Your experiences with JWs

[BillTBC]

I'm curious to know everyone's experiences with JWs.

I've only known one family personally, but they never tried to evangelize me.

Other occasions I remember:

• Given materials while waiting in a car
• Given materials while walking to school-they did not wish to talk
• Had materials stuffed in my apartment door
• Received an anonymous letter a few days later
• Found materials left in various places: common areas of dorms, laundry mats, subway

There's been only one occasion where they've come to my door. I engaged with them in their conversation, but as soon as I quoted Scripture and told them I am a Catholic student studying philosophy, they couldn't get away fast enough!

[JB]

They used to pop by my door every now and then, but they kept breaking their promises to come back. The one time I let them come in and talked with them for a couple hours before their superior stopped by and told them they had to leave.

[Cal_Minian]

I'm curious to know everyone's experiences with JWs.

I've only known one family personally, but they never tried to evangelize me.

Other occasions I remember:

• Given materials while waiting in a car
• Given materials while walking to school-they did not wish to talk
• Had materials stuffed in my apartment door
• Received an anonymous letter a few days later
• Found materials left in various places: common areas of dorms, laundry mats, subway

There's been only one occasion where they've come to my door. I engaged with them in their conversation, but as soon as I quoted Scripture and told them I am a Catholic student studying philosophy, they couldn't get away fast enough!

You probably are not home often when we call. If you were in my territory I would come and visit you. I would be more interested in discussing Scripture than philosophy, but then that is a difference between Catholics and Jehovah's Witnesses. We read the bible and you read philosophy.

[Crow]

I'm curious to know everyone's experiences with JWs.

I've only known one family personally, but they never tried to evangelize me.

Other occasions I remember:

• Given materials while waiting in a car
• Given materials while walking to school-they did not wish to talk
• Had materials stuffed in my apartment door
• Received an anonymous letter a few days later
• Found materials left in various places: common areas of dorms, laundry mats, subway

There's been only one occasion where they've come to my door. I engaged with them in their conversation, but as soon as I quoted Scripture and told them I am a Catholic student studying philosophy, they couldn't get away fast enough!

Several years ago my tegu lizard chased them out of my living room. That was the last time any dropped by. My next door neighbor was a JW. I told her that I wasn't interested and she left it at that.

[BillTBC]

You probably are not home often when we call. If you were in my territory I would come and visit you. I would be more interested in discussing Scripture than philosophy, but then that is a difference between Catholics and Jehovah's Witnesses. We read the bible and you read philosophy.

Speak for yourself. I read both.

[Cal_Minian]

Speak for yourself. I read both.

Yes, but you said you told them you were a philosophy student, not a bible student. Do you understand the difference?

[BillTBC]

Yes, but you said you told them you were a philosophy student, not a bible student. Do you understand the difference?

Of course I understand the difference. So what? I told them I'm a philosophy student because I have one degree in philosophy and I'm finishing up my masters in it now. I'm not in a Bible college studying the New Testament, (though as part of my undergraduate degree I took two Bible classes taught by a Protestant minister). That's what I told them. If anyone concludes from that that I don't read the Bible and that I don't consider myself a Bible student (in an every day sense), then I don't know what to tell you. There's no reason to assume that.

If I were studying chemistry, I would have said, "I am a chemistry student at X university." If I was a psychology student, I would have said, "I am a psychology student at X university." But I can still be a Bible student, too. They asked me what I do for a living and I said I am a university student studying philosophy. Get it?

[Cal_Minian]

Of course I understand the difference. So what? I told them I'm a philosophy student because I have one degree in philosophy and I'm finishing up my masters in it now. I'm not in a Bible college studying the New Testament, (though as part of my undergraduate degree I took two Bible classes taught by a Protestant minister). That's what I told them. If anyone concludes from that that I don't read the Bible and that I don't consider myself a Bible student (in an every day sense), then I don't know what to tell you. There's no reason to assume that.

If I were studying chemistry, I would have said, "I am a chemistry student at X university." If I was a psychology student, I would have said, "I am a psychology student at X university." But I can still be a Bible student, too. They asked me what I do for a living and I said I am a university student studying philosophy. Get it?

I am not trying to make you mad. Sorry. But if they brought up the bible and you started talking about philosophy then perhaps they thought you were not interested in the bible and so they left. I don't know. I was not there. But from what you said it sounded possible. When they came to your door did you go get your bible so that you could discuss it with them?

[John Goddard]

My father's side of the family are all JW, my sister also was for five years. I studied with them here and there over the years, and they still visit my house every Saturday.

On the negative side, my uncle was alcoholic and abusive to my aunt, my father's sister, so she divorced him and they disfellowshipped her since he never cheated on her, they said she needed to stay with him.

I also don't mind shooting the breeze with them now when they visit, but when it comes to talking about the Bible they want to stick to their speeches rather than have a discussion and that irritates me, they talk over you.

Otherwise they were always polite to me, most seem to mean well and I agree with some of their positions regarding holidays.

[BillTBC]

I am not trying to make you mad. Sorry. But if they brought up the bible and you started talking about philosophy then perhaps they thought you were not interested in the bible and so they left. I don't know. I was not there. But from what you said it sounded possible. When they came to your door did you go get your bible so that you could discuss it with them?

I understand that you weren't trying to make me mad. I have a tendency to overreact.

This is what I said, "I engaged with them in their conversation, but as soon as I quoted Scripture and told them I am a Catholic student studying philosophy, they couldn't get away fast enough!" I didn't go grab my Bible because I didn't have the opportunity. They left too quickly. But I would have if they were interested in doing so.

[Cal_Minian]

I understand that you weren't trying to make me mad. I have a tendency to overreact.

This is what I said, "I engaged with them in their conversation, but as soon as I quoted Scripture and told them I am a Catholic student studying philosophy, they couldn't get away fast enough!" I didn't go grab my Bible because I didn't have the opportunity. They left too quickly. But I would have if they were interested in doing so.

I can arrange to have someone drop by if you want. Or you can email them at the contact for http://www.watchtower.org

[Alucard]

The JWs stopped dropping by after I kept one of them on the doorstep for two hours.

[mostlyharmless]

JW's usually do their ministry stuff in very respectful ways. If you know them personally they will not badger you about stuff and you may actually have the chance to discuss faith in a reasonable way. When I get them on the doorstep they are always polite but I see little point in talking as really they want to give their presentation not discuss things. The last time I had some I did discuss the trinity with them briefly since I am currently studying it postgrad at a Divinity College, but naturally they were not particularly interested in it. I respect that and did not try and extend the conversation.

[Mountain Man]

The only encounter I can think of was when I was in high school walking to work. A woman approached me with a copy of The Watchtower and a smile and asked me if I would like to talk. When I politely declined and told her I was a Christian, her smile vanished and she quickly walked away without another word.

[Elahrairah]

When I was a missionary in Germany, we had one JW who seemed interested in being taught by us. We made an appontment and agreed to talk about our church for half the time, and then here him explain what the JW beleived.
When the meeting came, he never let us bring our church up.