DIALOGUE #12

(It has been a few months since Jeffrey and Wilkes came to Chad's house. During that time Jeffrey has been doing little independent study. Chad hears a knock at the and is surprised to see Jeffrey.)

Chad: Hi Jeffrey, long time no see. How have you been?

Jeff: Not bad . Have you got a minute? I need to talk to you.

Chad: Sure. Come on in. Can I get you something to drink?

Jeff: Yes, that would be very nice.

Chad: (Hands Jeff a glass of iced tea) There you go. Now what's the problem?

Jeff: Do you remember the last time I was here?

Chad: Yes. You were trying to share the Watchtower Magazine with me. I thought I made it pretty clear that I wasn't interested.

Jeff: You did. That's not what I'm here for.

Chad: Okay, what is it? The suspense is killing me.

Jeff: Well after I left here, I thought a lot about what you said. A few weeks later I went out and picked up some books that were written by Catholic authors. I mean it just stands to reason that non-Catholic authors probably are influenced by their own personal bias.

Chad: Okay, you read some Catholic literature. What did you think? Who were the authors?

Jeff: Quite frankly I was impressed. I read some by Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, and St. Louis de Monforts "True Devotion to Mary". I don't remember any of this material from the CCD class I took as a kid.

Chad: Well of course you didn't cover any of those authors in a CCD class. CCD is geared to a child's mentality and those men wrote on an adult level. Catholicism is a very deep subject that can only be fully understood in adult terms. In CCD, we concentrate on teaching the basics and setting a good foundation for further study.

Jeff: I see. Anyway, those authors were great, so I read some books by modern writers like F.J. Sheed, Karl Keating, and Scott Hahn.

Chad: Okay.

Jeff: Then I ran across a book that was written by two men who did not start out as Catholics. It was called "A Crisis of Conscience". The men who wrote it studied and interpreted scripture for the Jehovah Witnesses. The problem was that the more they studied, the more convinced they became that we are supposed to eat and drink the body and blood of Christ. They became so convinced that they secretly started baking bread and receiving "communion". When the elders at the Kingdom Hall found out, they kicked these men out and censored their book. No Jehovah Witness is aloud to read it.

Chad: So now you think the Witnesses try to control people's mind, right?

Jeff: Yes. I can see that now and I can also see how I was so easily confused by them.

Chad: Was. Past tense?

Jeff: Yes. I have left the Witnesses and that's the problem.

Chad: Problem? That sounds more like a solution.

Jeff: Well it is, but the problem is that they won't leave me alone. They keep coming to my house and calling me. They just won't let go.

Chad: I see.

Jeff: What I need now is to find a way to break away from them for good. I also need someone to help me clear my mind of some of the mis-information that they fed me. I need help.

Chad: Okay. What do you want me to do?

Jeff: I don't know . I just want the truth and I don't know how to start looking for it.

Chad: Now I understand. You want to get your life back on track.

Jeff: Right.

Chad: You need to learn the truth from a source that has the authority to teach.

Jeff: Yes.

Chad: Jeffrey, you have to come back to the Church. I think the Holy Spirit that you received in Confirmation is calling you to come home.

Jeff: I do too. That's why I came here. Now what do I do?

Chad: The first thing you need to do is make an appointment with our parish priest. He will council you and answer any questions you have. He will also help you to make a good confession so you can receive Communion. Do you want me to call him for you?

Jeff: Yes. I think I do, but I'm still a little confused by some of the things I learned as a Witness.

Chad: Like what?

Jeff: Well the first thing is that Jesus is not God. He is God's first creation. Prior to His coming to earth, He was Michael the arc Angel. He only became Christ after He was baptized by John...

Chad: Let me tell you something Jeff. The man who started the Jehovah Witnesses was a clothier by trade who declared himself to be God's prophet. What he taught was not original or inspired. In about the year 300 A.D. a man named Arius was the first to claim that Jesus was not God. He said that God elevated Jesus to the rank of a god. This heresy was called Arianism. The council of Nicea settled this issue. They pointed out that John 16:15 quotes Jesus as saying, "I and the Father are one." In Corinthians, Jesus is referred to as, "the power and wisdom of God." One John 5:20 calls Him, "true God and eternal life." So you see, Charles Russell should have named his church the Arian Witnesses because that would be more appropriate.

Jeff: Chad, I believe you, but those passages are not the same in the Bible that they gave me.

Chad: That's because they re-wrote it. The original version did not agree with their position so they changed it. They got a man named Johannes Gerber to translate it.

Jeff: Johannes Gerber?

Chad: Yes. He was a spiritualist who dabbled in the occult. His wife was a self professed spirit medium and they wrote their version of the Bible with the help of a "spirit guide".

Jeff: You're kidding.

Chad: The funniest thing is that in 1956 the Watchtower magazine denounced Gerber, but they still use his Bible.

Jeff: That's amazing. They also told me that Jesus was not put to death on a cross. He was nailed to a pole. They say that the cross is not really a cross but rather the first initial of a Pope named Titus.

Chad: That's really hilarious Jeff. I wonder how our mainline Protestant friends would feel if they knew that the crosses they wear are really in honor of Pope Titus. That's really too ridiculous.

Jeff: Okay Chad. I have one more question. What about the blood? They say the Bible forbids blood transfusions. They even showed me a few passages.

Chad: Look them up again Jeff. Those passages refer to animal sacrifices. God did not want them to drink the blood of the animals they sacrificed.

Jeff: Come to think of it, you're right. Those passages do refer to animal blood.

Chad: Of course they do. If not, then Jesus would not have commanded us to eat His body and drink His blood in the original version of the Gospel of John.

Jeff: That's all I needed to hear. I'm ready for you to call the priest.

Chad: (Makes the call) He can see you this afternoon at 2 P.M. He will hear your confession and this Sunday you can receive Communion and be back in the Church officially.

Jeff: That sounds great.

Chad: Right, but I'd go a little further than that if I were you.

Jeff: What do you mean?

Chad: Well if I were you, I would sign up for an adult education program, the RCIA, or even one of our Bible study classes that meet during the week. The more you learn on an adult level the better off you will be. Let me give you one more example. Have you ever studied Mathematics?

Jeff: Yes. Why?

Chad: Well, the Trinity (three persons, one God) is impossible to describe in human terms, but the best explanation I've ever heard used a math equation. You see, 3 times 1 does not equal the Trinity. The relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit can best be summed up as one to the third power which equals one.

Jeff: One to the third power. Wow!

Chad: Do you think you could have understood that when you were 7 years old and preparing for first Holy Communion?

Jeff: You're right Chad. I'm really looking forward to those classes. I have a lot to learn.

Chad: Great. See you Sunday?

Jeff: You sure will. Take it easy Chad.

Chad: See you later Jeff. God bless you.

Jeff: Thanks. He already has.