My Name has been Written Down AND Crossed Out!

When I married some 40 years ago, my wife along with her parents and relatives on her father's side were JW's. Therefore, I am very familiar with Witnesses and the routine they go through in their door-to-door work. On their appointed day to do Jehovah's bidding, a Witness will meet with other like minded individuals at a Kingdom Hall, grab the "territory cards" for their chosen neighborhood, load into one vehicle and head out. Years ago, territory cards were actual cards with addresses and notes about each of the houses to be visited. The notes would indicate if the homeowner accepted material, engaged in conversation, seemed open for a "back call," etc. Notes could also indicate if a house should be avoided--maybe an apostate or a Christian that knew his Bible, or someone well versed in witnessing to Witnesses. Today, of course, this is all taken care of with an app especially designed for "JW Territorial Management."

Beginning  last year JW's, in my locale, have taken to erecting a canopy at a local Wal-Mart (on most Saturdays and Sundays, when the weather is not too warm or cold or windy) and  offering free WT publications. (Read my blog on The Watchtower/Wal-Mart Connection here.) This counts as time spent in the door-to-door work. Beginning last year I started to stop (on Sundays) whenever I spotted their canopy and engage them in conversation. I have blogged about some of these encounters here and here.

This week, there was the blue canopy with the magazine rack and two JW's waiting, I thought, to answer questions. WRONG! As I approached, I politely asked, "May I ask a question." JW speak is in BLUE.

JW: Yes! (But the Yes! quickly disappeared.)

ME: I then selected a publication from their rack, What Can the Bible Teach Us?. I turned to page 57 and asked if they would read John 20:25, which they did. I have blogged about this verse here and here. I then asked, "Does the picture accurately reflect John 20:25?"

JW: We are not here to answer questions. That is to be done in a Bible study in a home.

ME: You mean you do not answer ANY questions, you only pass out literature?

JW: That's right. A Bible study is for answering questions and what we are doing here is not a Bible study.

ME: Why is it that you advertise "Bible Study" but you don't study a book from the Bible like John or Matthew but you actually study a WT book from cover to cover?

JW: Many people have Bibles in their home but they are totally ignorant about what the Bible teaches so we start with a book about the Bible.

ME: Then shouldn't you, to be honest, state that you will be studying a WT book  from cover to cover about the Bible and not studying some book in the Bible?

JW: Turns around, goes to her lawn chair and says, "enjoy the sun, we are done here." Turns to her partner and says something inaudible. The 2nd JW looks at me, nods slightly, then turns away. 

This reminds me of our neighborhood where we told all our neighbors, "when JW's come-a-knocking, point to our house and say, 'they WANT to talk to you.'" When our neighbors did this, the JW's would look at our house, look at their Territory Cards, say something to each other, nod slightly, then turn away and walk to some other house.

I definitely got the idea that the JW's, who man the canopy at Wal-Mart on Sundays, have been told to avoid the old guy, that doesn't speak Spanish and asks questions. His wife is an apostate. (On one Sunday, I was asked if I was an apostate? When I said, "No!", I was then asked, "Is your wife an apostate?" When I said, "Yes!" (My wife's testimony is here), the JW nodded with satisfaction and said, "well, there you go," and refused to talk to me further.)