To just shut the door on religious door-knockers, with no comment?

[BeanQuisine]

I used to smile and say "I'm not religious", but a friend pointed out that this still confers some degree of social legitimacy on their absurd intrusion into my life.

I decided that a better tactic, when it becomes clear that a doorknocker is peddling religion, is to just silently close the door in their face.

Wondering how many people here agree that this is a reasonable response to unreasonable intrusion, and how you choose to respond to these people.

I had Jehovah’s witnesses knock my door once about two years ago.
There is a very clear sign on my door saying no cold callers.
I am disabled and dragged myself out of bed and made my way to the door on my crutches as they had knocked repeatedly so I thought it must be something urgent.
When I opened the door a bloke in a bizarre farmer type hat launched into his spiel and I just said
“Oh fuck off” and shut the door.
Not had any further visits.
The arrogance to knock my door to try to convert me to their delusions.

I had some round today offering me free bible lessons. I declined, politely. The previous ones I discussed mysogyny in relgion with, they denied its existence. They went on to talk about about the coming of christ and I said he'd better hurry up, the world is burning. It WAS a very hot day.

The ones before that (I was in a bad mood) were told any god that may have been around had clearly left a long time ago.

I don't believe in any god but the notion of god doesn't bother me. Organised religion, on the other hand, is the devil's work and I don't need it knocking on my door.

That's just rude. There's no need to be so ill mannered.

My paternal grandmother once had the Jehover's knocking at her door.She opened it and stood listening to their ranting in silence for a while until they told her to beware as Satan was coming.She replied that she no longer feared Satan as she had been married to him for many years until she came to her senses and left him.She finished by informing them he would not be back.She never had another visit.
She was obviously referring to her long separated from husband.

I'll look forward to it! 🤣🤣🤣

I wonder how many people they convert by knocking on peoples doors? I say no thanks and very quickly shut the door because they’re usually elderly but I find it very rude that they disturb my day for total bollocks.

My cousin was briefly married to a Jehovah’s Witness. My dear uncle always answered the door with a cheery “no thank you. We’ve already got one”.

I am baffled that people are defending Jehovahs knocking on doors. It’s extremely rude and a massive invasion of privacy. They definitely deserve to be told where to go. Nobody wants to hear their deluded bollocks. Aside from the fact it’s nothing more than a dangerous cult. Anyone belonging to it is either mentally ill or totally brainwashed. Any Jehovahs I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet are awful hypocritical people who have an air of superiority. That’s without even addressing turning a blind eye to the abuse of children and women by a large number of the elders.

Many of you seen to be made incredibly irate by these calls, yet don't seem to have thought to have a sign on their door telling them not to knock.

It's quite amusing that one poster thinks that the answer is to make it illegalb for anyone to knock at the door, when there's a much simpler resolution that leaves individual householders able to make their own choice.

When you're rude, or outright unpleasant to people like this, you are perpetuating the problem and keeping people trapped in cults.

Let me explain why. People are often born into cults organisations like Jehovahs witnesses, or the westborough baptist church. They've not known another life other than what people older and than them have told them. Or they've come into these spaces as a vulnerable person who is seeling validation and comfort. They're often denied access to the Internet and the outside world. The only access they may have to other people outside of their cult church is the people they meet when they go door to door, which they are often forced to do.

When you're rude, or dismissive, or abusive or nasty, those people keeping them there use that to that advantage. They say "look how these people treat you. Who are you going to go to if you leave? Them? They clearly hate you. You have no choice, you have to stay here with us"

The exact same thing happens when you belittle and mock and bully people on the Internet for their beliefs, or when you blame one group (Muslims for example) for the actions of a few. The elders, the people at the top, use this to radicalise people. Look, they hate you, look at what they say about peopld like you, we love you, come to us".

You say none of this is your responsibility, and maybe you're right, but do you not think the society you live in would be better if you were kinder to people instead of being rude to them, which in turn perpetuates abuse and radicalisation?

Then maybe when someone wants to leave this world they are trapped in and is trying to pluck up ths courage to do so, instead of thinking "I've got nowhere to go, the outside world is scary and they hate me' they might think "that one lady smiled at me and gave me a bottle of water after I'd been walking around all day in the heat, maybe they're not all bad, maybe they'll help me"

Just trying to show the bigger picture in case you weren't aware/hadn't thought of it. A very small but of effort, even just a smile or a polite "no, thank you" can make such a massive difference and takes a second.

I also just close the door in their faces.

The sticker by the door is pretty explicit in saying no religious cold calling so I really don't think I owe them politeness.

Oh and just to add to the above, Meghan Phelps-Roper is fascinating to listen to. She talks very candidly about life in the westborogh baptist church and how she managed to leave.
She's very clear that it was NOT because of people bring horrible to her, or talking down to her, or calling her stupid, and PLENTY were. Those people only pushed her back to the life she knew, and she was given reversed responses for them all anyway. It was the respectful people, that convnuced jer to leave and stop doing the awful things she as doing, the people that calmly and kindly explained things to her. She left, and ended up marrying one of those people.
Meanness might get them to leave you alone but it really does make the wider problem worse.

I echo this.

Put a sign up saying no canvassers or peddlers, then in they violate that and knock anyway, point at the sign wordlessly and shut the door.

Wait you people open the door to unexpected knockers? Maybe thats where youre going wrong?

I read "unexpected knockers" and immediately imagined a massive pair of tits appearing in someone's living room out of nowhere, like the Spanish inquisition in Monty Python 😂

@Smiling2022what would the elders say about fraternising with ‘wordly’ people on Mumsnet, or is this considered part of the work to convert others? I am genuinely curious as to how they feel about JW’s using forums.

@notedbiscuits

Why do Jehovah's Witnesses need to go round door to door?
They are required to spend 140 hours per month preaching the Word of God. I'm not sure what happens if they fail to rack up the required hours, but I imagine that they are probably threatened with the wrath of God.

I was out the other day and returned to find a long handwritten letter!
This seemed to become popular during Covid. I suppose that it was one way of preaching the Word of God while taking into account social distancing, not to mention bumping up their preaching hours! Our local ones probably ramped up their hours considerably, as our long letters were written in both Welsh and English. Unfortunately, I'm not fluent in Biblical Welsh yet, so it was very inclusive of them to write it out in English, too.

You will be the envy of this thread to have a vantage point where you can see and know to avoid the door when they're calling!

Just out of interest, does anyone know what their doorstop conversion rate is like? Do most converts stay within the organisation, or leave quite soon afterwards? I'm curious!

We must be lucky not had any of that for decades.

Only on MN is it rude to knock on someone's door, honestly.

Just because you don't agree with their beliefs, doesn't necessitate or justify being rude or disrespectful.

I always say politely that I am of a different faith and wish them a good day.

Invite them in for a chat. Lock the door after they’ve come in. Draw the curtains. Look at them really intently. Ask if they want to see your collection of antique light bulbs. Let them regret bothering people.

I've got a thread on here about a JW who messaged me on Facebook especially to tell me that my late DP's cancer was God's punishment for our Gothic lifestyle just a few months after his death.(about three years ago). The wrath of "my God" outstripped hers by a country mile. I have no respect for religious nutjobs who impose their rabid delusions by knocking on doors or by any other means.

Oh please get your facts correct before making it a fact 😑

@Smiling2022well, I’m asking you directly and no response!

Re doorstep conversion rate - I’m sure it’s very low. The problem is who they may draw in through this tactic. Vulnerable people like the case I mentioned upthread.