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Original poster

what do I say when these Jehovahs come back?

119 replies

Cappuccino · 16/01/2007 11:08

I thought it was enough to tell them I went to church and didn't want to talk to them

now they claim to be coming back another day because it is nice to encounter someone with a faith

they will be arriving any morning ready to talk about the way God intervenes in our lives and how all these catastrophes are leading to a great event and it will be 'lovely to hear your views'

how do I get rid of them next time? I can't hide cos I have a half glazed door?

OP posts:
wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 16/01/2007 11:17

depends how assertive/rude you're prepared to be.

Personally I think that if anyone has a faith that's great for them but I don't think they should have the right to knock on my door and preach to me about it so I generally say I'm not interested and shut the door.

But if you're not comfortable doing that then I would just say that although you do go to church you feel that your faith and theirs is so vastly different that you don't think it is something you can discuss with them because of the likelyhood of disagreement. If they then want to know why, then just say you could never deny your child a life saving blood transfusion and now you don't wish to discuss it further thank you very much.

then close the door.

yorkshirelass79 · 16/01/2007 11:20

Message withdrawn

evamum · 16/01/2007 11:20

The absolute worst thing you can do with a Witness is argue with them, don't say anything derogatory about what they believe as then they will insist on explaining it! Just say that you do not want to speak to them and close the door.

ipanemagirl · 16/01/2007 11:21

I just say very assertively "We're Roman Catholics" with an expression which says: "And we'll have no truck with you". They usually go pretty readily. I think you have to be quite assertive to put them off.

evamum · 16/01/2007 11:21

actually scratch that, do what yorkshire lass said!!

yorkshirelass79 · 16/01/2007 11:22

Message withdrawn

TheArmadillo · 16/01/2007 11:23

tell them you've found out your dh was a JW and was thrown out (they're not allowed to talk to you then apparently).

InvisibleFlamesparrow · 16/01/2007 11:23

I tend to just tell em ~I'm a pagan and they back away quick...

sandcastles · 16/01/2007 11:24

Hide & don't answer the door....

Blu · 16/01/2007 11:26

Why would you (other posters) not be polite?

MegaLegs · 16/01/2007 11:30

I was in same situation when good JW bad JW came to my door. Good JW was sweetness and light whilst bad JW wanted to know why we were celebrating Hallowe'en as we'd put pumpkins round the doorstep. (I don;t do Halloween, the pumpkins were some we'd grown and we had made an Autumn display to keep the kids happy)

They left me a magazine to read, which I did, it had drawings of happy families wondering around with lions a nd bears. When they returned later I just thanked them and said I was happy with my faith thank you very much. When they came back this year I hid under the desk in dh's office

DominiConnor · 16/01/2007 11:30

JW's superstitions include a dislike of blood transfusions. I'd have a go at trying to convert them to this or indeed your own faith.

Personally, I am extremely offensive to any representative of God knocking on my door. Since they go around in pairs, an easy target is the dodgy nature of their sexual relationship, and on it doesn't matter if they are the same sex, makes it better.

BTW Michael Jackson was for many years a JW.
(Maybe he still is).
Offensive comments on that line are easy as well.

People who try to sell you God door to door aren't doing it for your soul's benefit. it is a group bonding task to make them feel more of a team. Although occasionally unpleasant, it makes them feel they are "doing something", and it's easy in the sense that they don't have to think hard, andit fits in with the rest of their life quite nicely.
In other words they wake up you and/or your kids as part of their fun. I regard that as a hostile act, requiring a response bounded only by the criminal law.
A wasted part of my education was how to get phone numbers off people, you should have a go a that. Then ring the fuckers at 3 AM, see if they like being woken up.

yorkshirelass79 · 16/01/2007 11:30

Message withdrawn

yorkshirelass79 · 16/01/2007 11:31

Message withdrawn

sandcastles · 16/01/2007 11:33

Which is exactly why I don't answer the door!

InvisibleFlamesparrow · 16/01/2007 11:33

I am very polite, and I am honest... I'm just lucky that my faith scares em

quadrophenia · 16/01/2007 11:34

I am really very busy but thankyou for considering saving me

Twiglett · 16/01/2007 11:35

"I am not interested .. thank you for calling and have a good day"

SSShakeTheChi · 16/01/2007 11:37

I had 2 nice teenage American girls come round once. So I listened, had a look at the books and told them it wasn't for me. They didn't come back but I think they had my name/address on file somewhere because 6 months later some others came and then 6 months later ,etc... They were not persistant in the sense of not outstaying their welcome or lodging a foot in the doorway but they kept sending new missionaries, although I kept saying I wasn't interested.

I was annoyed after a while. Didn't bother dh who is the very Catholic product of a Jesuit school. Once he was home and I said, oh no it's the JW again! Let's hide. He said, oh no, why? Let them in.

So he disappeared into the kitchen with them talking about the Virgin Mary and I don't know what. He was rabbiting on a mile a minute, they didn't get a word in edgeways and they fled in the end. After that we never once had another visit.

BettySpaghetti · 16/01/2007 11:38

The JW's have started randomly calling on us again (funny how delivery drivers can never find us but the JWs do! )-I'm just politely assertive in saying that I'm not interested, don't wish to discuss it and actually I'm in a bit of a hurry.

It always helps if you have a child clinging to you demanding something at the time too .

wurlywurly · 16/01/2007 11:39

tell them your are sacrificing a goat/duck/dog/dh and ask if they would like to join you.

MegaLegs · 16/01/2007 11:39

Also ask them to explain Dinosaurs. Our friend asked a JW about their views on Dinosaurs as they apparently don't believe they existed. (Tell me if I'm wrong)

evamum · 16/01/2007 11:40

I would be polite and yet firm, I'm with the others who think it is very rude to try and force religion on anyone.

TheArmadillo · 16/01/2007 11:41

I think its equally rude not to leave someone alone when you have knocked on their door and won't go when they tell you they are not interested (which in my experience a lot of people don't just go away).

I'm polite when people come to my door, but I get riled when they won't go away.

I absolutely hate people coming to my door trying to sell things (be it religion, products, charities, carol singers, trick or treaters - yeah I'm a miserable cow).

I also hate people phoning me (I am registered with the tps but apparently they can't stop people phoning to sell you stuff if you already own a product from them).

Hallgerda · 16/01/2007 11:43

Cappuchino, you just have to be firm with them. Tell them, politely, that you really don't want to talk to them. Or you could try "No, I'm not too keen on world peace. Those armament company shares of mine are doing far too well". Any attempt at rational argument will get you in deeper.

Flamesparrow and SsshaketheChi, my mum used to alternate between being a Druid and a Catholic as her line when the JWs called. Both approaches scared them off pretty fast.

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