goodandevil

The Evil | Jehovah’s Witnesses That Take it Too Far

We used to have a limited defense against Jehovah’s Witnesses in out neighborhood, with a deed restriction that prevented soliciting. Now we are defenseless, and the issue isn’t so much what they believe - though refusing military military service and quoting the Bible with words that simply don’t appear in it is bizarre - but how they choose to spread their message.

Our particular batch is just too tenacious for its own good. Several years ago they came by, and I being of open mind sat and listened to their shpiel, but before they got too wrapped up and started handing me Watchtowers they were asked to leave.

Recently they came back, and without asking stepped foot in my home. They just went from the porch, to a body fully inside (I had to get out of the way because she was leaning and not stopping), close enough to smell her stale lifeless breath. They asked when they could come back again and I said while I didn’t mind so much that they were around, it wasn’t my house and that everyone else took them being there seriously. I recommended they not come back in order to respect those wishes.

Earlier this week I was out checking the mail and what looked like an old champagne-colored Chevy celebrity came pulling up ever so slowly. I didn’t think anything of it, and as I got closer to the house they were doing circles in my cul de sac. They stopped and I could’ve sworn the car itself was staring at me. I paused for five seconds in case the people were lost and turned around to return inside. Just then I hear hooting and screaming and the same woman from before starts hoofing it in heels over to me.

“I know you said we should be careful about coming around, but I wanted to provide you this loving message that answers some questions we all have about life and God, with messages from the scripture. You can follow along in your own Bible! Just please take a look at it.” Then she was gone.

I was feeling especially curious, not about God but about what they represent since most of what I know is from people who bash them. I looked at a question, then I looked at its answer. Really? That’s in the Bible? The same Bible I read growing up? No way. My memory’s not that bad. Why aren’t more Christians weird, then? So I pulled out a Bible - we have several, not just the King James - and the difference in wording was so strong I had to check three times to make sure I’d gotten the book, chapter, and verse right. No thinking and reasonable person could paraphrase what was there into the answer they got.

That’s not so bad. Changing words is the name of the game in religion. Usually it’s a translation issue, not an imposing will issue, though. The scariest thing is the stake-outs of my house to see who’s home, and the entering where I live uninvited. If there are any sane Witnesses out there they just got a little bit worse of a name for themselves thanks to these representatives.