“Although I don’t agree with your stances on politics—refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, categorically rejecting military service or even ‘alternate’ service, and so on—I do respect the fact that you carry your beliefs out consistently. And I can’t help but admire the fact that your group strongly opposed the Hitler regime in Nazi Germany, at a time when many so-called ‘Christians’ supported or were at least neutral toward him.”
“We teach that some form of government is necessary for society to function, and we reject revolution and civil disobedience,” Walter said. “We believe in compliance with the regulations of government that do not conflict with Jehovah’s law. Therefore, we pay taxes to legitimate governments, obey traffic laws, and such; but we will not pledge our ‘allegiance’ to anyone or anything other than Jehovah God!”
“And I respect that position, even as I respect—without personally endorsing— the consistent pacifist stance of some Quakers, Amish, and Mennonites,” Jobran said, “Another thing I like about your group is that you are probably the most ‘multicultural’ religious group I’ve ever seen, in terms of ethnic diversity. Although just about every religion and church talks about being ‘open’ to all races and ethnic groups, in general for most churches—as Martin Luther King Jr. said—Sunday morning is still the most segregated hour of the week in most places.”
“Which proves that we are Jehovah’s true organization,” Lamonte said, with a look of triumph. “We manifest Jehovah’s love to all nations and races.”
“Actually, I think the Quakers beat you to it,” Jobran said, “Not to mention the Sikhs, and the Bahá’í.” Jobran looked at his watch and then stood up. Quickly, Walter and Lamonte also rose, grabbing their briefcases clumsily. In a conciliatory tone, as he walked over to the door, Jobran said, “You understand, I’m not saying that you’re not fine Christians, or that you’re bad people, or that you would make terrible co-workers and neighbors; on the contrary, when my wife and I lived in a tiny downstairs apartment for a few months, our original upstairs neighbors were very noisy, and we had arguments with them all about it of the time. But once they moved out, a woman moved in with her son—they turned out to be Jehovah’s Witnesses—and quite frankly, they were the nicest neighbors we ever had. They didn’t ‘preach’ or try and force their doctrines on the rest of us in the apartment complex. The disagreements that I have with you aren’t personal, they’re strictly theological.”
With a hopeful expression, Lamonte asked, “Would you like to attend one of our meetings, held at our local Kingdom Hall? It’s just about 20 blocks from here. We have a meeting that is open to the public on Sunday mornings. We also have a meeting where we review the current edition of the Watchtower, and another one where we read and review a current book provided by the Watch Tower Society, and…,” then he looked at Walter for a sign of approval, before adding, “Interested and sincere persons are allowed to attend these meetings—whereas some of our other meetings are only for members of the congregation, and are designed to equip us to carry on our door-to-door ministry and other responsibilities, as the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ of Jehovah mentioned in Matthew 24: 45 during these end times.”
Walter added, “Our organization is not headed by any man, but by Jesus Christ, and the biblically-commanded order of elders, overseers, and shepherds. Our congregation is filled with people who have followed the command in Second Corinthians 6:17 to ‘get out from among them, and separate yourselves’ from the worldly religions.”
“We’d be glad to pick you up on Sunday morning…?” Lamonte said, hopefully.
“Thanks, but I’m afraid not,” Jobran replied, seeing the disappointment on both of their faces.
“But why?” Lamonte asked, with genuine astonishment.
“Well, let’s just say it’s for pragmatic reasons,” Jobran said. “You’ve already told me that my ex-wife and I would no longer be married in the earthly paradise, right? Well, quite frankly, being reunited with her—as man and wife, not merely in a platonic sense—is my whole reason for living, now.” Jobran paused, then added, “Since you’ve indicated that the 144,000 are already selected, we would only be vying for spots in your earthly paradise. Now, if you’re correct, I’ll get a sort of ‘second chance’ as long as I’m not one of the really wicked people, right?” He waited for answer, then when none came, he continued, “But even at worst, if your doctrines are true, I would only be annihilated for all of eternity, so I don’t have to worry about the possibility of being tormented eternally in Hell for being wrong, correct? So in a sense, there is less urgency for me to follow your doctrines than to follow the doctrines of other Christian groups—who do believe in eternal torment, and that your condition of salvation or damnation is ‘fixed’ at the time of your death—wouldn’t you say?”
Walter said, urgently, “But remember that serving Jehovah in the proper manner while were are here, in this lifetime, is the best preparation for serving him during the 1,ooo-year Judgment Day period.”
Jobran opened the door, and said, “I’ll take my chances.” They shook hands all around. “Well anyway, thanks for the discussion; I learned some things about your organization,” Jobran added.
Walter handed Jobran a business card, and said, “Here is the address of our congregation’s Kingdom Hall. Please feel free to come by or call at any time, if you have any further questions, or want to discuss these matters again.”
“I will. You take care, now,” said Jobran, closing the door behind them. After a few moments, he peeked through the shade, seeing that they were indeed walking away.
After a few moments, he said aloud, “It’s amazing—they work harder to achieve an ‘earthly’ paradise, than most Christians do to achieve a ‘heavenly’ paradise!” and he shook his head, in astonishment.
“But if this ‘paradise’ will not reunite me with my wife, I think I’m just as glad that I won’t have it!”
11
THE ONE TRUE CHURCH
As usual for a weekday morning, Jobran was studying when he heard the doorbell ring. Laying down the book he was reading, he got up and opened the door, to find two cleancut young men in white short-sleeve shirts with black ties standing at his door.
The shorter one smiled, and said, “Good morning, sir. We’re sharing this brochure with people in the neighborhood, and we’d like to leave a copy with you.” He then handed a pamphlet to Jobran.
Jobran read the title: “Which Church Is Right?” Noting the distinctive style of dress of the two young men, as well as the fact that they are holding their bicycles next to them, with their helmets in the other hand, Jobran said, “You’re Mormon missionaries, I take it.”
The shorter one stood straight, and said proudly, “That’s correct, sir. We are elders in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I’m Elder Coe, and my companion is Elder Richards. If you have a few minutes, we’d like to share some of the truths expressed in that brochure with you.”
“I have a few minutes…if you don’t mind that I ask you some frank questions about your beliefs.”
“We’ll be glad to answer any questions you have about our Church or our beliefs, sir,” the Elder said, with an enthusiastic smile.
Jobran stood aside and invited the Elders in. “I’m Jobran Winter,” he said, and he shook hands with each of them.
Once inside, the two young men were apparently surprised at the overflowing bookshelves that lined every wall.
“Wow…I mean, you sure have a lot of books,” said Elder Richards (the taller missionary).
“You’re obviously a man who has read and studied a great deal. What are all these books about?” asked Elder Coe.
“Mostly comparative religions; particularly about the subject of life after death.”
Elder Richards was excited, and said, “So you’re interested in spiritual things?”
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��You might say that,” Jobran said dryly.
“Do you have a copy of the Bible?” asked Elder Coe.
Jobran nodded, then motioned Elder Coe over to a shelf, which was packed with Bibles of all sizes and shapes, and said, “I’ve got 25 different translations here: The KJV, the New King James Version, the Modern King James Version, the 21st Century King James Version, the American Standard and the Updated New American Standard Version, the Revised Standard and the New Revised Standard Version, the New American Bible, the New International Version and Today’s New International Version, the New English Bible and the Revised English Bible, the New English Translation, the English Standard Version, the Jerusalem Bible and the New Jerusalem Bible, the Contemporary English Version, the Douay-Rheims, the New American Standard Bible, the New Living Translation, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World Translation, the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible, the Third Millennium Bible, God’s Word, as well as paraphrases such as the Amplified Bible, the Good News Bible, the New Century Version, The Message, and the Living Bible. Then I have the New Testament of the International Standard Version, Oxford’s Inclusive Language Version, Today’s New International Version, Worldwide English, the Holman Christian Standard Bible, J.B. Phillips’, Goodspeed’s, and Schonfield. Then I also have two translations of the Tanakh.” When he saw their puzzled expressions, he added, “The Jewish Bible—what Christians call the Old Testament.” He thought for a moment, then added, “Oh; I also have your founder Joseph Smith’s translation of parts of the Bible—but it’s on a different shelf.”
Elder Coe was properly impressed, and asked, “Are you a Bible scholar, or a college professor?”
Jobran shook his head. “No, I’m just an independent researcher. My regular job is as a swing-shift data entry operator.”
“That must take a lot of your time,” said Elder Richards. “Studying, I mean; since it’s not your regular job.”
“It does,” says Jobran. “But the advantage of being an independent researcher is that no one can control what I choose to focus on. I don’t have any deadlines to meet, I don’t have any pressure to ‘publish or perish,’ I don’t have to read any technical journals unless I’m genuinely interested in them, and so on. If I want to suddenly devote a week-and-a-half to investigating some obscure references, I can, and no one can overrule me.”
Elder Richards asked, with genuine curiosity, “Do you really need all of these versions? I mean, are they all that different?”
“There are significant differences,” Jobran replied. “For one thing, some versions refuse to use the most up-to-date text of the Bible, preferring to use the ‘textus receptus’ that the original King James Version used. Then there is a very wide divergence in the reading level of the version; some versions such as the Contemporary English Version and New Century Version were designed for younger readers, for example. Some versions are more ‘literal’—such as the New American Standard Bible—and others such as the New King James Version are more ‘literary,’ and may be used for liturgical or ‘worship’ purposes. But apart from all this, when there is a particular passage that is confusing or problematic— Romans 1:26-27, First Corinthians 15:29 and 51-52, Philippians 1:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, Hebrews 12:23, 2 Peter 2:4, 2 John 7, Jude 9, Revelation 13:18, and lots of others—it’s extremely interesting to see how differently it is translated by different people.”
“In all of your study of the Bible, have you ever come across any of the writings about Jesus and the early Church that were not included in the New Testament?” asked Elder Coe.
Jobran indicated the next shelf over, “Sure; here’s an edition of the Apocryphal New Testament, and The Lost Books of the Bible, the Nag Hammadi Library, and some smaller collections.” He handed one volume to Elder Coe.
Elder Coe leafed through it with interest, then handed it back, saying, “That looks very interesting; I’m always interested in reading the words of the Saviour that aren’t found in the New Testament. I’ve heard and read bits and pieces of them before, but I’ve never seen a whole collection.”
Jobran replaced the book on the shelf, and said, “Well, you have to take some of those writings with a grain of salt. There are some pretty fanciful stories about the early life of Jesus, where he brought clay pigeons to life, struck some youthful companions dead, and so on.”
Elder Richards asked, “Since we’re speaking about the words of Jesus that aren’t found in the New Testament, I’m curious: in all of your study, have you ever come across the Book of Mormon?”
“Yes,” said Jobran, searching the shelves, until he found it. “I’ve read it twice, in two different translations,” handing a paperback version to Elder Richards, who looked puzzled, and handed it to Elder Coe, who opened the cover, and examined it closely. Suddenly, he stopped and said, “Oh—this is published by the Reorganized Church, the one in Missouri.” He held it somewhat distastefully in his hand, and said, “This isn’t a reliable edition, I’m sorry to say, and it isn’t sanctioned or approved by our Church.”
Then Jobran handed a blue hardcover edition of the Book of Mormon to Elder Coe, who handled it with satisfaction, and said, “This is one of our editions; this version is completely reliable, and is published by the Church. Did you read this version?”
“Yes, after someone left it in my mailbox a few months ago.”
“Did you pray when you read it?” asked Elder Richards, “To ask God to reveal to you the truth of this book, as it says in James 1:5?”
Jobran looked puzzled. “Well, no, I didn’t ask God to ‘prove that the book is true, by the power of the Holy Ghost,’ or whatever it was that it said to do in the preface to the book.”
“But it’s crucial that you pray before reading,” Elder Richards said. Turning in his own copy of the Scriptures, he said, “In Moroni 10:4, it says, ‘I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.’”
Jobran stood up, and returned with a book from a nearby shelf, which he handed to Elder Richards. “That’s a copy of the Qur’an, the holy book for one billion Muslims. Have you ever read it?” Elder Richards shook his head. Jobran went on, “Are you willing to pray to God to ask Him to show you whether it is true, and then read it prayerfully?”
Elder Richards looked confused, and began flipping through the pages of the Qur’an and said, “Well, I don’t know…”
Elder Coe snatched the copy of the Qur’an from his hands, and returned it to Jobran, saying, “No: we would not pray to God about that book. That book is not Christian.”
“How about the Divine Principle of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church? That book professes to be Christian,” Jobran asked. Elder Coe shook his head, looking irritated. Jobran motioned around to all the books on the surrounding shelves. “Elders, I’ve read a lot of books that many, many people consider ‘inspired by God,’ and ‘infallibly true.’ And I guarantee that I read them all with an open mind and heart—because if they are true, then I absolutely and unreservedly do want to know it, so that I can follow their teachings. But I approach the Book of Mormon with the same attitude than I approach the Qur’an, the Bhagavad-Gita, or the Dhammapada.”
The elders were silent, looking at each other. (Apparently, they had never encountered this response before.)
“Well, then, what was your impression after reading the Book of Mormon? What did you think of it?” asked Elder Coe.
Jobran thought a while before answering, “Let me see: the book is supposed to be an abridgment or condensation of the original golden plates, right?” Both elders nodded. Jobran continued, “Well quite frankly, if I were editing the book, I think I would have focused a little more on spiritual and doctrinal matters,
and less on reporting the details of the wars between the various peoples.” He thought some more, and said, “If you’re abridging a work, you should be trying to eliminate unnecessary material, right? I think, then, that I would also have saved space for more important material by eliminating all the frequent occurrences of the phrase, ‘And it came to pass,’ since it doesn’t really add anything to the narrative. What’s the difference between saying, ‘Elder Coe went to the store,’ and saying, ‘And it came to pass that Elder Coe went to the store’?”
“The Bible uses the phrase, ‘And it came to pass’ frequently, also,” said Elder Coe.
“Sure,” Jobran said, “But the Bible isn’t claiming to be an abridgment. To me, it seemed to me like using the phrase was just a way of giving a ‘biblical’ tone to the work.” Jobran then offered, “Suppose that I agree to read the Book of Mormon again, and agree to pray before reading in the manner you suggest: If it turns out that I am not convinced by the Holy Ghost that it is true after reading it, would you then admit that your faith is false, and renounce your Church?”
Elder Coe said indignantly, “Well, no; of course not.”
“Then how can this be a fair ‘test’ of your religion?” Jobran asked.
Elder Richards burst in, “We bear you our testimony that our Church is the one True Church on the face of the Earth.”
Jobran ran his hand through his hair, and said, “Let’s cut to the chase here. My focus on religion began when my wife died about a year ago. My particular interest is in what your Church has to say about the possibility of my wife and I being reunited after death.”
Elder Richards looked delighted, and said, “Sir, I know that the truths we have to share will be a blessing to you, in your situation.”
Beyond Heaven and Earth Page 30