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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 15727
[Religious]
Date Posted:
7/2/2006
9:41:53 am EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 9,999
RSS: 20,327
Comments: 35
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Door-To-Door Sales Include Religion
Author: Christina Sobran Source: Maine Today
Title: DOOR-TO-DOOR SALES INCLUDE RELIGION
Door-to-door evangelists don't get a lot of hugs in response to their ministry.
But that's how Elizabeth Fortin of Waterville recently greeted Jehovah's Witness Irma Plante, who has visited her home several times.
The first time she saw Plante approaching her house, Bible and literature in hand, Fortin was skeptical.
"I'll be honest with you," she said. "Initially, I had the 'Don't answer the door' reaction, because I had preconceived ideas about Jehovah's Witnesses."
But once they got to talking, she came to respect Plante's religious views, although they differ from her own.
Members of several religions preach door to door, including Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons, according to Thomas Longstaff, retired faculty member of religious studies at Colby College.
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Community Thoughts: There are 35 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| It Is Unfortunate | Jul 4th. at 11:37:47 am EDT
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Faidh (Saint John, Ontario) - Email Me
It is sad that some have had the experience of pushy Christians. Unfortunately, misrepresentations of religions exist everywhere. It is our job to see past it and see the merits of ones faith.
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| Turn It Around! | Jul 4th. at 9:45:23 am EDT
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Autumn Butterfly (Surprise, Germany) - Email Me
I live overseas right now so I haven't seen any in a while, but back in Massachusetts they used to stop by all the time. At first it annoyed me and then I looked forward to them coming. I love to talk about Wicca, so when they would come by and ask if I would like to hear about JW/Mormon I would say, 'sure, would you like to hear about Wicca?'
Unfortunately, they would usually decide that they didn't want to be proselytized and would leave. I guess what is good for the goose isn't always good for the gander in their case!
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| Sometimes It's Hard To Know How To Respond. | Jul 3rd. at 11:51:13 pm EDT
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Bookworm (Saint Paul, Minnesota) - Email Me
I don't like to confront or debate either. My spiritual beliefs are very private and personal to me, and I feel highly uncomfortable if I'm forced to defend them to a total stranger. I felt that way when I was part of a mainstream religion and I feel that way now.
I haven't had a missionary at the door for a long time, but I use public transit and often see them at bus stops. Some just hand out tracts, but recently I had a couple of teens approach me and start a conversation. The girl saw I was uncomfortable and said "I feel like I'm forcing this on you." I told them "I respect your path, but I don't follow it." I was nervous and I don't think my tone of voice matched my intent, because they looked really offended and walked away without another word. If anyone's found a good-natured way to end the conversation, I'd like to know about it.
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| I Love Talking To Them... | Jul 3rd. at 10:01:20 pm EDT
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Ravenna Angelline (Renton, Washington) - Email Me
I actually learned a lot about Jehovah's Witnesses from them. I knew next to nothing about their beliefs, so when they came through, I asked them all sorts of questions. They were told that they would under no circumstances be able to convert me, and they listened to my questions. Surprisingly, they were fairly polite, well researched and even had a (if only slightly) positive article about Wicca/Paganism in one of their little booklets. But I learned exactly what it is about their religion that I do not like. And they were okay with that.
The Mormons are coming through again. I really feel sorry for these kids. Most of them are a long way from home, and are tormented, screamed at, ridiculed and threatened. Frankly, I give them big kudos for being so brave as to go to the door of a complete strangers house to share something that means SO MUCH to them. I want to ask them questions, too, but they keep coming by at dinner time and that's not very good for me.
The thing is, is that these people are only doing what they believe in their hearts to be wonderful news. Granted, they are most certainly NOT going about it the right way IMO, but still they are brave.
We should be a little nicer to them. Well, unless they are blatently rude first, then they deserve the torment.
~ Ravenna
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| I Am Very Sad. | Jul 3rd. at 7:30:10 pm EDT
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Ianna (Timmins, Ontario) - Email Me
I am 49 years old and have been Pagan since 1978.
When did the Pagan community become a hangout for the intolerant and Christian
haters. When did it become OK to bash all faiths that are not Pagan.
When did WE become the mean and the cruel.
We use to be the ones who were tolerant of all. We use to be the
ones who insisted on taking the high road. We were the "Do no harm"
gang. We were the "back at you times three". We were the ones who
were concerned about our "pure intent" and found peace in a better
way...for us.
We just wanted to be left in peace to worship our Goddess.
Now we are the angry and the bigoted and the intolerant who choose
to humilate and denigrate, and hurt others different from ourselves.
What a example we are setting for the Fundies.
We are just giving them what they want.
I understand that there may be anger towards childhood experiences
and paths forced on us by people who thought they were doing what
they knew best for us.
You will only find peace within. Not by lashing out.
I tell you if I feel this way, the Goddess must be crying her eyes
out these days.
Have I become old and weak and have no tolerance for the young
who need to learn a lot yet?
Maybe I have.
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| Another JW-raised Pagan | Jul 3rd. at 11:10:47 am EDT
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Tacitala (Akin, Illinois) - Email Me
I too was raised JW and was forced to go door-to-door at an early age. I've got the same sort of horror stories, too.
I lost my family in a more literal sense though: my mom died because she wouldn't take a blood transfusion (they're against the JW's mis-interpretation of kosher laws) . So unlike Coriander Taibhsear, I find everyone's venom against them justified and amusing (I love hearing the stories of how people have scared off JW's...)
For everyone who wants them to leave, and doesn't want to resort to theatrics, every Kingdom Hall maintains a "do not call" list of sorts. You can call the local Kingdom Hall and ask that you be put on it. BUT sometimes particullarly stubborn JW's will not only ignore the list, but take it as a challenge (I've seen them do it...) . And they still will swing by every so often to see if you have moved.
One surefire, honest way to get them to stay off your property is to just tell them very calmly (either when they show up, or by calling the Kingdom Hall) that you are a follower of a Pagan God (s) and that your residence has been concencrated as holy grounds to a divinity other than Jahovah (because most of us do that anyway) . Problem solved: they under no circumstances will enter your property (JW don't even like going to other Christian churches) .
The link goes to a lisiting of both Pro-JW sites and anti-JW sites (thank you, Ontario Consultants for Religious Tolerance!) . I've found a lot of ex-JW sites/ groups for other branches of Christianity, but no ex-JW Pagan groups. Glad to know I'm not the only Heathen Goat :)
Find More info -- HERE
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| The Kinder Thing To Do With Mormon Missionaries | Jul 3rd. at 11:09:10 am EDT
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Fred Lawrence (Kansas City, Kansas) - Email Me
One of my personal flaws is that I can enjoy arguing with evangelists of various brands. In particular, I could have fun with Mormons. Over a decade ago, I studied the subject in some depth. I read the Book of Mormon, D&C, Pearl of Great Price, and some secondary sources. I came to the conclusion that Joseph Smith was a faker a fraud, and a false prophet. I learned enough to argue the matter. But as I got older, I learned the wisdom that the kindest thing to do is to say "Not Interested" and let it be at that. I wouldn't convince them of anything and they wouldn't convince me of anything, and except for the sadist pleasure I gained from arguing, nobody benefitted. It seems that many posters on this article enjoy freaking out the missionaries.
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| Excuse To Meet People | Jul 3rd. at 10:11:31 am EDT
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Ahr-Ohn (Bridgeport, Connecticut) - Email Me
It sounds like Religious Preaching is an excuse to go door to door, rather than a method of Prostletizing. For Prostletizing, form a Kazoo Circle, and make it sound good.
If you set up Free Coffee, by the Road-Side, then few people would stop, unless you accepted their money as an excuse for offering Free Coffee. If serving others is your religion, it's sometimes profitable to pay Taxes.
You can always preach the Love of Jesus, when you feel you've served enough Coffee.
Arawn
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| Worked For Us | Jul 3rd. at 3:26:14 am EDT
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Thoreyadin (Randolph, Ohio) - Email Me
We have been able to keep the young men dresed is white shirts, black pants and carrying phamphlets away from our door,they have been in out block many times, by the wind chimes hanging on our front porch. The chims are all dragons and wizards. For some strange reason we have not had any door to door salesmen of religion or anything else.
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| Going Door To Door Or Car | Jul 2nd. at 11:51:02 pm EDT
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huckster (Dunnellon, Florida) - Email Me
Before I found Wicca I one time answered the door with blood (from theatre blood packs) comming out of my mouth and said that they were just in time for the sacrafice.
Another time I was in Tampa (this was after I found Wicca) and waiting for photos to be developed . I was on my way to Orlando -- so I waited. While I waited I read a book in my car. A little old lady knocked on my window ; I saw that she had the watchtower in her hands. I rolled down my window and proceeded to inform her "Thank you but not my religon. Her reply was "oh , what are you?"
I said "I am Wiccan" to which she said "whats that" I replied "basicly it means that I am a witch". I turned to put my book down on my seat thinking that she was going to ask more questions. In the time that that took she disappeared from the parking lot. And the mundanes think that we can vanish.
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| Door-to-Door | Jul 2nd. at 11:28:26 pm EDT
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Kathleen (West Fargo, North Dakota) - Email Me
I met my current teacher (has been the same one for 5 years) thru two Mormon boys. I thought they were very nice young men, just a little too religious for me.
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| So Much For That Idea.... | Jul 2nd. at 10:04:03 pm EDT
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Skytrace (San Antonio, Texas) - Email Me
Several years ago we lived just a few blocks away from a JW Hall, so they were in the neighborhood often.
One night we had a bad storm that knocked down a large Ash tree in our front yard. Next morning, hubby and I were busy cutting and bundling to get it out of the street and off the sidewalk when 2 young JW ladies approached to share the Good News with us.
I told them we were a little busy at the moment. They tried to persist- I told them that if they were willing to don work gloves and grab a saw or branch cutters, I'd listen to anything they had to say, as long as they were working. They continued on to the next house.
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| They're Following Their Beliefs... | Jul 2nd. at 7:54:10 pm EDT
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argilcath (Rapid City, Colorado) - Email Me
And that's acceptable. But no one has to accommodate them if they do not wish to, and that's acceptable [barely] as well.
In my college years a group of JWs visited our section of off-campus student housing. For some reason they split up, and I opened the door to find a lone, elderly woman who wished to share with me her Good News.
I smiled brightly at her and recited: "I have not done evil; I have not scorned god; I have not defrauded the poor; I have not killed; I have not fornicated; I have not starved orphans."
It wasn't quite the form she was accustomed to, but she recognized the message and was ready to join me for an exciting chat about the Word. I told her that was a loose translation from the Papyrus of Ani (the Egyptian Book of the Dead) , which predates the earliest extant NT texts by about 1500 years. Nothing in her training prepared her for this, and she...just turned and left. I shook her where she lived, and I regret that. But it also left me with contempt for the people who taught her that she *had* to perform this task, and prepped her so inadequately for the reality that there *are* differences in belief.
On the other hand, my dad kept back issues of his diocesan Catholic newspaper by the door for awhile, to "offer" in exchange to the JWs who stopped by to "offer" him copies of The Watchtower. Religion...what a mess, sometimes!
-argilcath-
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| Just Shut The Door. | Jul 2nd. at 5:12:37 pm EDT
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Ianna (Timmins, Ontario) - Email Me
.
I have no difficulty with the situation what so ever.
I say "thank you for your time. I am not interested", and I shut the door.
And they move on.
I do not get into debate or discussion. There is no conflict, no guilt, no attempt to humilate, denigrate, educate or degrade.
Their path is their Will, their way.
It is what gives them peace. I have no desire to take their peace away from them. No desire to bring them to my way of thinking.
Their witnessing is part of their faith.
I understand that. I do not disrespect that.
Witnessing and educating is NOT part of my faith.
If someone ever comes to my door and asks me to teach them...I will.
If someone come to my door to teach me, I will simply say , "thank you for your time. Not interested. Have a good day."
And I will continue to shut the door.
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| All Religion Is Business... | Jul 2nd. at 4:21:49 pm EDT
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Blk Derby (Helena, Montana) - Email Me
but at least we Pagans have profit-making business and pay taxes on the profits. And a our real non-profits are really non-profit. Most traditional religions pay little or no taxes on their profits by disguising themselves as non-profit charities or educational institutions.
I'm reading a book on Opus Dei and one of items in there is how they use non-profit foundations to hide their money and ownership so that Opus Dei can own very little and pay next to nothing in taxes.
I know for a fact that Jehovah"s Witnesses have to turn in time cards for how much time was spent "selling" for the week. Don't know of any Pagan groups that require that!
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