It takes faith to respect other faiths

When the doorbell rang, I have often felt like I should not have opened that door. Especially when Jehovah’s Witnesses are behind the door, giving me that fake grin. After all, I did not feel like chatting at this very moment and how in the world can you discuss with individuals that are convinced to hold the one and only truth? Lest they did not specify it, I would not have known that there was only one religion and that all the other ones were wrong. Now wait a minute! Do not tell me that there are other religions on Earth believing that the other ones are mistaken and must be wiped out…

Soul mood

If faith was based upon the attitude of some so-called Christians, their belief would look like a puff of steam meant to disappear into thin air. Some bigots and diehards show neither compassion nor humanity. Their judgement is harsh, ruthless and worth of all, deceitful.

Does God acknowledge paternity of those lost children? Who would be in position to judge anyway? And what is this religious jumble favoring proper attire and tradition at the expense of kindness and tolerance? What binds us is precisely our humanity, our sensitivity and our ability to empathize.

If religion takes us away from our fellow being, it alienates us, and religion is therefore not what it claims to be, namely a relationship between man and deity. Which should be translated by “pure love”. Religion brings us together, as indicated by its Latin etymology “religare” (“to link”). As a consequence, those that divide us, those who ostracize us because of our facade, our culture or our philosophical orientation do not practice religion.

Faith is no garment that we take off and swap depending on circumstances. Faith is unveiling our soul. It is where we find the best of ourselves or the worst … Our merit is reflected in our ability to spread love, as transit passengers on Earth.

Knock, knock, knockin’ on Armageddon’s door

I am tolerant. I mean TOLERANT (please mind the capital letters but I am on edge). And at the same time, I just cannot stand intolerance. Nor when some holier-than-thou brigade comes ringing at my door to spew tailor-made thoughts. How do Jehovah’s Witnesses think people will react when they say that truth is: “sorry but everybody is wrong, except us”. So I have been wondering why Jehovah’s Witnesses keep on knocking on doors when they know most people will chase them away. Is it a matter of masochism? Is it because they actually believe that they will cast away demons in this hostile environment called Earth? Is it out of proselytism? Likely.

Looking into the vacant eyes of the ladies to whom I just opened, I have seen none of those possibilities. “Oh yeah? Are you sure that it’s the Bible you’ve read? We’re not talking about a missal or the Koran. We’re talking about the one and only Bible.” OK. They are just trying to irritate me, I imagined. She stepped inside my house, preventing me from closing the door and reeled off her sermon. “Let me explain to you. There’s a highway code and some people are breaking the law, driving over speed limit. Do you understand?” I suppose she was hinting at the fact that I must have been some kind of religious outlaw, according to her rules. Was it really necessary to treat me as a moron?

Amazingly, it seems as though Jehovah’s Witnesses are looking for rejection and they know exactly when you are bound to fly off the handle.

So my question is: why would someone want to be scorned? I gave a thought about this and came to the conclusion that rejection strengthens the sense of cohesion of a group of people. It will actually boost their faith. At the end of several hours spent pushing door bells and being turned down, laughed at, despised, how would a normal human being feel? And I consider Jehovah’s Witnesses as normal human beings Of course, anyone would feel depressed, filled with anger, overwhelmed with hate.

We are not punching balls, we have feelings too and so do Jehovah’s Witnesses. But then they realize that dozens of disciples are feeling likewise and the feeling of belonging to a special community suddenly makes them feel better. It makes them feel like they stand among the chosen few. Being bullied by the outside world, convinces the adepts that they are holding a sacred truth since members have always been told by the Governing Body and elders that they will be persecuted.

“Don’t call us a cult, we are members of a religion”, she hissed. “Cults have gurus and we don’t. Besides, we are free.” So am I, I thought, so why did you block my door? Why did I ever bother chatting with them? How can anyone talk about a loving God, be so intolerant and inconsiderate? People who claim to hold the absolute truth are absolutely deceiving no one but themselves. Maybe they should talk to people from different religions who believe likewise. Maybe they would understand how sterile and futile their faith is. Maybe not. Who knows? They might trigger Armageddon.