Was this moral?

Question

I had two Jehovah's Witness' come to my door. I invited them in to discuss religion, and since they were there to proselytize to me, I felt it my right to show them where the Bible contradicted itself. I asked them why any of the dogma of their religion mattered when Christ gave two simple commandments, two commandments that none seem capable of adhering to. After two or so hours they left, one of which was obviously shaken. Is it moral to shake someones faith in this fashion? (not religiously moral, but rather ethically moral) I have mixed feelings on this one and would like some other opinions.

Answer 1

It is always proper to point to the bible as the truth about God's will and purposes, in a polite way. This questioner is (apparently) to be commended for using the bible as his only authority, if that is what he did.

The questioner's initial question seems to have concerned the entire Golden Rule, rather than the abbreviated version Jesus also uttered.
http://watchtower.org/e/20011201/
http://watchtower.org/e/20011201/article_02.htm

(Matthew 22:37-40) [Jesus] said to him: "'You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.' 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 The second, like it, is this, 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets."

(Matthew 7:12) All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them


It does seem odd that two "Jehovah's Witnesses" were incapable of explaining why mankind seems unable to adhere to the two "new commands" from Jesus Christ. There are many Scriptures that offer a straightforward answer:
http://watchtower.org/e/20021108/

(Romans 3:22-24) For there is no distinction. 23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and it is as a free gift that they are being declared righteous

(Ecclesiastes 7:20) For there is no man righteous in the earth that keeps doing good and does not sin.

(Romans 3:9) Jews as well as Greeks [or, "everyone"] are all under sin


It is true that *EVERY* active Jehovah's Witness shares in the house-to-house ministry, and it is also true that some of them are more experienced, knowledgeable, and patient than others. To be fair, however, it remains unclear to what extent and just why one of the two volunteer ministers seemed "shaken" to the questioner's perception. Perhaps she was frustrated at her own inability to reach the questioner with bible truth, perhaps she was rattled by the questioner's tone or body language or insistence on skipping from topic to topic, or perhaps she was merely dealing with some medical condition.
http://watchtower.org/e/19990901/

All things considered, however, the bible is God's Word. There can be no excuse for those who do not work to preach the bible's Good News to others, since Jesus Christ himself commanded it. In fact, the preaching work makes it clear that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are by far the most prominent followers of Christ:

(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded


Learn more!
http://watchtower.org
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/
http://jw-media.org/people/ministry.htm
http://watchtower.org/library/ti/index.htm

Answer 2

Two things really.
The fact they came to your door, and you tried to point out your interpretations.
Your assumption that no one follows two commandments, which you did not state, is perplexing.
The two you speak of may not have been able to respond to such a degree of questioning and they may have been shaken, however they as witnesses could not answer when they believe they have the answers.
To argue and debate one person's faith is by no means a moral issue. I have talked with others, namely Atheist friends and have never been shaken. Some questions may be absurd to me but if I do not know the answer, I have resources that can find them, no matter how trivial.
Questioning one's faith should only make the believer stronger if they read and dispel the rumours and discrepancies people tend to think they find.
The Bible was written in a different language with analogies and prophesies that have been translated and many try to interpret with an understanding of today's colloquial speech.
Tough at best but it can and is done.
I am glad you invited them in and gave a chance for both views.

Answer 3

Yes, I think it was moral.

You didn't go looking for them to shake their faith-- they came to you and engaged you in a conversation about faith. You let them know that you didn't have faith in their god, and told them why.

Interacting with other people means that other people will influence us. I don't think there's any way around that, and I'm not even sure it would be a good thing if there were.

I'm guessing your mixed feelings come from a desire not to cause harm to someone. For what it's worth, I don't think you have. You've made him/her temporarily uncomfortable. As a result of the conversation, they'll have to re-examine what they believe and why.

Answer 4

I think that if a person comes to your door trying to shake your faith and convert you to their religion you have every right to show them what you believe.

The Watchtower Society is a high control religion and their literature is filled with biased information to lead gullible people to incorrect conclusions. If the person that was shaken has the strength of character to think further about what you said and leave then you have done him a favour.

Answer 5

It is my belief that if more people would learn about others belief systems (this includes religions) we would all get along a lot better. I have found in my studies many similarities among religions of the world. The university will teach you that religion is mans way of justifying his existence. History teaches us that the bible is a collection of stories that have been translated and amended countless times. Logic tells you that some meaning will be lost in translation. Knowledge tells you that political influences has had a hand in the alterations and omissions of the bible as well. Science is ever changing as new theories and discoveries are uncovered. My advice to you is to respect others beliefs as you would demand respect for your own and teach each other. Do not criticize or condemn others for their beliefs. So in short, what you did was unfortunately the norm of this global society, and morally accepted. Should it be? That is for you to decide, but my vote is no.

Answer 6

I would love to hear the Witnesses' side of the story.

Jehovah's Witnesses are not at your door to "proselytize" you.

They are there to share the Good News of the Kingdom with you.

What you do with that information is up to you.

I've been on several visits where the home holder tried to convert me. and it within their right, since it is their home.

After listening to misquotes and poor interpretations of God's Word, I have left "not shaken" but sad that people can be so blind.

I know that Satan is good at blinding people, but it always amazes me to how blind they can become.

Next time a witness comes to your door I would recommend listening more and talking less and you might learn something.

Answer 7

considering the Bible doesn't contradict itself.
If you read, study and understand the entire book, what few verses you read to come to the conclusion of contradiction will be clear.

And many people like yourself compare O.T. to N.T. when trying to pointout contradictions.
These are entirely two different laws.

So Yes..what you did was wrong. That is considered false teachings. Not that I agree with the Jehovah's Witnesses but since that is their chosen fiath, I hope that person was strong enough to know you were misleading him.

And as far as saying no one is capable of following Christ;s commandments, you shouldn't let that deter you from becoming a Christian.....People are human and we make mistakes.........the thing is, we can be forgiven.

You have a Merry CHRISTmas

Answer 8

you did nothing wrong or immoral, they came to your door to talk about the bible, you engaged them, their faith should have been strong enough to stand up to that, in fact, if they really did have the "truth" you would have been the one shaken. Relax. Next time they come around, do it again. Once they get the word out, they won't be knocking on your door anymore.

Answer 9

Well they came to you....Look at it this way, If you shook one of them up and it causes them to re-think their choice of religion and puts them on a hunt for the truth....that will no doubt set them free....so in my opinion, you did them a favor...no moral or ethical dilemma as far as I can see...and from the sounds of it you treated them with respect. You spent 2 hours with them, I'd say that was also pretty generous of you.

Answer 10

Iv'e done the same thing myself, a few times. Don't feel guilty of other ppls reaction to your beliefs. It could have gone the other way....the person lashing out at you! At least you gave this person something to ponder further in his or her journey. We never know where it's going to lead any of us, we just try to keep an open mind and LISTEN to all of our brothers and sisters. Obviously you struck a chord w/ this person, whose faith sounded like it might have been on "shaky" ground to begin with! It sounds like this kindred spirit was sent to you just in time...Peace