Third Jehovah Witness visit - it’s making me feel uncomfortable now.

[CaraVann]

Earlier in December there was a knock on the door. Thinking it was my friend who was due to visit me, I flung open the door to find 2 smartly dressed young men. I knew in an instant they were Jehovah Witnesses.
I know that I should have said from the get go I was not interested but the guy talking was so polite that I let him go on with his spiel.
I did feel a bit uneasy though as no one else was at home, all the neighbours were out and here are 2 men I don’t know trying to persuade me to join their religion. Also, the second guy gave me the creeps, he never said a word, never smiled, just stared at me. I felt quite intimidated.
The first guy asked for my name, which I also found unnerving, so I gave him a different name to my own. He said to take the leaflet and look on their website to find out all about JW and then I can be assured of a great future!!
I thanked him, smiled and said goodbye (second guy still unsmiling/staring, never muttered a word).
At least I won’t see them again - so I thought.
A week later, on my own again, the doorbell goes. I open it without checking thinking it’s the Christmas Amazon delivery I was expecting but no, it was the JW guys again. They are bloody relentless. Kept pushing and pushing, calling me by my ‘name’ which I found too personal seeing I don’t know them from Adam. Luckily, I had my coat on as was just about to take the dog out so made my excuses but said I was not interested.
But they are not fucking giving up.
Just had a knock on the door and my daughter opens it to find these guys standing there and again (the talking one) greeted me by my ‘name’ and starts on again about how they can help me and how the future is not bight for everyone, only those following their religion. Mute guy still staring and they were standing there in the pouring rain but wouldn’t give up. This time I had to be a bit firmer and said I was just going out, had no time and please don’t call again. A polite smile and ‘ok’ from the talker guy and same evil stare from mute guy.
I hope and pray they do not turn up again and I’m now only going to answer the door after I’ve looked out of the living room window ffs!
I know I should have been firmer from the beginning but it’s really unnerved me. They have my address and my name (or so they think).
Each to everyone with their choice of religion (personally agnostic) but knocking on strangers doors and harassing them is plain wrong.
I suffer from bad anxiety and this has just made me worse.

I was once very, very rude to some JWs and I still feel terrible. We live in the middle of nowhere and they turned up on my yard while I was in the middle of dealing with a very difficult pony. She had been horrifically abused in a previous home and had PTSD. Every now and then, for no reason, she would flip out, and I had to hang onto her like grim death and try and talk her off a ledge as the poor creature was capable of bolting and going through fencing, cars, people, anything that was in her way. They turned up as I was being dragged around like a rag doll, trying to soothe her and rather than reading the room, this rather elderly couple launched into their spiel like they were on automatic pilot. I am afraid I used some rather choice words every time I was land skied past them and they scurried to their car. So if you recognise yourselves from this, I am very sorry. But it REALLY was a bad time to try and talk to me! When we lived in town, a polite "no thank you" always worked but I found mormons quite intimidating.

If you take a leaflet and engage they will keep coming.

Just tell them fuck off next time. Or better still, answer the door naked. Bet you won't see them again.

Can I ask, does every hall demand their followers knock? My daughters used to work for a couple who turned out to JWs and we didn't have a clue until we wished them a Merry Christmas and they explained they didn't celebrate and why. He still works as a window cleaner and does my windows, so we are still in touch. They have NEVER mentioned religion to us apart from that one occasion, which I was very surprised about.

Yes I think they all door knock. They write letters, man the leaflet cart and door knock. The knocking was suspended during covid, as were their in person meetings at Kingdom Hall when they all did it on zoom. It's called pioneering

Using kids like that is horrible.

They don’t “use” kids. They take their children with them.

Well, it has definitely been a learning curve.
I know now to, 1) Not to take any leaflets from these people and 2) Never engage in any conversation other than to say I am not interested.

Many on here have said I need to be more assertive and, tbh as assertive as I normally am, these guys really unnerved me, especially the silent, staring one. I don’t invite random strangers to come to my door and glare at me without saying a word. It still gives me the shivers when I think about it.

Once when I was about 17-18, when I was friends with a bit of a crowd of wronguns, the JWs knocked on the door. We had all taken some recreational drugs, so were quite high and had a chat with them. One friend thought that JWs was some how connected with Jonah and the whale story. That was an interesting 20 mins!

One (male) friend once told some JWs: “You’ve picked the wrong house, guys. I’m Jewish and my wife’s a witch!”

It’s a cult disguised as a religion…who if I remember correctly also protect their

peadophiles from prosecution…despite it apparently being one of the worst sins…

They are on par with the Latter Day Saints!

I have literally no tolerance for any religion let alone which which states you must convert someone in order join the rest of the fuckwits on gods left hand…

Normally a swift fuck off works - I used to humour them and accept it now I don’t even bother opening the door

It's an interesting religion to read about, but I can't stomach the anti gay stuff.

There was an interesting radio show on bbc from an Australian woman comedian who’d been brought up JW, but escaped. She went round helping others break free. There were some interesting sections about being harangued for hours in The Room by the senior males when they found out who she was.
I remember as a kid at least two families who’d come into a lot of money and were targeted by the JW, a tithe off a couple of millions was a good chunk.
Also a school friend of mine ended up marrying the (extremely hot) Mormon elder that witnessed at her house. Her very atheist dad could talk the hind legs off a donkey, JWs only visited once, and he and the local vicar were sworn enemies, so he was surprised when he kept coming back. Thought he was slipping.😏

BodyShapeWoes I tend to agree with you. My dad was a plumber and had a contract with a very large religious organisation. He has always said that he has no time for organised religion because of the things he witnessed over those decades. He believes many very bad people hide behind the facade of religion.

My ds had a good friend from a JW family when he was at primary school. He wasn't allowed to go to birthday parties or get involved in Xmas celebrations 🙄. Barmy people.

I had two older JW's come to the door in the October half term with a 6/7 year old. They made the child speak for them so I was polite but I was very cross they were using a child like that as I didn't feel I could be as firm in my refusal. Very annoying.

Hmmm @krustykittens we have a local window cleaner who’s a JW — I only realised when I wished him merry Christmas a few years ago and he explained then. We’ve actually had a few interesting discussions and he’s never tried to convert me, or pestered anyone here I don’t think (maybe he knocks doors elsewhere!).

Is your window cleaner quite good-looking because this one is (how many hot JW window cleaners can there be?!) 😅

No, he's a lovely guy but I don't think he could be described as hot! His whole family ae lovely, his wife made my daughter's cakes on their birthdays and gave them cards, that is why I was so surprised when he said they were JWs. Surely that is how everyone should be - respectful of other's beliefs, and kind? They have never once tried to convert us or anyone we know.

Tell them you're not interested and if they call again you'll report them for harassment to the police. Hopefully that will work.

Saying you’re a blood donor isn’t the kryptonite some may think it is. Behind closed doors they believe anyone ‘worldly’ (ie not a JW) is evil and going to be killed by god soon at Armageddon. Being a blood donor would just be considered another thing ‘worldly people’ do - like smoking, or engaging in sex outside of marriage.

Their mission is only to try and convert/save you. Most JWs these days are either born into it, or are vulnerable people who were coaxed in by the initial love-bombing - so a flicker of perceived interest on a doorstep is a BIG shoe-in for them. I talk of this with experience, having lived the life in the early 80s when I was young and stupid!

They’re generally well intentioned people, but it’s a high control group governed by the whims of a few old men in America who are considered to be agents of god. It’s a manipulative cult, and you are right to avoid.

If despite your best efforts they still keep coming, it may be worth asking them what they know about the high-profile court cases going on around the world concerning child sexual abuse within the JW organisation (basically, unless there are two witnesses to wrongdoing, it didn’t happen - and either way doesn’t get reported to the police). Chances are, they know nothing/little about it, as they are told that satanic ‘apostates’ are just so spreading lies - and they are not allowed to read/watch apostate material 🙄

https://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/case-studies/case-study-29-jehovahs-witnesses

https://www.inquirer.com/news/jehovahs-witnesses-arrested-pa-sex-abuse-grand-jury-investigation-20230208.html?outputType=amp

I told them firmly 'Please leave my property and do not come back'. (Note I'm in Australia & they MUST leave my property immediately if asked, no quibbling.)

Either way do no engage. They'll use any kindness or weak spot against you. When much younger, a friend had some cute mormons 'on mission' from the US next door. They let her flirt with them, had dinner with her etc. & sucked her in. It wasn't until they used her crush on them to get her to their church & talked about being baptised that she realised she'd been duped!

I had this when I was a pregnant teenager and too passive to tell her to piss off. Creeps.

They don't care whether you listen or not though. They have to bear witness to the faith every day and don't care whether somebody is going to be converted or not.

They like to target the vulnerable.

I used to work with a young JW woman. She was newly married and worked part time so she could continue with house visits. She was lovely, kind, and helpful in the workplace.

A few years later, after DH & I had moved house, she turned up on our doorstep with a couple of other JW colleagues. They were all really polite, and friendly, and there was no problem at all when I explained we were not interested. They just thanked me for my time and moved on to the next house.

So I suppose it depends on the JW you get, and how pushy they are. I've never come across one that didn't accept a polite but firm thanks but no thanks but clearly pushier ones do exist.