Interview essay on personal experiences and perspectives

Knock, Knock....Who's There.... "

An Interview with a Jehovah's Witnesses Member

Saturdays seem to be incomplete without the routinary fixture that people see during weekends -- the sight of people knocking on each of the neighborhood's houses, and smiling at the people, asking them if they have time to spare to hear the 'good news' of Jehovah, the creator. Of course, people who do not have any idea will wonder and be uncomfortable with these people, who seem to be always smiling, undaunted by the hostility that they receive from people who do not want to be bothered on Saturday mornings. What motivates these people to go on and continue knocking on other people's doors, smiling, and willing to share the good news of God through the Holy Bible? In an attempt to provide an answer to this question, and in order to provide people with sufficient information about the religious group Jehovah's Witnesses, the researcher interviewed Camille, a member of the religious organization, and is also a neighbor of the researcher's (for easier accessibility).

The interview took place at Camille's house, which was tastefully furnished. Camille herself was fashionably dressed, and her physical appearance does not give people an idea about her background as a Jehovah's Witnesses members. In fact, her personality does not reflect Camille's personality during Saturdays, wherein she patiently knocks on people's doors in order to express her belief, and let the people know about the good plans God has made for humankind.

The first, and probably the most popular and anticipated question that was given t her was the objective behind the members' activity of knocking on people's doors every Saturday morning to spread the good news of the Lord. Camille answered this question readily, since she already anticipated this popular inquiry. In answering the question, Camille cites a passage from the Holy Bible, quoting that in Matthew 24, that they, as members of the Jehovah's Witnesses, should "make disciples of all nations," and that knocking on people's doors is "an effective tool to get the good news out." In reaction to Camille's statement that the Jehovah's Witnesses members aim to spread and inform people of the good news of God, the interviewer specifically asked what exactly is the 'good news' that their organization is talking about. For the Jehovah's Witnesses, Camille says, the idea of the term 'good news' means the teachings of the Holy Bible. It is evident that the teachings of the word of God as documented in the Holy Bible is the primary source of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Bible that they carry every Saturday in their 'expeditions' to various houses in the neighborhood, as well as the fliers and leaflets that they distribute to people (willing or unwilling recipients of these information), are the primary sources that they use in explaining to the people the objectives of the religious organization they belong to.

Of course, what many people think about the Jehovah's Witnesses when they approach them is that they will try to convert people to their religion, which explains why people are averse and sometimes hostile to them, despite their friendly behavior towards people. In counter to this popular (and untrue) notion, Camille clarifies that the organization's primary aim is not to convert people to their religious organization; rather, what the Jehovah's Witnesses wants is for people to realize that they should "open their minds to actually read the Bible." Camille cites various cases in which she had encountered people who belong to religious organizations, and have their own religious beliefs, but do not read the Bible at all, in order to understand better and know what God's plans are to humankind. For the Jehovah's Witnesses, knowing what God had planned for His people is essential, because it provides people with a sense of purpose. Thus, if people are averse and hostile towards them, the Jehovah's Witnesses people will continue their work, and persist in making the people realize about the things they seem to have forgotten to do in their lives. For them, as long as there are people who are not acquainted and do not anything about the Bible an all, they will be there to support and help these people on their way to knowing God more deeply, leading to their salvation.

Asked if what her personal motivation was in continuing this missionary work to God, Camille answers that she continues her work as a Jehovah's Witnesses member because she is "privileged to have personal relationship with the Creator Jehovah," and this feeling is exactly what she wants to impart and share with other people. This feeling involves the knowing what one's beliefs are, and knowing that her behavior and actions should correspond to and is parallel to his or her beliefs. Camille's physical appearance may be deceiving in that she does not represent someone's stereotype of an individual who is deeply held in her belief in God and confidence in her organization, the Jehovah's Witnesses. Further, her friendly personality inside and outside her home reflects her sincerity about the work and mission she had set out to do, which is to spread the good news of God.