heheh... I just told some Jehovah's Witnesses their religion is evil

[Dookus]

and to get off my porch.

They came by... tried to offer me Watchtower. I explained about my good friend who died of AIDS last year and his parents refused to even come see him or speak to him, and that I find such a theology evil.

That felt good.

[helnwhls]

1. go dookus

[BiggJawn]

12. Go Dookus....Go Dookus...Go Dookus...

Everybody! Chant!

Guess that "margerinized" them!

[helnwhls]

17. what's all this about margarine-izing

Jehovah witless? I just can not recommend taking oleo to a deity, especially until it is unconscious.

:silly:

[BiggJawn]

28. I like to "Yogi-ize" words...

"Marginalize" is what I was malapropping..

[helnwhls]

29. and i love

any excuse to pull an emily latella. just being silly.

[CanuckAmok]

2. I had a roomie in the Forces who always answered the door naked when...

...he saw them working their way up the street.

Works great!

[Dookus]

3. lol

I wish I'd seen them coming. They were two young women.

[FunBobbyMucha]

13. LOL--you've inspired me!

Next time I see them coming, I'm answering the door naked and then doing a Midnight Express on them, slobbering, grabbing myself, licking the window...lol

[bobthedrummer]

100. ROTFLMAO!

Good one:thumbsup: :hi:

[barb162]

58. I needed a laugh, that was good

[medeak]

80. and next time bring your women and children!

Had a roomate who did same screaming the above.

Me.. I just have cleaning lady who is Jehova Witness and drinks all my booze and noone knocks at my door.

[Cobalt Violet]

4. I applaud you!

:evilgrin: O8)

[yellerpup]

5. I just laugh and tell them I'm not supersticious.

Then I tell them I'm an atheist. By that time they are usually trembling and pale and then I shut the door.

[Dookus]

6. yeah

that's what I used to do.

It's no secret here that I find just about all religion inherently dangerous, and that particular cult is just nuttier than squirrel shit.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

25. Religion is like unprotected sex

Most who do it don't get an STD, but all who got an STD got it from doing it.

Atheism: the mind's condom.

[lumberingbear]

49. Your right Dookus!!!

That's why we lost the election. A bunch of religious nuts cheating on the vote because they think their right and have to save the rest of us!!!

[sister moon]

11. I used to tell the Jesus salesmen that I'm an athiest

but it just encouraged them to come back days later with reinforcements to try to "help" me. Now I just firmly but politely tell them "not interested, goodbye" and shut the door. With a big smile! :-)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

27. Want a better idea?

"You want to convert me? GREAT! The time you waste trying to convert me is time you won't have to convert other person who IS gullible. So, go on. I'm all ears and we have all day."

[tigereye]

101. I used to tell them I was a "secular humanist"

that always confused them and they leave looking puzzled. (I'm not, but it's a good line.)

[gumby]

7. the last time they came to my door,

I was sooooo happily optomestic about life and the world, they didn't know what to do since I didn't appear in need of their 'fixing.'

[skygazer]

8. I like to mess with them

Act like I'm interested but before they can speak, start babbling about how I believe in the powers of the universe and gradually get into wackier and wackier things. Eventually, they just want to leave but I keep on talking so they can't do it politely - puts them in the same position they put other people in. Rather fun.

[HEyHEY]

9. You shoulda kicked him in the nuts too

[7th_Sephiroth]

10. its legal to kill jehova's witnesses

thier tresspassers

[fwiff]

39. I wish!

My HORRIBLE neighbors are awful mean people, into everybody's business, cheap, freeloaders, oh and did I mention total hypocrites? A car tire has more ethics than these people!
Most of them are just kinda pathetic, but these? Grrrrr.

[7th_Sephiroth]

42. shoot em

get em on your property and blast em

[barb162]

59. LOL

[bif]

14. They don't celebrate birthdays and holidays and don't drink

That's reason enough to call them evil!

[helnwhls]

18. they don't eat, they don't sleep, they don't even mow the lawn

[nickgutierrez]

84. LOL - very subtle.

:D

[durutti]

108. They can drink in moderation. n/t

[TexasLady]

109. they do drink

just..hehehe...not to excess...hic....but dontchoo DARE smoke a cigarette!!!

another former JW

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

15. I'm always nice to those people.

I think their ideas are just as valid as anyone else's. I'm not going to tell them they are wrong, even though I do not totally agree with them. I always listen to them and take their pamphlets. I can tell they really care about what they are doing. I would not insult them, unless they insulted me first. That's just how I am, though. However, I think you had every right to speak your mind if you felt it was necessary.

[Dookus]

16. sorry

when my friend lay suffering for two months and his family ignored him - except for ONE brother who SNUCK into town to see him - I lost any respect I might've once had for their beliefs.

Their beliefs are NOT as valid as anyone's. Have you ever researched how badly wrong they've been about their end-times predictions?

They're a malevolent cult.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

21. People can think whatever they want about the end of times.

We can't prove them to be right or wrong. I understand you don't like them for a good reason, and that's just fine with me. I'm just saying I wouldn't personally choose to respond in the same way.

[Dookus]

24. of course I can say they're wrong

the JW have predicted the end of the world for 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975 and 1994.

They were wrong on each occasion.

[pintobean]

46. did they predict

11-03-04? If so, they may be on to something.

[yardwork]

91. Just what I was thinking!

A lot of really bad things happened in each of those years. It depends on their definition of "end of the world."

[TheDebbieDee]

45. Lots of religions predict the end of the world as we know it......

The fact that many of them stayed with the religion is a sign of their faith.

[Dookus]

50. when your faith

makes specific predictions that are proven wrong time and time again, it goes beyond faith to idiocy.

[barb162]

63. yeah and I always wonder how they keep at it once the predictions

are false

[exJW]

56. er, yeah...

But I can't even remember why I once thought that was a good thing!

[barb162]

61. you sound extremely polite. I usually am too BUT, BUT!!!

they have the audacity to ring my door bell trying to convert me to their crap, like they automatically assume they know something better than I do. That their faith is better than my faith (if any). Where do they get off? How do they know I don't have a Phd in comparative religion? I don't like them and they waste my time.

[tigereye]

102. yes, that is the arrogance of proselytizers!

[NV Whino]

19. I just tell them I've been saved.

Stops 'em cold.

[Squeegee]

20. Did you tell them that the way they believe in God

... was declared heresy at the first Ecumenical Council in 381 A.D?

[LisaLynne]

36. They believe the Ecumenical Council was a heresy...

So I don't think it matters much to them.

[flvegan]

22. I tell them that if I have to listen to them, then

They have to listen to me ramble on endlessly about why they should be vegans. As soon as I start offering copies of "Why Vegan" they start running.

[Susang]

23. Such a shy retiring flower, you!

What do you do for an encore? And can you videotape it? }(

[Dookus]

26. lol

actually, while expressing my view, I was soft-spoken and polite.

Unlike a few years ago when a little church lady came to my door petitioning for an anti-gay marriage amendment. I threatened to turn the hose on her.

[Susang]

37. You should have.

To my shame, I actually have a relative who circulated the petition to get that abomination on the ballot in Michigan. He felt that the issue is important in order to safeguard the sanctity of marriage. Did I mention that he's divorced, a Vicodin addict and he has an unhealthy relationship with his son's teenaged babysitter? Fucking hypocrites, all of them. I really try not to hate them, but it's soooooooo hard. :-(

[donheld]

30. Good Going

:yourock:

[arwalden]

31. Maybe I Should Remove My "NO CHRISTIANS!!" Sign From My Door

It sounds like it would be theraputic to tell the door-to-door JW's and Born-Again Christians to FUCK OFF!

But do I want to have my hot man-on-man-sex interrupted just to answer the door? I suppose it would be quite a shock for them to see me standing there in my Village People leatherman gear... and standing there with a hard-on... that might be worthwhile. (They usually travel in pairs, so the gay one would have to sneak back later.)

-- Allen

[Ladyhawk]

35. I had a "No Bible Thumpers" sign for awhile.

In my current state of mind, I might just murder the next evangelist who knocks on my door. :mad:

[barb162]

64. I'm laughing so much now I am crying

[Pithlet]

75. You might get free stuff.

There is a local church that is always leaving stuff on my doorstep. Sometimes it's actually useful things that I need. They left a light bulb, once. I just happened to need one. It's almost creepy.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

82. Wow, that's pretty neat.

They can sense when you are in need (of a light bulb). LOL.

[Pithlet]

85. lol. Yep.

I'm out of bread and milk. I wonder if they'll oblige. :)

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

32. I usually only get those sweaty Mormon boys

in their ties and shirts riding bikes.

I like to tell them I'm Christian, too, let's arm rassle to see whose religion is more kick ass.

They say "thank you very much" and leave.

Damn. I never get to arm rassle 'em.

[Dookus]

34. heheh

the mormon boys are cute... I always wanna corrupt 'em.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

38. They ARE cute

BUT...

I noticed they are cute in a slightly terrifying, Children of the Corn kinda way.

Ever notice that? Kind of in a Deliverance way.

Gives me chills.

[barb162]

68. Oh yes!!! The last two who came had blonde slicked hair, aryan

in every way, almost like caricatures of young nazis. The wholesomeness is too wholesome or something. They are sick bastards, unnatural beings...don't get me going.

[Politicub]

47. Some of them can be persistent, too

Hot

[Ladyhawk]

33. Can I borrow your story next time I talk to a JW?

Can't stand them. I was friends with one for awhile...and friends with a fundy. I figured this time it would be different.

:eyes:

I'm gullible, I guess.

Right-wing fundies and JWs are good for nothing.

I do have one story: JWs showed up at my door just before my father's funeral. I could have fucking killed them.

[hunter]

44. I think they have some sort of network...

On one of the very worst days of my life, while I was in college, the Jehovah Witnesses knocked on the door of my apartment...

I think I just stood there a long time, absolutely stunned, as they tried to get me to follow them. Good thing all my vaccines were up to date, I might have been infected!

I don't have any feelings of hostility towards most religions, and a definite fondness for some, especially those that are generous of spirit -- those who don't expect you to give up some chunk of your soul to God or anyone else in return for their "charity."

For a very short time in college I was living in my car, and the police would be knocking on my windows every night, etc., and the pastor of this church noticed me, and he let me park my car in his church parking lot, and that was that, no Bible readings, no "invitations" to attend church, nothing like that. I was just a guy who needed a place to park his car. This pastor may well have been Joe Sixpack, car mechanic, letting me park behind his garage. Anyways, it took all the pressure off me and gave me time enough to figure out what to do next.

Personally, I think we should bring the "Moonies" into any thread like this. The Moonies mess people up pretty bad too.

I have this fantasy that the Moonies destroyed George W. Bush. If not for the Moonies, "W" would be entirely apolitical and harmless, a happy queen living on some big Texas ranch surrounded by pretty dancing cowboys with delicious lips.

That would explain a lot, wouldn't it?

[Taverner]

40. Of course, if the JW's were allowed to vote

They'd vote Democrat. Conscientous objectors.

But don't get me wrong, their religion is a mindcult...totally :)

[funkhowser]

41. worship who you want

Pray to a fire hydrant for all I care, just don't come knocking on my door to tell me about it.

For awhile, we had them descending in droves on our neighborhood early (and I mean early) Saturday mornings. I went off on them once, told them look, its a working class neighborhood, can't you let people sleep in on their day off without you all trespassing into everyone's yard, riling up all the neighborhood dogs, etc. Go away. Now, the come during Mon-Fri and wake up all the 3rd shifters that are sleeping.

We have also previously invited them in for satanic incantations. That does work to get them moving from your door pretty fast too.

[GreenPartyVoter]

43. Woot! *hugs*

--------------------------------------------------------------------
FIGHT! Take this country back one town and state at a time!
http://www.geocities.com/greenpartyvoter/electionreform.htm

[tuvor]

48. If Jews or Muslims or Buddhists visited, would you treat them the same?

Just asking.

[Dookus]

52. nope

they haven't pissed me off like the JW's.

I would just ask them to leave.

But... the good news is, they DON'T do that. It's incredibly offensive to me to come to MY door and tell me my beliefs suck. I think it's an outrageous infringement, and only JW's and Mormons do it. They both get my wrath.

[tuvor]

53. I wouldn't handle it the same way as you.

But I very much appreciate that you'd be consistent in your approach to those representing other religions.

That's the single biggest reason I hate bush and his administration and their supporters: The hypocrisy.

[barb162]

65. same here, I never had people of other faiths, Jews, Catholics, etc

come to my door and start the preaching horseshit.

[haele]

54. Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists don't go door to door prostyltizing...

Neither do Hindus, Zoroastrians, Taoists, the various flavors of Polytheists/Spiritualists, or for that matter, most "mainstream" Christian denominations.
Most religions understand that the believer will come to them, not that they should go to the believer. Even most missionary and traveling preacher types will set up a situation where the "natives" will come to them for some sort of service where the acknowledged price of admission, as it were, is to listen to the preacher as s/he sings the songs, preaches the word, and hands out the grace.

It's framing the conversion into sort of a "do unto others as ye would have them do unto you". No one likes to be surprised or forced by someone who goes out of their way to make the connection.

The problem most door to door missionaries run into is that to many residents, there's a distinct impression of "door to door salesman" that over-rides any normal instinct to actually listen to what the missionaries say. The door to door missionary is actually invading space when they approach a residence uninvited. People don't react well to the invasion of privacy, even if it's "well meaning". They especially don't react well to being told that their personal faith is somehow lacking if they aren't already questioning that faith.

(Since there is no real organization of "Atheists", they don't tend to go door to door passing out tracts unless there's the one exception to the rule type that's got a personal crusade and a couple screws loose to boot, so I'm not going to get into that.)

If I invite a Jew, a Muslim, or a Buddhist to my doorstep, I'd treat them with respect. Just as I would if I had invited a Mormon, a Jehovah's Witness, a member of the Brethren, or a SBC member.

If they invade my home space and come to my doorstep demanding (actively or passively) that I change my personal beliefs to suit some sort of "celestial point system to salvation" they happen to participate in, they get whatever I feel like is coming to them at the time.

And I don't know of anyone who would do differently - and I'm including what I know of the reactions of a couple acquaintances that are/were Mormon or JW. They don't tolerate anyone coming to their doorstep trying to proselytize, either. They may just be a bit "nicer" about it than non-missionaries tend to be.

It's the invasion and implicate condemnation that causes the potentially hostile reaction.

Haele

[lumberingbear]

51. Dookus, Don't go to door naked...

just tell those Mormon boys that you will talk to them if they come in and take their clothes off!!! (Might get interesting!):evilgrin:

[exJW]

55. As a recently exited Jehovah's Witness,

I can tell you that I now wish more people had been confrontational and in-your-face with me back when I was going door to door. Its amazing how many years you can "go out in service" and never have anyone really push you to explain, really explain, your wacky beliefs.

Now that I'm out, I find out how many of my "worldly" friends and neighbors had pussyfooted around my beliefs and my feelings. Meanwhile, Witnesses are not affording everyone else the same courtesy.

Well done Dookus, you may have put one more chink in that witnesses so-called spiritual armor. Maybe someday soon, that Jehovah's Witness will type the words "Jehovah's Witness" into a search engine, and then maybe, just maybe, if he/she is emotionally worn down enough by the harshness of that religion and the cognitive dissonance induced by it, he or she will actually read the truth about "The Truth".

That religion would have killed me, eventually.

[barb162]

66. were you raised in that religion? what made you stop

[exJW]

69. Oddly enough, I took the wildly rebellious step of growing a goatie

... and somehow, someway, I just knew that "we" were wrong as a religion to have a "no beard" dress code this late in the 20th century, so while they pressured me every day to conform, I didn't; I thought instead that they would eventually become resonable.

Six short years later, I'd taken enough community beatings to finally look into other areas of criticism, and when I looked critically at the no-blood-transfusion doctrine, my life was turned 180 degrees within a day... I knew I'd never consider myself a Jehovah's Witness again. Unlike beards and birthdays, blood transfusion is no joke, we were killing people, and without good biblical reasoning (silly as that sounds to me now... like you should kill people if you do have good bible based reasons, lol).

[barb162]

74. I always thought that was weird about the blood transfusions and

I always wondered what JWs did when they needed one. LIke what happens if you get appendicitis...die? Does the hospital get a court order to give a JW a transfusion?

A guy I went to high school with became a JW when he married a highschool sweetheart. He stayed in it about 4 or 5 years. Then he got divorced and became a regular guy again. It was cultish. It was as if he gave up his many friends while he was in it and when he left he got all those same friends back. But when he was a JW that was like his whole life and he never ever saw his friends.

[exJW]

76. Not just cult "ish", it's a cult, IMO.

At the very least it is a dangerous high control group.


:"I always wondered what JWs did when they needed one. LIke what happens if you get appendicitis...die?"

Well, hopefully you wouldn't need blood just because you got appendicitis, but yeah, that's the plan if you do: die.

:"Does the hospital get a court order to give a JW a transfusion?"

Yes, in most first world countries, if the patient is a child, they can get a court order quickly. The problem is that, as in my case, when you're raised as a Witness, the brainwashing doesn't turn off just because you turn 18. You believe that to seriously question a doctrine of such weight, you are challenging God directly.

[barb162]

79. is there anything you miss about it? I would imagine so as my

image of them is that the church is like a big family and they really don't hang around with outsiders/ non church people, from the one guy I knew from high school. I remember how he seemed to spend all of his non-work time on church activities...very dedicated. I think it also wore him down as he converted to JW when he was about 20 and he knew how life was before JW.

[exJW]

81. Not a goddamn thing

Even though I was born into it and stayed a believer to age 36, deep inside I felt as if there was not a real foundation to my beliefs, but that if I examined them too closely, the foundations would probably get weaker, not stronger. So I didn't.

Yes they have the "family" thing, like all cults... but they also tend to eat their own. If you are not a great conformist, you'll feel like you're the black sheep, even if you believe just as fervently as the rest of them.

I guess I miss some of my life long friends, but even if they would talk to me, spending 10 minutes with them would frustrate me to tears I'm sure.

[barb162]

83. It is hard for me to imagine what that life must have been like. I am

glad (juvenile comment) you never needed a transfusion and are here with us.

I was raised as a Catholic and there was nothing to compare with JW life. Go to church on Sunday for an hour, contribute, adios. Altho I went to a catholic grammar school and got lots of indoctrination. Strangely when I went to a Jesuit university and I took the required theology classes, I was then sure there was nothing to religion other than a people (Old Testament Jews)trying to make itself seem special and to hold the group together through supernatural means (mumbo-jumbo), the religion. I had been falling away from Catholicism, though, since I was in my early teens, but the fascinating science/ scholarship of the theology class professors were what really nailed it. Faith (suspension of reality?) and any semblance of it was gone, even though I still think there is a God. My mother could never figure how she sent me to a Jesuit university and how I turned out not to be a better Catholic or any catholic.

SO glad you are not a Jehovah!!!!!!!!!!!!

[exJW]

87. Thanks!

I hear alot about "Catholic Guilt", but I can't imagine it being anything to match JW guilt.

Witnesses STRONGLY discouraged college. Now I know why.

[barb162]

89. Amish discourage college too I believe. Whoa don't talk about

Catholic guilt, it is probably every bit as bad as Jewish guilt. But I can only compare Catholic guilt to Jewish guilt as that is my sole means of testing; actually being friends with Jews and then comparison and lots of laughing. (I suffer more guilt than you ever did, take that). Is JW guilt worse than Jewish guilt? There are things I cannot do to this day because of my upbringing. Ethics/morals/religion become intermixed. For example, people often laugh that I will use both sides of scrap paper so as not to waste things because, you know, poor children in Africa wish they had what we have here. Also, finishing what's on your plate for the same reason, even if you can't stand it. Well now I can say for environmnental reasons I will use both sides of scrap paper because another tree won't get cut down. That is very true but the deep deep part of me has a nun standing over me and she says don't waste and I obeyed and believed the nuns/penguins.

[TheDebbieDee]

88. "Not just cult "ish", it's a cult, IMO."

I disagree, exJW. If you want to leave the congregation, there are no attempts made to restrain you. The ties that most people feel when leaving the congregation are guilty feelings and other psychological ties.

As I said below, you probably showed all the signs of being a free-thinker and the congregation may have been relieved that you left.

I'm glad you found the spiritual path that's better suited for you since you weren't happy with the JW doctrine.

[exJW]

99. Ah, I see by your wording that you know a little about this

But that makes me even more curious as to why you would say something like:

"If you want to leave the congregation, there are no attempts made to restrain you."

I was just last week disfellowshipped for "apostacy" after not having set foot in a Kingdom Hall for 5 years. Now, they may have done that more to control my family and any other JW's who might want to be friendly with me, rather than doing it to control me, but in any case, it is a perfect example of what a perverse level of control they try to excercise in their members' lives.

And in doing so, they will adversely affect my family situation... just how much remains to be seen. When my family gets together, when the choice comes down to including me, or including friends of the family, I'm going to be the one disinvited. That much is a given.

And I'm lucky. Most people in my position's families would totally shun them.

Their entire modus operandi and belief structure is designed, from the moment they can first get you to believe that they have a special connection to God (unavailable to any other people or religion), to "restrain you".

[liberalfrombirth]

106. Proud of you!

I left a strict Mennonite cult myself and appreciate what you had to go through.

[TheDebbieDee]

86. That religion would have killed me, eventually.

If you would have allowed it to.

There's nothing wrong with that religion, or any other religion for that matter, as long as a person makes their religion a part of their life. The problems come about when a person (especially a person that is already susceptible to obsession) makes their religion their reason for living.

Some people find God and religion and in the process of doing so, they lose all common sense. You could ask the followers of Jim Jones if this is true, but they're dead - because they drank the kool-aid !

Sorry to go on and on, but I don't think you can place all the blame on religion - it takes a special kind of personality to allow itself to become totally controlled by a religion, or Mason's group, or a Chess Club, or a political group, etc.

[exJW]

98. Sorry, but you're just plain wrong.

I've looked and looked and looked, these past few years, for a common personality trait amongst Jehovahs Witnesses (I am in contact with literally thousands of ex JW's), and there simply is none.

My own personality (in terms of intellectual curiousity) is such that I *now* know that I would NEVER be the type of person to have joined the Witnesses as an adult.... but raised from infancy, threatened with a metaphoric *gun-to-my-head* from both "Jehovah" God, my family, and my entire community, I "drank the koolaide" in sips from birth.

I'm curious how you feel qualified to tell someone who lived it for 36 years that "there is nothing wrong with that religion...so long as one doesn't make the religion their reason for living"? That is precisely the point, the cult requires just that.

To say that all religions are equally benign is silly. They aren't.

[Jose Diablo]

111. Congratulations

It is practically impossible for someone that is not RAW to fully understand how dominating the 'society' is to the members.

I also was extremely troubled by a 95 WT/Awake, I forget, it has been so long ago. The magazine had maybe 18 children on the cover with the caption "they put Jehovah first". It was about the blood doctrine and how the children, teenagers, chose to refuse blood. Mostly leukemia victims. Of course they died.

Not to discuss doctrine, but what struck me about the magazine was how in Jer it discussed sacrificing children to the fires of Moloch. Strange but I thought, people are allowing their children to be sacrificed to the views of a bunch of old men insulated in Brooklyn. In effect the children were sacrificed to the 'society'. That was the beginning of the end for me also.

It wasn't 6 months later and the presiding overseer was metaphorical stomping the dust off his feet on my porch mumbling apostate. My house was marked as don't stop and for years nobody did. Only recently, they have began to show again. They built a new Kingdom Hall and evidently the no stop signals in the records got lost. <sigh>

It's hard for people to understand the isolation and complete dependence on closed religious organizations the victims of these cults experience. They are indeed cults.

Again, welcome to the 'world'. It is bad, but not as bad as they said.

Edit: BTW would you like my library of JW documents. I hate to throw anything away, but I have no need for them.

[Nikepallas]

57. Good for you!!! I have a friend who did the same thing.

She was being harassed by two cornerstone believing chaps...They hound out she was wiccan(in a sense...it is a little different than some of the other popular versions.)

She got so annoyed that she began chanting a "pray" (for lack of a better term.) asking the God and Goddess to grant her peace and calmness. To add flare she did it in Egyptian(Egyptologist she is...)and as she was chanting it Thunder Roared...

The God-boys dropped their bibles and ran!

[PartyPooper]

60. You should have ordered your dog to go after them!

:evilgrin:

[BlueJazz]

62. I'm sorry about your friend...that must have been painful... nt

[barb162]

67. the last time those idiots came to my door they told me they were

there to save me. Audacious arrogant bastards. I think I said something like the Angel Gabriel told me I was already saved.

[Mr_Spock]

70. I need to be more honest like that with these people

The more power the zealots have in this country, the less "Christian" treatment they are going to get from me. Fool me once...

[montana_hazeleyes]

71. You folks might all bash me for this

but I read this whole thread and I find this appalling. I never thought I'd see so many DUers talk this way. Of course everyone has a right to say what they want and feel as they do but I just can't believe what I just read.

[exJW]

72. Just curious,

What about this thread disturbs you?

[montana_hazeleyes]

78. Well, Rarely have I seen or maybe never have I seen DUers

so vicious . Saying they should be shot , kicked in the balls etc.
Most of the people on DU would be against executing a horrid killer like Ted Bundy but here I read this about what they'd like to see happen to people they don't even know?

I've been on here a long time and I just don't remember ever seeing something like this here.

Bash away. Everyone here has the right to say what they think and I also have the right to say how I felt upon reading it.

[barb162]

90. don't you think the person who said it's legal to kill them meant it

in total fun? I burst out laughing when I read it. Come on, who ever kills someone when they ring a doorbell? (Now of course, if five different cults were ringing your doorbell,trying to convert you in a 2 hour period, well....) Come on, no one is suggesting this, just great use of hyperbole.

[murielm99]

96. I see your point.

I know the people who said these things would never do them. C'mon, who is going to shoot someone for coming to their door? The most they will do is show rudeness to some fundies and JWs.

I am very angry at the people who voted for * because of moral values, if that is true, and not just a media whore concoction. I think that is being displayed here.

I also have fundies in my family who drive me to the point of desperation. That sentiment is being displayed here, too.

We are letting off steam about what some of those ignorant bigots have done.

I am a liberal Christian. But, as a Christian, I do understand what you are saying. It is not right to tar us all with the same brush. However, we do bear some blame for letting them hijack our faith without protesting it vigorously. But if there is ever a religious war in this country, I would probably have to side with the atheists.

FWIW, I have nothing to do with my fundie relatives.

[RetroLounge]

105. You've never seen DU'ers Vicious???

Where were you during the Primaries?

Geez, this is nothing.

The last JW's that came to my dog met my big-ass scary dog.

RL

[bobaloo2]

73. Don't insult them, convert them!

I used to have a lot of fun when I had more time on my hands. I'd let them in and try to convert them to vegetarianism. Their hangup about blood transfusion is based on a biblical prohibition about "eating blood". It's pretty clear to me that means no meat, not no transfusions.

Living way out in the boonies we talked about "farm wife syndrome" from being out on the farm all alone with just the kids and no adults to talk to. The joke was that you knew you had it when you found yourself calling up the Jehovies just to have someone to talk to!

[barb162]

92. you are brave; I'd be afraid to let them in as they might stay for days

trying to convert you. Although it's a good strategy. I should ask them for money for my favorite charity the next time they show up at the door. One good turn deserves another or something to that effect.

[Jose Diablo]

114. I doubt they can be converted unless they already have doubts

Their belief system is deeply embedded. They actually train themselves in convincing other that they have the 'truth'. They train formally, and reinforce this training continuously. They live and breath what they believe. I doubt there is 1 out of 1000 that could match them in knowledge of the scriptures. At least their interpretation of the scriptures.

You could try talking scriptures and discuss conflicts with what they believe versus what is actually in the scriptures. They are very well versed in the scriptures, but it is the translations they use of the scriptures that causes them to isolate from 'mainstream christianity'. Attempting to convert them doesn't work because if confronted with internal contradictions, 'cognitive dissonance' kicks in. A mental block will shut down further communication.

However, if there is an existing doubt, then the gap can be widened with eventually them rejecting much of the belief system. Seldom all of the belief system though.

[mitchtv]

77. Sometimes I don't think to fast

I said "I am Catholic(capital EX) and you people are guilty of Heresy"
the Moromon boys caught me at the garage door I told them to keep moving. The Salvation Army is building a church across the steet from me , with a giant cross, it burns

[Carson]

93. I certainly hope you weren't wearing any Democratic apparel...

Your attitude is not one I would personally want associated with Democrats.

eom

[Qanisqineq]

94. I used to live a couple blocks from their church

They stopped by one morning, I was nice, told them I was raised Lutheran but no longer go to church. They asked about what I did (grad school at the time) and were very friendly. So, out of politeness I took their "Watchtower" and said I'd think about looking at it. WRONG CHOICE! After that they came by constantly! And usually bright and early in the freaking morning. UGH! Damn my parents for teaching me to be polite.

[erniesam]

95. Jehovah Witnesses had to wear purple stars in the nazi death camps

[murielm99]

97. Thank you for that reminder, erniesam.

Not everyone would die for faith.

I have JWs in my family. One uncle converted his whole clan.

The mainstream church had failed them. They were looking for answers.

I guess the difference is that I know there are no definite, easy answers.

[TexasLady]

110. as an ex as well, thank u for bringing that up

i seriously doubt i would have been able to die for this faith..i was raised in it from age fifteen on..and had always heard the stories about the camps..

also, when i was stationed with first hubby in Greece, and still active, all the Greek men who are supposed to do their mandatory military service must go to prison for i think a couple of years since they are concientious objectors...so i DO give them that...how many of us stand up for our convictions in this way?

my parents still practice, but have learned that their kids simply want nothing more to do with it..we agree to disagree and its fine. They are always neutral in all wars..and usually pay the price for that belief.

[Jose Diablo]

116. As I posted below

They are not always neutral in war, although the headquarters organization tells its members this, Rutherford (president of Watch Tower Bible Tract Society) offered help to Hitler in the form of propaganda to be delievered in Great Britian and USA for the return of the printing presses in Germany.

So much for being separate from the world, like is preached to their members.

The separate from the world doctrine is used to isolate the members from any competing ideas for their "truth".

Don't look at the organization as benign. They are as slippery as any snake.

[Jose Diablo]

113. Purple Triangles, not stars

And you should get the story that is behind it. Like how the president of the WTBTS wrote to Hitler pleading to have the printing presses returned in Germany and in that letter offered support for pointing out how America and Great Britian were under control of jewish bankers and it is these that are fighting against Germany. And he would publish this information in America.

The letter from Rutherford to Hitler was published in the Annual Report of 1934. But was then completely ignored when Hitler put them in the camps and kept the printing presses confiscated.

The organization publishes the account of the purple triangles, yet conviently forgets Rutherfords attempt to get the presses back by offering collusion with Hitler as an attempt to undermine the upcoming USA conflict with Germany.

[fortyfeetunder]

103. My mom had to chew out a JW aunt in law

When I was a wee one, I had some minor surgery. During my recuperation, my dad's aunt came to visit and was trying to convert my mom to JW.

My mom, guess she had to be somewhat diplomatic since I was in the area, told the aunt there was no way she'd convert. Mom knew that JW's didn't believe in blood transfusion, so she told the aunt that there was no way she'd convert. My mom said there was no way she'd deny the medical attention I needed.

I am sure had I not been in the vicinity, my mom would have ripped a new one in the aunt.

[Behind the Aegis]

104. my line

I always tell them "I am Jewish and since we are G-d's chosen people, I don't need saving! My place in Heaven is already reserved!" Usually shuts them up. A great gay movie about this is "Latter Days." I really enjoyed and has some HOT guys in it! :)

[tsuki]

107. Good for you!

[Baja Margie]

112. Good for you.

Next time keep some holy water and a crucifix by the door , hold the cross while sprinkling H2O on them and say "I compel you to LEAVE!!!!!"

[RobinA]

115. My Grandfather

used to invite them in and then bait them for as long as they would put up with it. He was nice about it, so it took them awhile to realize they were being played with.

I had a group come in the driveway once and they hit a sore spot with me because they had a kid with them and I HATE when people use kids to propagandize ANY cause. So when they stopped their car I walked up to them and told them we don't do the god thing around here. They left and haven't been back since, it was at least 7 years ago. Hopefully they think the place is possessed by the evil spirits of atheists and are afraid to come on the property.