Jehova's Witnesses

[mik0rs]

i've never had a jehova's witness or mormon knocking at the door. even charity folks are quite rare. girl scouts or more common than anything else.

i did have a run in with the mail man once. back in 2003 when all the "support our troops" pro american BS was saturating the US the mail dude rang the doorbell to drop off a package...except rather than leaving it on the step he stood there holding it like a hostage. upon opening the door the first thing he noticed was my haircut which had just been clipped extremely short. "you a military boy, son?" i then had to dance around this guys questions about the war and why i wasn't in the war that i should enlist to support my country and that going to college was a waste of time compared to the glory of fighting in iraq. as much as i wanted to tell him to screw off i didn't dare, the asshole delivers my mail. the last thing i wanted to do was piss him off i finally got my package when i agreed to "look into" enlisting.

Yeah, pretty difficult to say "fuck off" without risking your shit accidentally being dropped in transit. I was bloody collared by an Army stand when I was about 18, trying to enlist people on the street in Cardiff (so this was before Iraq and Afghanistan)... I stupidly let them have my phone number after declining so they could give me more info - quite what the fuck I was thinking I don't know - and ended up getting called just before starting uni. Given what happened not long after I'm quite happy I chose academia instead of keeping my eyes peeled for suspicious looking piles of rocks on the roadsides.

[tnf]

Those recruiters can be persistent bastards. They'll try to make you feel like you are making the biggest mistake of your life by not joining up regardless of what your situation is.

[mik0rs]

Yeah I was a bit surprised when the guy rang, gave a definite no though. Good thing I wasn't looking for that kind of adventure, I could be Helmand now, nooooooooo thanks.

[R00k]

It all depends on who the people are. If it's a really old couple who comes knocking, I politely tell them thank you, but that I'm not interested, and refuse to take their paperwork. They're usually polite at least, so I return the favor.

If it's a kid or young adult with that holy-roller gleam in their eyes, I start the conversation by telling them that I'm as-of-yet unaffiliated, and asking them to explain to me why their religion is better than the other ones I've been hearing about. It usually takes at least 3-4 minutes for things to go south, but a couple of times I've had the pleasure of seeing a very confused look in their eyes, and even the slightest glimmer of introspection. That's fairly rare, but worth it.

My mother used to invite JWs in and talk with them -- earnestly and sincerely wanting to know what they had to say. Thankfully she never bought into the stuff, but I can remember her talking with them about bible verses and such for around an hour.

[bitWISE]

Never seen one. Around here I just get HS sluts selling magazines or newpapers.

I friend of mine's father has a direct way of handling Jehovah's Witnesses:

- opens the door
- at the top of his lungs screams "GO TO HELL!"
- farts
- closes the door

No b.s......I've seen him do it twice.

My friends brother does something similar. "Why yes, of course I believe in God.", then in a WWE wrestler voice he yells "AND YOU'RE ALL GOIN TA HELL!", and shuts the door.

[Scourge]

Heh, just had mormons knock on the door. My wife answered and told them we don't care about that shit and shut the door.

[LawL]

She should have just released the handbrake and rolled away.

[Lieutenant Dan]

I answer the door, and before they even start, I tell them that I'm not interested, and without waiting for a response, I shut the door. They've been coming around my area more often lately, so it has all become routine.

[Peenyuh]

I saw two of J-Dub's finest youths ripping along the bike lane here about a week ago (who else wears dark dress slacks, crisp white shirts and ties while riding cheap mountain bikes? Maybe Mormons?)...

Yeah. Those are mormons. There's a couple of crews around here. They're polite, and seem like nice enough fellas, but they don't accept that you're not interested. I've taken up the D'Nofrio look from the latrine scene in Full Metal Jacket, whenever I see them coming. They just give me one glance, now, and roll on.

[LawL]

The fact that they "roll on" has nothing to do with your intended look.

[Peenyuh]

You're weak. I bet you ARE a JW.

[LawL]

You're a retard. This is something I don't bet, but am certain of.

[Eraser]

I just tell them I'm an Atheist and they go away. So far none of the ones around here have tried to press the matter.

My experience as well. Not that we get many of the types here, but so far my little experience with them is that they simply leave as soon as I say I'm not interested.

[plained]

ey does anybody know what it means when they bring a diff trainie (or whatever) everytime they show up?

years ago at my last place i redid my whole yard 4 relaxation and fun, and cuz it was fucked, anyways theyd ambush me wile i'd be working outside

when the origanal idiot showed up i said a whack o really mindbending stuuff to the guy and i seen the wheels turning and the smoke building in the head

i thing he brought these peeps to illistarate how whacked out u get if u doent joho up!

i kept asking themnot to bring new people and not even show up but theyd just ignore that part and try and get me to talk in lenth about stuff they trolled me on

pretty much a drag being an idiot sideshow !

[plained]

ey does anybody know what it means when they bring a diff trainie (or whatever) everytime they show up?

years ago at my last place i redid my whole yard 4 relaxation and fun, and cuz it was fucked, anyways theyd ambush me wile i'd be working outside

when the origanal idiot showed up i said a whack o really mindbending stuuff to the guy and i seen the wheels turning and the smoke building in the head

i thing he brought these peeps to illistarate what happens i u doent joho up!

i kept asking themnot to bring new people and not even show up but theyd just ignore that part and try and get me to talk in lenth about stuff they trolled me on

pretty much a drag being an idiot sideshow !

[Peenyuh]

"joho up"

That's awesome!

[[xeno]Julios]

I think it'd be an interesting conversation if you got a few who were semi-intelligent and didn't mind killing some time with someone who wasn't going to convert. From what I hear tho they're all about numbers and don't like to waste their time (lol).

I invited one to come in and talk. We exchanged emails and then a few weeks later he came over on a nice summer afternoon. We sat on the balcony and had a great conversation that lasted for 2-3 hours. I was surprised at how open minded the fella was. He actually said that if he found evidence that the bible was flawed, he'd have to re-examine his beliefs (a very reasonable proposition but one which few believers are capable of contemplating with any sincerity).

I fantasize about standing at the door and listening to them while i slowly strip down to my underwear wearing a poker face and engaging them in conversation. I think I'll try that next time.

[plained]

lol that manitee restraing device u call an arm could come in handy there whenst they try to escape!

[[xeno]Julios]

[Fender]

He actually said that if he found evidence that the bible was flawed, he'd have to re-examine his beliefs (a very reasonable proposition but one which few believers are capable of contemplating with any sincerity)

Like claiming the Sun revolves around the Earth?

[Ryoki]

Yeah jules, how the hell do you accept something like that as a well thought out, respectful statement?

I've stopped talking to relifreaks about religion some time ago, when the maddening futility of it all dawned on me. You can't reason with fanatics. Once in a while they might toss you a line like this, but on closer inspection it's always bullshit. Ridiculing and marginalizing them is probably the only thing that works.

[[xeno]Julios]

ridicule won't cause people to go back and reflect and evolve over time. A part time hobby of mine is engaging religious people and discussing these issues with them. I've found that an open minded, polite, firm, and rational approach is most effective.

The beliefs that underpin religiosity aren't just everyday propositions like "the sun revolves around the earth", or "this towel is made of cotton".

Having a religious belief collapse entails an incredible amount of psychological consequences. The foundation of one's meaning of life, their purpose and place in it, the foundation of what they consider to be moral behaviour, their beliefs about their own fate (immortality etc), about the institutions and people they trust, are all at risk here.

So when someone who has been indoctrinated and ensnared inside the web of abraham has the courage to even examine the possibility that they are wrong, they have already risen above the rest of their fellow sheep.

[Ryoki]

Sure it will, get ridiculed enough and at some point you're going to think 'hey i wonder why they do that' or 'it would be nice to be taken seriously for once when i speak to someone'. If not, no big loss anyways, because who needs a stupid person. Win win. It's just that the ridicule system badly needs to be institutionalized rather than spread by amateur enthusiasts like myself for optimal effect. I'd like to see the government get involved in this.

If you can talk to these people you have more a lot more patience than me - i find it easier to ignore what they say 80% of the time and use the rest of the 20% as entertainment material.

On a sidenote, what makes you want to convert them? Didn't you try this with some Scientology kids years ago as well? I mean, what makes you give a fuck? Is it sympathy or are have you taken this interweb trolling business to the next level? Or is it intellectual superiority that needs an outlet? What's the deal?

[[xeno]Julios]

i do it because i find deep discussions about religion often allow a more intimate interfacing of minds than does conversing about the weather, for example. You really get to learn about how people's minds work - how they substantiate their beliefs, etc. And if you're lucky to have an engaging partner, you also get to learn about your own mind. A few months ago I was able to meet with an 83 year old catholic nun and had one of the best discussions of my life with her.

I do this in person btw not online (with a few exceptions).

And yes, part of what motivates me is the desire to share my own point of view with others and see it tested against their ways of thinking.

[Fender]

semi-related
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstop ... nline.html

Oldest known version of the Bible is missing the resurrection story. I guess that was just made up later than the other stuff was made up.