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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be afraid of the Jehovah witnesses?

138 replies

Carrierpenguin · 22/10/2014 21:58

Tonight a pair of Jehovah witnesses turned up on my doorstep. I was a bit thick and didn't realise who they were. They duped me into speaking to them for a couple of minutes and thrust a magazine thing in my hands as I closed the door, they said they'd come back. I did tell ask them if this was a 'religious thing' and they said they were christian, I said I'm a C of E church goer.

I'm worried that they are going to come back and hound me forever more now. Aibu?

OP posts:
FoxgloveFairy · 22/10/2014 23:50

I had a housemate once who made a study of what Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs were and refuting them. He liked to let them in and amuse himself for an hour completely messing with their heads until they ran from the house, screaming. Grin

Pico2 · 22/10/2014 23:53

Ask" to be put on their "do not call" list. I did that and haven't seen them for years.

AlpacaYourThings · 22/10/2014 23:56

I really dislike the pushy approach that they have in my area.

Darkandstormynight · 23/10/2014 00:10

YABU. Next time you see them hide, or if you've already opened the door politely start speaking before start, "I'm sorry I'm not interested. I have my own Church thank you and I have to go now" then close the door softly and don't give it another thought.

I live in an area with a large population of one denomination and we frequently get these "callers" on our doorstep. I don't want to offend anyone, so I am polite, but I make it plain that I am not interested and I don't let them really get in a word edgewise. I also have pamphlets from my Own church by my door, and if they try to give me something to read, I will tell them (this hasn't happened yet) I will take it only if they take mine.

If they weren't menacing, I wouldn't be afraid at all, and if they were menacing, I'd be calling the police. Having a "No Soliciting" sign is also a good deterrent.

mummyrunnerbean · 23/10/2014 00:46

When my grandma was in the late stages of dottiness my DGF used to open the door to JWs with relief, usher them in with a 'do talk to my wife - she'll be so interested!' and disappear to another room to get twenty minutes peace and quiet. After he did this a few times the visits seemed to increase in frequency, and given that anyone talking to my grandma for more than 30 seconds would realise she had lost the plot, and their front room was decorated with a large framed photograph of the Pope, he always said he suspected they kept coming out of kindness.

WaywardOn3 · 23/10/2014 08:30

I just say I don't buy into cults and close the door :-/

GuybrushThreepwoodMP · 23/10/2014 08:37

YABU to be afraid. What on earth do you think they are going to do?!
I usually just politely tell them that I am an atheist and I don't agree with proselytising.
I am sometimes happy to engage with them in conversation about religion if they so wish but they usually don't after I say the word 'atheist'.

duhgldiuhfdsli · 23/10/2014 08:46

Around Christmas, they might ask "Do you know that the Christmas tree is a pagan symbol?"

To which "Yes, that's why I've got one" works quite well.

DogCalledRudis · 23/10/2014 08:49

When JW start on me, i immediately ask about bloodtransfusion. They don't like it!

carolinecupcake · 23/10/2014 09:04

It's been about 10 years now that they keep coming with their leaflets and I put them straight in the bin! The first time they came I said I wasn't interested but they just keep coming back. They're such friendly young girls and after all this time I don't know how to get rid of them! If I can I don't answer the door. I just get annoyed how they try to force it on you. Why do they feel the need to go door to door?

seasavage · 23/10/2014 09:11

I live in an area where there are quarterly HUGE JW meetings (? Conventions?) at a stadium venue. Before it's on the local JW's make an extra effort to invite us and anyone living within a couple of miles. When it's on you see lots of families with huge cooler boxes as they make a big day of it (also everyone is turned out very smartly). They are always polite but usually just want to leave their magazine and go, though the early 20's ones can be a bit more bold. Once I opened the door visibly upset and they must have seen the florist walking off (sympathy flowers). It was the one time I really didn't want to think about god etc. They didn't even try to foist anything on me, I just said 'it's a bad time'. I was impressed that despite their cultish reputation they just said 'of course, sorry to disturb you'. In my experience they are quite reasonable.

MiddletonPink · 23/10/2014 09:14

Don't be so dramatic.

x2boys · 23/10/2014 09:15

I,m a catholic I just tell them this and they leave tbh the ones I have met haven't been pushy at all .

figgypuddings · 23/10/2014 09:17

I invited JW in for a cup of tea as it was a freezing cold day. I explained that we had our own religion (not JW) and they were fine with that so we spoke about other things.
Now, I have good, friends who are JWs but they never try to foist their religious beliefs on me.

fluffyraggies · 23/10/2014 09:18

I thought one was the avon lady once. I opened the door smiling and she started commenting on one of my cats on the door mat. ''Isn't he sweet?'' I'm thinking yeah yeah, give me my lipstick.

Then she took a deep breath and asked if i would like it if my children could lie down with tigers; like this ... and thrust a booklet at me.

Hmm

I just thought oh shite. No lipstick then Grin

HowlCapone · 23/10/2014 09:19

Of course you are being unreasonable.

fluffyraggies · 23/10/2014 09:19

My grandfather (non believer), who died before i was born sadly, was legendary for inviting JWs in and grilling them so long hard about the bible that they were standing up and shuffling down the hall trying to leave after a while Grin

AppleYumYum · 23/10/2014 09:24

I think if you take a magazine then you end up on their hit list. They can be very sneaky about how they get you to take that Watchtower magazine. I was sucked in once, a lovely woman in a floaty skirt said she was going around speaking about domestic violence, so I thought yes good noble cause. Wasn't until she left and Dad came out to ask if the JW had gone that I opened the magazine and saw what it really was.

They're always very polite, although last time I had a guy who brought his two neatly dressed little children with him and I thought that was a bit manipulative. I wanted to say sternly that I wasn't interested and please don't come again, but didn't as these two little eager faces were looking up at me, I am sure they would have had a day of witnessing people's annoyance which I'm not sure is right for young children.

I just think it is very arrogant to call around to people's homes and try to push your religion onto them, they have no respect in that way. I wonder what they would do if a Jewish, Muslim, Buddist etc turned up on their doorstep and did the same thing. I am tempted to scrawl 666 on my forehead next time and open the door...

Poledra · 23/10/2014 09:31

Oh, they do indeed call on Christmas Day. I've told this story here before but, some years ago, my siblings and I were all home for Christmas. The doorbell rang and my sister went to open it, shouting 'You're not coming in unless you're Santa Claus!', thinking it was the friends we were expecting. Oh no, two nice American chaps in suits stood there and asked her if she'd heard the word of god. My poor sister was giggly-embarrassed, and said 'Ah we're not interested thanks but Merry Christmas anyway!'. Then completely lost the plot as she realised she'd wished the JWs a merry Christmas, started hooting with laughter and closed the door so she could slide down it, crying gently Grin She might have been at the sherry already....

The poor chaps looked very nonplussed as they retreated down the drive from the madhouse

Hatespiders · 23/10/2014 09:34

Ha! I send my husband to the door. He puts on his best Malinke (his native language) and jabbers away until they sidle off. He's a sunni Muslim and very anti-fundamentalism or extremism.

I was once watering my front garden with a hose when two young Mormon men in very smart suits arrived. They stood and stood despite my repeating that I didn't want to talk. In the end, I turned the hose just a little bit in their direction and said, "Let us SPRAY!" They zoomed off.

hackmum · 23/10/2014 09:35

My experience of JWs is that they are usually pleasant and friendly people. You just have to say no politely.

If you were to make a list of religious organisations that had actively done harm in the world, the JWs wouldn't be top of the list.

Numanoid · 23/10/2014 09:39

I've never encountered them, but a pair of them said something utterly foul when my mum answered the door to them and told them she wasn't interested when she was pregnant with me, and it's made me wary. Although this was a little over 20 years ago so things have probably changed.

Hatespiders · 23/10/2014 09:45

I love the Mrs Brown's Boys episode when the Mormons arrive.
I should think American lads in posh suits are usually Mormons, not JW.

nohysteriahere · 23/10/2014 09:47

Tell them you belong to a spiritualist church and ask them who the lady behind them is. You will never see them again!

fortifiedwithtea · 23/10/2014 09:52

Poledra I think you got a visit from Moron elders Grin. My aunt (RIP) got sucked into that lot. However, as she couldn't give up, coffee, ciggies and last straw had a child out of wedlock, she got excommunicated.

JWs are polite. I worked with a lovely lady, who had me taken off their visit list. Since losing touch with her we've moved house. Sorry I'm agnostic works a treat.

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