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?
Naked.
Or maybe you would get raped. Don't think a woman should do that mate.
I find that a cordial no thank you tends to do the trick. If they persist, simply explained that it is hard to believe in anything without evidence. Remember if they're knocking on your door that typically means that they are true believers. Therefore you have just as much of a chance to educate them as they do you. You have made your decision based off of empirical data and lack of evidence and they have chosen the contrary.
I believe there's an invention that specifically targets this particular situation- it's called "a shotgun" XD
Seriously though, I just politely tell them that I've already got my own beliefs. They can have theirs, and I can have mine. And I don't accept any literature from them unless I think I can get a good laugh out of it XD
It depends on my mood. Some days I simply politely tell them I'm not interested. Some days I tell them to "fuck off" and then there are those days I'll answer the door butt naked and invite them in. If they are crazy enough to accept my invitation at that point, I'll debate them until I grow bored and then ask them to leave unless on the off chance I perform a successful "conversion" LMAO!
You have my brain moving now. I'm interested to hear about such a conversion, if one is even possible, and what the outcome was. Interesting.
@Csoncrant89 like I stated, on the off chance. I never converted anyone. But I have sent a couple of them running away in horror lol!
I simple say that I have way too many more important tasks to be accomplishing than to engage in a battle of wits with a defenseless person.
I am pretty tolerant, but if I can brush them off, I will. Sometimes I just tell them I am an atheist, and this can get an interesting reaction. Other times I say I don't discuss religion with strangers. Once upon a time I became friendly with an LDS gal, and she would stop by regularly. I was always polite but never took her up on her invitations. Another time a Baptist minister who lived nearby stopped at my house, and I told him I was Buddhist. He proceeded to put down Buddhism, which I thought was very foolish of him. Now I live on a boat, and I don't have this problem. No door knockers of any kind.
If I have the time I enjoy the door knockers because most of the time I know more about their religion than they do. When it comes to Mormons I ask them if they are wearing their "holy" underwear. They get nervous, especially when I ask them to share the vows they took to become an elder. I tell them that I think it is kind of dishonest to ask me to believe in something that they can't tell me completely about. I ask them if they were going to buy a care and the salesperson told them that he/she was not allowed to discuss certain things about the car until they bought it. They answer that they would not buy the car. I say to them that the same issue is true of their religion. How can I truly understand an "buy" it if they can't disclose key parts of theirs.
I use a different approach with Jehovah's Witnesses. I ask them if they are total vegetarians or vegans. They say no they are not. When I ask them about not taking blood into their bodies via transfusion, why do they stop there? If they are not to take blood then they must be vegetarians to be consistent. If they, persist, which they usually don't, I have them open their Bibles to the one place in the Bible in Corinthians where it says that the Christians were not supposed to drink blood. I show them that the context had nothing to do with blood, but with partaking of food offered to idols. Then, I move to more direct reasons why there is no Jehovah, showing them that their argument from their proposition is not provable and the burden of proof is on them. For some strange reason they tend to avoid my door after that.
They are like predators in the sense they look for psychologically weak people who are easy to convince and brainwash. I tend to just get rejected by religious people automatically. But its fun to play religious too. Its a sort of fun game of fantasy discussions.
BRAVO!
''I'm sorry, I'm agnostic, have a good day''
I recently had a man who insisted that the world is going to hell and the only way to fix it was through his religion's version of xtianity- Well, I explained to him about the 7 Mountains Mandate, the religious right, dominionism, etc, and gave him much to think about as dominionists have already beat him to the "we'll fix the world by dominating it" idea.
Years ago I used to tell them not to come back or I would cast a spell on them. Quit doing that as it seemed really mean.
I don't encounter evangelical Mormons much, but the Witnesses come around my neighborhood on about a quarterly basis, as near as I can figure it out. I know the opening of the canned speech about as well as they do, so when the spokesperson comes to "...and we'd like to share," I break in with a smile and "And I wouldn't be interested." Beyond that, I just am politely firm for the next couple of lines, they politely thank me for my time, and we part company. I've found that works better than antagonism or explanation.