I have a friend who is a Jehovah's Witness and she wants me to convert to her religon.How do I say no?

Question

I have a friend who is a Jehovah's Witness and she wants me to convert to her religon.I am a Greek orthodox christian.how do I tell her I don't want to change religons in a nice way?

Answer 1

Of course she wants you to convert to her religion. You watch, go ahead and invite her to YOUR church and see what happens. Jehovah's Witnesses do not dialogue with mainstream Christianity. Theirs is the only "correct" view and they are not interested in learning your religion. They are only interested in teaching you theirs.

Answer 2

Tell her the truth. There are only two real Christian churches. The Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. The reason this is accurate and not a matter of pride or saying my faith is better than yours, is the fact that both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches can trace their linage back to the original 12 Apostles. The Catholic Church considers the Orthodox Church a rebel faction because the Orthodox Church doesn't recognize the Papacy. However the Catholic Church still considers the Orthodox Christians a Church.
The Protestant's are not true churches because they cannot trace their linage back to the 12. As long as they accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and follow his teachings they can enjoy salvation as can we, but are merely called Evangelical communities. Still I have protestant friends, they are Pastors of a non-denominational "church". They are fond of telling me a known truth. When Jesus comes again he is not going to come for Catholics, protestants, Orthodox, or Mormons (for example) He will come for believers.
My suggestion is to try to convert your friend to the Orthodox church. I have tried this with my wife when she tried to get me to go to our friends non-denom "church". She now goes to Catholic mass with me. And will soon take Catechism to become a Catholic. So try that you never know you may just be able to convert her to your faith. Don't try to throw it back at her though, or she may think you are being hypocritical.
A word of caution; Jehovah's witnesses do not have the same belief system as other faiths. Some mainstream churches consider them to be a cult, on that brims over with fanaticism. There are books about the Watchtower that you can read that will scare you when you find out what Jehovah's Witnesses actually believe.

Answer 3

Tell her not interested.
Of course, while you may be young to make up your mind, might I suggest, that you as you grow older, investigate not only the Greek Orthodox Church and the reasons for it's doctrines, but also the Jehovah's Witnesses and as many other teachings as you can?
While I do not want to presume, it is most often the case that the religion a person sees themself as, is merely a formality, by reason that the religion with which they identify, is what their parents are. Why should we assume our parents have found the truth? IS not it true that our parents are the religion they are by reason that that is what their parents were?
At some point, a person has to take stock of their life and ask themself, "Is it really logical, to have total faith in a religion that neither me, nor my parents, nor their parents, ever really thought about?"

While it is not my place to commmand anyone what they should or should not do, I do think I owe you a suggestion.
If you were to acquire A book called, "Religions in America" by Leo Rosten. And then Read this work, it has a side by side comparison of the doctrines of the amjor religion in the US, including the Grek Orthodox. What you will find might quite amaze you. The most astonishing thing you will see in this pulblication (all the religions are explained by representatives of the differing faiths) is the amount (or lack thereof) that the different faiths refer to the Bible for their doctrines. What will stand out is the amount the JW's refer to scritpure for their beliefs as opposed to the traditions that are the basis for the majority of the other religions doctrine.
If you are looking for affirmation of your Greek Orthodoxy,
you will find an appalling lack of scriptural support.
It is of course your decision for what you want to believe, but at the very least, do a fair side by side comparison, to make sure, that JW's are not what you might find to be more accurate.
I, am not a JW, but from researching usig this book, I can honestly say, they seem to hold the Bible in higher regard than most of the Christian faiths.
Seriously, do this. For yourself.

Answer 4

A common misconception is that Jehovah's Witnesses speak about their faith because they feel it is their duty to "recruit" a listener, or get him to "convert". In fact, Jehovah's Witnesses would preach even if there were no hope that anyone would change their religion, or even if no one would listen to them!

That is because Jesus Christ specifically assigned the public ministry to the Christian congregation, with no regard for specific results.

(Luke 10:1,2) After these things the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. 2 Then he began to say to them: “The harvest, indeed, is great, but the workers are few. Therefore beg the Master of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.

Jehovah's Witnesses are trained to direct attention to the bible, and move on when their message is unwanted. Since each congregation in the United States tries to call at every home in its territory at least twice each year, there is strong motivation for them to move on where little interest is shown. Also, the Scriptures help the Witnesses to expect little interest from most:

(2 Timothy 4:3-5) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching ...and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.

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

Answer 5

Tell her you aren't interested in changing beliefs. Please do understand being Christian is a major part of our lives, so of course we can't strictly turn it off:D. Also, you might decide it best to tell her you want to leave all Bible matters alone, since this is something we love talking about, and sometimes it is mistaken as us pushing our beliefs, when we are simply discussing the Bible.

At some point it will probably boil down to priorities. What matters more, having a friend, who try as she might, will probably at some point share the Bible/mention something Biblical, or not having to discuss religion and not having the friend. I personally have a non Witness friend from years ago. He and I have grown apart more and more as our lives have gone down other paths, it is sad but a fact of life. I still enjoy talking with him, we are just very busy in our own worlds.

Answer 6

Tell her in Christianity she is also welcome in Heaven. Ask her when her beliefs were started and by who? Ask her aren't her rules and rituals for studying the Bible written by a man? If that doesn't work tell her to shake the dust from her feet. They like to use that when a potential convert is incorrigible. You'd be surprised how they can be like a car salesman after driving off the parking lot with your new car. In other words not so loving when they think they are wasting their time.

Answer 7

I don't know if you are fluent in ancient Greek enough to pull it off, but they usually run when my Greek New Testament comes out. Several of their claims only fly is you accept their twisted version as valid.

My suggestion would be to turn the tables. Every time you see her, start talking about church and any coming events... Invite her to everything you can.

Answer 8

The best way is to just be open and honest with her. Tell her you are not interested in converting and you may want to give a reason or two.

Answer 9

Tel her that you really appreciate her wanting to share her spiritual joy with you, but that you feel fulfilled in your own spiritual state and that you feel that there is more than one road to God. You're both heading to the same destination, but in different vehicles.

Answer 10

Hello. I am also a Jehovah's Witness. Though I do not know all of the details involved, I'm guessing she's either invited you to one of our weekly meetings (similar to church service of other religions) or has asked you if you would like to discuss and/or study the Bible with her or in a group setting. As ministers of God's Kingdom, we often invite people of many backgrounds and religions if they would like to consider either of these, but I can assure you that our intent is not to convert you, but to consider coming to one or more of our meetings (we have five different kinds of meetings per week), or discussing the Bible, because many have done this and this has strenghtened their knowledge of the Bible or has encouraged a stronger relationship with our Creator. If she has outright asked you "Would you like to convert to being a Jehovah's Witness?" then of course you have the right to accept or decline. But I do not know why she would ask you this, since it is never our desire to pressure you to convert to our religion. It is to help you to appreciate more fully God's Kingdom and the Bible and how it has relevance for our lives today. Of course, It is not about what she wants you to do, it is up to you. If you do not, (since before you consider converting to any religion, you study the religion and it's belief system) just tell her that you are not interested in changing your religion at this time (that is if your truly feel that way). But at the same time, feel free to discuss the Bible with her or even consider reading some of our material to acquaint yourself with our beliefs. This does not require you to convert to our religion. I often research many different belief systems, and this not only extends my knowledge, but helps me to strenghten my faith in what I believe. I encourage you to do this as well. It definitely can help you to determine if you are satisfied with your religion or not.

Answer 11

If she asks you, just say that you are comfortable in your particular religion. If she continues, just let her know that you have your beliefs and she has hers, and that you'd prefer to agree to disagree.