what do I say when these Jehovahs come back?

[Cappuccino]

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?

The other problem is if you're in a well-worked area - you'll probably get called on anyway because there's more Witnesses in your area than territory they can sensibly rotate.

If "F*ck off and don't come back" didn't work I'd be tempted to answer the door starkers with a pair of tights on my head and an orange in my mouth. And hold up a placard saying "Come in and meet the others".

you can ask them why their church paid the mortgage on my uncle's house while he was sent to prison for sexually abusing his daughter, and why he was welcomed back after his stint with open arms and his daughter was shunned?

that honestly happened

of course i havent spoken to him or his wife for donkeys years now

lou

suebaroo - they may well have a book that gives answers but IME, they are unable to give answers to any other questions or challenges to their particular topic. They had no idea what to say when I started actually trying to have a discussion with them about the bible

yes i know, i could tell you more but it really is unbelievable

When I was pregnant with DS some JWs kept coming round. There were a man and a woman - the woman kept touching which I didn't like at all.

She also ket calling me Christine, which as it isn't my name was a bit strange.

I think I may have stopped them coming again by answering the door breastfeeding DS, but I can't quite remember.

The woman kept touching should read "kept touching my bump". Not sure what I typed would be suggesting.

Tommy, yes, you're entirely right - take them out of what they're trained to do, discussion-wise, and they will often be like a fish out of water. The book I was referring to has a section in it with 'potential conversation stoppers' listed in it. It's not comprehensive, but deals with most of the common answers they meet.

Lou33, it would be nice to say that your experience was unbelievable, but sadly it's not. Your niece isn't the only one, as I'm sure you might know.

potential to get upset now, so shall withdraw

me too, its a touchy subject with me

it wasnt a niece tho, it was a cousin, i should just clarify

I would just say, politely but firmly "No thank you, I am busy right now, Have a good day" or something along those lines.

doh! Of course it was a cousin!

puts away stupid pills

Capuccino, a few years ago I opened the door to one of them because I was tired of being alone with no one else to talk to other than my dog and because I love good theological arguments

Anyways, we never convinced each other but I helped her to strenghten her dogmas of faith, to keep her supervisor busy trying to find answers to my assertions and I got a lot of English language practice and a good chat every Tuesday in return.

I was devastated when I lost her address after a home move. I guess that eventually she would have avoided me because the stress I was putting on her faith but I really apreciated her and was devastated to loose her contact details when we moved, I really apreciated her.

Obviously this doesn't answer your question but just felt like talking about it . Anyways, I believe that if you are perfectly honest you don't have to be rude just say, something in the lines of you apreciate what they do as you have also a faith you feel strongly about but in intersting of respecting each other believes you preffer not to talk to them anymore. Thanks you. and close the door, perhaps they will remove the dust of their shoes at your door and leave you alone.

What i have done in sucess is answer the door with my marigolds on and a cloth in hand and say that sorry but i'm only the cleaner and dont get paid to chat! I am not good at being rude, even though i think they are being incredibly rude and talking a load of bull. (Not meant to be offensive to any one on here, unless your the one knocking on my door!!) And have often let them in because i didnt want to tell them to go away! so when i moved house and the JW didnt know me i changed my tact!

i once had next door but one neighbours who were jw, the father abused the daughters and was sent to prison ,but was welcomed back into his family when he had served the sentence.also when my brother was diagnosed with hodgkins disease ( type of cancer ) his then girlfriend "found the jw religion" and left him whilst he was seriously ill in hospital.What a great religion ! i always tell them right away im not interested and close the door.as a point of interest why do such a lot of them come around with an old lady who can hardly walk with them ?

that doesnt surprise me, see my story below

sorry lou33 wasnt concentrating properly.i think from what i have been told there is a lot of things kept undercover in the jw churches .i have an aunt who is jw but she shuns the rest of the family.dosent make any sense to me at all cause the thing i despise most is the blood thing ,how could anyone let their child/relation die.! i will never work i out

jw's per se are not what i have a problem with, i mean i wouldnt stop talking to someone because they were a jw, that would be ridiculous, but i just cant understand, and have yet to receive any satisfactory answer, as to why a religious organisation would effectively condone child abuse (which in my mind is exactly what they did in the case of my cousin)

I quite like JWs, and was rather disappointed that one left very quickly saying, 'you're obviously very busy' when I answered the door with baby in right arm.

I later realized that the left side of my shirt was exposed after being interupted feeding.

I don't want to discuss the details of any individual cases but did want to post this link as it saddens me to think that anyone would be led to believe that JWs are a religion that tollerates or encourages child abuse.

I once got in a discussion with a couple at the front door.They were very pleasant but I think when I told them I was a haematology nurse and regularly gave blood transfusions it somewhat put them off.(I was not being deliberately offensive we were having a discussion)

Must add that have nursed several JW patients and have always respected their beliefs.

I don't see any need to be rude - after all, they believe that they are spreading their faith for the benefit of others. I am an atheist but I regularly have quite interesting discussions with the JWs who visit our village.

My Grandad was a Christian all his life, but also involved in politics all his life. He was very offended by the JW stance not to vote, as apparently it was up to God who got into government or some such tosh.

He used to keep a marked up copy of the bible in the house and if they turned up he would invite them in and have a very reasoned arguement with them, backed up by scripture. He would keep them there argueing until they were virtually begging to leave. He regarded it as some kind of sport, and at least it stopped them from bugging other people for a few hours.

Before dismissing a JW, perhaps find out exactly what you are not interested in hearing. We all want to live our lives our own way, but at the end of it, what are we left with?

Surely if it's God's will who gets to run the country, what does it matter how you vote ?

To me this is an example of a core paradox in Abrahamic religions. You've got this all powerful God. How can anything happen by "accident", or by human choice ?

If God is that perfect, can he choose to do wrong ?
If he can't, does that mean he has no free will himself.