Door-to-door Jesus Freaks

[USS Triumphant]

Say "no thank you" and close the door. Witnesses record which addresses take their literature as 'interested' and then return to the householder's door for follow ups later. This is called a 'return visit'.

If you wish, tell them to add you to their "do not call" list. Witnesses also keep track of householders who specifically ask not to be visited.

Well, that depends on how much you dislike what they are doing, and how much time you have to waste, now doesn't it?

Another way of handling it would be to take all of the literature you can get from them (it costs them money to print, and they won't have it to give to somebody else) and keep them talking for as long as possible while faking interest as well as you can (and there's time they can't spend on somebody else).

This logic is the reason why it is actually the most considerate thing you can do to a telemarketer is hang up on them as quickly as possible if you know you won't be interested in what they have to say. They can move on to the next person on their list or in their queue with minimum waste.

 

[Emher]

I just think of the Robin Williams quote about this:

When these people show up at the door saying "Have you found Jeeesus?!", don't you just wanna' come to the door naked and say "No, come help me look for him!"

We get Jehova's at some points around here, but while I consider getting into it with them, I just take the damp pamphlet, close the door, lock it, and then rick the damn thing into shreds and throws it in the recycling.

Say "no thank you" and close the door. Witnesses record which addresses take their literature as 'interested' and then return to the householder's door for follow ups later. This is called a 'return visit'.

If you wish, tell them to add you to their "do not call" list. Witnesses also keep track of householders who specifically ask not to be visited.

I did that, they keep coming. And they time i mentioned was the last time I saw them, and that was like a year or so ago. It was either just shut up or take it or aske them bluntly why they feel good people should be damned, but I did not have the energy.

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

Say "no thank you" and close the door. Witnesses record which addresses take their literature as 'interested' and then return to the householder's door for follow ups later. This is called a 'return visit'.

If you wish, tell them to add you to their "do not call" list. Witnesses also keep track of householders who specifically ask not to be visited.

Well, that depends on how much you dislike what they are doing, and how much time you have to waste, now doesn't it?

Another way of handling it would be to take all of the literature you can get from them (it costs them money to print, and they won't have it to give to somebody else) and keep them talking for as long as possible while faking interest as well as you can (and there's time they can't spend on somebody else).

Well if you want to stoop the very level of behavior you find abhorrent, then I guess that's your perogative. I personally find it incredibly immature and pointless, but whatever.

Door to door solictors will make the time to talk to anyone they want to, regardless of how long you attempt to keep them at the door. They also have more than enough literature to spread around and are not ignorant of the tactics some householders employ in their quest to torment them, so you aren't keeping it out of anyone's hands.

The only time you'll be wasting is yours.

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

I just think of the Robin Williams quote about this:

We get Jehova's at some points around here, but while I consider getting into it with them, I just take the damp pamphlet, close the door, lock it, and then rick the damn thing into shreds and throws it in the recycling.

Say "no thank you" and close the door. Witnesses record which addresses take their literature as 'interested' and then return to the householder's door for follow ups later. This is called a 'return visit'.

If you wish, tell them to add you to their "do not call" list. Witnesses also keep track of householders who specifically ask not to be visited.

I did that, they keep coming. And they time i mentioned was the last time I saw them, and that was like a year or so ago. It was either just shut up or take it or aske them bluntly why they feel good people should be damned, but I did not have the energy.

No, you have more than those two options. Again, say 'no thank you' and shut the door. Save yourself the trouble and indignation of worrying about what other people think of you.

 

[Michael Chris]

Are they actually "Jesus Freaks", a popular title for early 70's hippies with Biblical overtones, or someone else?

What you are encountering may be followers of Charles Taze Russell (The Watch Tower Organization / Jehovah's Witnesses) or the followers of Joseph Smith & Brigham Young (Latter Day Saints / Mormonism).

Neither to be confused with orthodox Biblical Christianity.

What they are doing is "good works". Or what they believe will please God and gain acceptance from Him. Perhaps even "earn" their way into Heaven or a "new paradise" here on earth.

I often invite them in to discuss things spiritual. It is rare to be able to break thru the wall of indoctrination however.

Try not to hate these people. They really should be pitied if anything...

Truly. Jesus Freaks (and their modern day counterparts, of which I include myself) are consistent in salvation theology with traditional Christianity. The groups mentioned are not.

 

[USS Triumphant]

The only time you'll be wasting is yours.

I believe I said that, and I, personally, don't really have the time for it anymore. When I was a teenager, though, I didn't mind wasting time this way, though.

Resources are limited. You may be right about them having plenty of literature, but they can't get back the time they spend with you - and it doesn't hurt if you, like me, are legitimately interested in what they believe even if you have no intention of believing it yourself. A little light anthropology and comparative religious study, so to speak.

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

Are they actually "Jesus Freaks", a popular title for early 70's hippies with Biblical overtones, or someone else?

What you are encountering may be followers of Charles Taze Russell (The Watch Tower Organization / Jehovah's Witnesses) or the followers of Joseph Smith & Brigham Young (Latter Day Saints / Mormonism).

Neither to be confused with orthodox Biblical Christianity.

What they are doing is "good works". Or what they believe will please God and gain acceptance from Him. Perhaps even "earn" their way into Heaven or a "new paradise" here on earth.

I often invite them in to discuss things spiritual. It is rare to be able to break thru the wall of indoctrination however.

Try not to hate these people. They really should be pitied if anything...

Truly. Jesus Freaks (and their modern day counterparts, of which I include myself) are consistent in salvation theology with traditional Christianity. The groups mentioned are not.

I do not have sufficient knowledge of LDS beliefs, but JWs believe that belief in Jesus as savior and acknowledgement of his ransom sacrifice as recorded in the bible, coupled with good works, is the only path to salvation (i.e. saying 'jesus is lord' while stomping puppies will get you nowhere; being an otherwise good person who doesn't believe in Jesus also gets you nowhere). Nothing else one believes guarantees diddly.

Is the above is not required in most of mainstream Protestant Christianity?

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

The only time you'll be wasting is yours.

I believe I said that, and I, personally, don't really have the time for it anymore. When I was a teenager, though, I didn't mind wasting time this way, though.

Resources are limited. You may be right about them having plenty of literature, but they can't get back the time they spend with you - and it doesn't hurt if you, like me, are legitimately interested in what they believe even if you have no intention of believing it yourself. A little light anthropology and comparative religious study, so to speak.

You did not come off as legitimately interested in their beliefs in your initial post.

The more time you 'waste' with them, the better it is for them. They count that time positively, regardless of the outcome of that time. Standing at the door and arguing with a JW is just guaranteeing they make their 'time' with less effort. You're doing them a real service by doing so.

 

[USS Triumphant]

The more time you 'waste' with them, the better it is for them. They count that time positively, regardless of the outcome of that time. Standing at the door and arguing with a JW is just guaranteeing they make their 'time' with less effort. You're doing them a real service by doing so.

Okay, so they fulfilled their duty, and I kept them from weaker minds that might fall prey. Win-win!

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

The more time you 'waste' with them, the better it is for them. They count that time positively, regardless of the outcome of that time. Standing at the door and arguing with a JW is just guaranteeing they make their 'time' with less effort. You're doing them a real service by doing so.

Okay, so they fulfilled their duty, and I kept them from weaker minds that might fall prey. Win-win!

Again, you kept them away from no-one.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Again, you kept them away from no-one.

They weren't in two places at once, preaching to someone else at the same time. I fail to see how that confuses you.

 

[Count Zero]

Again, say 'no thank you' and shut the door. Save yourself the trouble and indignation of worrying about what other people think of you.

That never seemed to work with Jehova's Witnesses. My parents always told them they weren't interested and happy with their religion, but they kept coming back. Maybe my parents were too polite.
We only scared them away unintentionally one Sunday morning (well, Sunday early afternoon). My parents weren't there and I was still in bed. The doorbell rang and thinking it might be a parcel delivery, I loudly stormed to the front door. Then I remembered that the postal service doesn't deliver anything on Sundays and sure enough, it was a group of Jehova's Witnesses. Deciding it would be impolite to not answer the door after they had surely heard me, I opened the door, wearing my favourite night gown (which, at the time, already had a number of holes in it) and still not quite awake. My hear looked pretty wild, too.
They started asking their usual questions which are worth considering, I guess. However, I'm not very eloquent in the mornings, so all I had to convey that was an even 'mmh'. After three questions they said that it probably would be better to come back some other time. I wholeheartedly agreed. But we never saw them again.

 

[chardman]

Hold me closer, Tony Danza!

Count the head-lice on the highway?

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

Again, you kept them away from no-one.

They weren't in two places at once, preaching to someone else at the same time. I fail to see how that confuses you.

It doesn't confuse me at all. You're making ill-formed and smug assumptions about how door to door preaching groups organize their time and manpower. Smugness only works when you understand how what you look down upon actually works, which you've demonstrated in this conversation you do not.

But, if it allows you to continue to feel like you accomplished...something, I'll leave you to your assumptions.

I'll repeat, they plan ahead for interactions like the ones you seem satisfied in engaging, and compensate according. Again, despite what you may think, you kept them away from no-one they wished to reach that day or any day you engaged them. You wasted your own time and the people who came to your door no doubt had a laugh at your expense once they left.

 

[Bears Discover Fire]

Again, say 'no thank you' and shut the door. Save yourself the trouble and indignation of worrying about what other people think of you.

That never seemed to work with Jehova's Witnesses.

What do they do? Force it open again? No? Okay.

Say no thank you or 'not interested' and shut the door. Don't answer it the next time they come calling. It's not impolite to do so.

 

[USS Triumphant]

You're making ill-formed and smug assumptions about how door to door preaching groups organize their time and manpower.

It is entirely possible that I am smug - it has happened before. I am not, however, ill-informed, and YOU are the one making assumptions about how much personal knowledge and insight I may have into how evangelism works. I, personally, am not for evangelical behavior, but one entire side of my rather large family was and is, and I grew up around them.

But, if it allows you to continue to feel like you accomplished...something, I'll leave you to your assumptions.

I'll repeat,

Repeating is not leaving me to my "assumptions". But based on your apparent understanding of the physical laws of the universe, I'm not surprised that you would have a different perspective on that, too.

they plan ahead for interactions like the ones you seem satisfied in engaging, and compensate according. Again, despite what you may think, you kept them away from no-one they wished to reach that day or any day you engaged them. You wasted your own time and the people who came to your door no doubt had a laugh at your expense once they left.

Okay, I'm going to try this again, in more detail. A team of two evangelicals comes to my door, and has an hour long conversation with me - let's say, from 2PM to 3PM. Those two cannot, therefore, be having a conversation with someone else during that same period of time. Unless you are suggesting that G_d somehow compensates them for that time by allowing them to live an hour longer at the end of their lives or some such, that hour is GONE for them. They may go on to talk to other people from 3PM - 6PM, and then go home for the day, but they were going to do that, anyway, and that in no way negates that I tied them up for an hour and kept them from talking to other people with whom they may have gained more traction in THAT hour. It also doesn't matter if 6 other members of their group talked to other people in that time, since they'd have been doing that anyway.

The only way I can NOT have wasted their time is if it is only the fact that they tried that counts, as far as they are concerned. In which case, we are back to my aforementioned Win-Win, since they got what they wanted out of it, and so did I, which was to delay them in talking to other, possibly more susceptible people.

Similarly, I believe you will find that I have wasted your time in reading this, thus keeping you from harassing other people with your lack of logic during that time. ;-P

 

[SeerSGB]

Again, say 'no thank you' and shut the door. Save yourself the trouble and indignation of worrying about what other people think of you.

That never seemed to work with Jehova's Witnesses.

What do they do? Force it open again? No? Okay.

Say no thank you or 'not interested' and shut the door. Don't answer it the next time they come calling. It's not impolite to do so.

i had this happen before with one of the younger ones (n00b I guess).

I told them I wasn't interested, have a nice day, and closed the door. Went in the kitchen, came back through, and the guy was standing in the middle of the living room. Told him to lave, he started arguing with me about needing to "see the light". I picked up the phone and called the cops, he took off. Called the local temple/church whatever you want to call it, and the man knew who I was talking about before I even got to describing the person.

 

[John Picard]

That never seemed to work with Jehova's Witnesses.

What do they do? Force it open again? No? Okay.

Say no thank you or 'not interested' and shut the door. Don't answer it the next time they come calling. It's not impolite to do so.

i had this happen before with one of the younger ones (n00b I guess).

I told them I wasn't interested, have a nice day, and closed the door. Went in the kitchen, came back through, and the guy was standing in the middle of the living room. Told him to lave, he started arguing with me about needing to "see the light". I picked up the phone and called the cops, he took off. Called the local temple/church whatever you want to call it, and the man knew who I was talking about before I even got to describing the person.

Where I live, a homeowner can use "reasonable force" when it comes to trespassers. A few of my neighbors would have wasted little time shooting him with a shotgun and would be calling the local ME to pick up the body. Since I don't own a gun, other measures would have been taken but suffice to say, he'd have been "seeing the light".

 

[GeorgeKirk]

That never seemed to work with Jehova's Witnesses.

What do they do? Force it open again? No? Okay.

Say no thank you or 'not interested' and shut the door. Don't answer it the next time they come calling. It's not impolite to do so.

i had this happen before with one of the younger ones (n00b I guess).

I told them I wasn't interested, have a nice day, and closed the door. Went in the kitchen, came back through, and the guy was standing in the middle of the living room. Told him to lave, he started arguing with me about needing to "see the light". I picked up the phone and called the cops, he took off. Called the local temple/church whatever you want to call it, and the man knew who I was talking about before I even got to describing the person.

Wow. Sounds like somebody was off his meds. And since the church basically admitting knowing about this guy's pattern of behavior, you could probably sue them and win. Might teach them a lesson.

 

[Trekker4747]

Just out of curiosity.... Isn't this thread title flirting with the "trolling" line a bit?