The Everyday Club

10/21/10   John, 18
I stopped by a Burger King on my way home from work and found a young man (John) finishing his dinner. He agreed to answer my questions and I soon found out he has grown up a Jehovah Witness and is very active in witnessing door to door. We had a good conversation, though he tended to refer to Bible verses without explaining how they related to his point. I could tell his beliefs were distinctly different from biblical Christianity, though they were hidden in Christian jargon. The problem was that he had different definitions for the same words, so although it all sounded biblical, it really wasn't. If I hadn't learned some things about the Jehovah's Witnesses ahead of time I wouldn't have known what to look for and what questions to ask. I can see how so many people can get caught up in this cult. I tried to make a few solid points in our 30 minute conversation. John agreed that when we commit a sin, such as lying or stealing, we do not just sin against other people but against God. He agreed that a just punishment would be eternal, because of God's infinite holiness and worth. Yet the punishment he spoke of at first was only temporary. Then I asked what God's justice would require were someone to take our punishment for us. If Jesus were merely a created being as John asserted to me, he would not have infinite worth and wouldn't be a worthy substitute for the punishment we deserve. We talked a while about the Christian belief that Jesus is part of the Trinity - having always existed with the Father and not just a created being like ourselves. I asked if he knew that the Jehovah's Witness translation of the Bible - The New World translation - has changed key passages that refer to Jesus' divinity. He seemed surprised by this and as we left said "I'll take what you said into consideration".