Nixing the door-to-door Bible thumpers

[GSOgymrat]

I wouldn't have a sign like that in my yard because it just seems inhospitable. When evangelists come to my door I try to be polite and keep in mind that if thought I had a special connection to God and people's souls hung in the balance I too might be knocking on people's doors.

Usually these interactions are brief and cordial however one day I was approached while working in my yard by a couple of Christian evangelists who persisted in talking to me about their religion even though I politely told them I was busy and not interested. They asked what church I attended and I told them I was atheist but that didn't dissuade them. One of them said that it was his experience that atheists were very knowledgeable about the Bible and then proceeded to cite verses from the Bible that God created the world and man, only through Jesus can we be saved and so forth. Normally I don't engage but I was getting annoyed that these people had come into my yard uninvited and insisted on preaching to me. I let him say his peace then calmly replied, "Here is the problem: You believe the Bible is the truth and word of God and I don't believe the Bible is the word of God, so nothing you quote from the Bible is going to convince me that what you are saying is true." He then got really angry, said he wouldn't waste anymore of my time and stomped off.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I wouldn't have a sign like that in my yard because it just seems inhospitable. When evangelists come to my door I try to be polite and keep in mind that if thought I had a special connection to God and people's souls hung in the balance I too might be knocking on people's doors.

The sign lets them know I'd happily kill them. They do get the message.

[Savior2006]

Some JW's had come to my aunt's house when I was babysitting. I immediately locked eyes on the college chick with all the subtlety off a rabid badger in the ass. I didn't even hear what the lady said and I just took the card and said my family would think about it.

[Johan]

This led me to (with all do respect to the Five Man Electrical Band) get a nice all-weather metal sign stating "Private Property. No Religious Soliciting".  In the middle is the prohibition graphic of a Bible within a circle with a diagonal slash through it.  I placed it out at the end of my driveway.  This has totally done the trick in keeping away the undesirables. 

When we lived in a more suburban setting, we had people at the door all the time. Only a few were bible thumpers, most were soliciting to sell replacement windows or vacuum cleaners or butt plugs. You know, the usual stuff. At one point I considered putting up one of those 'no soliciting' signs. But I did some reading and turns out that most folks in the soliciting game actually target houses with those signs because they're typically put up by people who can't say no. IOW the signs attract more solicitor traffic instead of keeping them away.

I'm glad your sign actually worked. Apparently the bible thumpers aren't very well versed in the tricks of the door to door trade. How about a pic of your sign?

[aitm]

Perhaps my cruelest moment was when a trio showed up with a woman in a wheel chair who started the conversation but stopped as soon as I held my hand up "stop". I looked directly at her wheelchair and said, " lady, if your god is not willing to fix that, I doubt he is able to, because I would fix it and I don't even know you, and you think he loves you? Fuck him!". I am not so arrogant to think she never thought of that herself, but she probably never heard it from someone else.

[Mermaid]

This thread made me re-Google the word "disfellowshipped". If you tell them  you've been disfellowshipped, they will apparently leave wordlessly and leave you alone forever. I actually think I'll have the guts to say this to the next JW that knocks on my door.

http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/disfellowship-shunning.php

It actually doesn't really take all that much. If I get caught letting someone fondle my boobs, I can be disfellowshipped and shunned forever for it. Actually, it looks like all I really need to do is put up Christmas lights.

Here are the reasons people are disfellowshipped:

   1.  Adultery (sexual intercourse with a person other than your marriage mate), includes;
        Abandoning wife and eloping with another woman - w79 11/15 31-2, w76 p.728
        Planned adultery to break Scriptural marriage ties - w83 3/15 p.29
        Remarriage without Scriptural permission - w56 10/1 p.597
        Polygamy - jv 176
        Dating a person not legally divorced - ks91-E p.135
    Apostasy - w83 4/1 pp.22-4, km 8/80 pp.1, 4. includes;
        Rebellion against Jehovah's organization - w63 7/1
        Promoting sects - it-2 886
    Associating with disfellowshipped people including;
        Friends - ks91-E p.103, w81 9/15 pp.25-6, w55 10/1 p.607
        Family - ks91-E p.103
    Blood and blood transfusions - w61 1/15 ks91-E p.95, jv p.183-4
    Drug use - ks91-E p.96
    Drunkenness - ks91-E p.95, it-1 656
    Dishonest business practices - w63 7/1, w86 11/15 14
    Employment violating Christian principles - km 9/76 p.6, km 2/74
        Working for any religious organization - ks91-E p.95
        Working in a gambling institution - ks91-E p.136
        Selling tobacco - ks91-E p.96
        Contract work at a military establishment
    False worship. Includes;
        Attending another church ks91-E p.94
        Following mourning customs that involve false worship - w85 4/15 p.25
    Fornication it-1 863
        Bestiality - w83 6/1 p.25
        Incestuous marriage - w78 3/15 p.26
        Artificial insemination and surrogate motherhood.
            "True Christians, therefore, avoid surrogate motherhood as well as any procedures that involve the use of donated sperm, eggs, or embryos" g04 9/22;
            "Artificial insemination of a married woman by a donor other than her husband makes her guilty of adultery" g74 8/8 p.28
        sexual abuse of children - g93 10/8 p.10Reviling - ks91-E p.94, w96 7/15 pp.17-18; it-1 p.991; it-2 p.802
    Fraud - ks91-E p.94, om pp.142-3
    Gambling or related employment - w80 9/1, ks91-E p.136
    Gluttony - w86 5/1
    Greediness, this in used to include;
        gambling ks91-E p.95
        extortion ks91-E p.95, w89 1/15 22, it-1 p.789
        greed in relation to bride-price: w98 9/15 p.25
    Homosexuality - w83 6/1 pp.24-6
    Idolatry - w52 3/1 p.138
    Loose conduct - ks91-E pp.93, 96, w83 3/15 p.31, w73 9/15 p.574, it-2 p.264, ks91-E p.93, w83 3/15 p.31, w73 9/15 pp.574-6, w97 9/1 p.14, it-2 p.246.
    This includes;
        Sexual perversion
        Disregard for Jehovah's moral standards
        Disrespect, disregard or even contempt for standards, laws and authority,

    Rather than restricted to the usual definition of sexual perversion, the Watchtower defines "loose conduct" as including "disrespect to elders". This enables this term to be used to disfellowship for a wide range of offences not elsewhere covered, and as such is used to cover all manner of sins, such as refusal to cease fellowship with disfellowshipped people, or even being contemptuous in a judicial meeting where no other sin can be proven.
    Lying - ks91-E p.94, g00 2/8 p.21
    Non neutral activities (involvement in politics and the military) - ks91-E p.96
    Military service and non military service including working casual work (certain civilian work has recently been made a conscience matter w96 5/1 p.20) - ks91-E p.96
    Obscene speech - ks91-E p.95
    Parents condoning immorality - w56 p.566
    Political involvement, including voting or holding a political card in Malawi - ks91-E p.96 (w99 11/1 p.28 made voting a conscience matter)
    Porneia. Includes oral and anal sex between married couples, mutual masturbation between persons not married to each other, homosexuality, lesbianism, fornication, adultery, incest, and bestiality. - ks91-E p.93
    Slander - ks91-E p.94, w63 7/1, w89 10/15 p.14, om p.142
    Smoking or selling tobacco - km 2/74, ks91-E p.96
    Spiritism (includes yoga w02 8/1 p.22) - w55 10/1 p.607
    Stealing, thievery - om pp.142-5, ks91-E p.94
    Subversive activity - w95 10/1 p.31
    Uncleanness
        Sexually perverse practices within marriage, such as oral and anal sex - w83 3/15 p.31
        Heavy petting and breast fondling - ks91-E p.92
        Touching of sexual parts - ks91-E p.91
        Practice of viewing abhorrent Pornography - w2012 3/15 p.31
    Violation of secular law if flagrant attitude - w86 10/1 p.31
    Violence, extreme physical abuse, fits of anger - ks91-E p.96, w75 p.287, g01 11/8 p.12
        Includes Boxing w81 7/1 pp.30-1, ks91-E p.142
    Wilful non support of family, endangerment of mates spirituality - w88 11/1 pp.22-3, km 9/73 p.8, ks91-E p.95
    Worldly celebrations such as Christmas - ks91-E p.95 (It appears celebrating birthdays is not a reason to be disfellowshipped)

[PringleTree]

...How about a pic of your sign?

I'll get one.

[PringleTree]

Here it is--now my avatar.  Sorry for the reflections. If you click on the pic, it will enlarge.

[Johan]

Here it is--now my avatar.  Sorry for the reflections. If you click on the pic, it will enlarge.

Nice. I like it.

[billhilly]

This thread made me re-Google the word "disfellowshipped". If you tell them  you've been disfellowshipped, they will apparently leave wordlessly and leave you alone forever. I actually think I'll have the guts to say this to the next JW that knocks on my door.

http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/disfellowship-shunning.php

It actually doesn't really take all that much. If I get caught letting someone fondle my boobs, I can be disfellowshipped and shunned forever for it. Actually, it looks like all I really need to do is put up Christmas lights.

Here are the reasons people are disfellowshipped:

Hell, I can get through over half of that list on an average Thursday night.

[Munch]

I have a similar sign on my door, although I've very, very rarely had any bible thumpers my way. its all in one for religous groups, cold callers and sellers.

[PringleTree]

I have a similar sign on my door, although I've very, very rarely had any bible thumpers my way. its all in one for religous groups, cold callers and sellers.

I started to get an all inclusive "No Soliciting" sign, but we have guys come by collecting for our local volunteer fire departments and other local groups I support who I didn't want to warn off.  It is the proseletizers that I want to stay away. 

[frosty]

We have a 'No Soliciting' sign, but of course they just ignore it and ring the doorbell anyways. So over the years, I noticed a tactic that works. I overly pretend to be interested in what they say, agreeing with them most of the time while adding points of my own. These people think they are above others and 'know the truth' so when you add to what they say, they become visibly irritated. So I keep doing it. I use my young, charismatic, semi-sociopathic image to scare them off and it works every time. Just act enthusiastic, make it clear you have a brain of your own, but engage them on a level far greater than what they are doing with you.

They have never come back here. Not once. Not the same people anyway.

[St Giordano Bruno]

Tell them to get a proper job.

[PringleTree]

We have a 'No Soliciting' sign, but of course they just ignore it and ring the doorbell anyways.

I live in a "red" state where property rights are highly regarded.  My response should someone ignore the sign will be to simply say,  "This property is posted. Leave immediately or I'm calling the sheriff".