So some Mormons stopped by this evening...

I interestingly enough don't remember any rude Mormans or Jehovah Witnesses but I do remember a young man offering Christian fliers at a mini Golf Course when I was a teen and some outraged golfers punched him down and scattered his fliers----gosh they were just laughing and nudging themselves over it.

 

And probably to this day share the story of the crazed and annoying religious guy who dared to approach them and/or said they were going to hell.

 

It's a pleasure I never have, as I'm in a secured building right now, and my prior residence (not including one other apartment in a small town I was at for less than a year) was a country place. So, no religious dopes dropping by to chat, unfortunately.

If that were to happen, I might be Mr. Forever Alone and let them in for a chat, upon which I'd tell them what I really think of their faith in no uncertain terms. Heh..

 

You could put a 'trespassers will be shot' sign in your front door.

 

You could get in trouble for that though, especially if they have children with them.

A little while ago a man was arrested for being naked in his own home because some mom with her daughter decided to cut across his lawn and her daughter saw him naked through the window - he was eventually cleared of all charges but I'm sure it was a ridiculous ordeal.

 

Yep. When those nice and rather non-intrusive Jehovah Witnesses come to my door and I tell them I'm not interested.......I also tell them to stay safe as they smile and leave..

 

I am more used to getting JW's visiting my home and dropping off Watch Tower magazines than Mormons coming by. Does anyone know if there any other groups of religious people that proselytize door to door other than Mormons and JW's?

 

Yes - local Christian churches not affiliated with any major denomination.

 

I come from a Mormon family, the one that was dressed casual is usually a new recruit and the others are breaking him in.

These guys have hard lives, riding around on bicycles and braving the elements to spread the word so it was nice to have talked to them.

Usually the best thing to do is invite them and entertain what they have to say, you don't have to believe but be cordial as they face abuse and insults daily.

 

The best for whom? Why do you imagine this to be the best course of action?

I don't have to be cordial. It's my home, they're interrupting whatever else I'm doing, uninvited. It's a nuisance. People who make a nuisance of themselves don't have any right to my time or my cordiality. They get told the basic fact that I'm not interested, warned not to bother me again, end of discussion/visit.

 

I'm Roman Catholic non practicing though. I am however a stronge beleiver of karma though. Bad ju ju to be mean to people for no reason.

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I'm Roman Catholic non practicing though. I am however a stronge beleiver of karma though. Bad ju ju to be mean to people for no reason.

 

That reminds me - one time my bf answered my door and there were Mormons. Tom was agnostic and quite intelligent. He wasn't rude to them, but braced himself against the door frame and started firing questions at them. I was in the kitchen and could hear the conversation and he had them flustered. His questions were valid and he politely pointed out some contradictions...... anyway, they decided it was time to move on. They would have never won him over anymore than they would have me.....

Like I said, the Mormons I personally knew were nice people, but to be one? It would never happen....

Same w/Jehovah Witnesses - the ones i knew I liked, but the fact that they'd let their child die when a blood transfusion would save the child's life leaves me cold.... how can people get sucked into believing that stuff?

 

Baloney - they're trying to build up their congregation mainly for the tithing...

 

The only time I'd invite a Mormon into my home would be a personal friend who wouldn't be there to preach to me - other than that - never!

 

No they don't, the Mormon missionaries always do work for people like senior citizens. They cut their grasses, shovel their snow, and if the Church should receive a generous tithe from their wills, that only comes after they took interest in their welfare.

 

Bull(*)(*)(*)(*)! The ONLY senior citizens who's welfare the Mormons are interested in are Mormons themselves......

They only take care of their own......

 

We have friends that are Mormons and Jehovahs. The unspoken word is we don't try to convince each other about religion. Each has his/her own belief and you have to respect that or not be friends.

 

I figure as much. I have a strong feeling most of the younger kids, between 16-20 who go around doing this are expected to by their parents and probably don't really want to especially if they get daily abuse from the people they're meeting door to door. I get daily abuse from jerks at my cash register at work, I can't imagine being expected to put up with insults, abuse and rudeness on a daily basis from your own family/community.

So I always try my best to be polite with them and I really am interested sometimes.

 

Obviously you have never lived around Mormons. From 5th grade to my senior year I lived in a small community dominated in every way by Mormons. Nothing they do ever surprises me.


It was a Saturday morning about 9 AM and we had to have the jack we were using back to the shop by noon because they closed at noon. No alcohol or any other stimulant was involved. Just some rude Mormons who didn't understand we didn't have time to discuss their God. For that we deserved eternal (*)(*)(*)(*)ation.

But hey if you want to make up ridiculous nonsense to support the argument in your own head, who am I to stop you.

Diuretic;

Not much different here, it is only my opinion that common courtesy should be extended to those who wish not to be bothered by salesmen, religious or otherwise, unless a sign says you want to be bothered. Seems more logical than if you don't post a sign we get to bother you. Kinda like Halloween. If you want to be bothered you leave the porch light on. You make the extra effort to encourage visitors not the other way around. JMHO.

 

Same here. As I've said, I know a lot of Mormons - very nice people. Some JW's and again, I like them and they're welcomed into my house any time, but we don't discuss religion. Catholicism is another religion I don't like, but some of the best people I've known are Catholic - it works for them, but would never work for me. I know some atheists and we get along well .... to each their own.

 

Mormon missionary work is expected of the young adults and they know this starting at a young age. One time I was visiting w/a Mormon friend who was a wealthy businessman and he was talking about his son who was on a mission in Peru. Kurt commented that he wanted to son, who never had to do w/o anything, was seeing how others had to live.... so there's a lesson there for the young Mormons.....

 

It's one thing to go on mission to another country and see how the people there live. It's another to go door to door in America and deal with other middle class people who have everything they need and be verbally abused by them for proselytizing.

If the child doesn't want to do it they shouldn't have to, but I imagine there is a lot of pressure and expectations from the family and the community, which is unfortunate. If they are truly passionate about what they believe and want to go out and spread the word then that is one thing, but I disagree with these poor kids who are pressured, forced or expected to when they don't want to.

Still I will always do my best to be polite to these people simply out of respect for the fact that they must deal with mean and nasty folks regularly and I know what that feels like.

 

Going to a different country as opposed to going to neighborhoods across town isn't the same thing, but the Mormon kids are programmed from an early age that missionary work regardless of where it takes them is expected of them and they do it as part of their lifestyle and obligations as a Mormon.......

I think it's pretty much like a young girl living in a country where arranged marriages is part of their culture... when she's told who she will marry, well - she marries him, regardless of her feelings about the situation...

There isn't any reason for rudeness to the Mormons & JW's - unless you specifically ask them to not knock on your door and they refuse to do so, then I would say 'DO NOT COME BACK!'

The ones I've encountered have never been abrasive or pushy. There were times when I'd be sitting out in my yard and they'd approach me. I knew who they were. I'd just smile and shake my head 'no' - sometimes they'd offer me their literature and I'd say 'no thanks' and they'd leave. A neighbor guy made the mistake of letting them in his house and he was complaining to me that they wouldn't leave him alone after he said he decided not to convert. Told him he was just going to have to get firm and say "NO" and if they persist, ask them what part of "NO" don't they understand? He finally did and they left him alone. He was one of these 'softies'..... I am polite, but if someone tries to push me into doing something I don't want to do, then my heels dig into the ground and I get ornery....

 

Oh wow, that's kind of funny. It almost sounds like when you go to buy a new car and you get those pushy car salesmen trying to upsell you on all sorts of things. LOL! Just gotta stand firm and say, no, no, no!

I suppose even when you're 'selling' religion or saving souls if you will, you have to be like a pushy salesperson.

 

Yeah, you could say that.......

I just remembered a story a neighbor told me several yrs ago when one early evening he answered the door and there stood a woman and little girl about 8-10 yrs old. It was cold enuf out where the woman had on a winter coat and the little girl didn't - just a pretty dress that gave her no warmth and the girl was shivering. The woman identified herself as a Jehovah Witness and said she wanted to talk to him about her faith.

Mike saw the shivering girl, got mad, pulled the little girl into his warm home, leaving the door open for the woman to enter, shouted at her for making the girl freeze while she had on a warm coat and grabbed his phone and called the cops........

The cops came, saw the situation, bawled out the woman for not dressing the girl for the weather and sent them home w/a warning to the woman not to do that again. Since CPS wasn't called, the JW Hall should have been notified about what she was doing while trying to sell her religion.....

The one other thing I despise about JW's - besides letting their children die when a blood transfusion will save their lives - is if a family member/friend leaves that faith, they are shunned. Family & friends will totally turn their backs on him/her.....my God, so being a JW is more important to them than their own CHILD? Or mother... a loved one?

Come to think of it.... I'm remembering someone who had told me quite a few yrs ago about joining the Pentecostal church and b/c he decided to leave it, he was shunned also.... what the hell is wrong w/these people? Choice of religion should be a personal choice and they shouldn't be punished for deciding it wasn't for them........