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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Religion/brainwash and kids

91 replies

EstRusMum · 20/12/2014 11:34

So I just had a knock on the door and behind it there were a man and about 10 year old boy. Guess what? Boy starts talking to me about god. Jehova fucking witnesses!!! I cannot close the door in the boy's face and I feel sorry for him, as he is clearly nervous. Eventually I brought an excuse that I can't stand for too long, being 37 weeks pregnant, so they left. Before leaving man opened his mouth finally and said: read the website, blah-blah-blah(usual BS).
Is it the case to report to police/social services? What kind of parent would drag their child to knock on the door of the stranger?
AIBU to be angry about the matter?

OP posts:

fredfredgeorgejnr · 20/12/2014 16:29

EstRusMum Sort of, if you believe it's wrong for a 10 year old to go door to door, by standing their listening to them accepting their right to go door to door your actions are saying it's acceptable.

The correct response for something you disagree with is not standing there listening to it. It's shutting the door, telling them to bugger off, complaining to the local kingdom hall etc. It's not your fault their doing it, but you are encouraging and supporting the activity by listening.

fredfredgeorgejnr · 20/12/2014 16:44

PhaedraIsMyName Solicitors may not cold call, but only because they use every legal dodge possible to pretend the leads they buy from claims management company are not from cold calling.

Because lots of solicitors are buying leads directly as a result from cold calling despite what you say.

Boardingbabe · 20/12/2014 17:08

They are actually really nice peaceful people, and from what I understand from talking to them in the past, they are following a command by Jesus to give a message to people from the bible... Not convert people. They are the only Christians that follow the bible to the letter rather than just picking out the bits they want to do. All Christians should be following that command in effect. Just politely ask them not to call again if it makes you that angry

SconeRhymesWithPhone · 20/12/2014 17:15

Maybe the boy wanted to go? Not quite the same, but we are regular members of our parish church (C of E), and I took my 5 year old with me to deliver leaflets advertising our Christmas services round a couple of streets. He really wanted to come and enjoyed pushing them through the letter boxes. We weren't evangelising on door steps or anything, but it's kind of there same thing?

Gothgirl78 · 20/12/2014 17:20

As a long time lurker it's Catholics that are hated the most on here.

WorraLiberty · 20/12/2014 18:19

They are actually really nice peaceful people

They are individual people, just like everyone else.

skylark2 · 20/12/2014 18:30

Engage the child, since he has engaged with you.

Tell him that in your religion, people are allowed and expected to decide for themselves which religion to follow. Ask him if he'd like to hear more about your religion, since he thinks it's okay to ask you to hear about his.

When the dad refuses, suggest that he starts practicing what he preaches.

TooHasty · 20/12/2014 20:05

You just smile and say, 'I am sorry , but I am really not interested.Good day' and close the door.
Calling the Police/ss because parents have raised a child in a faith, and are allowing him to express this faith, is religious persecution.

Summerisle1 · 20/12/2014 20:21

People seem to pick on the Witnesses when they wouldn't pick on people from other religions, for some reason.

If any representative from any other religion knocked on doors with children in tow then I'd be equally pissed off. But they don't. Unlike the JWs who have a cunning habit of wandering up the path with a small posse of children as outriders who are used to deflect the robustness of the response they might get.

I wouldn't report them but I don't see why I should tolerate the practice either.

Summerisle1 · 20/12/2014 20:23

We weren't evangelising on door steps or anything, but it's kind of there same thing?

Honestly, it isn't. Because pushing leaflets through the door is absolutely not the same thing as knocking on the door in order to evangelise. Whether or not evangelism had been ordered.

writtenguarantee · 20/12/2014 20:42

That could be because they knock on people's doors to recruit/preach.

at least they don't ask if 30% of state funding to go to their schools.

Gingerfudge · 20/12/2014 20:54

Dh was brought up by a JW - he's a clever bloke and just like me he realised religion was BS. Mil is still fully committed. I don't see much difference in the bullshit he was fed, to the bullshit I was fed - different types of Christianity, mine's was more conventional, we both walked away. My dc's are welcome to find religion if they chose but we won't be encouraging it, just as well they find it fairly unnecessary.

ghostyslovesheep · 20/12/2014 20:56

I used to go carol singing at that age - you know ...knocking on doors and spreading the word of God

dirkdiggler1 · 20/12/2014 21:04

A simple "Get off my property or call yourself an ambulance" works for me.

CarryOn90 · 20/12/2014 21:09

Of course the poor child is being brainwashed.

Christopher Hitchens summed it up beautifully: "If religion was banned until children reached the age of reason, we would live in a very different world."

BackOnlyBriefly · 20/12/2014 21:25

I'd rather the children were out playing instead of being used that way, but sadly there's nothing to be done about it.

They are the only Christians that follow the bible to the letter rather than just picking out the bits they want to do

I didn't know that, Boardingbabe. So they stone adulterers and gay people then?

wheresthelight · 21/12/2014 01:55

actually Yabvu and showing that you have absolutely no idea about their beliefs.
the jehovah witnesses are one of if no the only religion who dunno allow children to be baptised etc until they are at least 14 and old enough to make the decision for themselves.

there is no brainwashing done at all. and no I am not a jehovah witness

writtenguarantee · 21/12/2014 02:23

the jehovah witnesses are one of if no the only religion who dunno allow children to be baptised etc until they are at least 14 and old enough to make the decision for themselves.

there are many others.

there is no brainwashing done at all. and no I am not a jehovah witness

no more than other religions. although, they do have 5 year olds saying they would rather die than receive blood.

ShowMeYourTARDIS · 21/12/2014 03:02

My housemate grew up JW, and deeply resents it. She missed out on a lot growing up. She feels like she was brainwashed and still has issues surrounding it. There's a lot of shaming, especially regarding sex. She was a normal teenager, and was made to feel dirty and disgusting for having very normal feelings.

intheair · 21/12/2014 05:30

All religions rely on the brainwashing of children in order to continue existing. Bit unfair to single out JW for it.

BackOnlyBriefly · 21/12/2014 10:52

Oh they are all brainwashed to some degree. All religions agree that you must teach them while they are young and vulnerable. If you wait until they are older they might question how you know it's true and think for themselves.

But not all religions use their children as props in the way JWs do and others like the Westboro Baptists.

And then JWs are also a religion that endangers children because of their confusion about transfusions.

JoffreyBaratheon · 21/12/2014 12:32

I'd give the child an xmas present. JWs find that very offensive. And say something like "Oh poor little thing out in this cold when all the other ten year olds are having fun on their PS4s."

But I'm not very nice.

FishCanFly · 21/12/2014 14:37

Non-mainstream religious denominations often seem a bit weird and somewhat a cultural shock to an outsider. However, there is no need to get rude. You can always say you're not interested in a polite way.

JoffreyBaratheon · 21/12/2014 15:21

My ex partner - dad to my youngest 2 kids - did that Alpha Course (essentially a cult). Every year he sends them no present or money but a card (sometimes just a postcard from his 'church') with weird religious nonsense scrawled on it. Luckily it always comes when the kids are at school so my annual traditional is to chuck it on the fire-back before they get in.

It would scare them - and my older kids - if they saw it. Cults are scary for kids outside them as well as damaging for kids trapped within.

BackOnlyBriefly · 21/12/2014 15:26

FishCanFly, they are all weird. I know one where they get together and pretend to eat bits of a corpse.

What's that one called now - don't worry it will come to me.

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