Jehovah's Witnesses Weirdness

[Mythopoeika]

Is it a different Good News from the Good News Bible which is used by Episcopalian, URC and, to a limited extent by Catholics?

Good point! My family went to an evangelical Baptist church and they used the Good News Bible.
I think they now have a Bible that is just the New Testament, or something like that.

 

[Kondoru]

But the OT is the best bit.

 

[madmath]

I may have mentioned on this board that a late theology professor of mine found an effective way to deter doorstep evangelists. The professor was an Augustinian friar and a specialist in the late patristic/early medieval era (5th-6th centuries CE). As such, he possessed a solid knowledge of not only Greek, Latin and Hebrew but also Aramaic, Syriac and other ancient Near Eastern languages. He told me a JW once knocked on his door and asked him if he would like to read the Bible and learn about Jesus. The professor responded enthusiastically and invited the JW into his home to join him in reading the New Testament in the original Greek text. The JW politely declined and made a swift exit. The professor said he was never bothered by them again. He must have been placed on their 'no-call' list.

Reminds me of a day walking in the neighborhood when I came upon one of the local "Watchtower Women" arguing with one of my parish priests, said priest who carried a Bible that had the original (as much as it could be) Greek and Latin on one side of the page and the other the English translation, all of which he could read fluently.

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

Received a letter today addressed to "the householders", in a handwritten envelope - receiving an actual letter is an event in itself these days.

I thought it might be a neighbour complaining about something (my drums maybe...) but no. It was an A4 handwritten letter from a local Jehovah's Witness, basically offering guidance if needed and saying this was posted as it's not possible to knock on doors at the moment.

Each one has been hand addressed so I assume they've gone to the whole village. That's a lot of work.

 

[Stillill]

Received a letter today addressed to "the householders", in a handwritten envelope - receiving an actual letter is an event in itself these days.

I thought it might be a neighbour complaining about something (my drums maybe...) but no. It was an A4 handwritten letter from a local Jehovah's Witness, basically offering guidance if needed and saying this was posted as it's not possible to knock on doors at the moment.

Each one has been hand addressed so I assume they've gone to the whole village. That's a lot of work.

That’s odd because I delivered quite a few hand written envelopes today addressed to “the householders”,this was in Northwood,Middlesex. I’m not the Jehovah Witness delivering them,I’m a postman.
I noticed my sister had one (I’m her postman), I’ll ask her partner what it was when I see him. I know there’s a Jehovah living on her road because she’s been trying to convert me for the past few months.

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

That’s odd because I delivered quite a few hand written envelopes today addressed to “the householders”,this was in Northwood,Middlesex. I’m not the Jehovah Witness delivering them,I’m a postman.
I noticed my sister had one (I’m her postman), I’ll ask her partner what it was when I see him. I know there’s a Jehovah living on her road because she’s been trying to convert me for the past few months.

Yep ours was stamped and came via the mail, not hand-delivered by the JW. Unless the JW is also our postie.

 

[Iris]

I had one a few weeks ago, saying it was from a neighbour and including a small pack of shapes biscuits, saying the same thing about not being able to doorknock.
Before lockdown I actually had bought a small sign for the door saying don't knock if you are a salesperson or religious group, not that I've had any for a long time.

 

[Xanatic*]

Despite being in a different country, I also recieved a hand-written letter. I assume someone high up ordered it then.

 

[CarlosTheDJ]

Despite being in a different country, I also recieved a hand-written letter. I assume someone high up ordered it then.

Very, very high up.

 

[Xanatic*]

God?

 

[madmath]

Even higher - Mrs. God.

 

[GingerTabby]

She Who Must Be Obeyed.

 

[Tempest63]

Yep ours was stamped and came via the mail, not hand-delivered by the JW. Unless the JW is also our postie.

Ditto, we had one this week but the handwriting and spelling were so atrocious it took us forever to decipher what it was all about.
It also had a QR code sellotaped to the back but we didn’t bother to scan it between its route from the letterbox to the bin.

 

[Stillill]

Ditto, we had one this week but the handwriting and spelling were so atrocious it took us forever to decipher what it was all about.
It also had a QR code sellotaped to the back but we didn’t bother to scan it between its route from the letterbox to the bin.

We have delivered,probably a few thousand of these from our delivery office (Northwood, Middlesex) over the past few weeks. All are handwritten and addressed to “the householder “, some have the QR code on the back of the envelope and some don’t.
I know that one of the roads I deliver to has had them twice already. As another poster said,I’m guessing it’s because they can’t door knock because of Covid.

 

[Shady]

They cant knock on the doors but they can lick an envelope and leave all their germs on it and shove it thro your letterbox??

 

[EnolaGaia]

The shift to 'remote' communications is global ...

In Arizona a Jehovah's Witnesses spokesperson has confirmed their in-person door-to-door operations are suspended because of the pandemic conditions. In the mean time they're relying entirely on phone contacts and letters.

36,000 Arizona Jehovah's Witnesses have suspended door-to-door ministry for now

Over 36,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Arizona have stopped their door-to-door ministry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

Arizona spokesperson, Jamie Dunjey, says there are about 308 congregations throughout the state and 36,000 Witnesses. Some of these groups hold online meetings in Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Portuguese and Navajo.

The door-to-door aspects may be done for now, but Jehovah's Witnesses have gotten creative and uprooted their practices by writing letters and making phone calls as well as virtual communications instead as an alternate way to communicate with their neighbors ...

In November, Jehovah’s Witnesses created a global campaign to send letters to political leaders around the world including state and municipal government officials here in Arizona.

When the pandemic ends whenever that may be, Jehovah’s Witnesses plan to resume their door-to-door ministry but have decided to keep doing phone calls, letters and virtual communications.

SOURCE: https://www.azfamily.com/news/36-00...cle_ebfdb074-3ef7-11eb-8b06-4ffaaf0cbfa9.html

 

[Iris]

I had another one, posted this time, obviously from someone new to English.
The ones they recruit here seem to be ones who have come from elsewhere.
I Know it's a requirement for them to contact so many people a month but I felt kind of sad for them having to try to contact strangers.