Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Philosophy/religion

Join our Philosophy forum to discuss religion and spirituality.

Original poster

What is your reaction to Jehovah's Witnesses calling?

88 replies

Posey · 14/03/2006 12:23

We have a regular visit from one, he's been calling on and off for months. We are always friendly, I find him quite interesting but have no intention of becoming a JW. I think he probably knows that but he still calls.
My friend's mum, a very devout Christian, invites them in and they debate etc for an hour or more!

What do you do?

OP posts:
blueshoes · 14/03/2006 13:14

I dislike people who go around knocking door-to-door for whatever reason. When dd was a baby, I would have apoplectic if they woke her up. Same for cold callers - they always seem to call when we are having dinner.

Anyway, I will usually answer the door with the keychain latched and with a scowl. After their intros, take their (free) leaflets, thank them and close the door on them.

WigWamBam · 14/03/2006 13:18

My loss of faith wasn't only because of the Bible, sansouci - it was only partly because of the human aspects of Christianity and the human involvement in Scripture. It just so happened that discussing it with her knocked the final nail into the coffin, really - it would have happened anyway.

motherinferior · 14/03/2006 13:19

I tell them irritatedly that I have a deadline thank you very much, and go back to work.

sansouci · 14/03/2006 13:40

Sorry for that, WWB! Faith can be a real comfort in the bad times or sometimes not.

Ellbell · 14/03/2006 13:44

My ex-h's dad (Plymouth Brethren) once converted a pair of JWs who visited his house. He basically invited them in and very patiently showed them where (he felt) they were going wrong. Don't particularly have a lot of sympathy for his beliefs either (am agnostic) but he was a very clever and determined man. After this, the JWs blacklisted him, and you could watch them going down the whole street knocking on every door except his.

Personally I just say 'No thank you, I'm not interested' and people are always polite and leave it at that. I don't mind them calling. They are told to evangelise, and it's no more intrusive imo than other types of cold calling or TV advertising.

jac34 · 14/03/2006 13:46

I do the same as I do with any of the "pests" that come to the door,just say no thank you and shut the door weather they are still speaking or not.

cutekids · 14/03/2006 13:49

my hubbie loves to wind them up and will argue his corner for ages! wouldn't mind, but he's not religious at all...!!! i don't answer the door to them. a friend of mine though who lives in a beautiful house up in the hills in n wales told me she got a knock on the door once in the middle of the day. she answered and standing there was an old friend of hers-and mine!don't know who was more shocked.my mate or our old mutual mate! old mutual mate said,"oh sh*t!didn't think anyone would know me up here!we have to "do"so many houses for the church."!why was she doing it if she didn't believe in it?...!?

cutekids · 14/03/2006 13:50

forgot to mention:old mutual friend had become a jehovah's witness. sorry if confusing!!!

cutekids · 14/03/2006 13:52

OLD! don't know where the Grincame from...!!!

DominiConnor · 14/03/2006 21:58

I normally just tell them to piss off, but one woke me up. I regard this as assault, and let rip. They weren't happy.

expatinscotland · 14/03/2006 21:59

We live in a flat w/a buzzer door, so no worries there! But I used to get them in the States and I'd tell them I was pagan.

Piggiesmum · 14/03/2006 22:24

We hide at the top of the stairs too. We had some round a couple of weeks ago. Fortunately we spotted them before they got to us and fortunately for them my mum and dad had just taken 5 month old ds out in the pram for his nap, as they rang the bell, than rang it again 2 seconds later, then knocked really loudly just in case any-one else in the street might still be asleep Angry. At this point an annoyed dh peered down from the top of the stairs to see one of them with their face pressed upto the tiny frosted glass window in the door trying to look in!

nulnulcat · 14/03/2006 22:35

i stand and stare at them with a really scary stare they usually cant get a way quick enough worrying about my mental state!

DominiConnor · 15/03/2006 10:37

I note we have a JW here, so I would like to know if it actually works ?

alicemama · 15/03/2006 11:50

tbh 95% of people are not interested which is fair enough. but there are some that are and want to study the Bible with us. In my congregation we reg have 4 or 5 new jw's every year which doesn't sound like much but on a national scale that's 1000's.
I do appreciate that there are some jw's who are very pushy and do knock too loudly for which I apologise. Personally I look at the house first, if curtains are drawn I won't knock, if people are going out I don't disturb them and when i knock I knock once and leave it at that.
People make their own minds up and being pushy does no good whatsoever.

miarose · 15/03/2006 12:24

I was also a JW once but i was to young to understand most of it, I still have JW's in my family and hate it when I here others talking about what they think JW'S believe in , I was listening to someone on the bus the other day and thay said that JW'S are forced to give half there monthly wages (NOT TRUE) !!!

I have alot of respect for them and always give them a little time if they call.

colinandcaitlinsmommy · 15/03/2006 23:14

You weren't the only one that hated it, Bubblez. I used to hurt myself really badly on purpose just to get out of it. I still have nightmares about it to this day, in fact I had one last night and I woke up all sweaty and upset.

expatinscotland · 15/03/2006 23:18

my ex boyfriend put a big pentagram sticker on his front door and never got much bother from then on. :o

colditz · 15/03/2006 23:21

I take their literature, say thank you and goodbye, let them finish their sentence, and close the door.

Who do they hurt? They are only doing what they think is right. If I believed I could stop people going to hell by knocking on their door and trying to persuade them to go to church (or whatever) I would do it. I don't believe that, but if I did...etc

SleepyJess · 15/03/2006 23:26

My FIL tells them Foreign Office or Post Office depending on his mood! Grin

I am not very polite any more I have to admit. I dislike the way they pretend to be there for some other reason. I dislike being rude to people on my doorstep but I was once made very late for work by two sweet little old ladies who refused to understand that I had to go and get in my car..! They were "pretending" to do a survey about crime in the area.. but it evolved into some twisted version of something else.

I don't consider myself intolerent but I can't be conversing with people who have told me point blank that it was actually God's will that my lovely 5 year old DS should not have in fact survived.. because I agreed to allow him to receive intensive care at birth.. and a blood transfusion.

These days I usually explain that I am a blood donor.. believe very strongly in this being a Christian thing to do.. (not to mention 'right!') and that I can see little point in delaying them. And I have learnt to shut the door.

zubb · 15/03/2006 23:28

I have 2 really nice old ladies that come round every month or so. We just chat about the kids, what they've been up to recently, then they'll tell me what the latest watchtower is about, ask me if I've ever thought about the subject - I say no never, then they go.

Haven't invited them in though, although dh nearly did when they called just after ds3 was born. They said they had just called to see how we were and he thought they were neighbours or something as they didn't say that they were JW and did genuinely just want to see whether I had had the baby.

expatinscotland · 15/03/2006 23:29

Get a pentagram sticker. It worked wonders for the ex. He looked scary, too. Really tall. Wore one of those duster jackets. Had a tattoo of 'The Scream' on one of his forearms - you should have seen some of his other ones! I met him in a goth bar one night.

Brilliant man! Great surgeon.

threelittlebabies · 15/03/2006 23:44

Had a call a few sundays ago. 6mo dd was asleep in my arms. Nice, smiley older lady cooed over dd, then started with the inquisition. I politely told her that we are Catholics, and that I believe in blood transfusions, having had 2. She then sort of turned, still smiling maniacally with clenched teeth, and started being quite nasty saying "Well you can only do what the bible says is allowed... where will you get the guidance to teach your children about your religion etc etc" Found myself trying to explain own beliefs, when should have just told her it was none of her business. By the time I had got rid of her, dd had woken up Angry That's what I get for being nice and actually opening the door when I saw them coming round.

pebblemum · 15/03/2006 23:48

I was bought up to hide when they knocked the door so imagine my mums horror when i bought one home and introduced him as my new boyfriend Grin

harpsichordcarrier · 15/03/2006 23:50

I always answer the door and and I am polite and I take the magazine and in fact I almost always read it too.
when I was a teenager I did have a long discussion with some JW's one Sunday morning about who knows what. fairly interesting actually.