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Have you ever had a non JW or non christian try to convert you to their beliefs? Ever had one knock on your door trying to tell you their beliefs are the only right path?
Normally I answer the door buck naked holding a 12 gauge and that tends to end the conversation right there.
I simply hand them photocopied and stapled excerpts from Anton La Vey's Satanic Bible after showing them the actual book.
I say a few phrases in Latin while staring at them in the eyes after I hand them the information and most come close to breaking their ankles running away from my door, literally.
I do not really see the door callers as that much of an imposition. Actually I do not get _that_ many which probably helps.
I have a free group Vipassana thing in my garden and-or house which I advertise in the local College Bulletin Board and have a priest and a trainee priest among the regulars who attend it. That has been interesting and we have had some interesting talks. There is an interesting Buddisht too.
A few Born Agains and Witnesses do call to my door dressed impeccably as always and I always invite them in. Few of them return despite my hospitality and politeness to them. I guess I am a clear "lost cause" to them.
The only real nut job is one of my neighbors who has taken massive exception to my living in a full relationship with two women rather than the one he seems to think is god’s plan and decree.
He hisses at the girls if they pass him in the road. He also pops up with surprising regularity and timeliness mumbling all kinds of prayers over our fence and flicking holy water into the garden. It is somewhat like owning a cockerel only quieter as he is that regular and constant.
My teaching Vipassana to a priest and priest in training and having long involved conversations with same seems to have sent that neighbor into all kinds of emotional contortions though. He keeps trying to report the priest to his superiors - accost him in the road as he comes out of my house - reporting the trainee one to the seminary here in my town - and so forth in attempts to get them to stop visiting me at all. They find is as humorous as I do - though embarrassing too that one of their "flock" is letting the side down and being such a stereotypical caricature of Catholic Extremism.
I have had one JW and one from some other church in the past 12 years. In the UK it is rightly believed that what you believe is your own business and no one elses.
I do not really see the door callers as that much of an imposition. Actually I do not get _that_ many which probably helps.
I have a free group Vipassana thing in my garden and-or house which I advertise in the local College Bulletin Board and have a priest and a trainee priest among the regulars who attend it. That has been interesting and we have had some interesting talks. There is an interesting Buddisht too.
A few Born Agains and Witnesses do call to my door dressed impeccably as always and I always invite them in. Few of them return despite my hospitality and politeness to them. I guess I am a clear "lost cause" to them.
The only real nut job is one of my neighbors who has taken massive exception to my living in a full relationship with two women rather than the one he seems to think is god’s plan and decree.
He hisses at the girls if they pass him in the road. He also pops up with surprising regularity and timeliness mumbling all kinds of prayers over our fence and flicking holy water into the garden. It is somewhat like owning a cockerel only quieter as he is that regular and constant.
My teaching Vipassana to a priest and priest in training and having long involved conversations with same seems to have sent that neighbor into all kinds of emotional contortions though. He keeps trying to report the priest to his superiors - accost him in the road as he comes out of my house - reporting the trainee one to the seminary here in my town - and so forth in attempts to get them to stop visiting me at all. They find is as humorous as I do - though embarrassing too that one of their "flock" is letting the side down and being such a stereotypical caricature of Catholic Extremism.
Location: On the "Left Coast", somewhere in "the Land of Fruits & Nuts"
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Actually I had a pretty hot-looking and also apparently intelligent & edumacated gal come by one morning about a week ago, distributing some Jehovah's Witnesses stuff. And it was all I could do, not to invite her in to chat... mostly out of genuine curiosity how such an otherwise smart and attractive individual, came to be peddling such total nonsense!
Although maybe that's exactly why they use her, to lure in ''curious'' guys like me (...lol)!
The only real nut job is one of my neighbors who... also pops up with surprising regularity and timeliness mumbling all kinds of prayers over our fence and flicking holy water into the garden. It is somewhat like owning a cockerel only quieter as he is that regular and constant.
Well, that's a wee bit less than cordial when neighbors don't abide by the boundaries of their own fences. Perhaps he fears the incense burning will sully his roses.
Quote:
... being such a stereotypical caricature of Catholic Extremism.
Nosey, indeed. My experience has been that Catholics keep to themselves & don't wish to prosthelytize & convert others, which seems to be more a So Baptist/Mormon/JW thing... again, in my personal experience. I did, however, have several friends from Galway who couldn't wrap their heads around my candle burning, constantly inquiring if I were a satanist or some sort of witch. Dismayed, I asked if they'd never seen candles in any store... for goodness' sake, virtually every dept & drug store sells candles for decorative purposes. One replied that I always burned multiple candles, some with herbs dropped in them (hey, they smell nice) & sometimes incense, too (probably didn't help that I had 2 black cats at that time)... apparently that's all a soupy mix for full blown satanic ritual & possibly an upcoming sacrifice.
I also had Hindu statues about... but, the Ganesha at the front door was just a decorative elephant to them, as were the Shakti/Shiva statues, which they referred to as sculptures. Fortunate for me... one more offense & I was sure they'd roust the villagers to chase me with sticks. No one needs to accept another's beliefs, but vocally judging them without merit isn't kosher either. We all differ, but knocking on my door to insist I believe the same as another is not honoring boundaries. Guess I'm saying, I appreciate when others keep their beliefs & accoutrements on their own side of the hedge.
On a lighter note, here's an example of when someone's holy book can save their life. Anyone who was a listener of the old Art Bell radio show may recall this audio clip:
Pity the guy's parish priest, who has to deal with this but out of Christian charity also has to tolerate it.
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