"All Suffering SOON TO END!"
Dec. 7th, 2009 08:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eumeliaI've obviously lived a very sheltered life.
There was a buzz at the door and my Mom went to answer. A minute or so later, she calls me and tells me to come see what she was given.
A pamphlet. The front cover of which is a pastoral picture of a field with a cabin, a moose, pumpkins, apples and a man and a woman of unknown non-white origin (they could be African, South East Asian, Aborigine... it's a tad inconclusive).
Emblozened on this pretty if somewhat saccharine scene are the words:
All Suffering
SOON TO END!
I turn it over, not bothering to open to read any of the content, and in a bright yellow box on the bottom of the page it says:
Inside are various unrelated quotes from from the Christian Bible (the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures edition) regarding the End.
I'm genuinely stoked! I've never seen a Jehovah's Witness pamphlet before. Most of the Jews for Jesus stuff that I've gotten over the years looked pretty haphazard and not really serious.
My Mom says that in South Africa she's get knocks on her door every week!
Proselyting is forbidden in the Jewish faith, it's all about strengthening the faith in those who are already Jewish!
But it never hurts to be available if you do want to convert I guess.
This is just special.
The two women who came to the door were Philippine, Israel has many a work immigrant from that part of the world.
Philippines work in care-taking - my great aunt and uncle have a woman who lives with them, she has a degree in computer science.
Thai people work in agriculture and the Chinese work in construction.
I'm sliding to a subject that has nothing to do with the entertainment value of getting a pamphlet of this kind.
I'm skimming through it and I can understand why so many seem to go to religion, any religion.
I'm not judging anyone's faith, I'm deeply critical of religious institutions, is what I'm going for - because I know I have some people of faith on my f-list and who may be lurking around.
Having all the answers, or at the very least know that someone or something has all the answers is incredibly comforting.
Judaism is a religion of question and debate and interpretation, but I've always understood that doubting the authority of the Torah, the other Books and the other scriptures: Talmud, Mishna, Etcetera.
I suppose being Jewish gives me that edge on the whole "special snow-flakeyness", being an Agnosto-Atheist I can't help but think it's all too ridiculous.
There was a buzz at the door and my Mom went to answer. A minute or so later, she calls me and tells me to come see what she was given.
A pamphlet. The front cover of which is a pastoral picture of a field with a cabin, a moose, pumpkins, apples and a man and a woman of unknown non-white origin (they could be African, South East Asian, Aborigine... it's a tad inconclusive).
Emblozened on this pretty if somewhat saccharine scene are the words:
All Suffering
SOON TO END!
I turn it over, not bothering to open to read any of the content, and in a bright yellow box on the bottom of the page it says:
Would you welcome more information?
Write Jehovah's Witnesses at the appropriate address below.
[Various addresses in various countries - Israel is not among them]
www.watchtower.org
Inside are various unrelated quotes from from the Christian Bible (the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures edition) regarding the End.
I'm genuinely stoked! I've never seen a Jehovah's Witness pamphlet before. Most of the Jews for Jesus stuff that I've gotten over the years looked pretty haphazard and not really serious.
My Mom says that in South Africa she's get knocks on her door every week!
Proselyting is forbidden in the Jewish faith, it's all about strengthening the faith in those who are already Jewish!
But it never hurts to be available if you do want to convert I guess.
This is just special.
The two women who came to the door were Philippine, Israel has many a work immigrant from that part of the world.
Philippines work in care-taking - my great aunt and uncle have a woman who lives with them, she has a degree in computer science.
Thai people work in agriculture and the Chinese work in construction.
I'm sliding to a subject that has nothing to do with the entertainment value of getting a pamphlet of this kind.
I'm skimming through it and I can understand why so many seem to go to religion, any religion.
I'm not judging anyone's faith, I'm deeply critical of religious institutions, is what I'm going for - because I know I have some people of faith on my f-list and who may be lurking around.
Having all the answers, or at the very least know that someone or something has all the answers is incredibly comforting.
Judaism is a religion of question and debate and interpretation, but I've always understood that doubting the authority of the Torah, the other Books and the other scriptures: Talmud, Mishna, Etcetera.
I suppose being Jewish gives me that edge on the whole "special snow-flakeyness", being an Agnosto-Atheist I can't help but think it's all too ridiculous.
