You reply that Mr. Moon is a false Messiah. You show the householder from the Scriptures that Jesus is the only true Messiah, and that Jesus said that there would be others who would claim to be the Messiah, but that they were all false. The householder respects the Scriptures and seriously considers what you are showing him. You ask him the question that he asked you: Is Sun Myung Moon a true Messiah, or a false one? The householder hesitates. You can see that he is having some difficulty deciding how to answer. He wants to believe the Scripture when it says that Jesus is the only true Messiah, but he has trouble believing that Sun Myung Moon – with all his goodness – is a false Messiah. He suddenly remembers something he read in the newspaper and he says that Sun Myung Moon is the “glorious Messiah!” You are surprised by this, but you gently point out that “glorious” was not one of the categories; that you were asking about whether Moon was the true Messiah, or just a false one. The householder just kinda smiles and repeats that Sun Myung Moon is the glorious Messiah.

After a few more minutes the conversation ends. You leave to continue down the street. As you go, you think about the odd fact that when faced with an unpleasant choice, some people would rather rationalize things away than discover the truth. You comment to yourself how amazed you are that some people can be so deceived. You hope that one day the nice householder figures it out.

Later in the day another of your knocks is answered, this time by an elderly Latino woman. You explain why you are in the neighborhood and you offer her a magazine. The woman, who turns out to be quite pleasant, accepts your magazine and then asks your opinion on something she had previously heard about the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She asks you to turn in your Bible to John 1:1. You open your New World Translation and read: “In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” The nice householder asks you if you think that the Word is a true god or a false god.

Both you and the pleasant householder are aware that the Bible teaches that there is only one true God (the Father, John 17:3), and that all other “gods” are false. You respect the Scriptures and take what they say seriously. However, you know that the Word (Jesus) is not the Father and therefore cannot be the one true God. On the other hand, you are very reluctant to say that Jesus is a false god. So, you hesitate. You are having some difficulty deciding how to answer. You want to believe the Scripture when it says that the Father is the only true God, but you have trouble believing that Jesus – with all his goodness – is a false god. Also, saying that both the Father and the Son are the one true God smacks of Trinitarian thinking, which you know cannot be right. You suddenly remember something you read in Isaiah 9:6, and you say that Jesus is the “Mighty God”! The nice householder is surprised by this, and gently points out that “Mighty” was not one of the categories; that she was asking about whether Jesus was the true God, or merely a false god. You kinda smile and you repeat again that Jesus is the mighty god.

After a few more minutes the conversation ends. You leave to continue down the street. As you go, you probably do not think about the odd fact that when faced with an unpleasant choice, some people would rather rationalize things away than discover the truth. You do not comment to yourself how amazed you are that some people can be so deceived. Behind the now closed door, the householder says a prayer that one day you will figure it all out.