Jehovah's Witnesses

[Dottie39]

They knocked on the door and tried to hand me their magazine. I politely declined, meanwhile my little boy and girl, both under six, have ran to door. JW turns to them and offers them the magazine. I sharply say "No, I have said no" and shut the door. Apparently he told my neighbour I was rude (Neighbour is also JW)
Was I rude? I was actually angry that after saying no he targeted my children, but my neighbour made me feel bad saying he was being friendly and kids wouldn't have understood the magazine anyway.

[thegreylady]

Round here they tend to be very pleasant and polite and go away if asked. I once invited a couple of elderly ladies in for a hot drink in a biting cold rainstorm. They wouldn't have tea or coffee but accepted a hot orange squash. Is this usual?

[WashingMatilda]

DH pranced across, opened the door with a glass of sherry in his hand, singing 'Sympathy for the Devil' and proclaimed "Whooo, your anti-christmas friends are here, shall I tell them you're wrapping christmas gifts and booked in for donating blood again this Friday or let it be a surprise". They've not been since.

I can't

[JustAnotherPoster00]

I never realised you could be indoctrinated by being handed a magazine

As you take that mag its seen as an acceptence/willingness to talk so then they start calling more, making sure you get your Awake! magazine each month(?), then the inevitable invitation to the Kingdom Hall begins, and the 'oh we have such and such speaker visiting I think you would enjoy it'. Then the 'bible study' starts and before long youre going on ministry with them and obeying their cult rules, so no dont even take the first magazine

[JustAnotherPoster00]

Im an atheist/anti-theist so I've already been declared apostate so I get left well alone

[Krispiesquare]

I'm going to comment again seeing as others are sharing their stories.

I actually have a lovely lady knock on my door. Last time she tried to show me her magazine and in return my two year old insisted she see her Peppa Pig book

However, there are some who are just awful.

A decade ago I was having chemotherapy in a teenage cancer trust ward in London. There was a young JW girl there who was really struggling as she would not accept blood. Her nan was there constantly. One morning when all the parents and guardians were having tea in the kitchen she handed around her books and told them about how all us teenagers suffering had the devil in us. It was incredibly upsetting

[yellowsun]

I once answered the door when off sick and had a chat. When I asked them why the children at my school couldn't learn about other religions, they compared it to not standing to close to a sick person in case you catch something.

My Nan was a JW. My mum and uncle grew up thinking the world was going to end and we're quite traumatised.

[streetface]

I think it is very important not to allow children to see that magazine.

When I was at primary school, my best friend's mum was a JW. Every time I went round she told me about the religion, including the belief that everyone who had already died and all the JW would go to heaven. Everyone else, including all my family, unless the converted to JW would go to hell. This escalated into taking me to meetings at the witness hall which for some reason my parents didn't stop.

She also told me as Adam and Eve were the first people on earth, dinosaurs came along much later and all the science was wrong. This went on from the age of 6/7 until around 10 years old. It absolutely messed me up, caused huge anxiety and I constantly tried to get my parents and grandparents to become JW so they wouldn't go to hell while I went to heaven.

It seriously fucked me up. It's not about the magazine 'converting' anyone. You absolutely did the right thing OP. Take it from me, those magazines should NEVER be given to children. Anyone who thinks you are over reacting knows nothing. Take it from me.

[thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts]

JWs come to my door even though it says vicarage and I'm usually wearing a clerical collar. I might spend some time talking theology reframing all of their spiel into academic terms. Or I'll talk about joy and prayer and all the good stuff that I get from my faith. This does rather throw them. I've been blacklisted twice.

[BasketOfDeplorables]

They were rude to try to hand it to your children after you'd said no. The whole door to door thing relies on people feeing that it's rude to say no. It's wrong to exploit that for any means.

[JaneEyre70]

I used to work with a lovely JW. She was very unusually "allowed" to work part time (and earn enough to feed the kids). She and DH lived with DHs parents, and not only did she have to ask her DHs permission to do anything, she also had to ask her FIL.... they happily claim benefits as do most of their group, as it allows them to work on the Ministry. Their kids were promptly dragged out of school at 13, education is a very bad thing to JWs especially science and the kids just didn't seem to have any sort of life other than Kingdom Hall and running round after their dad.
I always feel so sorry for the kids being dragged round in their sunday best clothes, and the women to an extent but I want to throw darts at the men..........!!!

[Heatherjayne1972]

It's your house op
They're the visitor. You said no. Jw man was the rude one massively overstepped the line by trying to give the leaflet to your dc
Many people would have been a lot ruder

[kkkkaty123]

The magazines are not harmless, they are very offensive if you or someone very close to you is gay, or any other way of life you live which they don't believe in. No way would I leave those mags lying around for my dc to pic up and read.

[Mum2jenny]

Personally I permit ppl to post what they like through my letter box, but if it's a 1 to 1 meeting ( confrontation!), I tend to tell all to 'sling their hook' aka just fuck off! Even though I've had really nice JWs round, but only once as I explained my views and that I wasn't happy to see them again. Sometimes politeness works ( don't tell my dh as he doesn't believe it!!)

[Slimthistime]

I work with a JW
She is quite careful in what she says, as is generally sensible in an office. I'm an atheist and so is the boss.

But a couple of things that have come up have really surprised me

Firstly she seemed to think that as a single woman I must have never had a proper partner i.e. Had sex or lived with anyone

Secondly she won't watch anything that is on after the watershed. She sometimes asks for novel recommendations to alternate between religious reading material, but she asks so many questions....I think with that and the watershed it's to ensure no sex, swearing etc.

I must admit to knowing nothing about it till I met her. I've never done the Bernard Black thing of inviting them in! I think they are leafleting my area as well. I've never looked at a copy of the magazine in case it gives me the rage!