Help!

[Valerie]

I received an email from a Jehoveh Witness. He apparently saw an old post of mine somewhere (I'm thinking maybe MAP- he can't remember) but in my post, I had offered to scan an article to a woman on the Anabaptist position of Divorce, & Divorce & Remarriage (I have a lengthy article from Heartbeat of the Remnant that Charity had published which seemed like a good and detailed representation of Anabaptist belief about this).

This man is from the Chillicothe OH area and said there are Amish & Mennonites in his area and he seemed very interested in their 'similarities' with JW's., which obviously there are a couple things but also major differences.

The last email from him really got my attention- as he had shared they are studying the Bible together:
I had replied to him:
>Okay, you are not that far from Medina OH either- where we are- I am surprised they study the Bible together with those outside of their own faith- that is unusual-

His reply to mine:
They're becoming Jehovah's Witnesses (most of them at least). Most
wouldn't even study with us unless they had their previously
unanswered Bible questions answered to their satisfaction. We don't
have answers like "it's a mystery" like most churches say about the
Trinity. Once they got to the point where they felt they were getting
real answers they at some point decided on having a Bible study with
us. I think by that point at least some of them have already committed
mentally to becoming one of us, but I'm not involved in that work. I
was involved in a general way a couple of decades ago but didn't get
to the point where I had a Bible study with any of them. That has
changed in the last decade. I'm not sure if there was something that
happened in their community that led to an increased interest among
them but something changed.

There may be some doing so in secret with the intent to just satisfy
their curiosity but I think that would be difficult to do in most of
their communities.

We have some in the Bainbridge, OH congregation learning their version
of German so that they can communicate with them better. Of course, at
some point those people get excommunicated but by that time, they've
already decided that they want to become one of us.

I think they see that we're staying separate from the world in a
practical way but not letting it influence us spiritually. We don't
make close friends with people outside our group but we work with them
and are friendly with them. We just don't pal around with them outside
of work for the most part. We don't look down at them condescendingly
as they are all like moldable clay in God's eyes and worthy of our
time.

If you find that article on their position on divorce and marriage I
woudl like to read it.

Just in case you weren't aware of it (you probably are), we have a web
site now: jw.org.

We also have a handy app for Android or the iPhone called JW Library.
That has several free Bibles available, including King James, American
Standard, Byington, and a few others. Very easy to use those Bibles,
too. You can get to a scripture in a few seconds.

Donald

The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who
speak it. --Selwyn Duke

I don't know how you all would feel about this- from where I come from, JW's are considered a cult with heresy & false doctrine- my guess is, because I know what he is saying about 'they are not getting answers to their questions' happens in Amish communities when the youth start asking questions of their practices and are not given answers to their satisfactions- in come the JW's! so they have an 'in' to them-

I'm praying about this on how to respond to him now- I can stall some as he wants this article- part of me is very upset as I do not appreciate the spread of their heresy-and how they are infiltrating your churches in that area and their sites set on other Anabaptist communities-

Any suggestions? I asked him if he knew about David Bercot- he said he never heard of him.

[Neto]

I recently had a visit (knocked on my shop door) by two ladies from this group. (They were careful not to identify themselves, and didn't have any identifying literature with them that I saw. The one who spoke, at least, was not carrying one of their distorted 'Bibles' - she had a KJV - PA German diglot (parallel) version. (Unless they have printed their own copies, with their own version alongside the PA German.) The first question she asked me when I came to the door was if I spoke Pennsylvania Dutch. Some of my wife's relatives (Amish) have also talked about a woman who is learning PA German.

I talked with them (outside) for half an hour or so, and didn't make any confrontation, but did make sure I referred to Jesus as "Lord and God". It seemed to me that actually, after I said that I did not speak 'Dutch', they seemed to be just trying to leave sooner rather than later, but not be rude about it. (So I kind of held them up.) I remember now - they didn't ask me if I spoke Pennsylvania Dutch, they asked me if I was 'Dutch', because actually I am, but not 'Dutch' like they meant. I said that am 'real Dutch'. They are very much concentrating on people from Amish background, or else wanting to show off their knowledge of PA German. They had, after all, come to an apartment right in Berlin, not out in the country where you would typically find Amish people living. (There is, however, an Amish lady living in the house next door, and an Amish man who lives just down the hill, also right in Berlin.)

[Valerie]

I recently had a visit (knocked on my shop door) by two ladies from this group. (They were careful not to identify themselves, and didn't have any identifying literature with them that I saw. The one who spoke, at least, was not carrying one of their distorted 'Bibles' - she had a KJV - PA German diglot (parallel) version. (Unless they have printed their own copies, with their own version alongside the PA German.) The first question she asked me when I came to the door was if I spoke Pennsylvania Dutch. Some of my wife's relatives (Amish) have also talked about a woman who is learning PA German.

I talked with them (outside) for half an hour or so, and didn't make any confrontation, but did make sure I referred to Jesus as "Lord and God". It seemed to me that actually, after I said that I did not speak 'Dutch', they seemed to be just trying to leave sooner rather than later, but not be rude about it. (So I kind of held them up.) I remember now - they didn't ask me if I spoke Pennsylvania Dutch, they asked me if I was 'Dutch', because actually I am, but not 'Dutch' like they meant. I said that am 'real Dutch'. They are very much concentrating on people from Amish background, or else wanting to show off their knowledge of PA German. They had, after all, come to an apartment right in Berlin, not out in the country where you would typically find Amish people living. (There is, however, an Amish lady living in the house next door, and an Amish man who lives just down the hill, also right in Berlin.)

Well I brought it to the attention here as it appears the Amish in particular are being 'targeted'. I think they see an easy in. They I'm sure would have a much more difficult time with Mennonites- and hopefully they will be met with people like yourself. JW's are very dilligent to hit the pavement to convert. Amish youth who are 'seeking' outside their own faith as they have questions really can be easy prey - especially by someone using a Bible with them.

It is something at the very least should be in prayer!

[Ernie]

Bercot says that the two most gullible groups of people he knows of are conservative Christians, and hippies.

I suppose a ministry to Amish could be started that would teach them about JW's before the JW's get there.

[Valerie]

Bercot says that the two most gullible groups of people he knows of are conservative Christians, and hippies.

I suppose a ministry to Amish could be started that would teach them about JW's before the JW's get there.

It is because the Amish do not know how to answer their youth's questions with substantial Biblical truth- it is supposed to be sufficient for them to hear "Because that is the way we have always done it"-
That is not good enough for them.

My sheep know my voice says Jesus- however- if one does not have the Holy Spirit indwelling many voices can deceptively used to draw them to heresy and false doctrine, and I wonder what Bercot would suggest- this apparently is a 'mission' of the JW's- they hit the pavement daily.

[MaxPC]

Valerie, I wouldn't answer Donald. I would take the advice offered here to those in a position to help educate the Amish about cults who try to convert their youth and to help them create an approach to educate their youth about these cults and their dangers. Good for you that you're letting folks know about these dangers.

[Josh]

The JWs are targeting Amish rather systematically in both Lancaster Co. and Holmes Co.

I’m not sure why anyone is surprised - MAP has been doing this to try to convert them to Baptists for years.

Valerie, I would refer that person you talked to David Bercot.

[Josh]

Bercot says that the two most gullible groups of people he knows of are conservative Christians, and hippies.

I suppose a ministry to Amish could be started that would teach them about JW's before the JW's get there.

It is because the Amish do not know how to answer their youth's questions with substantial Biblical truth- it is supposed to be sufficient for them to hear "Because that is the way we have always done it"-
That is not good enough for them.

My sheep know my voice says Jesus- however- if one does not have the Holy Spirit indwelling many voices can deceptively used to draw them to heresy and false doctrine, and I wonder what Bercot would suggest- this apparently is a 'mission' of the JW's- they hit the pavement daily.

I don’t think it’s fair at all to say the Amish don’t have the Holy Spirit. Many non-Amish people succumb to a cult like the JWs too.

[Wayne in Maine]

The JWs are targeting Amish rather systematically in both Lancaster Co. and Holmes Co.

I’m not sure why anyone is surprised - MAP has been doing this to try to convert them to Baptists for years.

Valerie, I would refer that person you talked to David Bercot.

You beat me to it Josh, I was thinking of MAP when I read this thread.

[Josh]

I recently had a visit (knocked on my shop door) by two ladies from this group. (They were careful not to identify themselves, and didn't have any identifying literature with them that I saw. The one who spoke, at least, was not carrying one of their distorted 'Bibles' - she had a KJV - PA German diglot (parallel) version. (Unless they have printed their own copies, with their own version alongside the PA German.) The first question she asked me when I came to the door was if I spoke Pennsylvania Dutch. Some of my wife's relatives (Amish) have also talked about a woman who is learning PA German.

I talked with them (outside) for half an hour or so, and didn't make any confrontation, but did make sure I referred to Jesus as "Lord and God". It seemed to me that actually, after I said that I did not speak 'Dutch', they seemed to be just trying to leave sooner rather than later, but not be rude about it. (So I kind of held them up.) I remember now - they didn't ask me if I spoke Pennsylvania Dutch, they asked me if I was 'Dutch', because actually I am, but not 'Dutch' like they meant. I said that am 'real Dutch'. They are very much concentrating on people from Amish background, or else wanting to show off their knowledge of PA German. They had, after all, come to an apartment right in Berlin, not out in the country where you would typically find Amish people living. (There is, however, an Amish lady living in the house next door, and an Amish man who lives just down the hill, also right in Berlin.)

It would be interesting if the main effect of Wycliffe’s PA Dutch translation was not to convert Amish to evangelicalism, but to JW.