Jehovah's Witness'

[Starfish]

Thanks Berenice!

Can I ask another question. What is the "aim" of witnessing? I have read here that contrary to popular belief JW's don't actually try to convert people. Do you report your witnessing activities to anyone, e.g. brother, church elder? If so, what do you say?

[Peg]

Thanks Berenice!

Can I ask another question. What is the "aim" of witnessing? I have read here that contrary to popular belief JW's don't actually try to convert people. Do you report your witnessing activities to anyone, e.g. brother, church elder? If so, what do you say?

Our reasons for witnessing are 2 fold. The first and foremost reason is to to 'teach and make diciples'. But we would only do this if people ask us to teach them. We offer a free home bible study to do that and we visit them on a regular basis and provide them with study aids and a bible if they dont have one. The goal is obviously to help them gain enough bible knowledge for them to make an informed decision about becoming a JW, so i guess you could call it conversion....but its a conversion based on knowledge rather then an emotional conversion that we see in some church's. To become a JW may take several years for some people. A person must make any needed changes in their life. If they are a smoker, they need to stop smoking, if they have addictions, they must get out of those addictions. They also need to conform their life to the standards of the bible, unmarried couples need to become married etc etc ...so it could take a very long time for some to make those decisions.

The second reason is to 'preach', that is spread the message that Jesus wanted his followers to spread. That message is that God has established a kingdom that will soon resolve all of mankinds troubles and all mankind must know this message. They dont have to accept it of course but they all have to hear it because God wants all people to have the choice. This is why we keep coming back...even when the householder isnt interested.

We do report our activity. Every month each publisher puts a report of how many hours we spent and how many magazines or books we placed...and of course how many bible studies we are currently conducting (if any). Each congregation gathers that information from each of its members and sends the totals into Bethel located in NSW. From there the information from the entire country is sent to Bethel in America, along with every other country where JW's are located and the worldwide data is released once a year.

[Peg]

remove double post

[Ca Plane Pour Moi]

Not a JW but do want to spread the JW love a bit - I have really enjoyed the home Bible studies I have done with JWs. And not once have I felt pressured into converting; I've been having chats for over 2 years now. ( clearly not good enough for the JWs!)

I wouldn't convert unless I was convinced of all of the teachings, whereas I'm happy to go to a Church were I only agree with 95% of the teachings, because it's OK to disagee with the Church but not with the JW teachings. Which I do respect - I almost wish that my normal Church was so keen on getting wrinkles ironed out and everyone agreeing!

[Starfish]

Thank Peg. Very interesting, and it seems like a very sensible way of "converting" someone, i.e. letting them make the decision themselves and then taking all the necessary steps before actually being allowed to join.

It does lead to another question though: what if someone stops smoking, gets rid of their addictions, etc because they want to become JW, and then, say a few years down the line, something traumatic happens to them that triggers all these bad habits to start again? I am thinking that you would hope that their faith would get them through and that they no longer need these "crutches", however I know that for some people addiction is actually a physical illness. Would the church help them get back on track?

[Peg]

Thank Peg. Very interesting, and it seems like a very sensible way of "converting" someone, i.e. letting them make the decision themselves and then taking all the necessary steps before actually being allowed to join.

Yes thats why its not really conversion in the true sense of the word. Its more like we 'convince' people that this is the way to worship God and once they are convinced of that, then they make a conscious decision to worship along with us. Baptism will come much later because that decision requires action on their part to conform to the laws set out in the bible.

It does lead to another question though: what if someone stops smoking, gets rid of their addictions, etc because they want to become JW, and then, say a few years down the line, something traumatic happens to them that triggers all these bad habits to start again? I am thinking that you would hope that their faith would get them through and that they no longer need these "crutches", however I know that for some people addiction is actually a physical illness. Would the church help them get back on track?

Yes, absolutely.

We are just like anyone else. We have our problems and issues and things from the past that cause us distress. If someone relapses into sin, the elders will try to provide as much support and practical assistance as they can to help the person get back on top of things. But the elders will only do this if the brother or sister actually wants and responds to their help. If they dont want assistance and choose to leave the congregation, then there is not much the elders can do about that. If they return to their old lives but still attend meetings, they would most likely be disfellowshiped. This is so that others know that a serious situation has developed and wrongdoer has rejected help. However if they do accept help and follow thru on all the advice and support given, then they wont be disfellowshipped but will continue to recieve help until they are back in control iykwim.

Its all about individual responsibility and making a conscious effort to hold onto the bible standards. As soon as a brother or sister lets go of those standards, then they put themselves at odds with the law of God and thus this will affect their relationship with God. So the elders do all they can to help the person to keep holding to Gods laws and avoid damaging his/her relationship with God because bascially, there is no point worshiping God if we dont uphold his laws.

[Peg]

Not a JW but do want to spread the JW love a bit - I have really enjoyed the home Bible studies I have done with JWs. And not once have I felt pressured into converting; I've been having chats for over 2 years now. ( clearly not good enough for the JWs!)

I wouldn't convert unless I was convinced of all of the teachings, whereas I'm happy to go to a Church were I only agree with 95% of the teachings, because it's OK to disagee with the Church but not with the JW teachings. Which I do respect - I almost wish that my normal Church was so keen on getting wrinkles ironed out and everyone agreeing!

I wouldnt say you are not good enough lol, everyone is good enough for God and 2 years isnt a very long time really. I studied on and off for about 7 years! But i do understand the reasons why people hold back. Its a real sacrifice to become a jw. And you are absolutely correct, you have to be 100% convinced that it is the truth. If you are not fully convinced then you are not likely going to live according to what you've learned and thats what is required of JW's.

But good on you for studying....thats really the only step to becoming convinced. The people who Paul preached to didnt just accept what they heard from him. The account in Acts tells us that they really studied to make sure that what they were learning from the christians was true.

Acts 17:10*"Immediately by night the brothers sent both Paul and Silas out to Be‧roe′a, and these, upon arriving, went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11*Now the latter were more noble-minded than those in Thes‧sa‧lo‧ni′ca, for they received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so."