My recent JW encounter

[Bugnyou]

As they started talking scripture, the woman asked me if I thought God heard any and all prayers. I answered yes. She quickly said that that is a common lie told by many people professing to be Christians and that God only hears the prayers of the saved. I asked her about children, like my own, who pray but aren't officially saved yet as they haven't been baptized or people who have just learned about Jesus/Jehovah. She totally changed the subject to just talking about scripture that supports her view.

Yes that is very common, "Let's see you asked me a question I can't answer let me just change the subject back to what I am comfortable talking about." Sadly she probably didn't give it too much thought as she walked away. However, over time those little things could add up and give the JW much to think about.

[Bugnyou]

FYI...as a former JW...nothing scares them away. NOTHING :angry-banghead:

Haha you are so right, also a former JW, nice to "meet"you.

[DGayle]

Many of the JWs come from within their ranks children are raised in it and taught it and told not to question it. Many stay, but many do not.

When my best friend started questioning, her parents shipped her off to stay with another family to be reindoctrinated, kind of like JTTH, but not at the same time. I don't know if it's even condoned by the church. Only a few years ago, she had a fantastic night with her dad (actually step, which is relevant in a minute), and he hugged her and told her he'd always love her. The next day she told her parents she didn't want to continue the door-knocking and that she felt it was wrong to impose. Big mistake from a JW perspective. They kicked her out on the spot. If her boyfriend hadn't had parents willing to let her move in, she would have been homeless. Her boyfriend is an ass, and his family is awful, but she feels obligated to stay because the kept a roof over her head when her parents decided to boot her.

Earlier this year, she reached out to them to see if they wanted to meet their grandson. They told her she was dead to them, and that her son is of the devil and doesn't exist to them. She came up to my place right after that call (we've both been involved in cult religions), and I spent the next full day with her just listening to her vent and holding her while she cried.

This kind of cruelty isn't uncommon for JWs, according to other ex-Jovies I know.

Another thing I think that is appealing to many is the patriarchal structure. At least when I was in the JWs did not encourage higher education. Therefore many of the members only had a basic education. There were many who had blue collar jobs.

Her dad, which is her step-dad but is the only dad she's even known, went to college before he met her mom. He converted as an adult to JW, and went hardcore. He was allowed to use his degree to make the family extremely wealthy (summers touring Europe and other major trips like that), but my friend and her siblings (all still in the religion except a single sister who doesn't talk to her either since she was brainwashed into thinking my friend is evil, though the sister has been working on overcoming this) were all forbidden from any kind of post-SOTDRT education. All my friend wanted is to go to trades school. Denied! She's trying now.

The JWs will often practice what I call love bombing so when someone first comes around they are all over them and give the person a royal treatment. This gives people who may be lonely a place within their ranks and a feeling of family, they call each other brother and sister, I think this gives isolated people a feeling of belonging. The love bombing will slowly wear off and turn to many expectations people long for that feeling of belonging and will often follow along to get that.

This is exactly like Another Religion I have personal experience with. They make you feel so loved and accepted and encourage you to let go of anyone who may question your choices (like to join a known cult) or make you feel bad, so that you're alienated from everyone, and running from the cult means being even more alone than you were before unless you suck it up and crawl back to those you kicked out.

[DGayle]

Oh I know. It absolutely boggles my mind how anyone could be Mormon (and SO MANY people at that!) I mean Christianity, Judaism, etc. are easy to question too but there is at least SOME evidence of truth available. Mormonism was started so recently and there is absolutely no shred of any sort of evidence that there were gold plates, and all this other bogus stuff Joseph Smith said happen. That guy was the greatest con man ever.

It was so convenient that no one else was allowed those those plates. You know shit was wrong when hundreds of his own former followers, including some of his best friends, turned on him for his dishonesty and stormed the jail where he was being held. He jumped out a window to get away, and they shot him a bunch of times to make sure he was really good and dead. The handful of guys brought up on charges of murder were acquitted. So people at the time started seeing through the bull. Mormons today have a revisionist view of history and think he died a martyr for the faith when he really died because his followers were pissed at him for defrauding them.

And how can anyone believe they get their own universe, wear special underwear, etc.? I can see if you were raised in that and "drank the Kool-Aid" but I just don't get why people would convert. I do have to say though, they have an excellent sense of community. I am somewhat jealous of Mormon friends because they can move and their church has an instant friend group for them, book clubs, play groups, etc. So I guess I can see why people would be attracted to that aspect.

One of my local friends is a member of the Mormon church. I met her about 14 years ago, and at the time, she was thinking about leaving it, partly because she was so nervous always being watched since the church encourages people to tattle. We lost contact for a while, and reconnected a couple years ago. She's still in it, and I asked why when she was so unhappy. She told me she doesn't know how to get by without that sense of community, and she admits this is done partly because it does make sure people are less likely to defect. She's still hiding parts of her life so she doesn't get in trouble, but if she were to leave, she'd lose everyone, and she's not so sure how to form friendships outside the church. It was unusual for her to make friends with me, though we had two big issues in life to bond over that most people wouldn't have at the same time.

So this community is really a control aspect. It's conditional. You'll lose it if you stray, and if you're in it, you never know who's watching and waiting for something to report.

I'm so glad I left all religion behind, even though it means no chance of ever going into politics or something (we've had more out-Muslims elected into office than out-atheists, and right now we have no out-atheists holding office).

[DGayle]

Yes there is DGayle, also an ex-JW here. I think because the both do door to door work. Not many other groups do that, or are at least known for doing that.

That's what both my Mormon AND my ex-JW friend said. It's the competition and knowing that if there's anyone you're not going to convert, it's your sworn enemy and competitor.

[ILoveJellybeans]

My area needs more fundies. I find them interesting, but there just isn't any.

Even the Jehovah's Witnesses don't evangelise to me anymore, in fact one of them who lives right by us is really nice and did my shopping and stuff right after my mother died, and always has treats for the kids. She never mentioned God at all while doing this. Even if I am a lesbian atheist.

[Jessica]

When I first got into the LDS church 10 1/2 years ago, I heard several smug stories about how they would tear up any JW publications and throw them in the trash so no one else would see them. Then everyone chimed in about how annoying JWs are... and I was thinking "Um, but you all went on missions and went door-to-door bugging people!"

The JWs came to my house a couple weeks ago. I told them I'm a Christian and my husband is Mormon. Telling them this is a part-Mormon house didn't scare them. But also, I'm polite to a fault to strangers so probably nothing I said would have scared them.

[tralala]

In Chicago they have been out in full force like I've never seen. They stand outside train stations and other public areas with a shelf of Watchtowers. They don't bother anyone at all...they only speak unless spoken to.

There's a group who do this at the train stations in Calgary....but at least they're easy to ignore. I used to sit at bus stops all by myself and they'd come up to me and use my common human decency aganst me to put a watch tower into my hand. And you can't throw it out till you're sure they're gone or you look like an asshole! It's infuriating. I recently moved to a small town with a JW community and my first piece of mail was a handwritten letter about the movement. Like, leave me alone. Enough with the sneak attacks. At least mormons make themselves look easily identifiable. And they don't bother you during your morning commute!

[Jessica]

And how can anyone believe they get their own universe, wear special underwear, etc.? I can see if you were raised in that and "drank the Kool-Aid" but I just don't get why people would convert. I do have to say though, they have an excellent sense of community. I am somewhat jealous of Mormon friends because they can move and their church has an instant friend group for them, book clubs, play groups, etc. So I guess I can see why people would be attracted to that aspect.

When you first join they don't tell you all the weird stuff. They get your warm fuzzy feelings going then act like your best friend and suck you in. Then slowly the weird stuff comes out... AFTER you have committed and formed all these close relationships and feel stuck!

[Grimalkin]

I met a guy when I was in my twenties who converted to JW. It seems like they knocked on his door at a real vulnerable time in his life. He had just bottomed out from drinking.he seemed attracted to the structure and the 'love bombing'.

I once met a woman who was an unwed mother, and just started a relationship with another woman. She was in the process of becoming Mormon. I am not quite sure how that all worked out. She was pretty troubled.

Last comment, I happened to have a pamphlet about praying the Rosary near me when some JW's visited. I am a Catholic but have to say some Catholic literature is quite bizarre, I have to admit I love bizarre Catholic shit, anyway this was probley not a church approved pamphlet it had some gory Carholic Art and wierd superstitious information on the magical things that happen when praying the rosary and it was way over the top. I gave them my beloved pamphlet and told them I would read their stuff if they read mine and we would discuss it. I guess they came back and my mom answerd the door and told them not to come back. I don't know what they thought of my pamphlet.

[lawlifelgbt]

I'm Minnesotan, and it's true about Minnesota Nice! But, that can also be passive-aggression under a "nice" veneer. So, I would invite them into our small apartment, ask if they want to meet my wife, and show off our wedding pictures!

(I'm assuming JWs don't like gays, and I'm not about to divorce just so I can convert!)

[apple1]

Be naked when they come. They will never return ! :mrgreen:

I have heard individuals say this about a gazillion times - that they went to the door naked, etc, etc... I don't for a moment believe that 1 out of 20 people that say they did this actually did so. I think it is mostly a not-so-humorous lie.

[Bugnyou]

I have heard individuals say this about a gazillion times - that they went to the door naked, etc, etc... I don't for a moment believe that 1 out of 20 people that say they did this actually did so. I think it is mostly a not-so-humorous lie.

In all the years I spent knocking on doors I never had anyone come to the door without clothes. That would have freaked me out a bit :o . However, even if people did answer the door that way, they would probably still come back.

[formerlyfundie]

I have heard individuals say this about a gazillion times - that they went to the door naked, etc, etc... I don't for a moment believe that 1 out of 20 people that say they did this actually did so. I think it is mostly a not-so-humorous lie.

My Grandpa answered the door in his (wayyyy too short) robe smoking a cigarette once and they never came back lol.

My Dad told me to also try putting up a flag outside the door (something about them not participating in Patriotism) or when it's the Holidays have a lot of Christmas themed stuff in plain view of the doorway. He used to have a couple come to his house all the time and he said he put up a Christmas tree in the big front window, they never came back. He even waited until after the Holidays were over, expecting them to come back and they didn't. He is a question everything and everyone type so he enjoys when they come over so he can interrogate them.

I actually had two Mormon female missionaries live across from me when my husband and I lived in NC for a little bit while he was still military. I would take my dog out and they would try and talk to me. They gave me a few pamphlets and one of their Christmas CDs. In the time we were there, we had two separate teams show up. They all drove the same car- a silver Accord, and all dressed the same. Calf length or longer skirts, cardigans, big clunky shoes, all had shoulder length or longer hair. I guess that apartment was where they stay when they came to town.