<p>I think it’s silly for them to take the bible literally when Jesus didn’t speak English.</p>
<p>The biggest issue I have with JWs is their attitudes towards women. According to the Watchtower I read, men are to be the head of the household AND the head of spiritual life. Why is it always women on my doorstep? One time I commented to two middle-aged women, that they were obviously showing leadership in others’ spiritual lives. Did they really feel that their husbands had this leadership role? After all, they were the ones out ringing doorbells. “We’re not married. We still haven’t found men that can fit that role.”</p>
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<p>No, he was really interested in discussing the Bible…</p>
<p>Unconditional love of DOG…love it!</p>
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<p>That’s gotta be one of the best lines I’ve ever heard… and I will use it in the future.</p>
<p>Back to the OP’s problem, where I live, we can go down to our village hall and they have two decals you can put on your door… one is for solicitation and the other is for religious callers. I’ve had more people come to my door soliciting stuff that didn’t see the decal, than I have had religious callers. But, whenever I answer the door and it’s either one, I gently point to the decal and say, “In case you didn’t see it (giving them the benefit of the doubt), we do not accept solicitation calls or religious callers.”</p>
<p>Works every time. They are usually very apologetic and are on their way quickly.</p>
<p>Also, in our area, religious callers have to apply for a permit to go door to door. I suspect if any resident calls to complain about someone not complying with this wish, the village hall will be more reluctant to issue these permits. The permits are also usually granted for a certain time period, such as the first two weeks of a month.</p>
<p>I’ve had JWs, Mormons, born-again Christians, and others come to my door repeatedly over the years. I don’t appreciate them trying to convert me to their respective religions and half the time I’m in the middle of something - under the car, working on a project, working at home, or something. I also don’t appreciate the numerous illegals coming to my door looking for work all the time or the magazine sellers. Actually, I don’t appreciate ANY solicitations except girl scouts selling cookies. </p>
<p>For the religious zealots (which is how I categorize any of these people who feel a need to convert random, mostly disinterested people) I usually just say ‘I’m not interested in your religion’ and shut the door or go back to what I was working on. Many of these people are in fact rude though in that they persist even when told ‘no’ so if I’m outside or something and they persist then I have to get more to the point in my response (since they don’t understand the meaning of ‘no’). Trying to engage any of them in any conversation other than ‘no’ seems to just egg them on. </p>
<p>At least the illegals who come to the door are polite and seem to understand the meaning of ‘no trabajo’.</p>
<p>We favor the dyslexic theist approach also: our sweet 50 pound German Shepherd does a really good impression of a 200 pound Cujo when anyone comes to the door. The JW’s are happy to leave a pamphlet on the doormat and to escape with all their limbs.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you how to get rid of the JW calls…move in down the street from one, and make friends. It has worked like a charm for us…she must’ve called them off of our cul-de-sac, because they never come around. We have gotten the occaisional Mormon, but they seem easier to get rid of.</p>
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In our old neighborhood, we weren’t so lucky, and as a stay-at-home mom with a shielded front porch (couldn’t see out the door til you were also seen) I got nabbed alot by a sweet old (pitbull) of a lady named “Pearl”. Firm “no” didn’t work, so I decided to beat her at her own game…give me that damn pamphlet. Read it through, highlighted the parts I had a real problem with, and when she came back, I told her “see, I read it. I have real problems with it. not interested.” Did that stop her…of course not. In the end, I was rude. I felt bad, but hey, what choice was left? I always felt like she went away feeling a little more pious for the injustice she endured in her faithful service to God in a cruel world. Probably made her day.</p>
<p>p.s. I love the crazy father-in-law approach tho…now I just need someone to try it on…maybe some trick-or-treaters. “Get the hell out of here!!” :D</p>
<p>We’ve had JWs here, though not recently. My H would always politely tell them we were Jewish, and “it’s the same God,” to which they had to agree, and they would go away.</p>
<p>I do get annoyed with people not respecting my religion and thinking theirs is better and more suited to the entire world, so I have to restrain myself from rude remarks to them. I just smile and say no thanks.</p>
<p>They used to have a strategy when they came here where they would ask if there was anything they could help with, so that then we would be obligated to listen to their spiel. My dad had them clean the garage and THEN said no and shut the door. Though they ditched that strategy after that, they still come back. After that, I doubt there is anything you can do to really make them stop.</p>
<p>I’ve found door-to-door preacher-types interpret anything OTHER than rudeness to mean “She’s crumbling! Make sure to come back again.”</p>
<p>So I’m rude to them. I don’t feel guilty about it. If that’s what it takes, that’s what they’re going to get.</p>
<p>^^^^^^^^^^^amen!</p>
<p>SoCalGal, You aren’t the only one who does not open the door for strangers. It was always effective to say “sorry, not interested” right through the door. I recently put in a new front door with side lights, which is great for letting in the light, but I’m now looking at intercom systems.</p>
<p>My usually very polite H once greeted an elderly female JW with “I don’t allow cult members near my children! I’m giving you 30 seconds to get the hell off my property!” I was absolutely shocked, but she left and never came back.
I have also asked various religious visitors when, where, and by whom their churches were founded. They explain a little history, and then I say, “Well, I wouldn’t be interested in that because my church was founded by Jesus 2000 years ago. . .it’s called the Roman Catholic Church.” </p>
<p>My crazy father-in-law used to invite them in, offer them tea and keep them for hours asking all kinds of complicated theological questions. They said they’d come back next week. But they never did.</p>
<p>I remember the comedian Gallagher (you know, the watermelon guy?) once suggested saving the government money:"Let the JW’s deliver the mail! OK, maybe not so funny…</p>
<p>I’ve had many different solicitors, religious and otherwise, come to my door over the years, and it happened a lot when my children were babies. One couple left me with a pamphlet, because I was weak and thought that would get rid of them. When I read it, there were pages of the most horrific anti-Catholic urban legends (of the nuns eating babies variety). When they came back, I was angry, and told them never to come to my door again. I couldn’t believe such sweet-seeming women could carry such a hateful message.</p>
<p>But except for some folks who just get on my nerves (I once got in a fight with a guy from an environmental group,one which I normally would have supported), I do the polite,“I’m sorry, but it is my policy not to discuss this with strangers who come to my door. But I do hope you have a good day.” Somehow that word “policy” seems to garner respect,LOL. You just can’t go against policy! </p>
<p>And for some strange reason, I don’t really mind these folks coming to my door once in a while. It’s kind of interesting.</p>
<p>If I’m completely honest, I don’t like anyone I don’t know or haven’t personally invited coming to my door. </p>
<p>I guess the exception would be girl scouts at cookie time and boy scouts just to be fair. But I do prefer Thin Mints to popcorn.</p>
<p>I’ve found that once I say politely that I’m a member of the local Catholic church and am very happy there, they just hand me one of their pamphlets and leave. I don’t think there is a need to be rude. They are following their religious beliefs. I try to imagine how difficult it must be to spend your Saturday doing that for your religion and it always makes me more patient.</p>
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I like this approach–it keeps them away from other people.</p>
<p>But I have to say, this whole thing is difficult. I understand the urge to proselytize–many faiths (including my own) have as a goal sharing the “good news” with other people. But how to do this without being rude and offensive–not to mention ineffective? Some people think the way to do it is by performing good works, and the evangelism part will happen by osmosis–but that doesn’t seem to be effective, either. I guess advertising is one way–people are used to seeing ads.</p>
<p>This is off topic for JW, but on for phone solicitation…The local cemetery, which only has the flat stones and looks like a fake flower garden when you drive past, used to have a person call to sell plots. The last call I got, I said, “OOOOh, I have instructed my husband that I want one of those stones with a huge angel on top, and I know that you do not allow those.” The woman laughed and never called again.</p>
<p>We have a big No Soliciting sign on our neighborhood entry (one way in and out), so we don’t get many door to door people.</p>
<p>I used to have a weekly chat with the JW that came to the door, nice older black man and some “jr” person that rotated week to week, my dogs always misbehaved and I listened politely and took the pamplet. After months of this pleasant 5 min chat, he said something along the lines of “you aren’t ever going to come to one of our meetings, are you?” and I said no, sorry. Haven’t seen him since. Now, if I could just get the democratic whatever and the PBA, Fraternal Order of blablabla, and the like to stop calling me!</p>
<p>I used to have (when ds was a toddler) a JW nanny who was with us for about 3 yrs until she had to quit in order to proselytize more because her bf worked at the Watchtower (which is like the most honorable job imaginable to JW) and she wasn’t good enough for him just doing the proselytizing on the weekends. She did try to bring a children’s bible into storytime until I caught it - weird versions of the well-known stories, I tell you! Alot about how women were the root of evil. Went through a string of nannies after her - she was absolutely the best and it killed me that she would rather have doors slammed in her face than get good money working for me!!</p>