Well, after a brief period of respite the missionaries have started their attacks again. For a while after I first moved here they were visiting every Saturday or Sunday in spite of the fact that I never came to the door, and after a couple months they finally gave up, or so I'd thought. But then I got a note in my mailbox on Thursday and yesterday they showed up again, going so far as to check to see if my front door was open (God only knows what would have happened if it had been unlocked; that would have been the most horrible encounter ever. Why would you want to go into someone's house if they're either not there or clearly avoiding answering the doorbell?)

Considering the fact that the ability to "read the air" is something of a point of national pride in Japan, these people must be either under intense pressure to reactivate people or completely socially inept. (Or maybe both?) It's an older Japanese missionary couple who speak English and usually bring members of the bishopric and the young male missionaries along with them. I'd avoided talking with them directly until now because I didn't even want to let them get a foot in the door, but it seems clear that I'm going to have to communicate the point more forcefully. For RMs, what tactics successfully deterred you when you were in the field? I don't want to be rude or mean, but I do want to get the point across.

I would talk to them in person. I would tell them that you are aware of their repeated visits, and that those visits are rude and unwelcome. If you wanted to attend church, you would go. You don't. Ask them to leave you alone.

If that doesn't work, give SusieQ#1's door sign a try.

There is always resignation, if that is a viable option for you.

When they were harassing me, and my gay partner over and over, I finally flat out said it to them. I told them that we were gay together, which means we have sex, yes gay sex, and we would prefer if they would stop playing the role of home wreckers and leave us alone. They have never come back. :)

You might need to tell them, literally, to GTFO. I doubt theyd be back then :)

You can't beat around the bush. You gotta tell them to their face that you do NOT BELIEVE in their religion and DO NOT wish for any further contact.

One sure thing that will scare Mormon missionaries away is to try and share an "anti-Mormon" book with them. Its like wearing a cross in front of a vampire. They'll cower away and run for the hills.

Ooh, where in Japan are you?

Without giving too much away, I'm in the Chugoku region - not particularly close to anything famous! I figured I'd be safe from them here, but apparently not, haha.

Too bad, I get to Tokyo now and then and like meeting up with exmos.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2013 12:16AM by glibberish.

Thank you everyone! It sounds like honesty is the best approach ... I'm nervous to talk to them, but hopefully they will respond well. Maybe I should be proactive and just call them.

The most effective missionary repellant in the world is a small printed statement above the doorknob with an international bar sign over it:

HEALTH IN THE NAVEL

Only Mormon temple goers will recognize it and the message of the big diagonal line.

Best

Anagrammy

PS. Anybody ask you about it, you just smile and say, "inside joke"

For us a direct "I'm not interested" or "I'm not longer interested" was enough. If they were avoiding us we would typically keep trying, at least for a while, until we made contact.

You need what I have. It's a doormat with the words, "GO AWAY!" printed on it. Whenever religious people or magazine sellers come by, I just point to the doormat. Or I will, I actually just bought it last week. Haven't had a chance to use it yet.

Live up to the name "gibberish." Find a cause that you can become a fanatic over, and greet the missionaries with fliers and brochures about your cause. Babble on and on about it, and then ask them for money.

My causes: my favorite campaign candidate, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, League of Women Voters, the Coalition of Christian Churches (local), going "green", saving the planet, etc. You can find your own. I guarantee this works.

If you do greet them at the door, whatever you do, don't let them in. Stay at the door, blocking the entrance and just be polite, but firm in saying that you're not interested and close the door as soon as you can.

Just don't let them in, or you'll never get rid of them. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile.

How much time and emotional energy are you willing to expend to avoid a 30 second conversation? Hiding behind the door is not working.

Just do it.

It's illegal to put anything that is not actual mail in the mailbox. Perhaps an in-person discussion with the little twits about the penalties for mail fraud is in order.

Edited to add: Posted before discovering you were OUS. I don't know the laws about mail in Japan.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2013 09:20AM by fiona64.

One thing you need to remember is that the missionaries transfer in and out quite often, so there is little "institutional memory" from one set of missionaries to the next. They are indeed under intense pressure to get results. And, being teenagers, they are by and large not mentally ready to really understand the nuances of those goals that the mission system imposes on them. So short of a pair of Rottweilers there is likely little you can do to fis the situation.

You're giving them a mystery to hold onto by not confronting them. Every time they knock on your door and you don't answer, their minds will conjure visions of the next time when you'll open up, invite them in, feed them cookies and commit to coming back to church.

Occasionally they'll have a gap in their day and won't know what to do with it. That's when they'll come to your place. "Maybe they're home now, yes, the spirit's telling me they're home." They'll head over to your place with high expectations only to find that no one is answering the door and they'll have to try again. Later. As many times as it takes.

However, if next time you answer the door and tell them you're not interested in pyramid schemes, even ones dressed up like a restorationist christian church, and that you will never go back, and that you don't appreciate them hassling you all the time for tithing money, and tell them never to come back or you'll take the appropriate measures with the local PD, your problem will be solved and you won't have to feel like a victim in your own home.

Just have the one conversation and get it over with. The hiding is obviously not working, and it's a little silly...

It takes about ten seconds of face-to-face contact:

"Take your f***ing book of mormon and shove it up your A**! Don't come back!"

No need to post signs or buy a special doormat.

Garanteed to work. (It's OK to be rude to rude people. It's the only thing they really understand.)

Hey guys I just sent my resignation email!

The best first plan of action: Have an adult male of the household tell them not to come by. They will most often listen to the male as they will respect his "authority."