How should I talk about Religion with my Jehovah Witness sister? Vanity.

Me | 5/04/2016 | Vanity

[Zeneta]

How should I talk about Religion with my Jehovah Witness sister?

I love my slightly older sister but I think/know she's gone nuts with her adherence to the Jehovah's Witnesses.

While I rarely talk or see her, we are deeply connected, most objective people would say we are estranged. I can't go that far. Regardless of circumstance, we have always been able to connect.

She has always been an "All or nothing" person, believing virtually anything and everything. While in school she excelled in math and computer programing but ran off to the Colorado Mountains to be a Ski Bunny and married my best friend. Had kids, got divorced and is now a Grandmother. She still spends hours on end standing on street corners handing out tracts for the Jehovah's Witnesses.

While I consider myself a Christian, I can't quote a single passage from the bible. I've read it, I understand it and I have accepted Christ as my Savior.

My Sister is coming to visit next week.

In a certain sense I want to undermine what I think is a cult.

At the same time I need to be respectful.

I have the feeling that any discussion that has me quoting passage's from the bible will be fruitless. There is no way I can win in a back and forth battle.

I don't know how I should handle this and I'm seeking advice.

[Elsie]

You can’t tell other people what to believe.

Uh, COTS, you just did!

[Elsie]

Don't answer the door! ☺

 

If you have cable TV, there won’t be much on to watch.

If there isn’t much on to watch, you will answer your door whenever someone rings.

If you open your door, you will see mormons.

If you talk to mormons, they will trick you into “praying about whether something is true”.

If you rely on your feelings, you may become a mormon.

If you become a mormon, you will have to wear magic underwear!

If you wear magic underwear, people will immediately label you as a cultist.

DON’T be a cultist!
Get DirectTV.

[Elsie]

Nothing good ever came from an unexpected know on the door.

[winodog]

I would like to see it also

[Elsie]

Exactly true. My own sister has attempted many times to bait me into scriptural conversations by the use of directed questions intended to get me to agree with her beliefs.

Learn the technique.

2 Corinthians 2:11 King James Version (KJV)
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

[Elsie]

That is very interesting. Almost Islamic.

It's quite Mormon!

---

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_and_Eve_(LDS_Church)

[Elsie]

JWs do NOT believe in hell as Christians do.

Mormonism really doesn't HAVE a 'hell'.

---

AFTERLIFE: The Mormon afterlife is divided up into four levels. From the lowest to the highest they are: hell, and then three levels of heaven: the telestial, the terrestrial, and the place where God dwells, the celestial (also called the kingdom of God). The celestial is also divided, the highest level being "exaltation," or becoming a God.

 

HEAVEN-The Mormon church teaches there are three levels of heaven (three "degrees of glory"):

• Telestial - where unbelievers go
• Terrestrial - for religious people who aren't Mormons and for Mormons who have not met the requirements of the Church.
• Celestial - for Mormons who have kept ALL of the laws and ordinances of their church. What will the celestial heaven (kingdom) supposedly be like for a good Mormon? He will be a god, he will rule over a planet with his wives and spirit children.

HELL: A place of torment from which the worst of sinners are resurrected (if they repent) into the Telestial kingdom; only a limited number remain in hell forever, - the devil and the demons and apostates who consciously reject and work against Mormonism.

---

Mormonism has taught that those in the Telestial kingdom will have paid for their own sins in spirit prison, a temporary hell which serves as a place of purging before entrance into heaven (cf. D&C 138: 58-59).

Orson F. Whitney preached:

"But those who reject the Gospel altogether and are besotted and crimestained---what of them? It is written that they will be thrust down to hell; even the murderer, the liar, the sorcerer, and the whoremonger. They will, in short, be damned. But they will only be damned to the extent justified by their sins. Even for them there is hope, after they have 'paid the uttermost farthing.' They will be punished, as all men must be, for neglect of duty, for transgression of the laws of God; but after they have been punished sufficiently, they will be brought forth and saved in a glory of which the stars in heaven are typical." ("The Three Great Teachers", May 8, 1898; Brian H. Stuy, ed., Collected Discourses 1886-1898, v. 5)

Chapter 41 of the 2009 Gospel Principles manual quotes D&C 19 and concurs the same:

"Also in the spirit prison are those who rejected the gospel after it was preached to them on earth or in the spirit prison. These spirits suffer in a condition known as hell. They have removed themselves from the mercy of Jesus Christ, who said, 'Behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; but if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit' (D&C 19:16-18). After suffering in full for their sins, they will be allowed, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, to inherit the lowest degree of glory, which is the telestial kingdom" (Gospel Principles, 2009, p. 244).

[Elsie]

This is a very good approach.

Much less In-Your-Face as my suggestions.

[Elsie]

But “mind your own business” sounds like good advice.

From the DEVIL!!!

[Elsie]

Using their bible to do it.

On the ride back to Kingdom Hall; this was overheard...

"Why weren't WE taught about them verses??"

[Elsie]

How sick was he?

[Elsie]

Your opinion means nothing to them.

So TRUE!

You can see this daily on the pages of FR.

When someone cannot refute what you are saying; they will try to form it as 'your opinion'.

[Elsie]

Ummmmm...a protestant trying to tell another protestant that she was the wrong kind of a protestant....whatever!

Something Catholics NEVER do; right?

[Elsie]

Groan...

[Kickass Conservative]

Tell her you just joined the Church of Scientology.

That should lead to an interesting discussion.

Just kidding, tell her you converted to Mormonism.

[Elsie]

I don't.

Other sources indicate:

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

John 3:18 NIV

[Vaquero]

Well isn’t that special

[fwdude]

I’m referring the the ability to co-exist in society.

[mlo]

"While I consider myself a Christian, I can't quote a single passage from the bible. I've read it, I understand it and I have accepted Christ as my Savior."

So it's one Christian sect arguing against another. You don't really have a strong basis to make an argument against her choice.

They are cultish in that they try to discourage members from contact with people that might cause doubts. In a rational person that very coltishness should cause doubts. But instead, if you argue too strongly you might just get put on the "do not talk" list and lose contact with her.