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i dont recall that happening til way after the 80s – not saying it didnt- but not in my neighborhood in the 60s & 70s. perhaps they hadnt gotton to my neck of the woods then
I don’t recall this happening when I was a kid (in the 1950), but when someone peddling religion walked up our driveway in the 1970s, someone would call out “Hit the deck” and we’d all flatten ourselves on the floor to try to become invisible.
But when I was in my 20s living in a boarding house two Mormons knocked on the door. I opened it while physically trying to block my roommate’s overenthusiastic, incredibly friendly, incredibly untrained GIANT Rottweiler, who lunged up, hit me with his full body weight, put his head over my shoulder and barked “hello I want to love you!!!” greetings at them.
To JW, my mom was always polite and would have them in for coffee and they’d talk about all sorts of things. But we lived in a small, rural area, and politeness was essential. They’d leave the Watch Tower behind but it was mainly a friendly visit.
But with Mormons, my mom had no patience at all. She had herself excommunicated and didn’t like having the missionary visits at all. So she’d say to them, “I’ve been excommunicated, would you like to know how to do it yourselves”? And they’d bail immediately.
I have a “no soliciting” sign on my door. It didn’t deter two fresh faced young Mormons from knocking. I asked them to read the sign, and their response was that they weren’t selling anything. I told them they were selling religion, and I wasn’t buying.
As a side note, I think sending young women to knock on doors should be an actual sin. It’s putting them in danger.
If you meant to say Jews, we don’t go to people’s houses. One has to work really hard to become a Jew. We only take people who are willing to study for a year, we don’t go knocking on doors trying to recruit people.
My Mother kept a pile of leaflets from her church near the front door. If whatever religion that called wanted to give her something, she’d gladly take it if they would take hers. Amazingly most did.
The Mormons nearly “got” us when I was about seven.
They had a “Family Home Evening” at our school, with popcorn, soft drinks and snacks and were super friendly to my (Irish Catholic) parents, we were new to the area and our neighbours were mostly elderly and posh.
They kept visiting our home, sharing books and having theological discussions with my dad and making popcorn!
Us kids liked the popcorn, but thought it odd that the nice American visitors didn’t drink tea.
They eventually got to a point where my dad got annoyed by the pressure to “convert” us and he told them he wasn’t interested.
They didn’t. Maybe it was where we lived — NYC suburb in NJ, busy street, no sidewalks, and 15 stairs up to our door — but I don’t remember any religious solicitors.
As a kid, my parents politely told them “we’re good, we’re catholic” and that was enough for them to leave.
As an adult it’s a non issue… I live rural, no one comes on people’s land for fear of being shot. No solicitation of any kind out here in the woods. It’s rather nice.
It didn’t happen often (we lived in BFE), but I remember a lady from Jehovah’s Witness who stopped by one time. Dad was outside with our Shetland pony on a lead, so she could eat the clover in the yard. The JH lady got out of her car, put her purse on the hood, and Dad walked over with the pony…who grabbed and purse off the car and started shaking it back and forth, spilling the contents all over the driveway!
We still have the JWs in our neighborhood going door to door. If I see them before they see me I hide. Otherwise I answer the door explain I’m cooking, take the pamphlet, and thankfully they graciously leave. The Mormons haven’t been around for a few years but I acted the same.
No Jewish person has ever knocked on my door, nor is it likely they would have done so anywhere at any time. They don’t proselytize. It seems odd that you would ask about “Jws” btw. As for Mormons, they have been annoying people forever. I used to send them away quickly and without much of a smile. Same thing with Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hare Krishnas, and all other nosy religionists.
I just could never understand how they expected anyone to just up and change their religion. I always wonder what the rate of conversions was.
I suppose there may be a few who they catch at a bad time in their life that are looking for some kind of direction, but that seems like a low probability.
I’ve only gotten the Mormons. I’m polite, offer them a beverage, but just explain I’m happy with my religion. They ask I take their literature, which I do and go on their way.
I was born in to JW. It sucked Saturday morning having to go door to door I started around 8 or 9 years old. People didn’t hold back thier hostility. I don’t blame them. This was in FL in the 70s.
We used to get them where we lived in Central California in the 70s. They’d ring the bell, Mom would answer the door, they’d say “Hi, we are Jehovahs witnesses (or whatever…” and before they could say anything else my mother would, “Oh! I am so sorry!” and close the door. I know they have to do that stuff but I find it deeply disrespectful to other people.
Seventh Day Adventists use to come around once in a while. My mom taught us to be polite to them. She’d listen, take the literature and then throw it away. Same with Mormons. Mom would say that they’re people too and it’s a bad reflection on you to be impolite. Have to say to this day I can’t be impolite to these people. And mom’s been gone for 42 years. God bless them all.
My great grandma converted to Jehovah’s Witness when her husband died. We were well versed in the stuff they don’t go around telling people. My mom would invite the ones that go door to door in for a chat. She was always polite and welcoming but she would grill them about Bible verses they used that were out of context and about the health proxies and signing away all their financial stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if my mom didn’t convince some of them to convert. Lol
My Mom would hold up her crucifix necklace and say
‘We are Roman Catholics, the one true Faith”.
She didn’t really feel that way but was annoyed someone would dare come to her door and preach to her.
Everyone treated it differently. Me I politely said “I’m not interested”. But I had a friend who would invite them into debate, lol. Some friends would just ignore the knock.
They were always polite and just turned them away. I still get them to this day and do the same. I normally see them roaming the neighborhood beforehand and just don’t open the door.
My dad was a baptist deacon and for some reason he really disliked JW who came to our door to the point of threatening them if they didn’t leave. I never understood that.
As an atheist myself I just tell them my time is too valuable to listen to their bs but if they are willing to go and donate blood for a good cause I’ll make the time. That usually gets rid of them.
I’d draw myself up to my full 5’5″ and tell them the Lord Satan and I had a special relationship. Now at 70 I just truthfully say I’m a big fat old atheist and close the door.
Growing up, my bedroom was an enclosed porch, and my brothers’ room was attached to my room so you’d walk through our bedrooms to get in and out of the house. For several years, every f*cking Saturday morning, Jehovah’s Witnesses would walk down to our very isolated house, knock on the door at some ungodly hour, wake us up, and have a gaggle of very befuddled kids in pyjamas looking at them like they were crazy while another one hid in their bed (me) under the covers, our parents would sleep through all of this. My eldest brother would very politely tell them to go away and shut the door in their faces. They finally stopped coming down. We never woke up our parents for them.
A couple of decades later a woman and a young girl in flowy white dresses actually went into my home “to leave literature” when no one answered the door. At the time I had an extremely aggressive dog that I was physically restraining from them, they never ever came back
I don’t think highly of people who come knocking at your door to sell you religion
Lived in an area that was heavy Mormon. We used to go get a pencil and paper. We told them that we were happy to let them come in and share their theology if they gave us their home addresses so we could come share our theology with them tomorrow. We never had any takers. They quit coming to our house. Works with the JWs too.
This didn’t happen where I was originally from (Eastern Europe). In fact I feel extremely lucky in that religion as a whole was massively downplayed at the time.
In a park in front of my building there was a church, which was converted into a museum of history, religion and atheism. Basically you enter the church and goes around it, and it takes you through the ages – ancient Egypt and mummies, Aztecs and human sacrifice, the Spanish inquisition, Salem witch trials, etc., and it all ends with a space suit and picture of Gagarin. And in the center, hanging from the steeple, was Foucault’s pendulum, demonstrating that the earth is spinning. They didn’t run it all the time, but did it for the guided tours. It was very beautifully done, and at the end anyone with a brain couldn’t fail to conclude that religion is made-up bullshit.
And later when I was moving around the world, I didn’t really encounter much of it either. Here in Canada I’d occasionally get what I presume is illiterate religious people, because I have a sign on my door that clearly tells them to screw off. So I get to do that in person. But blessedly it’s been less of a problem since Covid, people didn’t appreciate these cuckoos actually endangering lives directly by going door to door during a pandemic. So it largely died down, from what I’ve seen.
80s-ish. We don’t answer. And if they see us inside we just shout go away loud enough they leave. If they persist just Go about your day like they aren’t even there.
My parents were the JWs who dragged me around every Saturday morning. I was mortified by it. I literally passed out at a door because I was so terrified, but they just made me suck it up and carry on.
My mom invited everyone in. I have been to so many different churches. I was baptized united pentecostal my one sister is methodist and the other is latter day saints.
I was about 23 living in an apartment when some JWs knocked on the door. I was holding a glass of vodka, and invited them in to watch a porno. They looked at each other and left.
I don’t appreciate anybody I don’t know knocking on my door. Especially when I was a third shifter and assholes would wake me up trying to sell me a new roof, windows, lawn service, or Jesus.
Not much. We’re Catholic. When my mom came to live with me in Salt Lake City, the ward bishop came to call to check us out, I guess. My sweet little Austrian mom said, “we all believe in the same God, don’t we? Can I get you some Strudel Bishop?”. He became her biggest fan. We held the ward annual picnic on our lawn (we had the biggest yard). When my mom died, the Bishop came to ask me to take care of some of my elderly neighbors as much as I had time for. So I raked leaves, mowed lawns, made them strudel.
We’d open the door before they knocked and yell (in a Brooklyn accent, we lived in Pennsylvania 🤣) GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE ya jagoffs, we were like 10 years old 🤣🤦♂️ they’d huff and puff and leave lol eventually they would just pass by our house.
My dad, an atheist, would answer the door in tightly whiteys. He also had a wooden (yes, wood) leg, so it was quite the sight with him there with the beer belly, undies, no shirt, and half a leg and and his girdle holding up his leg. Lol. I think we were put on the WTF list.
I was raised in a small town in Germany, and we didn’t have religious groups ringing the doorbell,but we had Gypsies coming to town.
When they came, people would get their laundry from the clothes lines outside and lock their doors.
My parents had a small music store,so they wouldn’t lock up. Sometimes, they would come in and asked to hand them a guitar, and they started playing. I loved listening to them.
They set up camp on the outskirts, and They would stay for a few months and then continued their travels. Some of their children would attend public school,but they kept to themselves. I remember one boy who was attending my class,he was super smart.
At this point, I point at the “no solicitations “ and read it to them. Or, I just let my very loud dog bark at them and ask them to leave. My mom was always very polite. She was a teacher at the public school in the next town. She knew everyone.
My dad was always thrilled when the JWs came around. He’d invite them in, get them settled comfortably in the living room, and offer them refreshments, all the while practically rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Little did they know that Dad had a well-prepared counter-argument to every aspect of their faith. By the time they left, frustrated and dejected, my mother would be shooting disapproval at Dad through her thin smile.
“Only a misanthrope like you would invite people in just to torture them,” she would say once they’d gone. Dad would just grin and chuckle that they should expect people to have their own point of view
My mom was pretty fed up with JWs from her personal experience. My dad’s grandmother was a JW and she tried really hard to convert her at first, but my mom wouldn’t have it. My biological dad’s family situation was pretty complicated, and he was actually raised by his grandparents but spent a large part of his teenage and early adult years in a boys reformatory school, and later a state prison (long story). He was very unreliable because of his legal, drug, and mental health issues so he wasn’t around much. But great grandma still wanted to have a relationship with us kids. Eventually my mom reached kind of a truce with great grandma. She was not to try to convert us or take us kids to any services if she wanted to be able to see us kids. My great grandma was a very kind, sweet lady. But my mom was catholic and pretty strong in her faith and she didn’t want the JW stuff pushed on us, or her.
She was always a little short with the JWs that would come to the door. Still polite, but very, very firm.
Never had Mormons here in NY. But one time 2 very lovely JWS women came to the door and they were very sweet with my little dog who came to the door with me. I made my position clear (no religion and not interested). We ended up sitting on my front steps for awhile having a nice, non-religious conversation.
My parents envied these fundamentalist religion types. Pentecostals, Mormons, Baptist, the Duggar family etc. They didn’t have the discipline to be that way, but they would put them selves around that type.
They never came to our door when I was a kid but when I was off on maternity leave a couple times I used to invite them to talk. I scared the mormans off after one visit. The left saying we are just young men we don’t know when I would ask them tough questions. I met with a jehovahs witness for about a month. Very nice woman and we had good discussions. She kept bringing higher up people. When she brought her pastor and we were discussing things he said I don’t think we need to come anymore and I said not unless you are interested in converting. I think they marked me down as a house not to visit.
Absolutely hated it! They’d come down our street, which had 5 homes on it. And we’d call each other to let the others know not to answer the door. That didn’t stop them from coming and one time a woman with 2 small children came to our house for the 3rd time in a couple of weeks. My brother, who was on spring break from college and staying with me, said “I’ve got this” and I left the room.
Apparently, he immediately got naked, stretched, and answered the door with a gruff “what do ya want?!” I heard a screech and the sound of footsteps racing down the flight of stairs, the front door closing, and my brother laughing. We never had any more people come to “witness” our street again!
Years later, I moved into another neighborhood. I’ve got 3 signs out that say no sales or witnessing. Got them off of Amazon! They’ve ended the barrage of unwanted knocking on my door too.
Ha, I just got a couple of older ladies at my door this morning. I’m hungover as hell and high as the devil himself, lol those poor ladies were not impressed.
JW’s used to visit regularly until one day my Aussie was out. She chased them a few rounds around their car before they could get back in. Haven’t seen them since. Apparently we’re on the do not disturb list.
I grew up SDA. As a preteen, their annual Ingathering campaign used to make me uncomfortable. Going door to door asking for money led to a few uncomfortable encounters. I don’t think they do that anymore.
My dad worked nights and hated having the missionary people wake him up.
He was a prolific reader so he decided to read up on obscure or ancient religions.
He decided to tell the missionaries that he was a Druid and begin to speak about human sacrifice and then begin to speak in tongues.
He was actually remembering words to a song his family sang in Gaelic. A Scotsman knows some of his ancestral language even if it’s been 200 years since his ancestors left.
Took a few weeks but the missionaries stopped coming by.
My mom taught me to be polite and firm and then call their churches to ask to be on the DND list. Any time we move we’d get a visit or two before we’d call and then never again. My brother opened the door naked once when he first moved and that seemed to have gotten him black listed by the Jehovah Witnesses.
I recall some religious organization coming to the door. Mom said no thanks. They stood on the porch with a portable record player with their music. For an hour.
We had JH people knocking on our door regularly until we got a rescue dog a couple of years ago. We have a Russian last name, and my husband is from Russia, where JH is huge. Those JH assholes would come by every month for a while despite us telling them to go away every time. But once I learned how to do this act of barely restraining our dog, while she barks her head off and growls and snaps at the door, they never came back.
That dog has gotten so many annoying people away from our house: roofers, window salesmen, you name it. I do this routine, which we have perfected over the years, where I open the front door, but you can see us through the clear storm door. I hold onto her collar and act like she is about to leap out of my grasp. Then, I yell stuff like, “we just rescued her from a dog fighting ring. So sorry! She’s really so sweet!” You can see her breath and slobber on the clear plexiglass. Sometimes I’ll add, “sorry, I can’t hold her much longer. What do you need?” I have commands that I use when we have friends over so she will be calm. But she knows when to go crazy. I always give her a treat after and tell her how good she is at protecting us.
Never saw any growing up. But now and then they show up, I ask them if they’d like to have a beer with me. Doesn’t take long for them to do about face. Doubt that would work with Catholics. But tjeu don’t do that kind of thing around d here.
I lived on a ranch nearly 20 miles outside of town. My neighbors were literally miles away, but the JWs would sometimes make the arduous journey up our half mile driveway. To save our heathen souls apparently. Van pulls up full of very nicely dressed older ladies and one tired looking man in a rumply suit. It’s been raining for days and everything is muddy. Including the farm dogs who naturally want to sniff the strangers. Dogs jump on the strangers leaving long streaks of mud on the nicely dressed older ladies and guy in rumply suit. They jump into their van and hurriedly head back towards town. My neighbors still owe me a thanks for the visitors they didn’t get that day. And the JWs? Haven’t had a visit since and it’s been 30 years now. I think I’m on a blacklist or sumpin.. No regrets.
They can be an annoyance, I am usually polite and end the interaction quickly. All but one was respectful, the idiot I had to tell to leave or I’d kick his ass off the planet. Closed the door as he was telling me I am going to hell.
I check my Ring camera before I open the door. Once I didn’t check and opened it, then just closed it in their face once they started with their diatribe.
My mother would evict Jehovah’s witnesses from the premises rather harshly. I always felt bad but knew we certainly did not want to be converted to a religion that did not allow birthday parties.
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My friend’s husband would say – hold on there – and go get his bible, and “argue” with them at the door.
They didn’t answer the door.
i dont recall that happening til way after the 80s – not saying it didnt- but not in my neighborhood in the 60s & 70s. perhaps they hadnt gotton to my neck of the woods then
I respect that they get out there and do it…but that’s it. I’m not answering the door.
I don’t recall this happening when I was a kid (in the 1950), but when someone peddling religion walked up our driveway in the 1970s, someone would call out “Hit the deck” and we’d all flatten ourselves on the floor to try to become invisible.
Happily it didn’t happen in my town.
But when I was in my 20s living in a boarding house two Mormons knocked on the door. I opened it while physically trying to block my roommate’s overenthusiastic, incredibly friendly, incredibly untrained GIANT Rottweiler, who lunged up, hit me with his full body weight, put his head over my shoulder and barked “hello I want to love you!!!” greetings at them.
Away they ran… 😂
We’d just say “we’re Catholic” and shut the door. No biggie.
To JW, my mom was always polite and would have them in for coffee and they’d talk about all sorts of things. But we lived in a small, rural area, and politeness was essential. They’d leave the Watch Tower behind but it was mainly a friendly visit.
But with Mormons, my mom had no patience at all. She had herself excommunicated and didn’t like having the missionary visits at all. So she’d say to them, “I’ve been excommunicated, would you like to know how to do it yourselves”? And they’d bail immediately.
I only saw it in the airport, didn’t see it at the door until the 80s.
I have a “no soliciting” sign on my door. It didn’t deter two fresh faced young Mormons from knocking. I asked them to read the sign, and their response was that they weren’t selling anything. I told them they were selling religion, and I wasn’t buying.
As a side note, I think sending young women to knock on doors should be an actual sin. It’s putting them in danger.
My mother would hide from the JW’s, they would knock the door and when they got no answer they would circle the house looking in the windows lol
If you meant to say Jews, we don’t go to people’s houses. One has to work really hard to become a Jew. We only take people who are willing to study for a year, we don’t go knocking on doors trying to recruit people.
My Mother kept a pile of leaflets from her church near the front door. If whatever religion that called wanted to give her something, she’d gladly take it if they would take hers. Amazingly most did.
The Mormons nearly “got” us when I was about seven.
They had a “Family Home Evening” at our school, with popcorn, soft drinks and snacks and were super friendly to my (Irish Catholic) parents, we were new to the area and our neighbours were mostly elderly and posh.
They kept visiting our home, sharing books and having theological discussions with my dad and making popcorn!
Us kids liked the popcorn, but thought it odd that the nice American visitors didn’t drink tea.
They eventually got to a point where my dad got annoyed by the pressure to “convert” us and he told them he wasn’t interested.
I expect we’re in their database somewhere!
Looking at these comments–are we not allowed to say “Jews?”
They didn’t. Maybe it was where we lived — NYC suburb in NJ, busy street, no sidewalks, and 15 stairs up to our door — but I don’t remember any religious solicitors.
As a kid, my parents politely told them “we’re good, we’re catholic” and that was enough for them to leave.
As an adult it’s a non issue… I live rural, no one comes on people’s land for fear of being shot. No solicitation of any kind out here in the woods. It’s rather nice.
It didn’t happen often (we lived in BFE), but I remember a lady from Jehovah’s Witness who stopped by one time. Dad was outside with our Shetland pony on a lead, so she could eat the clover in the yard. The JH lady got out of her car, put her purse on the hood, and Dad walked over with the pony…who grabbed and purse off the car and started shaking it back and forth, spilling the contents all over the driveway!
We still have the JWs in our neighborhood going door to door. If I see them before they see me I hide. Otherwise I answer the door explain I’m cooking, take the pamphlet, and thankfully they graciously leave. The Mormons haven’t been around for a few years but I acted the same.
No Jewish person has ever knocked on my door, nor is it likely they would have done so anywhere at any time. They don’t proselytize. It seems odd that you would ask about “Jws” btw. As for Mormons, they have been annoying people forever. I used to send them away quickly and without much of a smile. Same thing with Jehovah’s Witnesses, Hare Krishnas, and all other nosy religionists.
My mom’s go to answer from the 60s to the present is “I don’t admire people who peddle religion door to door” SLAM.
I just could never understand how they expected anyone to just up and change their religion. I always wonder what the rate of conversions was.
I suppose there may be a few who they catch at a bad time in their life that are looking for some kind of direction, but that seems like a low probability.
I’ve only gotten the Mormons. I’m polite, offer them a beverage, but just explain I’m happy with my religion. They ask I take their literature, which I do and go on their way.
I was born in to JW. It sucked Saturday morning having to go door to door I started around 8 or 9 years old. People didn’t hold back thier hostility. I don’t blame them. This was in FL in the 70s.
We always told them we were Buddhist. It seemed to baffle them.
We used to get them where we lived in Central California in the 70s. They’d ring the bell, Mom would answer the door, they’d say “Hi, we are Jehovahs witnesses (or whatever…” and before they could say anything else my mother would, “Oh! I am so sorry!” and close the door. I know they have to do that stuff but I find it deeply disrespectful to other people.
I don’t remember it happening that often and I grew up in the Bible Belt.
Seventh Day Adventists use to come around once in a while. My mom taught us to be polite to them. She’d listen, take the literature and then throw it away. Same with Mormons. Mom would say that they’re people too and it’s a bad reflection on you to be impolite. Have to say to this day I can’t be impolite to these people. And mom’s been gone for 42 years. God bless them all.
My great grandma converted to Jehovah’s Witness when her husband died. We were well versed in the stuff they don’t go around telling people. My mom would invite the ones that go door to door in for a chat. She was always polite and welcoming but she would grill them about Bible verses they used that were out of context and about the health proxies and signing away all their financial stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if my mom didn’t convince some of them to convert. Lol
My Mom would hold up her crucifix necklace and say
‘We are Roman Catholics, the one true Faith”.
She didn’t really feel that way but was annoyed someone would dare come to her door and preach to her.
Please, not in the morning. My parents were usually sleeping it off
Everyone treated it differently. Me I politely said “I’m not interested”. But I had a friend who would invite them into debate, lol. Some friends would just ignore the knock.
My mother always told the JWs “I’ll read your pamphlet if you salute my flag.”
That usually ended the interaction.
They were always polite and just turned them away. I still get them to this day and do the same. I normally see them roaming the neighborhood beforehand and just don’t open the door.
My dad was a baptist deacon and for some reason he really disliked JW who came to our door to the point of threatening them if they didn’t leave. I never understood that.
As an atheist myself I just tell them my time is too valuable to listen to their bs but if they are willing to go and donate blood for a good cause I’ll make the time. That usually gets rid of them.
My dad invites them in for theology debates. My parents feed them.
It irritated the hell out of me, honestly.
“I got the Catholics over there hooking me up with a calzone, the Muslims down the street made a biryani…well? Whatchugot?”
I’d draw myself up to my full 5’5″ and tell them the Lord Satan and I had a special relationship. Now at 70 I just truthfully say I’m a big fat old atheist and close the door.
Growing up, my bedroom was an enclosed porch, and my brothers’ room was attached to my room so you’d walk through our bedrooms to get in and out of the house. For several years, every f*cking Saturday morning, Jehovah’s Witnesses would walk down to our very isolated house, knock on the door at some ungodly hour, wake us up, and have a gaggle of very befuddled kids in pyjamas looking at them like they were crazy while another one hid in their bed (me) under the covers, our parents would sleep through all of this. My eldest brother would very politely tell them to go away and shut the door in their faces. They finally stopped coming down. We never woke up our parents for them.
A couple of decades later a woman and a young girl in flowy white dresses actually went into my home “to leave literature” when no one answered the door. At the time I had an extremely aggressive dog that I was physically restraining from them, they never ever came back
I don’t think highly of people who come knocking at your door to sell you religion
Lived in an area that was heavy Mormon. We used to go get a pencil and paper. We told them that we were happy to let them come in and share their theology if they gave us their home addresses so we could come share our theology with them tomorrow. We never had any takers. They quit coming to our house. Works with the JWs too.
Annoying, but we were always polite. “No thank you,” and that was always sufficient to send them to the next house.
This didn’t happen where I was originally from (Eastern Europe). In fact I feel extremely lucky in that religion as a whole was massively downplayed at the time.
In a park in front of my building there was a church, which was converted into a museum of history, religion and atheism. Basically you enter the church and goes around it, and it takes you through the ages – ancient Egypt and mummies, Aztecs and human sacrifice, the Spanish inquisition, Salem witch trials, etc., and it all ends with a space suit and picture of Gagarin. And in the center, hanging from the steeple, was Foucault’s pendulum, demonstrating that the earth is spinning. They didn’t run it all the time, but did it for the guided tours. It was very beautifully done, and at the end anyone with a brain couldn’t fail to conclude that religion is made-up bullshit.
And later when I was moving around the world, I didn’t really encounter much of it either. Here in Canada I’d occasionally get what I presume is illiterate religious people, because I have a sign on my door that clearly tells them to screw off. So I get to do that in person. But blessedly it’s been less of a problem since Covid, people didn’t appreciate these cuckoos actually endangering lives directly by going door to door during a pandemic. So it largely died down, from what I’ve seen.
80s-ish. We don’t answer. And if they see us inside we just shout go away loud enough they leave. If they persist just Go about your day like they aren’t even there.
My parents were the JWs who dragged me around every Saturday morning. I was mortified by it. I literally passed out at a door because I was so terrified, but they just made me suck it up and carry on.
Jews? Jews don’t come to the door.
We lived in an apartment, people couldn’t come to the door. My parents would have politely told them to go away.
My mom invited everyone in. I have been to so many different churches. I was baptized united pentecostal my one sister is methodist and the other is latter day saints.
It rarely happened, but everyone always found it annoying when they did come by.
I’m good
I was about 23 living in an apartment when some JWs knocked on the door. I was holding a glass of vodka, and invited them in to watch a porno. They looked at each other and left.
I don’t appreciate anybody I don’t know knocking on my door. Especially when I was a third shifter and assholes would wake me up trying to sell me a new roof, windows, lawn service, or Jesus.
Jesus and I had a good long talk. We’re good.
Not much. We’re Catholic. When my mom came to live with me in Salt Lake City, the ward bishop came to call to check us out, I guess. My sweet little Austrian mom said, “we all believe in the same God, don’t we? Can I get you some Strudel Bishop?”. He became her biggest fan. We held the ward annual picnic on our lawn (we had the biggest yard). When my mom died, the Bishop came to ask me to take care of some of my elderly neighbors as much as I had time for. So I raked leaves, mowed lawns, made them strudel.
My dad worked the night shift. He slept naked. He would open the door bare ass naked and invite them in for a chat.
Meh whatever. I have real problems, I don’t go searching for them.
We’d open the door before they knocked and yell (in a Brooklyn accent, we lived in Pennsylvania 🤣) GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE ya jagoffs, we were like 10 years old 🤣🤦♂️ they’d huff and puff and leave lol eventually they would just pass by our house.
My dad, an atheist, would answer the door in tightly whiteys. He also had a wooden (yes, wood) leg, so it was quite the sight with him there with the beer belly, undies, no shirt, and half a leg and and his girdle holding up his leg. Lol. I think we were put on the WTF list.
Politely dismissive.
I was raised in a small town in Germany, and we didn’t have religious groups ringing the doorbell,but we had Gypsies coming to town.
When they came, people would get their laundry from the clothes lines outside and lock their doors.
My parents had a small music store,so they wouldn’t lock up. Sometimes, they would come in and asked to hand them a guitar, and they started playing. I loved listening to them.
They set up camp on the outskirts, and They would stay for a few months and then continued their travels. Some of their children would attend public school,but they kept to themselves. I remember one boy who was attending my class,he was super smart.
At this point, I point at the “no solicitations “ and read it to them. Or, I just let my very loud dog bark at them and ask them to leave. My mom was always very polite. She was a teacher at the public school in the next town. She knew everyone.
They made fun of them privately. To their face, they quickly and politely declined to listen and shut the door.
My mom always said tell them we’re catholic, they’ll leave. And they did.
My dad was always thrilled when the JWs came around. He’d invite them in, get them settled comfortably in the living room, and offer them refreshments, all the while practically rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Little did they know that Dad had a well-prepared counter-argument to every aspect of their faith. By the time they left, frustrated and dejected, my mother would be shooting disapproval at Dad through her thin smile.
“Only a misanthrope like you would invite people in just to torture them,” she would say once they’d gone. Dad would just grin and chuckle that they should expect people to have their own point of view
My mom was pretty fed up with JWs from her personal experience. My dad’s grandmother was a JW and she tried really hard to convert her at first, but my mom wouldn’t have it. My biological dad’s family situation was pretty complicated, and he was actually raised by his grandparents but spent a large part of his teenage and early adult years in a boys reformatory school, and later a state prison (long story). He was very unreliable because of his legal, drug, and mental health issues so he wasn’t around much. But great grandma still wanted to have a relationship with us kids. Eventually my mom reached kind of a truce with great grandma. She was not to try to convert us or take us kids to any services if she wanted to be able to see us kids. My great grandma was a very kind, sweet lady. But my mom was catholic and pretty strong in her faith and she didn’t want the JW stuff pushed on us, or her.
She was always a little short with the JWs that would come to the door. Still polite, but very, very firm.
Never had Mormons here in NY. But one time 2 very lovely JWS women came to the door and they were very sweet with my little dog who came to the door with me. I made my position clear (no religion and not interested). We ended up sitting on my front steps for awhile having a nice, non-religious conversation.
My parents envied these fundamentalist religion types. Pentecostals, Mormons, Baptist, the Duggar family etc. They didn’t have the discipline to be that way, but they would put them selves around that type.
They never came to our door when I was a kid but when I was off on maternity leave a couple times I used to invite them to talk. I scared the mormans off after one visit. The left saying we are just young men we don’t know when I would ask them tough questions. I met with a jehovahs witness for about a month. Very nice woman and we had good discussions. She kept bringing higher up people. When she brought her pastor and we were discussing things he said I don’t think we need to come anymore and I said not unless you are interested in converting. I think they marked me down as a house not to visit.
Absolutely hated it! They’d come down our street, which had 5 homes on it. And we’d call each other to let the others know not to answer the door. That didn’t stop them from coming and one time a woman with 2 small children came to our house for the 3rd time in a couple of weeks. My brother, who was on spring break from college and staying with me, said “I’ve got this” and I left the room.
Apparently, he immediately got naked, stretched, and answered the door with a gruff “what do ya want?!” I heard a screech and the sound of footsteps racing down the flight of stairs, the front door closing, and my brother laughing. We never had any more people come to “witness” our street again!
Years later, I moved into another neighborhood. I’ve got 3 signs out that say no sales or witnessing. Got them off of Amazon! They’ve ended the barrage of unwanted knocking on my door too.
No big deal. Just politely let them know we weren’t interested. No need to be rude.
Ha, I just got a couple of older ladies at my door this morning. I’m hungover as hell and high as the devil himself, lol those poor ladies were not impressed.
JW’s used to visit regularly until one day my Aussie was out. She chased them a few rounds around their car before they could get back in. Haven’t seen them since. Apparently we’re on the do not disturb list.
We lived in a large, urban area. My parents bent over backwards to be polite, but didn’t know how to be firm and say they weren’t interested.
I grew up SDA. As a preteen, their annual Ingathering campaign used to make me uncomfortable. Going door to door asking for money led to a few uncomfortable encounters. I don’t think they do that anymore.
My dad worked nights and hated having the missionary people wake him up.
He was a prolific reader so he decided to read up on obscure or ancient religions.
He decided to tell the missionaries that he was a Druid and begin to speak about human sacrifice and then begin to speak in tongues.
He was actually remembering words to a song his family sang in Gaelic. A Scotsman knows some of his ancestral language even if it’s been 200 years since his ancestors left.
Took a few weeks but the missionaries stopped coming by.
My grandma would invite them in. Have a “discussion “ …and usually win.
My mom taught me to be polite and firm and then call their churches to ask to be on the DND list. Any time we move we’d get a visit or two before we’d call and then never again. My brother opened the door naked once when he first moved and that seemed to have gotten him black listed by the Jehovah Witnesses.
I recall some religious organization coming to the door. Mom said no thanks. They stood on the porch with a portable record player with their music. For an hour.
We had JH people knocking on our door regularly until we got a rescue dog a couple of years ago. We have a Russian last name, and my husband is from Russia, where JH is huge. Those JH assholes would come by every month for a while despite us telling them to go away every time. But once I learned how to do this act of barely restraining our dog, while she barks her head off and growls and snaps at the door, they never came back.
That dog has gotten so many annoying people away from our house: roofers, window salesmen, you name it. I do this routine, which we have perfected over the years, where I open the front door, but you can see us through the clear storm door. I hold onto her collar and act like she is about to leap out of my grasp. Then, I yell stuff like, “we just rescued her from a dog fighting ring. So sorry! She’s really so sweet!” You can see her breath and slobber on the clear plexiglass. Sometimes I’ll add, “sorry, I can’t hold her much longer. What do you need?” I have commands that I use when we have friends over so she will be calm. But she knows when to go crazy. I always give her a treat after and tell her how good she is at protecting us.
Never saw any growing up. But now and then they show up, I ask them if they’d like to have a beer with me. Doesn’t take long for them to do about face. Doubt that would work with Catholics. But tjeu don’t do that kind of thing around d here.
I lived on a ranch nearly 20 miles outside of town. My neighbors were literally miles away, but the JWs would sometimes make the arduous journey up our half mile driveway. To save our heathen souls apparently. Van pulls up full of very nicely dressed older ladies and one tired looking man in a rumply suit. It’s been raining for days and everything is muddy. Including the farm dogs who naturally want to sniff the strangers. Dogs jump on the strangers leaving long streaks of mud on the nicely dressed older ladies and guy in rumply suit. They jump into their van and hurriedly head back towards town. My neighbors still owe me a thanks for the visitors they didn’t get that day. And the JWs? Haven’t had a visit since and it’s been 30 years now. I think I’m on a blacklist or sumpin.. No regrets.
They can be an annoyance, I am usually polite and end the interaction quickly. All but one was respectful, the idiot I had to tell to leave or I’d kick his ass off the planet. Closed the door as he was telling me I am going to hell.
I check my Ring camera before I open the door. Once I didn’t check and opened it, then just closed it in their face once they started with their diatribe.
My parents are Mormon, my grandparents were all enthused to have the company when they let them in. They had much less stigma in the 50s
My mother would evict Jehovah’s witnesses from the premises rather harshly. I always felt bad but knew we certainly did not want to be converted to a religion that did not allow birthday parties.
My dad threatened to shoot the next JW that came to our house.
My dad , may god rest his soul, would just drop his pants and invite them in to join the neighborhood’s weekly Sodom and Gomorrah party.