Mumsnet Talk

Have posted in religion and spirituality as well, but thought i might get more answers here.

It's happened 3 times in two months- two were within a week of each other.

They're always very polite, and i totally respect and understand why they do it.

However, we're humanists. We don't believe in gods and won't until there is significant evidence to sugest otherwise. Every time they call, i just say 'no thank you, we're humanists' and close the door. But they call at the worst time (10am on a saturday morning when we're [embarrassingly] still in our pyjamas). I've also recently lost a cousin (he was 30, an only child, married with a toddler and had suffered with leukemia for 5 years) so i'm not really in the mood to be discussing the existence God, as i'd like to give him a piece of my mind if i could!

The fact thats it's happened so often sugests to me that they're not going to stop any time soon. Is there any way to change this? If i asked them to stop calling at our house, would they oblige? It's a different person every time, so i'm not sure the message would get passed on. Could i contact the local Kingdom Hall and ask them that way?

I'm not really sure what the protocol is- can anyone help?

I've not had one call ever since they said 'have you read the pamphlets I left with your husband a couple of weeks ago?' and I came back with the retort 'that's not my husband' and left it at that.... We'd only moved in a couple of days, so it was the previous owners they'd met - so it certainly wasn't my husband they'd spoken too.... However, it seemed to do the trick!

if they dont respond to politeness, then youre within your rights to be more forceful

Yes, I'd try calling or writing to the Kingdom Hall and asking to be put on their do-not-contact list.

My nan had a sign on her door to discourage random callers.

Just tell them you are catholic. They consider you a lost cause and doomed and leave you alone . Worked for us...

Try the polite approach.

If not, open the door and tell them your in a rush as you are going to give blood...it worked when i did it.

I have a 'no cold callers sign' and walked up the path the other day, only to find them on the bloody doorstep nattering! I pointedly pointed at the sign and said 'No Thanks, We Don't'

They thought I was most rude, I frankly thought they were ruder ignored my sign!

Also a humanist

I accidentally engaged with them once, they were so nice I couldn't help it. This meant they started coming a few times a week. In the end what worked was seeing them through the glass in the door and shouting loudly (so that they could hear outiside) to the DC 'don't open it, it's the Jehova's!'. They never came back.

DP is dead against having a 'no cold callers' sign on the door, he thinks it looks antisocial

oknotok i think that might be a bit hard to pull off when we're all lounging about in our pyjamas! Might give it a go if they come when we're not being slatternly.

Get a big snarling dog, they'll soon shift when it jumps up at the door!

On a more serious note, just ignore the door when they knock if your dp doesn't want the 'no cold callers here' card in the window.

I tell them I have my own religion, but thanks for stopping by! If they ask, Spiritualism is good...they don't like that you talk to dead people.

I have an antisocial sign. It works!

I used to have a card in the window saying to be aware of the Rottweller, we didn't have anyone cc's knock while it was there, got it from Pets at Home.

We don't have a Rotty.

tell them plainly that you do not want them calling again. If it is ignored, forget polite.

Full frontl nudity may do the trick although perhaps doesn't quite meet your 'politely' criteria.

I made the mistake of chatting to my JW who is a dear old lady, but she started coming every bloody week and I'll literally be damned before I stand at the door for 20 mins in the cold with a newborn to listen to fairy stories. I found ignoring the door put her off... Eventually.

I have an antisocial sign too Sparkling

It does indeed work.

I also have a second sign to say 'No junk mail, no leaflets, no charity bags' - I wonder what other signs I could put up?

Has anyone tried claiming they are already a JW? That might work.

The last few times they called I just politely said I was an atheist and wasn't interested in talking about religion. I haven't had any for well over a year, but in the past they do seem to have come in waves - several visits close together then nothing for ages.

What really annoys me is when they come with children, and sometimes send the children ahead to knock on the door while a couple of adults wait at the end of the path - you feel really nasty telling children to go away, but the adults are really the ones being nasty and manipulative.

When we first moved here we "inherited" a no cold callers sign. Most cold callers would still knock, say they had seen the sign and then go into a long speil about his it didn't apply to them because.....

We didn't bother with a new sign when we replaced the door!

How can it be anti-social to not want cold callers anyway. They are the anti social ones.

How it didn't apply

We don't answer the door!
Massive picture window in the lounge with blinds tilted so we can see out and its hard to see in.

I believe they have a list of people who have requested no contact. Ask to be added to this. Don't say 'I'm not interested', as of course, you might well be interested in the headline article in Watchtower next time someone comes round. I've always found them polite and respectful, so I think they would honour your request.

Print a note out and stick it on your door.

Attention Jehovah's Witnesses and any other people of a religious persuasion

We enjoy donating blood, and will happily accept donated blood in life threatening situation, we love medical science.

We enjoy celebrating our birthdays,

We don't shun family members and friends who have different belief systems to ours,

We don't inflict our superstitions on other people,

We understand and believe in evolution,

We think it rude to turn up uninvited, and impose unsubstantiated ideas on people.

We have no interest in any organised superstitious belief system.

Only knock or ring the bell if you respect and also share these sentiments.