St. John Chrysostom said that it is easy for a person to be saved with the help of the Scriptures, without it it is impossible to be saved. Thus, the Scriptures are given to us primarily as a guide to salvation. Salvation, from the point of view of classical Christianity, is such a therapeutic influence of the Spirit of God on a person, which transforms his spirit, soul and body (1 Thess. 5:23). In the parable of the merciful Samaritan, the Lord appears in the form of a Samaritan, who saves a person from the violence of robbers (fallen spirits), brings him to an inn (the Church) so that a person can be healed of wounds (sins). Thanks to salvation, a person can live forever with God, in harmony with himself and with other people. Thus, Christianity understands salvation, first of all, as the healing of the soul by true knowledge.

If salvation is healing, then a preacher with a Bible in his hand is essentially a spiritual doctor. Imagine that two people in white coats appear on the threshold of your house: "Hello, we are going to treat you now!" I think that any normal person in this situation, if he does not throw uninvited guests out of the door, will ask about education, medical experience, references from previous jobs, etc. Caution in this situation is natural, but this caution concerns our mortal body. What caution, then, should we have in choosing "doctors" for our immortal soul?

Well good! And Jehovah's Witnesses will show you the Bible and tell you that it is a document that allows them to preach. And then they'll invite you to study the Holy Scriptures with them... Usually they do just that. Let's go back to the example of two wandering doctors. Imagine that you ask your preachers for a document about their medical education, and they put the "Medical Encyclopedia" on your table, quote the Hippocratic oath and offer you to do an enema for free...

Tell me, if this really happened in your house, who would you call faster, the police or the team of psychiatrists on duty? Yes. Do you know why a huge number of our compatriots in this situation agree to a "enema" of the brain. Because it seems to them as an absolutely FREE PROCEDURE. And, despite the fact that we all know that free cheese is only in a mousetrap, but we really want to believe in some exceptional miracle. And there is no miracle. Jehovah's Witnesses have a rather primitive understanding of the spiritual life. In principle, they evaluate spirituality by the number of classes conducted by an adept in order to attract new members to the Organization. If a person does not drink, smoke, swear, fornicate, lie or steal, then by accepting the beliefs of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, this person can count on the authority of teaching. If a person spreads the teachings of an organization, then the elders of the organization will turn a blind eye to some of the person's passions. And passions such as vanity and pride are even more often than not put at the service of the Organization. By my count, only one in ten Jehovah's Witnesses can say that there is no one in their family to convert. They say that the husband and children, parents and relatives of the husband - all live a real Christian life, which means that now you can go to preach to everyone else. There would be logic in this. But if you talk to your interlocutors heart-to-heart, you will find out that they most likely have a lot of problems at home. The husband drinks, the son sits at the computer all day long, the daughter lives in one "trial" marriage, then in another. This is where there is a place for a genuine Christian feat, but it is much easier to spit on "these atheists" and go to preach where no one knows what an envious, quarrelsome and duplicitous toad you really are! What changes in the life of this simple woman who became a "publisher" in the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses? Nothing in life, but almost everything in self-perception! In her house, for her husband in sweatpants with sagging knees, she is "Lyudka", "Irka" or even "Hey-you"! But in your house, she is, in a sense, a "prophet" or even an "apostle". There are many people who are ready to give up a lot of money in order to feel like an astronaut, a special forces soldier, a star of TV screens. Jehovah's Witnesses allow people to experience the most attractive journey into the world of early Christianity and to fulfill the most interesting "role" of this journey, that of an apostle or prophet. Perhaps every religion offers something similar. The peculiarity of Jehovah's Witnesses is that they do it in the cheapest, I would even say impudent, way. Tell me, why did Seraphim of Sarov pray on a stone for a thousand days and nights, when it is possible to please God and receive from Him teaching powers in a comfortable hall of kingdoms among men fragrant with triple cologne and women painted like a Christmas tree? Jehovah's Witnesses are alien to the rigorism of repentance, they are not interested in the struggle with passions and the battle against the spirits of wickedness in high places. In order to realize themselves as missionaries and apostles, they need two things:

* An organization that answers all questions and has authority to act on behalf of Jehovah God,

* Ears that are ready to receive with delight everything that the new preachers put into them.

So, these ears are yours! If you listen respectfully to everything the Witnesses tell you, then on the one hand you help these people to quickly forget about their hated "sweatpants with saggy knees", and on the other hand, you also risk "cheaply and angrily" escaping from your real problems into the almost fairytale world of a virtual mission.

If you don't like that, ask the preachers who show up on your doorstep for their theological training, which qualifies them to discuss the Bible with you.1 However, there may be exceptions here. Maybe a Jehovah's Witness will raise the dead, or walk on water, or do some of the things that are written in Mark. 16:17-18. Then a diploma is not needed. If there is neither a diploma nor miracles, then feel free to escort your newly-minted enlighteners out the door!!