. It’s really got some Great Ideas. I’m so excited…

As you can tell I really want to help any JW to shows up on my door step. Pray for me that somehow, with love, the Holy Spirit can guide me, with whatever information He feels I need to provide. I pray the Lord will give me patience.

You see I get about 10 of these JW’s a year knocking on my door so this is very important to me. For me it’s not about turning them into a Catholic. First it’s about getting them to “check out” their own Religion and having doubts about it. Then I pray the Lord will guide them from there. One step at a time…the Lord will take care of the rest.

 

[Fidei]

they cannot read their earlier publications??? hmmm. i stumbled on a life-saving forum!! LOL. i bet this would leave my JW friend speechless.

Maybe because early WT publications are littered with symbolism–something they believe as pagan recently and especially the cross through the crown which was masonic and the cross itself which they believe was “Constantinian”, The pyramid and the power of the sun and the calendar was another of Russel’s so called blunder.

Haven’t they stopped to ponder over it? that if Russel–the founder of their faith was wrong all along, what if their religion itself was also wrong?

 

[raqrodriguez]

they cannot read their earlier publications??? hmmm. i stumbled on a life-saving forum!! LOL. i bet this would leave my JW friend speechless.

Maybe because early WT publications are littered with symbolism–something they believe as pagan recently and especially the cross through the crown which was masonic and the cross itself which they believe was “Constantinian”, The pyramid and the power of the sun and the calendar was another of Russel’s so called blunder.

Haven’t they stopped to ponder over it? that if Russel–the founder of their faith was wrong all along, what if their religion itself was also wrong?

Unfortunately they DONT stop to ponder over it because they are not allowed to think freely. They are TOLD what to think and believe and that’s why it is so sad. God gave us this beautiful thing called free will, they are being deprived of that.

 

[twopekinguys]

When I was a child I visited a JW meeting I guess there called. I don’t remember the teachings thank goodness as I was fairly young but one thing that struck me as odd that I’d like to ask what is the purpose of women, wearing long dresses to church, and having to sit on opposite sides of the church from the men, even there own family members. Also another thing that I found odd was the women were not allowed to speak. Maybe ex JW could clear this up for me please as honestly I know nothing about WT and that. This thread has been extremly informative and I’d love to understand, this religion to better pray for them, to find the truth. Even if that truth doesn’t happen to lie with our Catholic Church.

In our area, that sounds like Mennonite, or Apostolic Christian.

I went to a JW meeting one time with my Ex-Brother in Law a couple of years ago, and didn’t encounter what you describe, but I only went one time, and high tailed it out of there afterwards.

I haven’t noticed any of that behavior from any of the JW’s I know. But then I don’t know all of them.

 

[twopekinguys]

I’m really excited today in the mail I got the book, **“Answering Jehovah’s Witnesses” by Jason Evert. **I have quickly looked over differnet topics in this book, and read some of them. It’s really got some Great Ideas. I’m so excited…

As you can tell I really want to help any JW to shows up on my door step. Pray for me that somehow, with love, the Holy Spirit can guide me, with whatever information He feels I need to provide. I pray the Lord will give me patience.

You see I get about 10 of these JW’s a year knocking on my door so this is very important to me. For me it’s not about turning them into a Catholic. First it’s about getting them to “check out” their own Religion and having doubts about it. Then I pray the Lord will guide them from there. One step at a time…the Lord will take care of the rest.

I feel left out!!

I am the Lay Director of RCIA for our parish, and I don’t get any visits from the JW’s. anymore.

A couple of them did knock on my door a couple of years ago, and we had a congenial discussion. Instead of letting them in the house to talk, we talked about Catholic doctrine and teaching (all the while, Bible and Catechism in hand) as we walked back to their car that was about a block away.

I just don’t understand why they haven’t been back.

 

[jmcrae]

I feel left out!!

I am the Lay Director of RCIA for our parish, and I don’t get any visits from the JW’s. anymore.

A couple of them did knock on my door a couple of years ago, and we had a congenial discussion. Instead of letting them in the house to talk, we talked about Catholic doctrine and teaching (all the while, Bible and Catechism in hand) as we walked back to their car that was about a block away.

I just don’t understand why they haven’t been back.

Same thing happened to me when I was visited by some JWs while in the middle of planning a lesson on the Apostles’ Creed. Since it was uppermost in my mind, I told them all the exciting things that I was learning in my research about it, such as that traditionally it is thought that each of the 12 Apostles contributed in some way to it, thus dating it back to the 1st century, prior to the martyrdom of St. James.

They listened politely, drank my coffee, ate my cookies and then left, and have never returned.