<p>Thanks for responses everyone.</p>
<p>When they come next Thursday, I don’t think I’ll open the door. I think I’ll just speak to them through the window. I’ll tell them that I’m already spiritutally satisfied, and that I’m not interested. I’ll wish them well on their ministry efforts.'</p>
<p>I was also thinking of writing them a brief letter just to hone in my points.</p>
<p>Usually, I don’t answer the door. If they catch me off guard, I simply say, “No thanks, not interested.” </p>
<p>We have an unusual name which most people don’t pronounce correctly. Very early, we taught the kids that if one of us picked up the phone and said “Hello” and nobody responded, hang up, and if they couldn’t pronounce our name correctly, hand up, because they didn’t know us.</p>
<p>A lot of calls come in at work, and we simply say, “We never take phone solicitations.” Fortunately, they’re not religious.</p>
<p>A friend of mine lived way in the distant burbs and was lonely & she loved having the LDS elders in. I know she didn’t buy their line, but they were so earnest and cute that she couldn’t resist. 
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<p>I like to argue too much- although I think religion is personal- so I don’t like to discuss it with anyone on a personal basis, but I will discuss " philosophy" & I will stand up if I think one groups religion is infringing on anothers freedom.</p>
<p>My grandfather was a very smart man. One of his passions was studying the Bible. He assorted biblical reference texts. Whenever the Mormons, or JW’s knocked on the door, he’d invite them to debate the Bible. He held the Mormons hostage for over 3 hours. They never returned. The visits from the JW’s also stopped</p>
<p>I guess it helped that he was lawyer, so his debate and arguing skills were top notch. He got a kick out those debates - lol</p>
<p>^^Good for him!</p>
<p>Often these proselytizers have stock answers to your every question, and they know their material better than the average person knows theirs.</p>
<p>I wish people would just respect other people’s religion (or even happy lack thereof) and not push their beliefs on others.</p>
<p>Maybe not quite related, but I was stopped by a few young Mormon guys in the street in St Petersburg, Russia, a few years ago. After a several minutes conversation they praised me that I spoke English “quite well”. I found that kinda insulting at many different levels …</p>
<p>My goal with these unnecessary, annoying interruptions is to minimize my lost time. So I answer the door, but clearly indicate my full understanding of why they are there and that I have zero interest. Thanks, bye. Door shut.</p>
<p>Prior to being this assertive, I did end up spending a couple of minutes with someone who thought I was a live one. I finally mentioned that I was Catholic and they look horrified! I’m surprised that doesn’t work for others. Maybe they are hardened…</p>
<p>Similar to post 84…
Last time a JW came to my door, many yrs ago, I told the young woman I was very happy, and quite content with Buddhism(tho I’m really not). This caught the female by surprise. I then invited her in for “an opportunity for very personal conversion” wink wink.
She declined of course, and after I closed the door I couldn’t stop laughing all afternoon.
They haven’t been back.</p>
<p>Well, there’s being rude to Jehovah’s Witnesses, and then there’s this:</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/october/167242/Man-accused-of-pulling-gun-on-Jehovahs-Witnesses%5DMan-accused-of-pulling-gun-on-Jehovahs-Witnesses%5B/url”>http://http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/october/167242/Man-accused-of-pulling-gun-on-Jehovahs-Witnesses]Man-accused-of-pulling-gun-on-Jehovahs-Witnesses[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Link fail: trying again</p>
<p>[Man</a> accused of pulling gun on Jehovah’s Witnesses](<a href=“http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/october/167242/Man-accused-of-pulling-gun-on-Jehovahs-Witnesses]Man”>http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2010/october/167242/Man-accused-of-pulling-gun-on-Jehovahs-Witnesses)</p>
<p>I do not like door to door solicitations.
Ever since we dumped our landline- that eliminated junk calls at dinner time to refinance our mortgage- but we still get kids going door to door selling magazine subscriptions.
( to earn money to go to Disneyland) * my kids* have never been to Disneyland, why would I want to buy overpriced magazines that I would never read so someone else could go?
( if I bought that line- they aren’t from the neighborhood & the schools they supposedly attend aren’t even in Seattle)</p>
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<p>I really don’t get the purpose of spending your time writing them a letter when you aren’t interested. If you’re not interested, thank-you-but-no-thanks-as-door-closes seems to serve the purpose just fine. Writing a letter seems to indicate that you think it’s important for you to persuade them of your beliefs and / or the wrongness of their ways. They can believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster for all I care; I’m just not interested and that’s the sum total of all they need to know about me.</p>
<p>I agree with Pizzagirl. There is zero need to send a letter. In fact, regardless of what you write, they could take it as an invitation to continue the dialog with you. Try to get over the feeling that you have to treat these people by the same rules of etiquette you would an acquaintance or a friend. That is not the case.</p>
<p>I usually say “no, thanks” and close the door (if I open it at all). It works -they get the point and move on. However, one time, a couple of really agressive ones forced their way inside my house despite our objections! :eek: I almost ended up calling 911 because the situation was quite scary.</p>
<p>If I have time, I usually invite them in to chat. For me it is interesting to hear about other belief systems and I introduce them to mine (a non-Christian religion). Honestly, I quite admire Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses for their willingness to dedicate their time to their faith. I see it more as an attempt to share something that means a lot to them with others. The ones I have met have not been at all aggressive - certainly that wouldn’t be pleasant.</p>
<p>I tend to try to be polite but uninterested with JW’s, and wish them well. </p>
<p>If I have spent this many years on earth believing one thing, it probably won’t change my mind having two or three door to door witnesses there to give me a fresh perspective on religion. I understand why they do it, but I don’t really want to talk to ANY door to door solicitor for security reasons. I have one of those security screen doors, and I am happy to engage them behind the screen. </p>
<p>Many years ago, I made the mistake of being too nice with them when my kids were babies and these witnesses would come back each week, inevitably waking my little ones from their naps. Then I wasn’t happy. I told them not to ring my doorbell again, because if they woke up my kids one more time, I would call the police. (I wouldn’t have, but I was so mad!)</p>
<p>They stopped coming around for the longest time.</p>
<p>With the LDS missionaries, I find they don’t come by as frequently and are much less obnoxious. I usually ask them how their missions are going and where they are from, and what they are going to do with their lives once they return home. I have a lot of friends who are LDS, so oftentimes these young men know many of my acquaintances. I tell them I won’t change my religion, but I wish them the best.</p>
<p>I don’t open the door if I don’t recognize the person. Case solved.</p>
<p>I do not walk around normally in my house sans clothing. However, for some reason, I felt that I needed something downstairs right after a bath and before dressing and since I had zero visitors at 10am on weekdays…I ran downstairs to get this item…of course…that is when I saw the pair of JWs on the front porch peering into the side window. </p>
<p>I retreated upstairs and ignored the doorbell. Come on. Like I was going to come back to the door. I couldn’t believe that they actually kept ringing the bell after “ascertaining” that I was indeed alive and well.</p>
<p>Second negative JW experience which turned me off to chiropractors: Witnessed to by a JW while twisting my head and my neck when I had no place to retreat to…sort of like being assaulted. It seems I was way too nice in week one and somehow seemed like an invitational person. He even told me that he managed to witness like ten hours a week by simply talking about his religion to his clients (being held in head locks). </p>
<p>honestly so many forms of crazy in this wide world–there is no justification to subject yourself to someone else’s rants or psychosis or wishes or fantasies
I have learned NOT to go to my door. Police have informed us of “magazine sellers” masking as students who are really planning robberies and casing occupants. Of course when they got to my door, some of my sweet elderly neighbors had simply handed over cash on request. </p>
<p>Anyone who knows me well has my cell number. Others who simply show up are often people with agendas. Sometimes their agendas are not very innocent. Like casing houses and their occupants. Local woman was involved with opening her door to three callers and ended up as the victim of a botched kidnapping plot…which she foiled by slamming her door on someone’s hand. They were all arrested with ropes and maps in the car before they left the neighborhood and convicted of attempted kidnapping. Her husband happened to be the CEO of a local business…nothing all that prominent except in small town terms but it was an attempt to extract money from him.</p>