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I keep my door closed. I have no ringing bell, people who are invited are calling on the phone before they come. I ignore if someone knocks.
Ignoring knocks has it's drawbacks also. Most daytime burglaries occur when they go up to a house, knock/ring the bell, and if no answer, they assume no one home and break in. If someone does answer, they saying they are looking for (some fictional name) and leave.
In reality, I just tell people "I understand from your standpoint, you're doing a good thing, but I'm atheist, always have been, and you're wasting your time."
Haven't had Jehovahs around for some time, but they used to be regulars on Sundays, and I worked Saturday nights. There are occasional Mormons, which struck me as odd in eastern Mass. Usually, I have at least a couple of badly behaved dogs (OK, six of them) and they fight to get out the door, barking non-stop, and obviously we cannot converse about religion.
Two fresh-faced Mormon "elders" turned up at my door offering to talk about Jesus. I just grinned and said I was a happy atheist. They didn't know what to do with that.
Then the Jehovah's Witnesses showed up one day while I was hard at work in my office. I was in the middle of something and ran up to answer the doorbell because I was worried it was a package for my roommate that required a signature. Instead I found a woman with a pamphlet. By this time, three of the four household dogs had set up an unearthly coyote howling that was positively chilling to hear. I had been under deadline and hadn't showered or brushed my hair for days. When she made a move to slide the pamphlet into the frame of my screen door, I coldly informed her that I work from home and did not want to be disturbed. She fled. I felt good about that.
Two fresh-faced Mormon "elders" turned up at my door offering to talk about Jesus. I just grinned and said I was a happy atheist. They didn't know what to do with that.
Then the Jehovah's Witnesses showed up one day while I was hard at work in my office. I was in the middle of something and ran up to answer the doorbell because I was worried it was a package for my roommate that required a signature. Instead I found a woman with a pamphlet. By this time, three of the four household dogs had set up an unearthly coyote howling that was positively chilling to hear. I had been under deadline and hadn't showered or brushed my hair for days. When she made a move to slide the pamphlet into the frame of my screen door, I coldly informed her that I work from home and did not want to be disturbed. She fled. I felt good about that.
Based on how ill-equipped these two examples seemed to be in handling what can't possibly be that rare of an event (encountering an atheist or interrupting someone who works at home), I have to wonder, on the one hand, how well trained they could possibly be, and on the other, to what degree your average person "makes nice" and tolerates at least a basic pitch or politely effects a gracious pose and takes a tract even if they would rather not. It must be some combination of the two that would explain how flummoxed they both were.
It must be church tradition that keeps groups like the Mormons using a dated promotional technique that even door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman have abandoned in the modern age. If they would put as much energy into online and media initiatives and events they can induce people to voluntarily attend, it seems like they would be ever so much more effective. But I suppose you have parents with fond memories of their days as a missionary and want that experience for their kids, etc. I suppose it does have some advantages quite apart from the supposed spiritual ones; we tried to get our kids to take a year or two off and see the world, join the Peace Corps or something before going to college. My guess is that this missionary hiatus between HS and undergrad or undergrad and postgrad is more the norm for Mormon youth. Although forced proselytization would definitely ruin it for me. I never wanted to go door to door even as a fundamentalist Christian, I found the very idea mortifying.
Based on how ill-equipped these two examples seemed to be in handling what can't possibly be that rare of an event (encountering an atheist or interrupting someone who works at home), I have to wonder, on the one hand, how well trained they could possibly be, and on the other, to what degree your average person "makes nice" and tolerates at least a basic pitch or politely effects a gracious pose and takes a tract even if they would rather not. It must be some combination of the two that would explain how flummoxed they both were.
It must be church tradition that keeps groups like the Mormons using a dated promotional technique that even door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman have abandoned in the modern age. If they would put as much energy into online and media initiatives and events they can induce people to voluntarily attend, it seems like they would be ever so much more effective. But I suppose you have parents with fond memories of their days as a missionary and want that experience for their kids, etc. I suppose it does have some advantages quite apart from the supposed spiritual ones; we tried to get our kids to take a year or two off and see the world, join the Peace Corps or something before going to college. My guess is that this missionary hiatus between HS and undergrad or undergrad and postgrad is more the norm for Mormon youth. Although forced proselytization would definitely ruin it for me. I never wanted to go door to door even as a fundamentalist Christian, I found the very idea mortifying.
Well, I think the Mormon puppies hadn't run into someone that cheerful about being an atheist. I was making stew on a Sunday when they showed up, so I wasn't cranked about being disturbed. They did ask if I needed any help with anything, which I thought was cute. Too late, I considered that I could have had them do the dishes.
And I don't think the Jehovah's witness was quite prepared for, well, me. Between the howling dogs and the snarly and poorly dressed woman at the door I think she was just thrown off. Most of the houses on my street belong to the elderly or young families. This was the middle of a weekday, so I think she was expecting housewives and senior citizens.
This was the middle of a weekday, so I think she was expecting housewives and senior citizens.
In the modern era that is an increasingly dicey assumption. There are more and more of us people earning a living in our skivvies and not safely off in an office building someplace. If my stepson were not at home and I did not feel some obligation to cut a dashing figure for my wife at least most of the time, I would not even be presentable to go to the door most days ;-)
"Oh, two more for the orgy! Great! The more the merrier. Come on in. Disrobe in the guest room, two doors down on the left, then proceed to the basement and introduce yourselves. We'll be getting started in about 10 minutes. Don't be shy!"
LOl...we must think alike.
Don't forget to add anything goes. Same sex and all
In the modern era that is an increasingly dicey assumption. There are more and more of us people earning a living in our skivvies and not safely off in an office building someplace. If my stepson were not at home and I did not feel some obligation to cut a dashing figure for my wife at least most of the time, I would not even be presentable to go to the door most days ;-)
Hah. It's just me and the dogs here, so my work-from-home attire tends to make me look homeless. It doesn't help that for years, my best friend and I have competed to find the ugliest sweater at Old Navy during the winter season.
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