Whether they be Witnesses, Mormons, or another proselytizing religion, how do you deal with people coming to your door to spread their religion?
I just had my first experience since getting a place of my own and had a decent conversation through the crack in my door. After I told him I was an atheist he tried to use apologetics; when I told him I was familiar with his arguments and didn't find them convincing further explaining that I take a scientific route of belief and chose not to believe until there is evidence for a god. He understood and thanked me for explaining and listening to him and he left with a handshake. I was surprised at myself for how civil I was to him but how does everyone else usually respond?
i grin like a monkey but won't say anything, few min.later they start murmuring,
then they flee
Iit really depends on my moid. There are times i joke atound telling them i worship satan but thanks anyway or i say " ah you're just in time for the sacrificing, come on in". Most of the time i invite them in though, listen to them for a moment and then question them on the belief system and usually by the end of it i have them either converted to my way of thinking or at the least questioning their own belief
I'm very polite. I tell them I'm Jewish (I'm not). For most, that's all that's necessary. Unless they are completely out of touch, they know that Jews do not welcome proselytizing. For the other, stupider people, I tell them that I am content with my beliefs and do not welcome attempts to convert me. And if that doesn't work, I call my 90 lb German Shepherd dog to the screen door through which we are speaking. He stares at them; they skedaddle.
But I haven't had anyone in a very long time comin' round.
I often get Mormons, and the ones around here try to get on your good side through their willingness to help. They usually offer to mow my lawn or rake my leaves, and I let them. I have a big yard. It takes quite a long time. By the time they finish, they usually have to call it a day and go home, and they apologize for not being able to stay and talk. No apology necessary guys!
I live in an industrial park; hence no doorknockers. When I lived in a residential area and got mormons I told them to convert my loud alcoholic neighbors.
Instead of making statements just ask questions the whole time. Every theists logic is flawed and if you do nothing but ask questions they will eventually come to one they can't answer without appeals to the supernatural/magic, but it could take a while. Or just close the door in their face if you don't want to listen to them. It might feel rude but you didn't ask for them to come preach to you. Plus they tell children they deserve to be tortured forever if they don't believe in their space wizard, so they deserve it on some level even if they are unaware of the harm they cause. You should feel no obligation to give them your time.
If they are out walking in the heat in those "modest" and too formal for the weather clothes, I offer them a drink of water and a moment's respite from the heat. I'm very firm about having zero interest in what they are selling, but if they respect that I'm okay with a little polite chit chat while they cool off for a minute. I may or may not volunteer that I'm an atheist. Their religion is none of my business and visa versa is where I normally leave it. I'm seriously not interested in a debate. If they are driving door to door I feel less concern for their comfort and do not invite them in. But I make it clear there's no point in trying to preach to me. I say something like, no, I'm good. Only if they become aggressive do I drop the bombshell that I don't believe in God's and that they are truly wasting their time.
Nice! You handled that with far more diplomacy than I do. I usually bring up something in the bible that contradicts their verses they are quoting because as we all know, they love to quote that bible as a tool to sway you to their side and as we also all well know, that bible is full of contradictions that can be used against them. Works rather well too because most CHristians do not really know the book that is the bastion of their faith.
Here in the bigot belt it is JWs and Mormons. i rather enjoy engaging with them if they agree to my conditions, which are generous considering they are invading my space with offensive proselytizing -- to wit, I'll go first for 5-10 minutes and then you can ask me questions if you wish, but your question time comes out of your matching time to preach to me. Having considered all they can offer decades ago, it is kind of sad to see their feeble attempts to convert me. i once told a pair of wet behind the ears mormons that heaven sounded interminably boring, but hell, on the other hand, while not the best climate, at least would have some cool folks to hang with. The JWs -- we could at least agree their was no hell. Not in the biblical sense anyway -- but hell exists. I walked through its gates when i visited Auschwitz.
I don't open the door. When I ask who is it, and they respond with some religious affiliation, I just say I'm not accepting visitors today but thank you anyway.
IGNORE THEM! If they leave something to read, i WILL look at it, though, i am open-minded.
I have also regularly met Christians who think the only difference between us Jews and them is that we're still waiting for the Messiah. I tell them Messianism is only one thread of Jewish thought and hope, and that the tumultuous historical nexus of the Roman Empire at its height was a main driver of wishes for a righteous, political savior. Overlooking that overall context led to a misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Jesus's nature and role. Desperate persecution of Jews after their decimation in Judea and in their Diaspora, caused the pre-existing Messianic thread to blossom into hopes for a Jewish Savior of the Jews--largely to save them from their here-and-now oppressions, not to show the right way to an afterlife.
They regularly invade my neighborhood with flyers. It’s quite annoying. Recently some religious coworkers at my job filed a claim that I was “threatening to ‘bomb’ the tattoo policymaker for making me cover my tattoos at work” ... As silly as that sounds, they literally got the police banging on my door as loud as door-knockers themselves. Eventually this will all get sorted out as I have nothing to hide from law enforcement, let alone investigators of alleged terrorists, and the police were very friendly and said I was cool. I figure it takes one to know one in this case, as far as people whose “sincerely held religious belief” causes them to hate and assume all of us LGBTQ people are “taking to the terroristic,” and I definitely have to say, a number of mornings I open my front door in my apartment complex and despite the “no soliciting” bylaws in effect in my complex, it feels like a “bomb” went off with all the flyers littered everywhere! Some of the “fallout” always makes it to my doorknob! XD I think it’s hillarious actually. I honestly tend to just ridicule those aggressive superstitious losers with Gay Satanic imagery.
This past summer I was out in my yard planting flowers and I saw 2 man walking down the street, going door to door. My brother was sitting on the porch talking to me when I said " Oh god I don't want to deal with them right now." My brother just sat there. I'm sweaty covered in dirt and they walked up to me and handed me a flier, asking me if I would be attending church that weekend. I clearly looked annoyed but took the flier and throw it on the porch. I politely said I would be busy that day but thanks anyway and continued digging in the dirt. They kept on talking about the service and now wonderful it was and that I should bring the kids. I was totally ignoring them when my brother piped in. He said " Two women came by the other day asking us to come too." One of the men said " Were they from (whatever) Baptist church? My brother said, " yes, same flier". The men looked at each other and said, " I guess Sue and Betty already did this street". They walked away with out going to any more houses, got in a car and drove off. I laughed so hard I had to sit down. My brother not only saved me but the rest of our neighbors, lol.