Two newly designated JW women show up this morning ringing my doorbell. I answer wondering what toy ended up on my roof again by the neighbor children, and there are these two women I haven't seen before toting their scriptures wanting to come in.

I tell them both I'm not interested, and point to my "No soliciting" sign on the door as I say I don't take solicitors at my door. They respond, "Oh, we're not solicitors." I tell them that it includes to mean Jehovah Witnesses.

They're so very annoying. I didn't want to have to get another sign with more wordage to put on my entrance door that says "No Proselytizing." But now I shall have to reconsider that. The one I have sticks to my storm door, so can come off easily when I move.

Why do these people have no boundaries or respect for people's private property? I swear if my door had been opened, they'd have come right in unannounced.

Of course they would have come right in!! Duhhh! Face it. They are right and you are wrong no matter what the facts are!

Perhaps my sign should read: "Den of iniquity; enter at your own risk."

They're rude, but they think others should still remain pleasant and welcoming. No need to be nice to nasty trespassers who only want to preach stupidity.

Say, "Leave my doorstep and never return. Goodbye." Then close the door.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2018 03:24PM by Cheryl.

I agree. There are others that remain pleasant. I use mass transit to get around, and sometimes JW's are unavoidable. There was one time when I was waiting for a connecting bus to get to work, and a woman offers me one of their "Awake!" magazines. I tell her "No thanks," and she proceeds to bear a quick testimony of Jehovah. I tell her "Thank you" and she walks away. I'm sure there are some that are rude and aggressive but I haven't bumped into any...yet.

There was a Baptist solicitor that showed up at my door years and years ago when the missionaries were visiting me. He was aggressive and pretty much ripped into the missionaries. He had the audacity to knock on my door again to invite me to his church. I politely declined. The way he carried himself put me off. This was many, many years ago.

I do come across people of many different Christian sects that can be quite assertive.I was on my way to a poetry workshop when a woman was following me down the street (I was walking fast because I was a little late) seeing if I would pray with her and visit her church. I do my best to be polite, even though I wish to be left alone.

"...I was on my way to a poetry workshop when a woman was following me down the street..."

She was obviously trying to save you from the poetry workshop.

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

I often seen two or three of them set up behind a little folding table outside the library, with literature. Sometimes it'll be a Spanish-only literature table, sometimes English. The JWs rarely speak and it seems they have a policy of waiting for someone to actually approach and speak to them first.

Either that or they don't really want to talk to people and are just marking time. I don't think most non-JWs know that members ("publishers"?) have to log in the amount of time they spend each month in proselytizing activities but the organization is much looser about verifying this than the LDS church is in regards to missionaries. I think the JWs just want to get credit for witnessing without working very hard at it (fine by me.)

Hmm, so I guess "publisher" is their term for an active member, and yeah they log in their hours every month.


---

Regular publishers do not have a specific quota of hours for preaching each month, although publishers are requested to "set goals such as reaching [the] national average of hours for publishers".[67] Publishers are typically each required to report at least one hour per month to be counted as a 'regular publisher'. Only whole hours are reported; incomplete hours are carried over to the next month.[68]

Publishers who fail to report for one month are termed "irregular";[69] those who do not report for six consecutive months are classed as "inactive".[70] The terms irregular and inactive are used to indicate members in need of 'spiritual assistance' from the local congregation elders. Yearly reports of congregation activity are compiled and published annually in a Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Those habitually 'irregular' or 'inactive' are usually restricted from serving in any special capacity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_structure_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses#Baptized_publishers

I have known 100s of JWs. Never met one who would walk into a house without an invite.

So I think you're safe on that score.

I agree they can be annoying to people, even strange.

It's not so weird when you are one!

I read regularly here how much worse JWs are than Mormons. Of course, we all have different perspectives but in my own personal experience, it's the other way around. I thought Mormonism was beyond weird once I got into it. The JW doctrine, at least, made a lot more sense to me. More simple by far.

And a big difference: JWs don't want you to join unless you are fully apprised of their doctrine and practices and 100% committed to them. Unlike Mormons who baptize first and tell you to ask questions after.

Then they don't answer your queries.

That was mind-bending to me.

Thanks, Nightingale. You've been on both sides of both fences.

The JW are devout and sincere. That much can credit them with.

It is still annoying that after placing my very visible sign from the street they still have no quibbles about coming up to the door. What don't they get that by belonging to JW they pay 10% of their income to their religion, and are therefore soliciting others to do the same in their effort to convert us?

They use a perverse logic to not equate their brand of proselytizing with not soliciting.

Re the 10% - that is not a requirement the way it is with LDS. I never gave much money. I tried to help in other ways. I don't remember any big demands for money. They don't even pass a collection plate, just leave one at the back so you can contribute if you want as you pass by.

They would hand out income tax receipts but there was no LDS-like "tithing settlement" where they demanded 10% or more from anyone.

This is just one of the many reasons I have for saying they did not rot my head out the way LDS did. My comments about them at RfM are solely based on my own experience, which was largely positive for most of my time with them (7 yrs). As with Mormonism, people born in can be subject to zealous parenting, far more mind-control, and much more isolation from society. There are countless stories of abuse as well. It just wasn't my experience. I don't defend the WT Society as a great organization to join but just say that overall I had an OK experience. I made good friends who were very supportive of me (until I left, of course). I didn't find the doctrine strange or elusive, unlike LDS where there weren't any LDS bookstores nearby and we weren't allowed to use the church library unless we had a teaching calling. And the beliefs are far more complex and out there. One of the top three men I have loved was a JW. Too bad he found someone else when I went far afield to be a missionary and married her in double quick time, as JWs do. She had my name too, which surprisingly hurt the most. I imagined him calling her by my name for the whole of his married life and maybe thinking of me sometimes. But likely not. (Oh, yeah, his wife had been one of my close JW friends. Maybe that hurt the most. The name thing was maybe second). But all in all, my mind was intact post-WT Society.

Re the "no soliciting" sign. They will always ignore that because of the very reason they told you, AJ. They do not consider themselves solicitors; in fact, they are trained that "we are not solicitors"; ipso facto that sign does not apply to them.

As someone else said, you have to specifically include "no preaching" or words to that effect on your sign (maybe they would say they're not preachers either!). Cover all the bases to be sure.

As for leaving your door open: I would lock it.

We get a lot of people by lately who are (supposedly) soliciting for charity. I *never* give at the door. Sometimes don't open it to a knock if I am not expecting anyone. It's usually someone wanting me to sign a contract for lawn care, which I don't want. The lawn guys are hard to get rid of too, I have found, if you ever do sign up with them.

But with so many unknown people out and about and so many knocking, all wanting something I don't want to get or give, my door is firmly shut, locked, bolted, unless I know ahead that you're coming.

I note in our neighbourhood the JWs push their pamphlets through letterboxes these past few yrs, they don't even knock. So funny to me that I'm avoiding solicitors at the door, not JWs any more.

I've said this before but here goes again. When you leave the JWs you are disfellowshipped (i.e. excommunicated). As in, you are not allowed to just leave. You are supposed to always tell a JW at the door that you are ex'd. No JW is supposed to speak to you, even family and friends. Some limited contact with family may be allowed. But they are so afraid that you will infect others and many more will leave because of you. A few yrs ago when JWs did still knock at the door I wasn't quick enough to just say no and the two men started a conversation. I (stupidly) agreed with them that the world situation was worrying. That is their stock approach to start a conversation. Of course the next line is that the answer is in the Bible. To get rid of them, because they were looking like staying a while, and because I felt sorry for them, and because I'm a terrible liar and couldn't pretend I hadn't once been involved, and maybe a little bit because "you're supposed to", I blurted out "I'm disfellowshipped". The jr partner actually stepped back off the stoop with an "ooh". Like he got too close to the leper. They left quickly. Nobody's ever knocked since. I didn't plan it that way but it doesn't bother me. Got another pamphlet though, just the other day. Apparently, the world is still coming to an end.

The reason I often weigh in and disagree when someone here says that JWs are way worse than Mormons is that I think it's useful to gain a wide perspective and not labour under delusions or misinformation. If exmos think JWs are way worse, I think maybe that could affect their recovery process, or something like that. As in, to me, that is an inaccurate thought to hold and an exmo is better off having as many facts and viewpoints as possible.

Of course, again, we each have our own perceptions. And our own experiences, which for some weren't bad, for others they were horrendous. That's why it's good to compare notes and to be specific about terminology and impressions, I find.

Re proselytizing v soliciting:

Again, as they are trained not to try and talk people into converting, they do absolutely believe they are not soliciting. As someone else said, they are only interested in you if you want to know about the religion. And, again, as I said, they don't even let you get baptized when you want to, depending on age and depth of knowledge. They made me wait until I was 18 - I really wanted to do it when I was 16. Then you have to sit before a panel of elders (2 or 3) and answer a bunch of questions from a study book you are given ahead of time. About 80 questions in my day. All about doctrine and practice. You must know it well and be able to explain why you want to join and what baptism means.

That's a new one: Keeping a person out despite great desire to get in.

So, I wouldn't be afraid to talk to them. If you're not interested they will leave. Again, in my experience. They are only looking at this point for what they call "the lost sheep", any people left who will join in these last days, quick before Armageddon hits!

I was a JW in a clinic full of EVs and one night I was rushing to clean up the lab before heading out after work. One of the doctors said "What's your hurry? Is Armageddon coming?" It really struck my funny bone and I fell about laughing. I thought it was great that he didn't mind joking around about it.

Into every religious heart may a little laughter chime.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2018 09:45PM by Nightingale.

I have a gate sign that reads "No Soliciting No Proselytizing No Fundraisers, except... Girl Scout Cookies Welcome!". One afternoon, I hear voices and look out to see two female JWs standing there reading it aloud. They left without ringing my bell. The Mormons however, never respect the sign. Funny, I've noticed it offends the Boy Scouts too.

That is the kind of sign I'm going to need to find. Can't find one in our local Home Depot or Lowe's. I don't have the hardware to hang one with. I would like one that isn't so visible to the street (it's still my home, and I like to keep it that way.)

No need to go looking for one up to your specifications.

That's true. People leave hand written signs on their doors all the time. I may end up doing the same. It's annoying but not as annoying as JW ringing my doorbell.

Personally, I am not so touchy. People knocking at my door is way down on the list of life's irritants. The hospital charge (around $45,000 for my wife's four nights in the hospital recently are the major one right now. Thank heavens for insurance.

Four nights = that? Oya vey.

For me having them come to my door when they're not welcome in the first place is an invasion of my privacy. I don't respect their trying to push their religion by going door-to-door anymore than I would some other religion. And that includes Mormons.

When I added my no soliciting sign it was for JW in addition to pushy salespeople looking for homes to rob. There was one young kid who came by one month selling Verizon, looking over my shoulder into the house to see what he could find of any worth from the porch, when I shut it in his face. 2-3 months later he returns selling Andersen Windows pulling the same stunt. He looked like he was canvassing the neighborhood. My sign went up the same day. Have added a security system since as well.

When I moved into my home my church family at the time (RLDS,) insisted on changing all the locks on my house as a safety precaution, from the prior homeowners. I hadn't thought of it at all, but they did.

Months after we'd moved in, my backyard neighbor informed me that the older sons of the family we bought our house from turned out were the neighborhood cat burglars. That was why their parents sold their house when they did, out of embarrassment after their sons were arrested. I had no idea before that was why our house had gone on the market when it did.

Between the JW who want to save your soul, to the cat burglar scoping out a neighborhood, they're both annoying as heck to me.

There's no need pretend it isn't. It's part of their religion? So what? It's still rude and they need to back off.

They're selling their particular brand of religion. No matter how they slice it. Proselytizing is a sales pitch.

I don't even care to discuss their religious views because I know what their ulterior motive is.

But you don't mind, unasked, inflicting your particular brand of angelic ghawdliness on us?

Choosing between you and a herd of JWs ... Hard!!

Believers are allowed to post here. We aren't all atheists, unlike yourself.

Nobody is trying to convert you to anything. So you don't believe in angels. Big deal. Some do.

Yow, kentish. That is harsh. Of course, up here in Canada we hear about the nightmarish medical bills down south. A close relative has spent 5 weeks in hospital, off and on, in the past year. Has seen countless MDs from several specialties, plus allied health while admitted. Plus two ambulance rides.

Total Cost: $00000.00

Of course, we pay high taxes. But when we need health care, it's usually available as needed, high quality, fairly unlimited and, yes, "free". Note I didn't say fast. The wait lists for many things are legendary. But for true acute care it's pretty darn good.

As for JWs (to change the subject abruptly), regarding how annoying they are, I guess it depends on your perspective. I understand that it can be annoying when people want to talk to you about their religious beliefs if you didn't ask to get into it. I know that when I used to call at doors (as a JW) I would leave immediately upon request. I never had any inclination or training that I needed to insist on preaching at an unwilling person. (I did have some door partners who kept talking after the expression of disinterest though. That always made me uncomfortable. I would just walk away). I had no clue that people could find our visits so annoying. I guess because I was so interested in religion myself. I thought it was a great topic of conversation. Ha.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2018 05:35PM by Nightingale.

The costs for covering my cancer treatment this past year easily has exceeded $10 grand. All told it's closer to $20 to 30 grand if I totaled all the billing statements. And that was as an outpatient.

There was a time when I was more tolerant of proselytizing missionaries. Not anymore. I've seen the damage Mormonism does. It's tainted my perspective on proselytizing and cults in general.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2018 05:45PM by Amyjo.

Awesome ... the U.S. should send all its uninsured folks to Canada.

Well, then they'd have to pay. The free stuff is only for Cdn citizens, landed immigrants, etc.

Was skiing up in Canada once, with the family, and my son had a horrible respiratory infection or something akin to it (green goop, high fever) and made a trip to the urgent care facility. They were so nice there to us Americans without insurance in their country and my son got antibiotics. They did charge me but it was something like $20.

It's not easy to immigrate to Canada, unless you have a critical needs skill that's in demand there. On average, I was surprised to learn that Canada takes roughly as many Americans per year as it does Iranians.

I was a "landed immigrant" there once when the Canadian system came in. My youngest had her tonsils out in Toronto and I recall the cost to us was 50 cents. We have Medicare and a supplement so our portion is manageable. But even so...

That's pretty amazing compared to costs in the states.

I agree with you Nightengale....

I've only had JW's at my door once. They introduced themselves

to me and asked if I was interested in learning more about their

beliefs and I thanked them and declined, telling them I was

already a Mormon.

They were polite and so was I. They left and I got on with my

day. I have never considered it a big deal to tell someone no

thank you when they tried to sell me something whether it be a

religion or whatever.

Hi sauce. Always a pleasure.

Yeah, like everything I guess, it depends on your experiences and perceptions. I never disliked my JW friends and we never acted badly at houses when we called. I do understand that merely ringing or knocking does bug many people. We were taught to do it, expected to do it, in order to be a "publisher" ("of the Good News") which of course you'd want to be or else be considered "inactive", a not very desirable state of purgatory (in our minds). My attitude was that if I committed to the faith then I needed to follow the script or get out. 100% effort and believe, not being wishy-washy or what's the point. Also, JW's use a scripture to enforce the idea that it's very very bad to be "lukewarm" re the beliefs and practices. It was a double whammy combination for me, my own take on things plus their subtle though frequent push for us all to preach and then preach some more.

Perhaps surprisingly to many, there was a lot of interest, most of it found by door-knocking (so why would we stop?). I think it's way easier to get talking to people as a JW due to them believing a large core of biblical scripture, in common with mainstream Christianity. Unlike Mormons who carry the Bible but want to talk about the BoM. That is a hard sell at doors and elsewhere. With JW, note how their main approach is to bring up world events and ask if you think and worry about how things are going. That is an easy yes to elicit from just about anybody. Then a conversation is easier to start and they say the Bible gives answers. That seems more familiar and perhaps even comforting to people. Way easier to discuss than JS and his golden plates and temple bulls.

So, yeah, I had a better experience as a JW than as a Mormon and likewise, didn't personally ignore people's wishes at doors (other than to knock in the first place) or see anybody else being obnoxious at all. I guess it helps if you know your fellow JWs and most that I met were regular nice people and some became good friends (unlike in Mormonism where I didn't make friends except with missionaries and, as we know, that's not sincere on their part, mostly).

Yeah, I know it's not pleasant to be approached if you don't want to be, or if you've been in and left or if you've had negative experiences with religion. So I'm not arguing that it isn't a total pain. Just saying what my experiences and feelings are. Funny, I haven't thought so much about my JW days than lately when I see mention of them here. Usually negative. I understand why. But it's brought back the memories to me. I don't usually think about it much any more. I know I was fortunate to get out. For me at the time it was the unholy rush to get married off that really gave me pause. When you're "not allowed" to even kiss a guy you're dating until you're engaged and even then only with a chaperone (yikes!) it's a lot of pressure. Many married after only a few weeks or months of so-called dating (never alone). That more than the religion really put me right off. Way too much coercion, rush and pressure. And, of course, divorce is so forbidden. You have to hope you met the right person in all the universe in your small circle and that your feelings are real and you'd be happy to be together for your lifetime. Didn't match my slow and careful approach.

I have a lovely peep hole on my front door and look through it when someone knocks. If I don't recognize the person on the other side of the door I do not answer and never open my door. This process has worked very nicely for many many years.

Yeah its what I do most of the time. Peepholes.... gotta luv em.

That's a terrific idea. I don't have a peephole on my door, but beveled designer glass, with an added security door. I can peer through some of the more clear beveled pieces on the door. Although those women were about the same size as the neighbor children, so until I actually opened my door it was difficult to get a good look at them.

One of JWs' more egregious stunts is running amok, door-to-door on Mother's Day.

I saw that once and thought ... what about some poor woman who sits and waits for her kid to show up on Mother's Day, and runs to the door to find two fucking Jehovah's witnesses?

JWs have no regard for anything or anyone.

That's cold-hearted.

I look like heck anyway, so next time they come by, I’ll have popped in a pair of red contact lenses just to see how long those JWs wanna stay.

I’ll chase em out to the curb begging them to come in —-while I’m ripping and tearing at my home-electronic-confinement anklet.

Then they can report me to my relative who keeps sending them my way.


(... I better clear it with the neighbors.)

Once they (JWs) are comfortably seated on the couch, start scratching the "itch."

Ask if they'd be so kind as to swab some Calamine on your back --so hard to reach-- due to the *thing* you caught that won't respond to medication and has Public Health confounded.

--The itch that you must have caught from That! Very! Couch! where you let that homeless guy sleep for a week until Public Health officials nabbed him with the help of Law Enforcement (he had warrants) and Animal Control (he brought his dog), and are still looking for the girlfriend(s), who snuck in on the same couch, who must be infected along with him, 'cause they were having sex!!!


... the JWs will leave you alone.

They don't get past my doorstep. Cheryl used a hose on the Mormon mishies. At least they didn't get past her yard. ;-)

My mom scared some stalkers off once while we were on a road trip to the deep south. I was 14 then, so she must've been early 40's. She used part of her inheritance money from her dad to go research her family tree where he was supposedly born. Because he'd been orphaned, she grew up not knowing any extended family. Same for her mother - she'd been orphaned also.

Anyhows, some two creeps are following us along on an Arkansas or Missouri secondary highway playing cat and mouse with our car. When mom popped out her dentures, making her look much, much older than she was. So when they passed us again, she grinned at them widely from ear to ear like she was flirting with them. Only toothless. They took off at breakneck speed after that and left us alone. Mom and me had a good chuckle over that.

My mother was a born actress. Acting came easily to her. She was gifted that way.

Your mom sounds like a very clever girl!

:D

She was that. :)

I didn't have any missionaries show up on my doorstep until after my ex left, but then just once. THEN after he moved back, then we kept getting missionaries. Poor souls. They actually have a pair of missionaries in little tiny Hyrum, Utah. I just saw them Saturday out walking.

Now the JWs last time one showed up, one, he gave me an invite to some thing they were doing for Easter. I didn't even realize what religion he was from until he left and I read the invite. He was an older guy (70s), which is different than any time before.

The time I remember the best is I was out walking and about 2 miles away from home. There were 2 sets of JWs walking down both sides of the road. I didn't realize they were both there until I almost walked into the second group. I crossed the street again and then went down another street. Last thing I needed is to run into them.

I get more irritated by the summer kid salesmen who come to sell me something like window cleaner. I get a lot of them in the summer.

Hyrum? you probably know all my relatives, lol!

But anyway I've never had trouble with the Jdubs I open the door and they talk. I'm nice but they never want to stick around. I think it has to do with that I"m a younger guy and they must think the devil will make them drink and take off their clothes or do something bad if they are with me "alone."

I get mormons too and when I say I haven't been to church in years they get uncomfortable.

It's a gender thing, I guess?

There haven't been any sightings of Mormon mishies in my area for like years.

There used to be a pair living right down the road, until they decided the apartment became too expensive for them. Last time I saw Mormon mishies around here they were riding down one of the most busy roads on a pair of bicycles. It made me wince since no one, repeat no one in their right mind rides that road on their bikes.

That's been several years ago already.

JW are worse than the Mormons. I fell sorry for JW so I'm always soft towards them.

I can't feel sorry for them. I need to protect myself from them. They are themselves victims of a cult. It's propagating it that is offensive.

Yeah, right up there with propagating ghosts stories and tales of angels and visitors from beyond the grave. But the JWs are in a cult, while you ...