Sorry about the short notice. My housemate just sprung this on me.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses… They’re coming back for another visit. In about an hour. They’ve been back several times, and my housemate has a big problem saying “no” to them, and keeps letting them come back. She won’t let me stand up for her and say “please leave” either.
So, since I’m not allowed to tell them to go away directly, what are the worst things I could say to them? Ideally, I’d like to appear nominally polite to them, but I’d like to use zingers that attack their core beliefs with Truth and Logic. Any links to prior discussion about JW-baiting would be appreciated.
This isn’t the kind of answer you were asking for, but I’d say go in your room and read a book or watch TV. Go to the bar or for a walk. Let your housemate entertain her “guests,” and simply have nothing to do with them.
If you’re worried about your housemate’s spiritual well-being, you can counter the JW’s beliefs at another time. But their minds are already made up, and I see no point in engaging them at all if you don’t have to.
It’s her house, and she actually asked me to help deal with them. I’m usually not around when they show up, and given my druthers, I’d be gone this time too.
Not sure if this is an urban legend, but I was always told telling Jehovah’s Witnesses that you were an ex-JW and had left would end the conversation.
But in general, your friend kind of is responsible here. If you invite someone in to talk to you abut something, it’s a little off to get miffed when they talk to you about it.
The JW’s who came to my house to talk to me believed their Bible to be the literal word of God, as in every word is literally true. You might get some ammo here.
Strongly disagree with the “be a smartass” direction. They’re just people like everyone else, and don’t deserve to be ridiculed, especially since their version of Christianity is probably the least offensive.
They are super-persistent though. You have to tell them flat out “please don’t come back” before they leave you alone, because if you leave any semantic wiggle-room they will exploit it.
Agreed. Can you just ask them to hand to you their magazine, and then please leave (because you’re busy, getting ready to leave, have a meeting, a job, something)?
I really, really do not understand the whole “let’s bash JW” thing.
And as they’re no different than anybody else, there is no reason to tell them to just not be there, you’re not interested. Just like you do to other strangers.
I do not care how inoffensive their brand of Christianity is. They are getting in my face to sell a product. Basically telemarketers except they come to your door so are harder to get rid of.
If they want to take out print or radio ads fine. If they want to setup a booth on the street fine.
I object to people getting in my face to sell something and get particularly miffed when they will not take a simple “no thanks” and go away.
Telling them “I’m sorry. We’re Catholic.” has always worked for my family and myself. I mean, is there any real reason that you have to rebut them at all, if they go away without needing to? It just seems mean. JWs are pretty inoffensive…as far as I know, they don’t try to get their religion special privileges through legislation or anything. They don’t attempt to get the schools to teach their tenets as fact. They aren’t terribly agressive when it comes to proselytizing, other than being quietly persistent if you don’t come right out and tell them you aren’t interested.
Their beliefs are only a tiny bit weirder than mainstream Christianity and they’re nowhere near as loud and arrogant as the evangelicals and fundamentalists. They’re generally nice people. There just doesn’t seem to be any need to do more than a “We’re not interested. Please don’t come back.”
Any links to prior discussion about JW-baiting would be appreciated.
