To wonder why Jehovahs Witnesses et al bother doorknocking?

[DollyPartonsBeard]

I've had the JWs at the door this morning. As always I politely told them I wouldn't be engaging with them as I'm well aware of their views on the lgbt+ community and we're a household of queer women.

But it left me wondering how successful their doorstep evangelism actually is; I'm pretty sure that in this day and age if an individual seeks religion or spirituality they can access information about this themselves (I feel the same way about double glazing sales). In fact the only person I know who got involved with the JWs was a very vulnerable young woman who had lost a baby. They told her they could 'save' her from God's punishment for her having a child out of wedlock which may have made me dislike their methods even more.

I'm all for freedom of religious expression, but I'm confused as to why they do this, when the conversion rate must be very low, and whether their time might be better spent doing good deeds instead of disrupting my quiet enjoyment of my home with their homophobic agenda?

Door knocking also raises their profile, even if they don't convert anyone that way.
I don't mind them really, they're usually perfectly friendly.
I'm not about to be converted anytime soon, (for one thing I'm against their stances on blood transfusions, on celebrating birthdays and Holidays and against the LGBTQ community); as such I don't mind a chat either way, as I would with anyone. I usually take the booklet proffered.

Figaro

Some sects have a duty to evangelize.

I don't like being door stepped, but the Jehovah Witnesses in my area do leave as soon as I politely tell them I am not interested.

What I found creepy was going to a fair one evening and having to walk past a gamut of tents, just before the entrance, with children coming up to us to entice my children in to 'listen to a story' (Southern US here). There are some mighty weird sects around where I live - the Southern Baptists believe women should never be in a position of authority over men for instance.

The JWs seem to have diversified in my neighbourhood and are usually to be found with a stand of booklets and brochures in town rather than doing the traditional door-to-door evangelising.

It can’t be much fun either way.

To be honest, evangelising of any sort is just bad manners, although I appreciate it's difficult for those involved to see it that way. Evangelism is predicated on the assumption that the evangelisers have all the right answers and the evangelisees are empty vessels waiting to be filled up.

If you are going to approach someone you should at least go into the interaction with the idea that the other person might have some useful insights too - and that you are also open to changing your own mind.

That would be more respectful.

It's a proselytising religion, isn't it? Like the Mormons? It is part of their belief system to try to 'save the souls' of non believers.

here you go

I'd imagine they put themselves at fairly significant risk of verbal and possibly physical attacks by going knocking on doors.

It's something they have to do. DH has family who are JW and some of them have said they are not comfortable with it.

I grew up in the Salvation Army and hated the knocking on the door asking for money once a year. It's something I always hated being made to do.

I believe that JW's also believe women should be In subjugation to men, Jack. I could be wrong but I'm not

I'm sorry but if this thread was about Islam it would have been deleted by now. The fact that someone has commented "Absolutely mad" and this is acceptable worries me. Such double standards.

It's a huge part of the religion to share the word, and most members are on the Ministry door knocking on a regular basis. You can ring your local Kingdom Hall and ask not be bothered by them. Personally I think if they changed from the Sunday best clothing and the briefcases, more people would be caught off guard to opening the door......!! We can spot them a mile off round here, and we get a fortnightly visit despite being very rural.

There has definitely been a reduction in doorstepping here too. The JW evangelisers can be found with their trolley of brochures but the local commuter foot-traffic hotspots. Usually in pairs. Mostly talking to each other and ignoring passers by. Not much conversion happening there, just ticking off the hours.

It is part of what they sign up for; I have close family members who are JW and they take great pride is completing their pioneer work. Rather than door knocking, one volunteers to have a stand outside the local shops every week or so.

I suppose if you truly believe there is this wonderful news to share, you would want to share it!

When we have them here I just say I don't believe in God.

The JWs I know are kind, good people. However my closest relative who is JW is a very vulnerable personality type in many ways - a born people pleaser, raised in the 50s as a Catholic so prone to extreme guilt. IMHO it is a cult: not as extreme as some, but the way they "disfellowship" and shun people who behave badly or want to leave the faith is wholly unacceptable.

*by the, not but the

figaro clearly you haven't met the new bunch, whoops. Why does mormans autocorrect to Normans on my phone! Both unlikely words. All because I was attempting to avoid typing the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

As they worship someone who purposely drowned millions of kittens, I have no time for them.

I lived down the street from a JW church/centre they would knock on our door all the time. Eventually I answered and told them we aren't interested we are all scientists and he came back with a book written by a JW who was a scientist
I returned that book to them as I wasn't interested, it's nice having a house with CCTV I can see who is at the door so I can be selective who I open it for!

They come and see my old flat mate every weekend trying to discuss a subject and persuade her to come to church . They don't vote, so she had to go to the polling station with a paper bag over her head in case they were lurking.

I know very little about their religion but the last two JWs who knocked on my door were perfectly pleasant elderly Jamaican women who admired my garden, we had a nice chat about this, that and the other, then they gave me a leaflet and went in their way.

And I've since discovered that one if my nice neighbours is a JW.

So - they seemed alright to me. No bother, no fuss, no scamming.

It's also worth noting that, of all the evangelical religions, JWs are the only ones with a finite number of places in heaven!

There are something like eight million, worldwide, yet the scripture states that only 144,000 can enter heaven. I don't think this is on a first-come first-served basis, but it suggests to me that if you're on the look-out for a new religion, you'd get better odds of eternal paradise with one of the others.

It sounds to me that, just as with everything else, some people an unpleasant knobs and some aren't. Their religion is neither here nor there.

Babycham1979 they believe in an eternal Paradise on earth for the righteous believers but the 144k get to rule in heaven with Jehovah.

became a problem years ago,8am on sunday morning,following me around the yard after being told to leave.back on weds dragiing their children and women around in 35c with 100% humidity..

they arent partial to windchimes so loaded up my trees.also have sign on door.large tin sign says member of the black hat society with a halloween witch on a broom(very pretty one not the hag version)
has stopped the mormons and jws.

While I wouldn't dream of getting physical, if they come here against the do not call list they get told to get off my property in a loud and pissed off voice.

Because seeing them dragging their kids round and knowing this is being perpetuated really makes me angry.

I often wonder the same thing. They hang around outside tube stations too. I'm often tempted to ask if they manage to convert many people this way but have no desire to engage in conversation about religion so don't bother.

SpringySprung how pathetic. So what if you had neighbours? Some of us have had them in our families. They're a cult. They prey on the vulnerable.

They send children, old people doorknocking with the fear of missing out on eternal life in their heads. The leaders in america are very wealthy. So they send these people out to get abused

They will disown their own families if made to. It's a cult. A dangerous cult. Full of child abuse and sexual abuse as well as the general bullying.

My grandma is still a JW, my mum has been one on and off (luckily their congregation isn't quite as evil as typical), I went as a small girl to the kingdom hall, I used to know all the songs, I had all the books... shove your neighbours up your arse frankly. Stop being nicey nicey and jumping to the defence of a CULT. Your neighbours might well be nice! My grandma is! The nice ones are the vulnerable ones who have been sucked in. Maybe you should be more concerned about your neighbours being exploited by a cult and less concerned with virtue signalling on the internet (you know you don't have to announce you reported something right?)