When evangelists knock on your door...

[Eddi]

What do you say when members of a religious group (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses) knock on your door, evangelising?

I currently politely say “sorry, I already have a religion” and leave it as that

But the next time it happens I think I’m going to say something outrageous such as “I don’t need religion, I have a direct line to God” (don’t worry, I don’t believe I have a direct line to God!) or make up a religion and tell them I belong to that

 

[sooda]

What do you say when members of a religious group (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses) knock on your door, evangelising?

I currently politely say “sorry, I already have a religion” and leave it as that

But the next time it happens I think I’m going to say something outrageous such as “I don’t need religion, I have a direct line to God” (don’t worry, I don’t believe I have a direct line to God!) or make up a religion and tell them I belong to that

They were so obnoxious in our town we just said "get off my porch".

 

[Rival]

It's never happened but I would talk to them.

 

[pearl]

We may find their method annoying but they are just doing what all Christians are asked to do, 'go forth and spread the Gospel'.

 

[JJ50]

What do you say when members of a religious group (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses) knock on your door, evangelising?

I currently politely say “sorry, I already have a religion” and leave it as that

But the next time it happens I think I’m going to say something outrageous such as “I don’t need religion, I have a direct line to God” (don’t worry, I don’t believe I have a direct line to God!) or make up a religion and tell them I belong to that

I point to the notice we have on our door stating, 'No cold callers', and shut it again without saying a word.

 

[Spirit of Light]

What do you say when members of a religious group (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses) knock on your door, evangelising?

I currently politely say “sorry, I already have a religion” and leave it as that

But the next time it happens I think I’m going to say something outrageous such as “I don’t need religion, I have a direct line to God” (don’t worry, I don’t believe I have a direct line to God!) or make up a religion and tell them I belong to that

I normally invite them in for a conversation but do make clear to them i am a buddhist. Normally very nice people

 

[Darkforbid]

It's never happened but I would talk to them.

I've always found the people who strongly object, are the one's who try getting into a doorstep religious debate then ack like babies if their view is even slightly questioned.

 

[Deeje]

I used to turn them away like everyone else......'kooks', I thought....but one day, thinking I could trip them up with a really curly question....I was surprised that they gave me a really good answer from the Bible.....I asked more questions and got more good answers for them too.

After a few more visits, I agreed to a Bible study because these people were nothing like I had been told.....I loved it! And I studied my own Bible. I never knew what was in that book until I did that......now I am one of those annoying people who knock on your door to tell you something wonderful about the future....the good news about God's Kingdom. Just once, why don't you listen.....I'm glad I did.

 

[Deeje]

What do you say when members of a religious group (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses) knock on your door, evangelising?

I currently politely say “sorry, I already have a religion” and leave it as that

But the next time it happens I think I’m going to say something outrageous such as “I don’t need religion, I have a direct line to God” (don’t worry, I don’t believe I have a direct line to God!) or make up a religion and tell them I belong to that

You do understand that it will make no difference what religion you are.....we don't care . We'll talk to anyone and everyone...
Jesus told us to preach the gospel to people "in all the inhabited earth"....so we do. (Matthew 24:14)

 

[Erebus]

I was once stopped in the street by a nice young man who asked if I'd like to talk about Jesus.

At the time, I was wearing a t-shirt with an inverted pentagram and the phrase, "Protected by Satan" printed on it. I looked at him, glanced down at the t-shirt and politely told him he'd probably picked the wrong guy.

 

[Deeje]

It's never happened but I would talk to them.

You've never had a visit from JW's? How have we missed you?

 

[Rival]

You've never had a visit from JW's? How have we missed you?

I live in a small village.

 

[Spirit of Light]

You do understand that it will make no difference what religion you are.....we don't care . We'll talk to anyone and everyone...
Jesus told us to preach the gospel to people "in all the inhabited earth"....so we do. (Matthew 24:14)

It never hurt someone from a different religion to listen to JW sometimes, Yes we might not believe in the same God, but the morality is mostly the same

 

[Deeje]

I live in a small village.

We take trips into the Amazon jungle by canoe......fly planes into the frozen North.....trek over mountains to reach remote villages....how did we miss a small village in England?

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

What do you say when members of a religious group (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses) knock on your door, evangelising?

I currently politely say “sorry, I already have a religion” and leave it as that

But the next time it happens I think I’m going to say something outrageous such as “I don’t need religion, I have a direct line to God” (don’t worry, I don’t believe I have a direct line to God!) or make up a religion and tell them I belong to that

I've never really understood the level of hostility doorknockers engender, and the weird revenge fantasy-type things people make up to do to them. "Thanks, but I'm not interested", has always been perfectly adequate to get various religious door knockers I've had to leave. Frankly, I find the next door neighbours' tweens who kick a ball into my yard and knock on the door asking to retrieve it multiple times a weekend far worse.

 

[JJ50]

As I have stated before, I have a particular antipathy to those of the evil JW cult, after being told by a couple of their acolytes that our adopted baby Down's Syndrome son would have been better off dead than having the blood transfusion, which saved his life in 1986!

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

We may find their method annoying but they are just doing what all Christians are asked to do, 'go forth and spread the Gospel'.

I heard an interesting theory recently, that this sort of "cold call evangelism" isn't really about trying to gain converts (how many people are actually converted by door knockers? Seriously, what's the success rate?), it's actually far more about creating group unity within the religion, and otherising outsiders. People get sent out on their missions, face hardships among the outgroup who general ignore or ridicule them, then return to the ingroup who praise them. It's a pretty good way to make you stick to your ingroup and avoid the outgroup, with all that entails.

Whether this is a conscious plan of any religion's leaders, or if it's just a useful aspect of doing what they think they're called to do, I don't know. Makes sense as a theory, though.

 

[Kenny]

What do you say when members of a religious group (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses) knock on your door, evangelising?

I currently politely say “sorry, I already have a religion” and leave it as that

But the next time it happens I think I’m going to say something outrageous such as “I don’t need religion, I have a direct line to God” (don’t worry, I don’t believe I have a direct line to God!) or make up a religion and tell them I belong to that

I usually, if I have time, have a conversation with them. They eventually realize that they aren't going to get anywhere and say thank you. Once I said, "Let's hold hands and pray" and they left even faster and said "No thank you". Another time the newer one started shaking because he began to realize that I might have had a good point.

But nice people and they love God.

 

[Deeje]

As I have stated before, I have a particular antipathy to those of the evil JW cult, after being told by a couple of their acolytes that our adopted baby Down's Syndrome son would have been better off dead than having the blood transfusion, which saved his life in 1986!

I wonder what they really said.....? We would never say anything like that....and if anyone did they would get into trouble. Its none of our business what you do with your own child, just as its none of your business what we do with ours. Sorry, but I don't think you wouldn't know an "evil cult" if you fell over one....the "evil" is all in your own mind.

1986? You've been harboring all that angst for over 30 years? Time to get over it and move on....don't you think?

 

[Polymath257]

I get more LDS than JW, but I generally invite them in if I am not too busy with other things.

Then I grill them about each and every statement they make. I bring in history that, I am sure, they don't know because it isn't told to them. I bring in philosophy that they don't know because it is never mentioned to them.

Usually, they don't come back.