What do you say when a Mormon or Jehovah's Witness comes to your door (assuming you are not one)?

Question

I try to be polite, but it has been happening so frequently recently that I feel like I should give some substantial reply as to why I find some of their beliefs objectionable. Perhaps I should put up a sign, or prepare a pamphlet of my own to give them when they give me theirs.

Thanks for your replies.

I wanted to hold off on saying my objections, since it might make some people less likely to reply and/or bias their replies. I do really appreciate all the replies -- I was pleasantly surprised to see replies from both Christians and non Christians.

Pono7: "i'm mormon, so i can't speak for jehovah's witnesses. For us, most of these boys (because most are 19-21) are far from home, and away from family- so it can get hard for them when people are really mean and rude- so i ask politely not to revert to this. "

I actually would blame their elders who have sent these young people out knowing that they will be bothering people and knowing that because of this they will get many rude replies.

I should add that the last time LDS people came to my door, I politely said "no" about 4 times and they kept persisting, so I am afraid I eventually did get angry.

Finally I should add that my strongest objection to Mormonism is the psychological (and in some cases physical) abuse that they inflict upon gay teens. I would like to believe that most Mormons are good people and that the stories of abuse that I have heard are isolated cases, but until I hear church leaders decry and apologies for these past evil acts, I will have few polite (and no kind) words for Mormons who come to my door.

One last comment, in asking this question I did not mean to lump Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses together idealogically, simply because they share the same recruiting tactic. Althought I do not share their beliefs either, I have a lot more respect for an older Jehovah's Witness who comes to my door, because at least I know that they have lived and breathed there beliefs over time and they are truely their own.

Answer 1

I ask them to come in, but I answer the door nude. My neighbors know I do this and they are kind enough to give me a heads up on the phone to give me enough time to get undressed.

Answer 2

i'm mormon, so i can't speak for jehovah's witnesses. For us, most of these boys (because most are 19-21) are far from home, and away from family- so it can get hard for them when people are really mean and rude- so i ask politely not to revert to this. They are just trying to serve the Lord and do what they whole heartdly feel is right, they are not trying to upset you. To have them stop coming completley- i would put a noticable sign on either your door or in plain view to someone on your porch. (preferably a tasteful one- no religous solicitors would do just fine) the reason this will work better than telling them to go away is because missionaries get transfered. They are assigned a general area, like a valley or county, and then all the missionaries there are assigned certain areas. After a certain amount of time- they are transfered to another area (usually a few months) so the missionary you told to go away- probably isn't the one that comes back- it's a different one that didn't know you don't want to talk.- and some that might be the same, just might have forgot- they knock on a lot of doors, and get rejected so much, i would imagine it be hard to keep them straight. Or just invest in a peep hole for your door, and not answer it. Either way- they aren't trying to bug you- but i think a sign will work for you.

Answer 3

Even though I'm not either a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witnesses, I'm a lot more tolerant of Mormons for some reason. I wouldn't let a Jehovah's Witness in my home, but maybe a Mormon/LDS I will.

Just tell them you're not interested, and if you're religious just tell them you have a religion and you're happy with it. If they keep at it, walk away from them, or close the door, or ask them to leave. You can say all this and still be polite.

Answer 4

As one who has "been there, done that" for the LDS Church, we ask simply that you tell us that you are not interested. You will be passed by after that, but remember that we don't stay in the same area for much longer than 3-4 months, so when another set stops by, they are most likely new to the area, and just let them know. We don't desire to use time for others that feel they have better things to do.
If you have any other questions - you can always email me.
Thanks in advance for not being rude to them...

Answer 5

I am a born-again Christian. When they come to my door I think, fair is fair, you're here to try to convert me so I'll try to convert you right back. Since your home is your castle, you can be bolder in talking with them than if you met them on neutral ground.

When Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses come to my door, I greet them nicely and then take control of the conversation. They don't usually like to identify who they are right away so I do it for them. It's easy to tell. Then I politely tell them I have certain objections to their religion (I say what they are). Then I open my Bible and show them scriptures about what the Bible actually says about it.

The important thing is to nicely knock them off their talking points. If you do that and you know your Bible well, it's not too hard to refute the portions of their doctrine that are unbiblical. I haven't converted one of them yet but I have shaken up a couple of them. Even if I don't succeed in converting them, at least I've used up some of their time that they could have used trying to convert someone more vulnerable. Hey! Maybe the person they didn't visit because they spent 45 minutes talking to me was you.

Answer 6

I am a member of the LDS church (Mormon) and I served a two year mission for the church in Uruguay. Believe me when I say that I have seen all types of responses. We aren't trained to pester people, only to look for people who may be interested in hearing our message. What I always respected were individuals who engaged us honestly by telling us that they had no interest in our message. People who told me that they respected what we were trying to do, but were not interested in what we were teaching always got a "Thank you" and we were on our way to the next house. I think confronting people on their differences in beliefs just yields contention and will probably just prove to be an unbeneficial experience for both parties, not to mention a waste of time.

Answer 7

I would say "no, thank you" to both. I already know what the LDS/Mormons are all about. I have a relationship with Jesus already, and a church that I love, so I have no interest in joining a different religion.
I don't think people should be rude to these people who are going out to talk about their church. If you aren't interested "just say no", and close the door. It's that simple.

Answer 8

Just say, Please do not come back anymore. There is a "do not do list". Your house will be added to it. That means every time witnesses are on your street, they will skip over your house. There is not need to be rude, that is honestly all it takes. And just a word of advice, the more you don't come to your door, the more we will come back. If you don't answer the door, we mark you as a not at home, assume your at work or something and just try again at a different time or day. You would think were out to kill you! All you have to do, is say please don't come back. It really is that simple.

Answer 9

I am an ex-mormon, and served as a missionary, so I understand what they are doing. I would invite them in, offer them something to drink (non-alcoholic of course), but I would explain that their preaching is not necessary. If I ever see Mormon missionaries walking somewhere, I always stop and offer them a ride. They are generally good guys, doing what they think is right. I can't fault them, I was one myself, and was doing what I thought was right at the time.

Answer 10

I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses.
If you don't want them coming by- just tell them you're not interested. A lot of times, they'll ask "may I ask why" or something to that effect, just to see if they can clear up a misunderstanding (a lot of times, people hear we don't believe in Jesus and that's why they don't want to speak with us). We'll respectfully take our leave.
If you don't want us stopping by EVER- just ask to be placed on our "Do not Call" list. An Elder will still stop by once a year or so just to see if you've moved or changed your mind, but you won't be visited any other time.
A "No Trespassing" sign works just as well. We go to houses with "No solicitors" because we're not asking for money.

Answer 11

I've been rude in the past, even though I shouldn't be.....

But after I learned more about WHAT it is that is trying to be accomplished by the visits, I'm more prepared.

Honestly, my response these days would be something like "I'd be happy to talk about ______ with a fellow believer and follower of Christ Jesus", etc.