Jehovah's Witnesses

Ah, yes, Jehovah's Witnesses.  How often they come to our door.  I half expect that one of these days they will be friends with us - except they aren't allowed unless they convert us.

The difficulty with Jehovah's Witnesses is their approach.  They were drilled in a speech and they are not interested in what you have to say.  They are not allowed to accept pamphlets or booklets, so very little evangelizing is possible on your side.  They will read you a Bible verse, explain it to you, and any alternate translation or interpretation you may offer simply isn't allowed.  They are not open to discussion unless you are doing all the asking and they are doing all the explaining.

Unfortunately, they are also trained to only tell you what they know and accept nothing of what you give them.  They view themselves as prophets - and although it is probably not a conscious decision, they regard themselves as higher than you.  They come to instruct, you poor ignorant savage.  It is like discussing an issue with a professor who has all the definitions memorized and won't deviate outside of that which he can recite.

If you want to have a chance with them, invite them in.  Sit them down.  Offer them tea and cookies.  They are the prophets, so you be the shaman - the wise shaman who asks subtle questions.  As they discuss points with you, the only hope for them you can offer is to ask them challenging questions.  Most likely, they will have an answer that won't really fulfill the question and then they will move on to another area.  But if you can challenge them on the basics - without directly saying that's what you're doing - you might give them something to think about.  And attitude is everything.

Some questions to ask would be:

What is the Watchtower? (and any questions you can come up with based on their explanation)

How were the Jehovah Witnesses started?

How do you know that you can trust your founder?

How do you know you can trust your translation?

How do even know you can trust your Bible?

How do you know you can trust the Watchtower?

Why is your church better than the one Jesus founded?  (Show them that He founded a church)

But remember to always ask questions in reply to their answers - but sound genuinely interested, not fresh.

If you can, keep them from finding out your denomination.  In my case, being Catholic, they are more likely to simply answer my questions with a comparison instead of actually answering the question as though I was born yesterday.

Also, be polite, but I advise that you don't accept their handouts (unless they agree to take yours).  They will consider you clay that is open to molding if you accept them and will continue to come back - plus they might use The Watchtower publication as a way of not actually answering you.  However, if you do have one of their publications, go ahead and read it.  It will give you a general idea of the way they will talk to you and how they will avoid answering even their own questions.  (Be aware that you will probably come away feeling frustrated and empty.)  There are plenty of books out there that will introduce you to the JWs -  I advise getting something that explains Jehovah's Witnesses and not just their false teaching.

If you don't have time for engaging them, you step outside, listen to what they have to say, challenge anything that you think is really wrong, and don't accept anything they offer you.  They will go away and, if you're lucky, they will have labeled you "black sheep".  If you don't want to engage them at all - which I don't think fulfills your Christian duty - simply tell them that you are not interested and refuse their leaflets.  This will almost definitely label you as a "black sheep" and they likely won't be back for a while.

And most of all, pray for them.  Jehovah's Witnesses spend a few days each week at their Kingdom Hall.  Do twice as much as what they are doing, because they are showing loyalty to something that is a lie, sad but true.  If you are loyal to the truth, your prayers may counter the Watchtower and you just might win them yet - in the whole scheme of things.

Be patient.  They are going to frustrate you.  If you're anything like me - as in, a feeling human being - their visit will probably put you on edge for the rest of the day.  But they are people too.  Many of them became Jehovah's Witnesses when they were having a rough time in life and were looking for something to cling to.  One, a former Catholic, became a Jehovah's Witness because a priest refused to give her mother a Christian burial - for whatever reason, I don't know, but she was upset and gladly accepted the engaging Jehovah's Witnesses', well, witness.

And just think - they don't have parties!

~Meggy