My Mother Wears Combat Boots

[IanS]

Chipper:

Ya know, something similar happened to me. The JW’s used to visit our house quite often. Then a few years ago, when they knocked, and they tried to hand me the “Watchtower”, I said back in a hurry, “Wow, you guys got to convert to Catholicism right away, cause you’re in big trouble.” Well, they literally ran away, turned back, and looked back at me and said “we are christrians too you know”, and kept on running.

I haven’t seen them knocking on my door since???

Chipper

They claim to be Christian. Hmmm… perhaps the road to conversion for them is as easy as reminding them of what they believe, or don’t believe:

They do not believe in the Trinity. They believe that Jesus Christ is St. Michael the archangel. They think that the Holy Spirit is an “impersonal force” and not actually God and Lord Himself.
They believe that Jesus, as St. Michael the archangel, was God’s first created being. However, our Bible says that Jesus was never created - but is “co-eternal” with God the Father. In other words, Jesus has always been just as His Father has always been. Neither one of Them has ever been created.

Being Christian means accepting Jesus as the Christ, Son of the Living God, the Alpha and The Omega, Lord and Savior.

 

[awfulthings9]

Why is everyone trying to scare them away?

I actually went to the official websites for the Mormons and JW’s and requested visits (research for a talk on these groups). I actually had the same problem and got tired of my house being overlooked. My wife said I was obsessed. When they came, the conversations went very well. The holy Spirit was truly alive and they weren’t expecting such a knowledgeable Catholic.

Learn your faith.

Then learn their faiths.

Invite them in.

Plant seeds.

 

[IanS]

awfulthings9:

Why is everyone trying to scare them away?

I actually went to the official websites for the Mormons and JW’s and requested visits (research for a talk on these groups). I actually had the same problem and got tired of my house being overlooked. My wife said I was obsessed. When they came, the conversations went very well. The holy Spirit was truly alive and they weren’t expecting such a knowledgeable Catholic.

Learn your faith.

Then learn their faiths.

Invite them in.

Plant seeds.

Actually, for me, I don’t really mind. Like I said in the first post we are probably the only ones in the neighborhood aren’t totally annoyed by them, but then again they won’t come talk to us.
I do remember a few years ago in our old neighborhood (before the BVM statue) some JWs came by and set their sights on my wife. They dropped off Watchtowers for well over a year. What they didn’t realize was that my wife was actually reading them and making repudiations about everything that was written in them. Eventually the asked to come in and talk to her (of course, one just had to be an ex-Catholic). My wife was fully prepared to go toe-to-toe with them. However, all it took was her reading one passage from James to them and they looked like deer caught in headlights. They had no idea what to say and told her they would come back, which of course, they never did.

My wife was actually pretty disappointed and let down by the whole thing. They are programmed to know only what is inside the Watchtower and nothing else. If they are taken just a little outside of their comfort zone they totally freeze. This would probably be a great time to plant a seed about the beauty of the Catholic faith and show them what having the Holy Spirit is all about.

Just been our experience. That doesn’t mean it’s always the same.

 

[TamaraS]

awfulthings9:

Why is everyone trying to scare them away?

I actually went to the official websites for the Mormons and JW’s and requested visits (research for a talk on these groups). I actually had the same problem and got tired of my house being overlooked. My wife said I was obsessed. When they came, the conversations went very well. The holy Spirit was truly alive and they weren’t expecting such a knowledgeable Catholic.

Learn your faith.

Then learn their faiths.

Invite them in.

Plant seeds.

I totally agree. At our old house a couple of JW’s visited with me for several weeks. This was after them leaving booklets and trying to evangelize me at my doorstep for 4 years. I thought they would grow tired (they knew I was Catholic), but they never did. Just when I thought they had decided to stop waisting their time they would pop up again. So I started to let them come in. I let them lead all the dicussions and answered the best that I could. I even stumped them a few times! I was about as warm and welcoming as I could possibly be. I thought “if they stop coming, it will NOT be because of anything negative that I did to them”. They more or less stood me up one week, but “stopped by” right before I had to leave to pick up my daughter from school and said they got tied up somewhere else, but that they would be back the next week. They never showed up again.
They actually did me a favor- visiting with them got me to dig into my faith more because I wanted to “be prepared” when they came. I had no idea how easy it is to deal with them. The more I learned about JW’s actually makes me feel sorry for them. I would never try to scare them off. Maybe in our dealings with them we could say something that might make them think.
-Tamara

 

[TAS2000]

Well, I’ve never done anything negative to them, but I don’t feel compelled to search them out either. My weekends are too busy as it is. I’m certainly not going to put out a sign saying “go away”, but I also don’t need one saying “please stop here”. I think the best way to evangelize is by example, not by beating someone over the head with pamphlets.

 

[shannin]

After reading this I also plan to put a beautiful statute of our Blessed Mother outside my home this spring. Thanks for this thread Ian. I must say though, that the times they’ve knocked on my door I simply said that I am a confirmed devout Catholic and politely closed the door. I made the mistake (years ago) of letting 3 JWs in my home They are experts at twisting the truth. How sad.