situation with a jw woman.. sigh...

[Marilena]

iam trying to be polite to her and for some reason she is not getting the hint. i told her i do not want a bible study… this all happened after she came to my house and dropped off the leaflet, the end of false religion is near. she is a really nice senior lady
from germany, and she doesn’t get the word no. i told her i smoke
and so she printed out for me tons of info on what smoking can do to a person. i took the info and appreciated her time and effort.

i know the dangers of smoking, and am sincerely trying to quit. she told me yesterday on the phone that she told God 35 years ago that if she couldn’t quit smoking, he could kill her. she told me to say the same thing. umm… no i wont. life is sacred to God so why would i ask him such a terrible thing? i can quit with his help and don’t need to ask him to terminate me.

anyways, so she says, well how bout that bible study marilena?
umm… no… i told her i do not want a bible study, yet she is not
listening to me. she is persistant to say the least. i got to admire her tenacity though. she is zealous. iam sharing with her the Catholic faith and she is uncomprehending no matter how much we discuss facts.

good thing is, she keeps coming back. for that iam greatful because it gives me the opportunity to witness to a witness.
she really is a lovely woman, only blinded by her belief. she is far more indoctrinated than iam.

she has been a witness for 35 years. me, 10. so yes, she has alot more biblical knowledge than i do. but seniors and i have always gotten along very well. it kindof makes me smile about her tenacity because i think to myself, she’d make a fine Catholic!
she really would

so baby steps with her. indeed indeed indeed. have any of you ever had a really nice witness come to your door and not give up on wanting a bible study? iam going to offer her a bible study next time she comes over or phones me.

it might ruin any chance i have of planting a seed, but what else can i do besides say no to her and try to point out the truth to her and pray for her to see the light?

i want her to drop off the publications at my door because its better that they be in my hands than the hands of someone who is searching for the truth and might end up in false religion. i always look the magazines over to see what they are saying and then i throw them out.

i asked her to give me everything she had in her bag, and she was really reluctant to do so, so she gave me 2 magazines and a book titled what does the bible really say? so i tossed them out after she left.

my next visiti with her will be to discuss the Trinity. iam looking forward to speaking with her. its has been delightful so far. the only thing that i wish she would not push is a bible study she knows i don’t want one, but she pushes it anyways,

she calls me “sweetheart” and i think she is really nice, but misguided by the falsetower. she really clings to the society.
i hope to plant a seed in her heart and hopefully despite my no’s, she will continue to come back.

 

[Zooey]

First of all, I want to commend you for trying to speak with this lady. It is very good of you, because I know how persistent jws can be.
I would caution you, that by no means should you give in to her about the Bible study. The jw Bible studies don’t really use the Bible anyhow, just the books some of them have written “about” the Bible…sort of. In a twisted kind of way.
The problem is, that they will not give up! And their writings are so confused & confusing, that they can trip up all but the most well trained apologist.
I surely would continue to pray for her, that she will realize she is in an unchristian cult.
The reason that jws are reluctant to hand out their literature to someone they think is not going to convert, is that the Watchtower makes them pay for it, unless you buy it from her. And the money goes to deceive more people!!
God bless.

 

[Marilena]

me giving in is not an option. not going to happen. not ever. she can be as persistant as she wants to be, but my no means no and that is it. doesn’t mean iam not going to try to tell her about the Catholic faith. i can be as persistant as any jw anywhere oh, by the way, i never buy anything from jw’s, i do not donate to them either. hardly ever did when i was a jw. so fear not, her chances of converting me, an ex jw are absloute zero. i know what they are all about believe me.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

Hi marilena, tell her kindly that you are not interrested in doing a watchtower book study. What they call “bible study” is not bible study. What it is really is simply studying one of their books while looking up proof texts. If you have a pastor who teaches bible studies, then invite her to your pastor’s bible study. Explain, that you study completely through a book of the bible like John rather than taking a proof text here and there to “prove” predetermined doctrines like the watchtower does. Explain, that you all do exegesis, that is reading out of the scriptures what is really there, rather than doing exegisis that is reading watchtower doctrines into the text of scripture. A good example how their bible reads their theology into the text is Col 1, they add the word “other” into “all things” making Jesus creator of “all other things” They assume that “firstborn of all creation” means that Jesus as the Son of God was first one created. But, verse 18 makes him the “firsborn from the dead”, well Jesus resurrected people during his ministry on earth and thus is not the first person resurrected. In context, firstborn has to do with preeminence, not first created. There are greek words Paul could have used if he wanted to say Jesus created “all other things”. But, the greek word he did use simply means Jesus created “all things”, therefore Jesus, Son of God himself is not created, he is in fact the creator. So, tell her if she is interrested in Bible Study, then she should join you at your church where you do have real bible study, and not simply a book study.

From their New World Translation,

13 He delivered us from the authority of the darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love, 14 by means of whom we have our release by ransom, the forgiveness of our sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 because by means of him all [other] things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All** [other]** things have been created through him and for him. 17 Also, he is before all [other] things and by means of him all [other] things were made to exist, 18 and he is the head of the body, the congregation. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that he might become the one who is first in all things; 19 because [God] saw good for all fullness to dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile again to himself all **[other] **things by making peace through the blood [he shed] on the torture stake, no matter whether they are the things upon the earth or the things in the heavens.

 

[Marilena]

she wouldnt study with me anywys because iam an ex jw.
if she’d let me get in a word edgewise, i’d tell her. then she’d
never come back. do not be fooled, iam not easily swayed.
especially not for this false belief.

they can offer me studies until the cows come home, but it
wont work. when she hears iam an ex jw she’ll make like a
frog, and hop off.

i wonder if i ougnt to not tell her?

 

[sassygal1973]

wow, about an hour or so ago a woman nicely dressed came to my door with her husband. Rang my bell, then introduced themselves. They proceeded to hand me a Watchtower booklet and I said “Whoa, not so fast. I am Roman Catholic and you are talking to the wrong person.” I didn’t want to even waste my time. I’m sure someone else will tell them. I did manage to say, “I’ll pray for you.”
I was tempted to say “Are you still waiting for Armageddon? What’s the date now”??

 

[Marilena]

i take their material so it doesn’t fall into the hands of an unsuspecting innocent who is truly searching for God.

 

[sassygal1973]

i take their material so it doesn’t fall into the hands of an unsuspecting innocent who is truly searching for God.

I never thought of that, I’m sure it doesn’t matter b/c they have so many…very polite…not pushy at all…

 

[Marilena]

oh but it does matter indeed it does matter. say for instance, a good friend of yours you knew very well, was looking for God and perhaps was even considering Catholicism, and you had been speaking with him or her about it, and along comes a jw knocks on their door, and offers them a bible study, and your friend seriously considers it because of the promises they make might look good in your friends eyes, and your friend starts studying the bible with them, and you find about it, and
are very disappointed in your friend.

now think, every innocent person out there could be a potential witness at some pooint in the future, it could be a person we know or don’t know. what happens if that person suffers an accident? or needs surgery? they become a witness, and refuse a blood transfusion, and potentially die? woouldn’t you want to help save just 1 life by not letting that dangerous material fall into say, the hands of your friend, family, or an innocent lamb?

i would take everything they had to make sure that this potential scenario never happens. i always take what they have, the more the better. if it saves just 1 life then that is by God’s grace, and not anything i had to do with it.

i would never allow any witness to give material to anyone i loved who would be susceptible to their promises, and if they did take the material, i would gently dissaude them from reading it.

we must share the good news with the witnesses who come to our door. Christ commanded us to share the good news. this includes witnesses. if you have an opportunity again then witness to the witnesses if yuor of a mind to do so. it only takes a little of your time to plant a seed in their heart that can lead to everlasting life for the one who is looking for it.

God bless you.

 

[sassygal1973]

Listen, I know your being kind and all, but I can do whatever I want. I wouldn’t TOUCH a piece of paper that isn’t Catholic. Never mind take it from them. That is me. They are lucky I even opened the door…can’t be bothered.

 

[Marilena]

Listen, I know your being kind and all, but I can do whatever I want. I wouldn’t TOUCH a piece of paper that isn’t Catholic. Never mind take it from them. That is me. They are lucky I even opened the door…can’t be bothered.

oh you most certainly can do what you want. i never meant to imply anything other than what i stated is what i do. i guess iam just deeply concerned with potential converts to that false belief even coming into contact with the propaganda put out by
the falsetower.

if i implied anything to you that suggested you cannot do what you want, then i deeply apologize.

Have a great day.

 

[sassygal1973]

oh you most certainly can do what you want. i never meant to imply anything other than what i stated is what i do. i guess iam just deeply concerned with potential converts to that false belief even coming into contact with the propaganda put out by
the falsetower.

if i implied anything to you that suggested you cannot do what you want, then i deeply apologize.

Have a great day.

Oh no Marilena, you are a nice person. It is no use in talking with them b/c it leads to arguments and I will get upset…if people truly believe in Christ, they will not listen to these fools.

 

[dawgfan]

That reminds me that I went to my grandmother’s house (protestant) over the holiday and I found an old watchtower in the basement opened to an article “Should you Pray to Mary”. I don’t know why my grandmother had it but I put it promptly in the trash can.

 

[Marilena]

Oh no Marilena, you are a nice person. It is no use in talking with them b/c it leads to arguments and I will get upset…if people truly believe in Christ, they will not listen to these fools.

your a wonderful person to put up with my long dialogue!

 

[Marilena]

That reminds me that I went to my grandmother’s house (protestant) over the holiday and I found an old watchtower in the basement opened to an article “Should you Pray to Mary”. I don’t know why my grandmother had it but I put it promptly in the trash can.

excellent choice! precisely what i do!