It's cold, dark, and snowy tonight here in Colorado, and around 7 PM, the doorbell rang. We chose to not answer since we weren't expecting company. The doorbell rang again, followed by banging on the screen door. This continued for about five minutes, and by then, I'd decided I'd had enough and went to answer the door. I opened the door and three very young women (teenage girls, really) bundled in coats were standing in the middle of the street, and when they saw me, they said, "Hi! We're the sister missionaries!" and started toward the porch. I said we weren't interested and closed the door.

I'm gobsmacked that these young women were out on a cold, snowy, and dark night hammering on people's doors. It was pitch dark outside and the streets were quite icy. I'm not sure the Gospel will save them if they hammer on the wrong door in the dark. Ugh.

They might not get saved if they knock on the wrong door.

They probably won't get saved if they knock on the right one.

There aren't ANY right doors in those conditions, especially among the educated formon.

I'm like, "what is this? An instant PP [polygamy party]?

Back to peace and happiness.

M@t

Boorish behaviour on their part.
Mormons don't have manners ?

then you feel guilty, the bad weather, their teenagers just wearing skirts and dresses so they have to feel the cold even more. but it's about that disgusting Mormonism that they want you to follow, what do you do? I would tell them to go home right away and get warmed up, that doesn't sound rude or anything. "hey you two, you don't look well, please take care of yourselves and get out of this weather"

Sending young women door to door is not safe. I don't care if there are two or three of them. You go into someone's house you don't know what you are getting into. They could be armed. They can lock you in the house. You could be outnumbered by the people in the house.

Mormon Stories interviews two sister missionaries who were raped on their missions. If I was head of the church, I couldn't sleep at night putting young women into dangerous situations.

Rubicon Wrote:
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> Sending young women door to door is not safe.

If I was head of the church, I couldn't sleep at night putting young women into dangerous situations.

That's ASSuming tscc has a head.
It seems it "leads" with it's tail.

Once it YANKS them out into the missing field, they are on their own.

Besides, certain girls - and boys [edited to add] - get "called" here, and others, there.

M@t



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/2018 03:38PM by moremany.

Five minutes of doorbell ringing and banging on the door is ridiculous. They were disturbing the peace of your home. I would have talked to them about that, and not in a happy manner. I would have told them that two doorbell rings is plenty and that even if someone is home, that person is not obligated to respond to them.

This is my first and second problem with the missionary program.

1.) Missionaries aren't taught basic door etiquette. Knock/ring once, wait 30-45 seconds, try again (IF YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST), then walk away after 30-45 seconds. No third attempt. Put a pass-along card in the door if you must, but don't continue past 2 attempts. It wreaks of desperation and it's just rude if someone doesn't want to talk.
2.) Missionaries aren't taught regional etiquette. I live in the midwest. Around here, it is widely accepted that when it gets dark, it's late. Yes, in the winter it gets dark early, but we consider that too late to visit or call someone who isn't expecting us. I've seen missionaries pounding on doors almost all the way up to 9pm. My best friend had missionaries going ham on his door the other night after 7pm. The church might not see a problem with it, and the MP might be stoked to know his missionaries are out bothering people at that hour, but my friend was less impressed. He had just got his 2 year old to sleep for the night.

The missionary program is outdated. I sometimes wonder if it does more harm to the church than good. I hope whoever takes over the program after Nelson kicks the bucket transitions to more of a service mission.

We used to have lessons about etiquette of door-knocking. It was in the Missionary Guide. My asshat MP would rail on missionaries that didn't know when to stop knocking. We were trained to give it two rings or two knocks.

They have been told stories (some may be down right false) of meeting the golden investigator that is waiting to meet them. This can be told from family members, friends, known missionaries/companions and the biggest lying whore monger: the MTC. I was told of whopper tales of missionaries that were about to walk away from a door, when the perfect contact was made. Yuck!

Secondly, some of them are down right pricks and assholes. "If I have to be miserable knocking on doors, then I'm going to be the loudest, rudest missionary on the planet." Some of them will actually try to get into a confrontation just to satisfy their egos. I stood like a fool in the middle of the street when my companion argued with a domestic about being "too busy to talk about Jesus." It got us nowhere real fast.

I agree with everything you said. When I was in college, missionaries would go out to the main drag of my college town (a very busy street) and step out in front of cars to invite the driver to discuss the church more with them. The MP LOVED it. Most motorists were too shocked at the audacity to have time to get angry. I saw it happen once and the guy got out of his car PISSED. The missionaries tried to "call him to repentence," but quickly back down when his friends got out of the car and suggested they might find new uses for the Books of Mormon the missionaries were trying to peddle. It was hilarious.

No one is required to answer their door. Whoever is outside needs to learn that lesson.

Ladies:

Unless there's an emergency, just leave if no one answers.

When I moved back to pnw from toledo,I specified no contact from ChurchCo, but found a tract in the door anyway;
Called the Bp. here & said to leave me (ex'd) alone.
Bp. said it's not that easy because different orgs/'departments', but he would try.
That worked!

Maybe they were hoping to find someone high enough to let them in.

LOW and Behold!

I could never get that 'high'.
Lord knows, I try. Not HIGH!

They don't want the "hi ones". Oh NO!
It's the low hanging fruit they want.

They are seeking the Low, the Solo,
And the lower than Lower than Low.

M@t

My DD went on a mission a long time ago, the thought of her knocking doors after dark ... Not Good!

The last time the mishies came to our place I invited them in, gave them some ice water (Southern California) and sent them on their way with minimal small talk. Back that was years ago.

Soooo, I guess I'm thinking that I would invite them in, give them some hot chocolate (WoW, nooooo....!!), and ask where they're from, yadda, yadda.
BUT, I would use a very calm tone and ask some of those questions which TBM's have no answer for, and finish by telling them that they are out trying to sell a made-up religion (let's face it, Mo'ism *talks about* the simplicity of the "Gospel"™, but adds so much extra that the simplicity is gone).

It would end with a testimony fallback, but many seeds would be planted...

You could counter with your own testimony. “I know with every fiber of my being that Santa’s workshop is at the North Pole, and that if you’re not out of my house in one minute, you’ll be on his naughty list.”

That sounds really stupid and very unsafe behavior for three young women.

Besides being harassing.

If that's how they're being trained to go out to knock on doors, I will add they are most definitely safer traveling in numbers. But still very foolish of them and their superiors to put them in harms way like that.

I wonder what their parents would think if they knew what they're up to? It's hard to find that acceptable or reasonable behavior by any standards.

(not to detract, but)

I would have asked if they had a safe way to get home; if not, I would have offered (bike helmets would be a clue)...

Door knocking was dangerous 30 years ago. Still disappointed that pisshead church leaders haven't updated the silly missionary dress codes. Everyone should be wearing slacks by now.

How are sisters less spiritual than elders if they don't wear dresses/skirts?

Hot is hot and cold is cold. They should be dressing accordingly to the day's weather.

They still have to wear dresses or skirts to go tracting?

That is soooo sexist!

At 5 minutes I would have dialed 911 to report someone trying to break in. I have no patience for people who are that rude.

Police will help out east... Is it not helpful in Utah ... I wonder

Threat of police is often enough.

The visits to your door are completely planned. They Target and harass ex members or non active members. I asked them not to come anymore and they still showed. I said that I would call the police if they came again, eventually police were called.

You should not be harassed... Especially in a time of recovery from the trauma of this "religion"

Several years ago, a pair of mishies came to our door. I (the resident exmo) had gone to bed with a headache or something.) DH is a semi-believing inactive.

One of the mishies was an arrogant jerk. He berated DH for remaining married to an apostate, for not "righteously exercising the priesthood," and I forget what else. DH is an RM himself, and he was incensed at this self-righteous young character.

He made sure to get the kid's name, and called the MP the next day to let the guy know that this young "elder" was a poor representative of the church. The MP apologized all over himself, and admitted that the mish was "trunky."

I think our house is on a permanent "do not contact" list now. Our dear old HT still comes around, and he will always be welcome, but nobody else.