After trying to be nice for the last three times (or four?), today I finally lost it. At least twice a month, we got disturbed by two religious groups: the Jehovah Witnesses and the Morons Mormons. Occassionally got solicited also by the boy/girl scouts to buys their cookies, high school athletic teams to buy tickets, newspaper enrollments, and the politicians as well. But while most of them would go away after a nice, “No, thank you”, the religious ones were rather persistent.
I understand that I live in a country that believes firmly the ‘freedom of religion’. But does it give others the right to impose their beliefs on me, in my own home? Who gave them the right? My first reaction was a firm (but with a smile), “No, Thank you.” When it didn’t do the job, I tried to lied a bit (because I usually am a nice person and did not want to offend anybody), “Oh sorry, I’m in the middle of cooking,” but they’d reply, “Would you like us to wait?” Darn.
As they’re getting more and more pushy, my reply was excalated to, “Not interested, I’m happy with my own belief.” But they kept on pushing and told me that they just want to introduce their belief and would happily answer my questions upon them. Look pal, which part of ‘not interested’ can’t you understand? So finally today, I was in the middle of preparing lunch when the door bell rang. I opened the door, and there stood a well-suited African-American adult male and next to him, probably his apprentice; twelve-ish dorky white boy with thick glasses, also in a suite. Not again. After his routine “Hi there, we’re the Jehovah Witnesses bla bla bla” I quickly replied, “Nope. Sorry. Not interested. We’re all atheist.” The guy couldn’t say anything but, “Oh.” I closed the door and finish making lunch.
Then I googled JW, and stumbled upon their site, watchtower [dot] org. It says,
IT IS the desire of Jehovah’s Witnesses that you become better acquainted with them. […] Jehovah’s Witnesses are interested in you and your welfare. They want to be your friends and to tell you more about themselves, their beliefs, their organization, and how they feel about people and the world in which all of us live.
Dude, if you really are interested in me and my welfare, stay away from my house. You are soliciting, you are harassing, you are imposing your belief to me. Not cool. If I am interested in your belief, I’d visit your Kingdom Halls and do some asking.
Same goes to you Mormons. Don’t appreciate you trying to convince me that your way is the right way. If you want to hand out ‘the literature’ just use the mail. That way I could throw it to the thrash can, which I couldn’t do to you, unfortunately.
Found this hilarious video on youtube about how an atheist was disturbed by the door-to-door Mormons and how he went to Salt Lake City, Utah, the world capital of Mormons, to act like a door-to-door atheist. Guess people do not like to taste their own medicine.
I honestly agree with alot of what you have to say, though i see both sides of the agruement.
I couldnt help but notice that you looked up information on the JW.
This is a great website for answering a morman:
http://www.eadshome.com/LawofEternalProgression.htm
Im a christian, and Ive had mormons come and witness to me. I studied this up and a couple other recourses, and left them dumbfounded and utterly speachless.
Why? because I believe what I believe for a reason. And I choose not to believe what they believe… because theyre wrong.
let me know if you check out the site, and if so, what you think.
Its from a christian perspective, but its enough to reveal that what they teach conradicts itself.
In conclusion, let me say that Im not out to bash religion, but to persue truth.
Ironically, now that you’ve labeled yourself an atheist, they will probably take a keener interest in you. People they are generally not interested in: Catholics, Lutherans, Jews. Don’t know why. Maybe there’s no saving the likes of us. :)
Hi Diny salam kenal. Agree with Robaigh, I think giving “atheist” as your answer will make them more excited to introduce their belief. Next time they come again, perhaps you can tell them…..” I’m a proud Moslem and am in the middle reading the Qur’an now, care to join me?” With this answer am sure they won’t stay longer.
Easy cure for all of these annoyances.
Get a sign that says “No Soliciting” and post this by your door.
End of issue.
Also some people are not imposing their beliefs upon you in your home they are just sharing their views, you have the right to agree or disagree with them all as you may.
Have a good day.
@Graced: Thanks for taking the time finding the link. But I do not believe in Christianity nor any other form of religion. Therefor, I will not use that to answer a Mormon. I have no intention in discussing or doing Q & A with them when they’re not invited.
@Robaigh: Is that so? Perhaps they perceive an atheist/agnostic as an empty entity that needs to be ‘filled in’?
@Elyani: Salam kenal juga. Thanks for the idea, but I can’t use that as an excuse. It’d be funny perhaps, but I just don’t practice any religion. It’d feel like lying.
@ditchu: Yes, they are imposing their view alright. If they just want to share, don’t go around people’s house and started knocking on the door. It’s annoying. Even more annoying when they won’t take NO as an answer and started pushing me if I have finally accept Jesus, if I want to be saved, etc. If that’s not imposing, I don’t know what else it should be called. Oh, and have a good day to you too.
omg those pests again :/ why don’t you get a shotgun and when they knock your door, get the shotgun in your hand and open the door and say, ” WHAT NOW?!!”
gees…. :/
Empty vessel? I don’t know. Can’t speak for them. Speculating, though, you’ve probably hit it close to the mark.
I’m not sure: I’ve had some dealings with door-to-door Jay-Dubs and with Mormons, too. I don’t think they’re imposing their views at all, since they really can’t force you to agree with them. They may be annoying, and they truly are “selling” their views, but not imposing them, since imposition implies some level of power. Still, if you don’t want to talk to them, eh: your house, your beeswax. I usually don’t talk much to them, either. As I said, once they find out I’m Lutheran, they usually leave me alone.
I’m not selling anything, either. I just found your page to be interesting. Feel free to ignore this question (and please don’t think I’m imposing), but I’m curious: as an atheist/agnostic, is there anything you view as “transcendent?” I mean, do you believe that life just is until it isn’t? Do you try to find meaning in suffering. Again, I’m not driving at anything: just curious.
Best,
R
Gee, it never happened in Indonesia, I suppose
I have had my share of rude solicitors as well.
Best thing is to tell ‘em right away your not intrested and shut the door.
Best way to tell them you are not intrested is to post a No Soliciting sign on or by the door. If they see the sign and knock, just open the door and say “What can’t read?” and shut the door.
I know many missionaries that would not take offence to this and just move on.
I think if you want religion enugh you will seek it out but some people are just waiting for the invite, not that I approach this in a “normal” way but it is effective to give them the oppertunity to go by with out disturbing you.
Hay… Have another good day,
-D
@ qq,
It happens in Indonesia all right! Jehovah Witnesses succeeded to track my family in the neighbourhood where I lived in Jakarta as one of not many christian families there. They knocked on the door & said that we were to be saved if we convert to Jehovah.
@ Din, I don’t which training they follow but they are very persistent and annoying, even the young ones.
hey, Din, that’s a great atheism-door-to-door-marketing you posted. hilarious!
now that i live in a house, i started to experience what you are talking about…. and i have tried different methods to deal with them. some resulted in amusing scenes — perhaps i’ll tell the story later.
btw, perhaps you can respond them by saying, “hey, before you preach about your belief, how if i lecture you first on the Origin of Species, have you heard about it? after my lecture, then i’d listen to you…”
see how it works… and share here, OK?
oh tidak! rumah nyokap gw jadi sasaran kedatangan mereka sejak gw SMA (catat!). Mereka tetap datang dan datang meski udah ditolak dgn segala cara. sampai sekarang tetap ngirim buletin mereka. perlu lapor polisi??
@V: Unfortunately (fortunately for them), I don’t like guns. But the thought of your idea made me smile :)
@Robaigh: They thought of us (atheist/agnostic) as empty vessels because we’re not ‘stuffed’ with dogma and doctrins. They are annoying when they’re knocking on my door. They are imposing when they don’t take a simple NO for an answer and started scaring me with the Jesus thing and telling me if I don’t agree with them, I’d go to straight hell. Heck, hell is a concept human made to scare people away anyway.
And yes, I view and live my life as it is, without any doctrin from any religion. You are not imposing at all, btw. I’m not trying to find meaning in suffering, because I’m not suffering at all. I was suffering when I was still labeled as a religious person. All those hatred, all those wars, all those mistreatment, all those excuses doing wrong things in the name of ‘religion’. No, I’m at peace now.
@qq, Lorraine, bril: Wow. I did not know they’re doing it in Indonesia too. And yes, get the police :p
@ditchu: I sure hope they can read. Maybe can’t read body language when someone is annoyed by them, and maybe can’t understand NO, but I sure hope they can read.
@mer: I love that clip too! Boy, those Mormons do not like people knocking on their doors to ‘sell’ a belief.
Ha…ha…ha…
Duh aku masih bingung juga gimana cara handle orang JW itu…
1st time visit I didn’t know what to say to them..so I stood there and listen while thinking what the hell am I going to do now??? (10 mnts JW)
2nd time visit I told them that where I come from their acts would be considered offensive.. ow.. (5 lines from JW lady)
3rd visit I told them also that I am a **** (mention a religion) and I don’t need to listen to those things they are trying to sell me…( 5 lines JW)
4th visit … I have a phone in my hand…and I pretend to be in a deep conversation with somebody..was surprise that they left ASAP.. but they did hand me a tiny flier that I immediately tossed in garbage bin.. ( 3 linesJW)
Do you think I have improved?? I wonder how it will take me to get rid off them next time.. I need to start the counter and see if I make some improvement
halo mba Diny, salam kenal.
kawan kawan ku di Norway juga ngeluh soal hal yang sama. the mormons were pushing them to convert. but one time a friend introduced me to them because she knew i am alwaysn interested in religions. since then, we had serveral sessions with the mormons just to learn about their faith.
it was very interesting. i made a good friends with them. they were very very nice people and i still keep the book of mormon with me here in Jakarta. reading ur blog just reminded me to send them an email just to say hi.
sorry that you didnt have the same nice experience as me.
Good story. I really sympathize with you. You did well in my opinion. And I can say I’ve had my share of over ambitious proselytizing evangelicals. It’s an international plague. Moreover itt has been so for a very long time.
Those people – always in pairs and often with a child for softening you up – are part of life’s small inconveniences like mosquito’s are or woodlice.
Trying to be a nice person, I used to talk to them like you did initially. And it didn’t help either. They just don’t take a common no for an answer. It’s really no use to approach them politely and gentle.
So, you have to take drastic measures. Be rude, as rude as possible. Even before they have a chance to speak a word I now tell them at 70 decibels “No!”. It almost always does the trick. Sometimes I have to raise my voice even further and repeat “No means No”.
But if necessary I will threaten them to unleash the watchdog. And if that doesn’t help will actually unleash the bloodthirsty animal. Or I will carry a gun when I answer the door for them.
(To be honest: I have no dog and guns fortunately are not allowed here unlike in Palin’s own country ).
Diny,
Reading your story and all the comment here makes me realize that basically, people here are open minded, not as on our country… Indonesia.
Agree with Calson, I’m sympathies with you, too. Have you ever try to say to them, “Sorry, I’m doing my ritual of my belief or what ever you so called ‘religion’ so that they will go away. Might be because you said “atheis” then they think they should introduce you to what they THINK is the best (they think, but not the truth, because thruth is laying on our heart).
Just close the door, without saying anything if it didn’t work. You don’t have to do anything to please them if they treat you like that.
I think you’ve done your best.
Yang sabar ya jeung… (usap2 dada mbak diny… pake parutan, hehehehhe… kidding) :P
Din,
Sorry to say this, but don’t ever get any chance to them.
Otherwise they will keep coming to your house.
My lil bro did that when he was at his teenage and that person always stopping by at my house until my mom told them not to come to our house and stop lecturing my lil bro.
Then she threw away the jehovah book and told my brother that they were totally different with us :-)
Don’t ever ask them to come to your front door, ever.
Trust me Din, they will do everything to convince you.
Well its up to you, but I don’t like their idea of to push their believe to non jehovah or mormon believer
@Endy: yes, I think you’ve improved :)
@mulia: halo, salam kenal juga. it’s not the religion/belief that i dislike. it’s the way they do it. did you watch the video clip? they did not like other believer come knocking on their doors ‘sharing’ their beliefs. let’s just think of it this way. it they were a couple of man/woman, and their belief their trying to ‘introduce’ is their looks, wouldn’t you be interested in a man/woman who doesn’t come knocking on your door trying to ‘sell’ or ‘introduce’ themselves? wouldn’t you rather strike a conversation to a woman/man who doesn’t sell themselves [too hard]?
@colson: thank you. i wonder what would they do if a couple of ahmadiyah followers come knocking on their doors on a saturday mid morning.
@silly: halah, kok parutan? kenapa gak sekalian gergaji biar paten? he he he. and thanks a lot for your sympathy, my darling.
@tere616: ‘ta… no wonder they’re called ‘pest’ huh? gosh. maybe next time they come, i’d say, “sorry, i’m in a hurry to donate my blood.” ;-)
hehehe… iya gw anak sahid? kok tau??? gw juga UMUS crew juga kok….. selamat ber wordpress ria jeung…
eh btw lo sapa yah..?
That video is priceless!
One morning I woke up to take the trash out I noticed a copy of the Jehovah’s Witness mag “Awake” stuck in the door of the apartment across from me. On my way to the trash room I saw a copy stuck in every door. When I got back to my place and didn’t see a copy on the floor it hit me that I was the only place on the floor that they didn’t stick their propaganda in.
I was momentarily insulted, until I saw the sticker on my door that read, “Warning: protected by the Devil himself.” At first I thought, “that scared them away.” But once inside I wondered, “with a sticker like that on my door if ANYONE needed their help and warranted their assistance it was me!”
By the way, my favorite practical joke is going to the J.W. website (watchtower.org) and requesting them to go visit friends of mine, early on a Saturday morning. Never fails to amuse me, and piss my friends off.
tapi gak abis pikir sama semangatnya. gue sih disuruh ngetok satu pintu aja udah ngacir duluan dah, apalagi kalau pake dipelototin
Didn’t have Jehovah and Mormon (yet!) on my doorstep but nice looking old ladies with basket cases and scarves (really, feel like watching old movie) came and handed out some brochures and told me Christ will save me. I smiled and said I’m a Muslim and closed the door. Usually they didn’t bother no more. But, British are much more polite and haven’t adapted aggressive marketing like Americans.
In Sydney, these young lads with suits and ties handed out brochures to us and said they’re ready to convert us to Christianity ON THE DAY we were wearing sholat gear to pray on Idul Fitri day. We smiled and shook our heads firm. Please deh… kalau mau promosi liat-liat dulu kali ya…
@Creepy: Dude! Send me one of those devil warning thing, would you? Btw, were you really insulted because they didn’t knock on your door?
@melly: I know… me too! Remember the old days, going door to door to ask for Red Cross donation? I was the one among my classmates with the lowest fund gathered.
@FW: Anita, you mean girl you. An old lady with scarves and basket case apperaed in front of your door and you didn’t care? *gasp* How could you! Ha ha ha… I’m sorry, it’s just too funny.
You don’t have to be an athesist to feel annoyed with pushy loud knocking chirsten and Jehovahs witnesses.
I’m a chisten and I don’t know everything .
But a guy came to my door and asked if I believed in the evolution theory.
I don’t believe in scince like a religion.
I think it can be intersting sometimes but I don’t hold any of it but I don’t dwell on any of it.
I see some science stuff and think that’s interesting and move on.
But this guy said” Evolution is what’s keeping religion out of our schools!Evolution is evil sort of thing.
Then he got too personal asking me what’s my age?Do I have children?Do you live with family or alone?
I should’ve told him none of your business.
He wouldn’t go away and blabbed on and on until it felt like hours and no answer even if I quoted a part of the bible wasn’t enough for him.
He’d just talk louder and want to argue.
I was so glad when he left but I next time anyone like him comes around I won’t even open the door.
I never impose my beliefs on anyone because it’s private and between them and God to work out.
Not me.
Thank God there’s ways to keep them away ideas in this blog.
Because it seems to border on haressment when the speech gets agressive and unreasonable.
The guy sounded like an extemist chirsten.
But it’s no business of theirs because there invadeing on personal property.
Because no stranger has a right to invade like that but I have control over that.
Darn spelled “atheist” wrong above and made some sentence errors.
I hate when that happens.
Being a not perfect chirsten (I’m no better than anyone else} annoyed with door to door pushy chirstens.
I agree with all of the posts including the blog owners.
You got it.
No matter what the excuse is in their religion wether chisten,morman whatever.
It still comes down too letting people live their lives whatever is best for them and it’s frankly common courtesty to leave people alone.
I’m surprised their morals {if they have them} don’t say “hey what a minute why pester this person it’s not nice”.
I enjoyed this bloggers post you said it like it truly is.
Ok I’ve had my say but noone has to agree.
Oh Lynn, that is scary. A radical believer always scares me. Why can’t they just keep it to themselves? But I guess that’s what make them radical, huh? Anyway, I value your opinion and thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.