To any Jehovah's witnesses out there, would you PLEASE.............

[lucyellensmum]

just leave me alone!!!!!!!!!!

I am very comfortable with my religeon thankyou very much (cathoic). I do not wish to discuss it, end of story.

Just after christmas, a lovely looking young girl with what i presume was her husband (i mean, she was really beautiful!!) Stood with her foot in my door and pushed a leaflet about death into my handsm telling me i shouldnt worry as death isnt the end. I suffer with depression, i know all about death thankyou very much, i lost my father to cancer and ever since i have had a pathological fear of dying for which i am receiving medical treatment. So, thanks for that!! That reminded me of the time i had a leaflet forced on me in the sreet, i was too polite to decline - this one was about when a child dies, i was pushing my buggy at the time - fucking great!

This morning, just over a week later, I am running late, so i am already stressed. I am TRYING to brush my little girls hair, and this is the only thing in the world that she HATES. The door knocks, im expecting my mother, so i plonk DD (who has just let out a blood curdling scream as i hit a tangle) wailing, on the floor. Answer the door, thinking it was my mum, i didnt bother to restrain my dog, who promptly runs past the two smartly dressed old dears standing at my door, making a bee line for the road (they have left the gate open). I have to barge past them to retrieve him. They then say, have we come at a bad time dear???

We are jehovahs witnesses, they say, should we come back another time . No, please don't, please dont ever come back, please just leave me alone. I have no desire to discuss my damnation with you, as i am not a good catholic, i dont go to church and i am not married to my daughters father, so i am bound surely to burn in hell anyway!

Im sorry, i know these people genuinely mean well, but surely they could put their energy to better use. I imagine some lonely and vulnerable old lady, desperate for some company may well invite these parasites into her home, only to have her head filled with hellfire damnation and will spend the rest of the day sitting fretting.

If you want to do God's work, and i really think that is admirable, i really do, then DO something, go and volunteer at the local homeless shelter, go and join the local hospital legue of friends, do ANYTHING but knock on my door - i am running out of polite ways to say i am not interested

That's a terrible story calzone and so sad.

I disagree with the fact that they do no harm though; my next door neighbour who has mental health issues was scared half to death by them a few years ago telling her some doom and gloom story, it took me a few hours and copious cups of tea to calm her down.

Also, I feel it is harassment to disturb people in their own homes especially at the times they choose to call and the fact that some are unbelievably pushy, not taking your first 'no thank you' for an answer.

Sorry calzone - didn't mean to cause you offence - but we were always told that you couldn't become a JW - could go to the meeetings but not actually join...... please accept that for every decent JW there will be some who are pushy and ignorant; that is a fact as I have met them......just as I have met lovely people who are part of the faith. OUr receptionist at work used to buy the magazine and my Grandmother was also asked for a contribution when taking one (for an old lady that is like charging I think).

I always thought this was an opinion based forum by the way, I don't think we've quite got to the stage where we have to check our opinions for veracity before writing down!

(and I did state quite clearly that I thought, which is not stating a fact)

Just to clarify a point - I don't think you're being unreasonable, btw.

JWs don't believe there is a fiery hell, so it would be a very odd Witness that would tell you you would burn in hell. A rather impolite one too.

But, as I said, I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask to be left alone.

Are there not any Jehovah Witness mumsnetters that could clarify things for us?

Oh dear, i hate offending people! I just feel so guilty, that will be my catholic upbringing i guess

Calzone, thanks for clarifying the tragic events regarding the mother who lost her life. I heard about this but didnt look into it, i thought there must be more to it than a refusal of a blood transfusion. That was really sad.

As to asking them why they call, i daren;t, honestly, i suffer from terrible anxiety and i would be a bag of nerves. I commented on the girl being beautiful, simply because she was - stunningly pretty, in a very wholesome sort of way. That was not meant to be derogatory. What i was really trying to say was, she looked like a really lovely person, i daresay she was, but it really upset me when she wanted to talk about death on my doorstep

The trouble is, surely they must "get it" that actually, door to door canvassing is a bollox way of spreading their word. Surely it would be better to have open days, preach on street corners like the evangalists do, sometimes i stop and listen. And to keep it happy and positive, please. I know a few people who are JW and they have never ever mentioned their religion.

Can anyone please explain to me the blood transfusion thing, as i really dont understand it, or even know anything about it.

beliefs and practices

although this is from wikipedia......does include a bit about the blood transfusions etc and why they need to knock etc.

apparently telling them you have been 'disfellowshipped' for adultery sometimes helps (from my ex-JW friend)

according to wiki (so probably not true ) you can be disfellowshipped for getting pissed as well - so that's easy

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I told our local JW that I was a catholic, (I'm not and I shall probably burn in hell but, pshaw!!) and they apologised and buggered off. Doesn't that work on all JWs?

rant - that was my Dad's opinion - he thought they were scared of RCs - not surprised I am too having been raised one

Lol!! Nice to see you, Wisteria btw.

Aimsmum, i was just having a little joke with you about the wiki thing, as we were "arguing" over an entry in the dog thread No offence intended.

I dont have problems with JWs per se, just the ones that dont take no thank you for an answer. As i say, the ones who used to come round, knew i am a catholic (dont even get me started on my issues with catholicism!) so never said anything about religion, but would just make pleasantries and go on their way. It is just that the last three or four experiences have been upsetting and i really think it is doing the religion a disservice.

My initial rant could have been written To any JW/energy salesmen/politicians/milkman who knocked on my door this morning whilst they could clearly hear a screaming child AND leaving my gate open and letting my little dog nearly get run over.

To be entirely fair, the ladies who were on my door this morning were really very polite and looked absolutely mortified at having come at an obviously bad time. So, maybe i was being a bit unfair, i think my other experiences have jaded my view somewhat.

with regards to children being with the canvassers. I would only have a problem due to the fact that they are probably bored senseless and could possibly be having fun doing something else.

I've nnver minded JW to be honest. They used to come very regularly to my house and we'd end up having pretty long conversations about religion, I noticed they all use the same opening gambit, it was fun debating religion with my JW, he was always incredibly polite.
I never took the literature when it was offered on the grounds I hate throwing out religious stuff, even if the religion is not mine, the JW didn't seem terribly upset about this and never offered it again.
I was once in the middle of something insane and told the JW no sorry I'm really busy, and they left. I've never ever encountered them to be pushy or foot in the door type people.....

The members of the church down my road tho are completely different kettle of fish, they all seem to be determined to convert me to their brand of christianity and I find them unsettling and dont open the door to them.

I think anyone who knocks on my door and refuses to apologise and leave straightaway when I say no thank you politely, deserves a mouthful of abuse...I am sure it is probably not what they are supposed to do but the fact remains that very often they do keep pushing it - just like double glazing salesmen..

My home is my castle etc etc

have had two lots round here in the last week.

I just say not interested and shut the door.

I do find it annoying.

I HATE the idea of anyone trying to canvas my soul by knocking at my door uninvited, it is rude and intrusive imo. That said I always politely tell them that I am happy being Catholic and that I am very busy atm and they always go away.
Hell, religious nuts(and I am including all religions in this) are just part of life's rich tapestry. No need to take it personally.

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I once pretended I did not speak any English. They worked out which language I was speaking and came back with leaflets in the right language. I was gobsmacked.
Once they did interrupt something they should not . They rang the doorbell until we could not longer ignore them, and they had a small child with them. I answered the door in a bathrobe, obviously furious, and told them I was not interested in what they had to offer.

Now I just say 'no thank you' and walk away without any uncertainties. Don't engage in any conversation of any kind, just say 'no thanks' and walk away. That has been working for me.

I'm a catholic too and have engaged in many a lively debate with JH's. A lot of them are disaffected catholics and can't wait to dish the dirt on the catholic church, as if I haven't heard it all before. But some are lovely and most will go if I'm too busy. They just leave their pamphlet and bid me good day.

I wish them well. It can't be easy knocking on someone's door not knowing if you're going to get abuse. And some people can be really really nasty to them, threatening them with violence and spitting at them.

Saying that I object to them taking children with them. No child wants to be dragged around from house to house, potentially being exposed to abusive behaviour from the householder. If they turn up with children then I turn them away and I tell them why.

But could you honestly do what they are doing? Even if you don't believe, you've gotta admire them for their courage and determination. Anyone who isn't ashamed to profess what they believe in gets brownie points from me.

And Hell is not a "catholic thing", there are many other religions who believe in it too.

JW's have an official website where you can get accurate answers to your questions, re: blood issue etc, rather than looking at other unreliable info.

www.watchtower.org/

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