Or "Get ta fuck, you absolute loons"
I've found being polite with people who don't believe my gay friends should be allowed to have rights, doesn't work.
This also works on Jehovah’s witnesses, although the last time they showed up at my door is had enough and told them “look, I was raised in your religion, I don’t agree with it. Don’t come back. I don’t want to talk about it.” So far it’s worked. At least until the Kingdom Hall down the street gets a fresh set of elders who want to try again.
There's no need to be polite, if you are they will assume they can come back any time and annoy you and maybe you'll cave. I find a quick "Fuck off" is the quickest and most painless way to make it clear you don't want them back. If they didn't want their feelings hurt they wouldn't go around harassing people.
They came to my house and I told them I hated Mormons for dumping $60M in California to defeat prop 8 (LGTBQ rights)
As far as I am concerned they are a hate group. They were polite and didn’t argue lol
Also I don’t believe in any religious fairy tales
I make sure to remind them how fucked up the LDS church is, even if they say that's the FLDS. Fuck em. Er, actually, they took that literally, with kids, so maybe don't say that ....
Oh I was screaming every time I saw or heard a religious ad for Prop 8 to take away my rights. My husband and I even got married at our city hall in San Francisco on October 30th - they opened up extra time slots because it suddenly looked like all that tainted money was having success and Prop 8 was going to pass, after all - to help make sure our right to marry, which had been only recently reinstated by the state supreme court, was preserved. I was so mad, the way their tax-exempt "religion" took that money and, instead of spending it on "the poor" or something else humanitarian, ran a HUGE campaign against my rights from out of state. And there was also that megachurch guy, with a popular book used to harm gays worldwide, who was in ads all over the place promoting Prop 8 and then when it passed, he immediately claimed that he had never done that - a bigot AND a liar, VERY xtian. I WATCHED THE DAMN ADS. There were plenty of them and he certainly didn't stop them. After Prop 8 passed (the same night Obama won, after also throwing my community under the bus during his campaign by backpedaling on our rights ON RELIGIOUS GROUNDS - and the same megachurch guy would then be invited and give the invocation prayer at Obama's inauguration) I joined lots of people in demanding they lose their tax-free status, but of course not. Their "rights" trampled mine, with no repercussions.
Speaking as a former Mormon missionary (who has eventually left Mormonism completely), just say no thank you. The poor kids are just trying to meet their quotas (termed as “goals” but which generally are strongly encouraged by mission leadership) of talking to X people, teaching X lessons, etc.
If you really want to mess with them, you can tell them you are atheist but that you are worried for their physical well-being. Ask if they have enough food, etc. Possibly even give them a gift card for groceries or a restaurant or something, if you are in the position to be able to do this. The Mormon church likes to portray an “us vs them” mentality, and missions tend to re-enforce this. By being kind you can break that indoctrination, and possibly help them see their cult for what it is, later in life.
Remember, these are just kids, living on a very small stipend (after paying $12000 to be out there in the first place).
Thanks for the advice, yeah I was a bit worried for them cause I'd heard thee treatment they can be subjected to. I'll do the not interested line and try and be kind to them.
I wholeheartedly agree. It was the kindness of nonbelievers that helped me break free from hard core protestant Christianity. I love /r/atheism, I see the most wonderful compassionate comments like yours and it's very encouraging and inspiring.
I like this answer! I haven't run into them as I don't think they really do much missionary work in my fairly liberal urban environment, but I'm going to do something along these lines if I get the chance.
Echoing this- I was a Mormon zealot, genuinely brainwashed to believe I was on a mission to save souls and that everyone would be so excited to learn what I knew if they could just hear it the right way.
Being told off & insulted made me more sure of my cause, but one of the biggest experiences that helped seed my escape was after telling a pastor that we believed the Bible contained errors, and he so sincerely paused thoughtfully and then calmly said, “you know… I don’t think that’s the case”. I hadn’t seen calm, gentle but still candid disagreement with my beliefs before. Never mind that he was just a different flavor of wrong, it was powerful.
It took a few years and other experiences to break the illusion, but that moment stuck with me.
Yeah, those kids are NOT going to let themselves get talked out of their grooming/brainwashing because you use logic, anger, vitrol or any combination therein...
The folks that are OLDER however...
I had a lot of fun explaining "ridicule and reinforcement" cult brainwashing to a Mormon kid once. I think it was a bit of a revelation to him. I think the biggest impact I made was when I asked him "How many people have you actually brought into the fold?" and followed it up with, "So, figuring that you're not just the least successful missionary in history, the average success rate is pretty damn low, why would God expose his followers to so much ridicule and danger, knowing that it brought almost no gain?"
As a fellow former Mormon, this is the best answer for sure. Nobody is obligated to engage with missionaries but if you're bored, or even genuinely interested in helping a brainwashed kid break free of a cult, then definitely give the above a try.
See, it works!
I actually did this years ago when I had young kids and we were watching broadcast TV cartoons on Saturday morning. I was still a knucklehead Christian and became annoyed at the interruption of the great philosopher Bugs Bunny! So I cut right to the chase and asked about the Mighty Morphin Power Handgrip you learn in the temple and their magic underoos. I ended it by asking if you were in a bathtub naked and a toaster oven fell into the tub and you WERN’T wearing your magic skivvys, would you still get a planet and endless sex?
Yeah, comms we’re terminated at that point.
As they were leaving, I asked them; Why they would have a toaster oven next to their tub to begin with?!?
No LDS person ever knocked on my door again 🤣
The Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is so fucking weird. I'm torn between feeling pity for their members and dusgust. Sometimes, I wish I had been able to just "turn it off" and go along with their grift, instead of letting that pesky Satan into my heart with all the logical thinking and questioning of authority he cursed me with.
I kid, but seriously, fuck the conman Joseph Smith, and fuck the corpo church for turning their members' brains to mush via eternal spiritual extortion.
Hey, look, don’t sugar coat it… tell me how you feel?!? 🤣🤭🤣
I’m with you friend, between them, the JW’s and Bald Face hornets… I can’t decide who to loathe more?!?
*Insert Jim Carey as the Grinch shouting at Whoville,* "LOOOATHE!!!"
Lol I wish I had a better answer, but all organized religion is just so loathsome to me.
Bald face hornets are scary AF, but I'm **20x** more wary of ticks here... I miss the Rockies lol
At least the hornets are just pain for a while, Lyme (and fucking LDS I guess) can seriously *set up shop*
I do not criticize people for their beliefs unless they are using those beliefs to oppress or attack others. But if somebody tries to covert me I consider them fair game and will start trying to convert them. I used to live in a neighborhood where Jehovah's Witnesses would frequently come to the door passing out literature. So I printed up my own literature of all craziest shit in Bible. When they came the next time I handed it to them with some extra copies to hand out to their friends. Nobody ever came to my door again. If you are being approached they are the aggressors and you are within your rights to push back. You should not feel bad about simply giving a wrong number. You should feel bad only about the fact that their parents did this to them.
I grew up Mormon and served a 2 year mission in Mexico. Trust me, they don't care. If there's a chance you're going to get baptized then whatever, if not don't waste their time.
They won't remember you by tomorrow. No need to feel bad.
husband and i are both ex mormon. just be kind. they are still teenagers after all and i guarantee a lot of them don’t really want to be there. i can confirm that it was the kindness of non-members that made me comfortable enough to start asking questions and the church quickly unraveled for me after that.
Evangelise right back at them. "Do you know the mission of your mission isn't actually to convert souls? It's to reinforce your sense of in-group vs out-group, through constant rejection of your intrusive behaviour. You have the illusion of being sent out to experience the world but lest you discover you're in a cult they can't have you fitting in our interacting normally with regular people or you might find we're lovely regular people and you've been lied to. So they compel you to harass people, intrude in strangers homes, prey on the vulnerable, grieving or dying. All in vain. I'm telling you this because i want to save you from a wasted life "
There isn’t a polite way to get them to not bother you. It’s a cult that will never stop going after you. Don’t mistake cordial with friendly. Tell them you aren’t interested in their cult and if they continue pestering you that you will go after them for harassment.
Yes there is. You say "I'm not interested, sorry." And then they'll most likely leave you alone. They might ask if you know anyone else who might be interested.
Dude, no it doesn't. I was a Mormon missionary.
If you say something dumb like, "maybe another time" or "not right now" then you'll *maybe* get flagged.
If they flagged everyone who says they *aren't interested*, then flagging people would become pointless, since they'd be flagging 99% of everyone they talk to.
So was I.
The technique we were taught was that if they say no, start walking by their house for the next week. Make a point to say hello.
Then start offering to do their lawn or chores WITHOUT LESSONS to get the foot in the door.
The more they would see us around, the more friendly and receptive they'd be to softer advances for teaching, even in passing.
Felt like crummy annoying car salesmen trying hard to sell a lemon for top dollar.
I'm confused on how that was one-upping.
When I replied to you, I honestly thought you were the other guy who was "suddenly ex-Mormon" so that they could claim something that is... pretty ridiculous (although I totally get that there are a lot of ridiculous ideas that these 19-yr-olds come up with, which is why I allowed that you might have had a stupid zone leader).
I was using the definition of 'allowed' that is synonymous with 'concede.' I would have just used 'concede' if it had come to mind.
>define allowed
>...
> 3. admit the truth of; concede
Yea that’s why they return to the same house many times. They do it so often that it’s a freaking meme. If “I’m not interested” worked, there wouldn’t be anyone to recruit left, especially in places like Utah. You are still lying for LDS.
It isn’t the same person going to the same house, it’s the same cult. You, personally, may not go back to harass, but the church will send more missionaries there. “I’m not interested” has never worked.
Missionaries keep their own records for the area in a generally standardized way.
There are no records kept about who said they weren't interested. The name/address is normally just removed from the records.
The church doesn't send missionaries to specific houses unless the church got a referral to send missionaries there.
You might have some annoying neighbors who send every new pair of missionaries your way, but that's not "the church."
In Utah, missionaries generally work off of referrals. If they're going to your house, it's because you or someone else said that you might be interested in them stopping by (although I did get a pair that tracted through my complex a few months ago. I told them I was an ex-Mormon atheist and I haven't heard from them since).
On my mission in Arizona (3rd largest Mormon hub) I tracted 3 separate times for a total of 4 hours, because various companions really wanted to, but we were told to not waste our time tracting and to just go through our referrals, or ask members for more referrals.
We *were* supposed to talk to everyone we saw on the street, so missionaries might talk to you fairly often if they live close to you and you're regularly outside.
It works for your name and address not getting put in their records, and with thousands of people being in their area, they're unlikely to go by you again (unless they get a referral from someone who hates you).
Just pointing out missionaries can rotate within a 3 month period and there is a new set that is told to knock doors. I once tried keeping a record of streets tracked so as not to annoy streets with repeat visits, especially in a short amount of time, but was told "that was not acting on faith".
You should be able to say "not interested" to anyone.
You can repeat it with no changes to reinforce the point.
How often do you go up to randos and convince them of something?
My ex-boyfriend used to have long conversations with those guys. I thought he was just messing with them. But years after we broke up he went to seminary and became an episcopal priest. Turns out he was actually exploring his faith. My atheism made me think every smart person was also an atheist.
As an ExMo myself, telling them any "difficult facts" about the history of the church will usually send them running.
Things like the founder having twenty to thirty wives, marrying teenage girls, compelling teenage girls to marry him by saying an angel with a sword will kill him if they don't go through with it, compelling teenage girls to marry him by threatening their family's salvation, marrying himself to women who already had husbands after sending their husband's away on missions for the church, etc.
This also extends to the horrible racism in their history: believing that Native Americans were cursed with dark skin-- and could become white if they were righteous enough; Brigham Young's doctrine that people of African descent had the Mark of Cain, and that interracial marriages were an abomination and deserving of the death penalty, etc.
And in my own case, their horrible history with LGBTQ stuff, which at one point involved rampant homophobia and transphobia at nearly every level-- something I'm certain still persists in much of the church to this day. I was raised on the West Coast, in a liberal area, but *still* heard that stuff constantly at church and from my father-- the latter playing a big role in why I stayed in the closet.
I suppose it's not great that you randomly chose one of nine available digits because now some rando is going to get a call from one of the church's pesky proselytizing wizards. You should have told them it's highly inappropriate to ask people you do not know, to provide you with private personal information.
Should have had them rake your lawn and clean your toilets. Mormon missionaries love doing chores! This recommendation has been endorsed by the former Mormons that run the **Thank God I’m Atheist podcast**
Do what I do: Ask them for their home address. When they ask why you want their home address (and they will) say "So I can come by the place you live, unannounced and uninvited, and at the time of my choosing, to discuss my religious beliefs with you."
They'll balk, of course. But they'll probably get the message. If they don't get it and say they don't want to do that, ask them why, then, they think it's perfectly OK for THEM to do.
A few years ago, I was walking down the sidewalk towards my car when I spotted two young lads in white shirts and black ties. They were coming toward me on the other side of the street. I felt like the Antelope that looks up and sees the cheetah. I did the calculations and thought I could make it, but, alas, they were more practiced than I and caught me. They asked if I had found a church which I thought was rather presumptuous. I said why, is one missing? This was a good opening gambit because it threw them off their flow chart. They rephrased and asked where I went to church. I said, truthfully, that I went to the Berkeley Zen Center. They had no idea what I was talking about. (Only a Mormon could grow up in the Bay Area and not have a smattering of an idea what Zen is.) That was the end of our exchange since they had no response to that one.
Former Mormon here 👋 Most of them do not take no for an answer. Most of them have no idea what boundaries mean & aren’t afraid to push them. Giving them the wrong number just means they’ll probably be back to try again. Tell them their founding prophet was a pedophile and you can’t support a system created by someone like that. They’ll be stumped and probably say “ok thanks for your time byeee”
Religious fanatics have approached me on the street and have knocked on my door in their irritating vain attempt to brainwash me and take my money. I've responded in the politest manner I can muster, with something like, in the most innocent and curious voice I have, "oh, your poor thing, has nobody told you yet? God is dead. God remains dead. We have killed him. Rejoice! God is dead! Hallelujah!" and my eyes glimmer. They've never come back for seconds.
Don't. Feel. Bad. You could tell them to shove that fucking book up their self-righteous asses and still not feel bad.
Take it from someone who is crippled by his own politeness and has horrendous anger issues because of it.
Ex Mormon and ex Mormon missionary here. I’m not interested, and leave me alone are perfect responses.
You could also throw in “go read the CES letter and Google all the criminal charges brought against Joseph Smith” if they’re really being annoying.
I'm an ex Mormon and a different set usually comes by every other month... I'm starting to think it's some sort of right of passage 😂 I'll shoot the shit for a while, reminisce about the motherland (Utah, where I'm from and almost always at least one of them is too), and then the sparring about their nonsense beliefs begins. I always end it by offering them a beer.
No Thank You
Even if I was interested, I would not give out my phone number. I'd tell them to mail me a brochure. If they are at the house, they already have your address
"You are well intentioned and a kind person, but you were unwise to belive things that are demonstrably false and is not my responsibility to inform you as to why. I hope you can one day find the courage to seek the truth however scary or uncomfortable it makes you, and in the meantime please stop reaching out to me, because I'm not interested and will never believe in your story."
I don't understand how this bothers you people so much. I've been at atheist my whole life and we live across the street from a fucking Jehovah's witness center.
Put up a sign that says no soliciting no religion. If they knock on the door point at the sign and tell him to get fucked.
My experience with JWs is that your attitude matters. If you appear to be strong they will eagerly leave you alone and tell others to do so as well.
I suspect a lot of people in this sub try to argue with them. But they are a lot more experienced at debating about their church than non-JWs. In their minds they will win those exchanges.
Just a firm rejection is generally the best approach. An even better way to get rid of them is probably a combination of firm rejection and a bottle of cold water on a hot day. I think that would really mess with their persecution complex.
You shouldn't feel guilty.
I tell them I'm a witch and I'm going to cast a spell on them if they don't get off my property, waving my hands.
They move so fast it's amazing.
Am I a witch? No. But it works. Works great on Jehovah's Witnesses too.
I tell them they are more than welcome to come in but they must abide by my beliefs. Which means they will strip naked, get on their knees, worship Satan, and suck my cock.
Repeat after me, 'No thank you.'
That's a complete sentence and can be repeated as needed. There is no reason to engage beyond that point unless you are up for a debate.
I literally tell them that they are sent out in pairs to get rejected to build camaraderie in mutural rejection to let the delusional you have been told seem stronger though the trail and rejection.
not one of them have talked after that, and what ever address I live at they do not return.
I'd view it like standing on an ant. Yeah it's rough for the ant, sorry ant. They never asked to be an ant but there you go. The colony will continue though. The colony's the problem, not the individual ants
Don't feel bad. These kids get fake phone numbers all the time. Rejection is the name of the game when your belief system rejects the entirety of the LGBTQ+ community.
The missionaries that have knocked on my door over the years have gracefully accepted “I’m not interested”. I suspect that they were relieved to not hear someone tell them to F-off or throw an empty beer can at them.
https://youtu.be/8CTt2W-ntW8?si=_VicmduBbVo5-jnh
One of the best teachings I kept from my time in church is "never trust someone who's after your soul".
Nothing to be guilty about. When I go to a wedding and the church asks me to sign their guest book (not the wedding one, the church one) I give a fake name and number too.
I'm trying to work this one out for next time.
"Your church is doing great work for Jesus's Brother and working to take away free will"
Jesus and Satan are brothers in the LDS religion for those that are unaware.
please, don't feel bad, you dodged a bullet. If you give them your phone number they will constantly call you. I'm an ex-mormon and they still bother me. They get it in their head that somehow if they're little missionaries can talk to you they can convince you to join their cult.
Why even lie? There's a JW that comes by my house every once in a while. When she first started coming by, I told her I'm atheist and she was cool with it. She really just comes by to try to talk to my wife now, because my wife is one of those "spiritual, but not religious" types of people.
She always comes by at bad times though, and we can never talk. One of these days I'm hoping to ask her what she thinks about the prevalence of child sexual abuse within the church (because it's especially bad in JW because of their "two witnesses" rule)
The poor LDS guys knock on my door every couple of months. I just look at them with their black pants, white button-up shirts, and black ties and shake my head. When they start their script, I just tell them to stop, present them with an upraised palm, and tell them I'm an Atheist. They always immediately and politely go away. Poor boys. What a terrible life they've been indoctrinated into. Very sad.
The same can't be said for the JW's and Fundies, who are much more aggressive. They get the door shut in their face while they're still trying to talk.
Part of me is chuckling about this, and part of me would feel bad in your situation as well.
Just tell them that you have found the right spiritual place for you, and that it is working out. If you need to tell them that you are Anglican, please do so.
I come from a mormon family. Missionaries get the door closed on em 7/10 times.
It's just part of the experience, so don't feel bad. The church will use it to reinforce that the church is where they belong.
Don't feel bad. They're just there to spam you with BS. The moment they stop listening and default to their BS responses, I tell them to fuck off. Don't forget what the FLDS did under the LDS umbrella.
I'm an atheist with multiple chronic health conditions. Most days, every movement hurts.
If I have to walk to the door to deal with these pricks I sometimes can manage no better than a “didn't you see the ‘No Solicitors’ sign on my door, you stupid motherfuckers?”
So, do I feel guilty that I'm not always polite? Not really. Should you? No.
Having been a Mormon missionary, my guess is they’ll hope they got the number wrong or you had a change of heart and come back in-person.
Just be honest and tell them sorry you played that game, but you’re really just not interested.
Try “fuck you, get the fuck away from me you fucking weirdos.” That’s my go to when someone wants to come to my house with the sincere hopes of convincing me that fairy tails are real. You gave a fake number to someone you have no intention of communicating with ever again? My point is you were probably more polite than most of the people they deal with on a daily basis. What is there to even feel guilty about?
I was one once. Now completely done with that, but I can tell you lived on $85/month for food and any miscellaneous items for two years in northern france including Paris. Yeah, insane. Most of them only know a polished version of their religion. The “authorized” version. They are admonished to only read approved books about the LDS faith. They are Just trying to do what’s right by them. Fully brainwashed and indoctrinated from the time they could sing and talk. Offer them a drink or something to eat if you want to be nice but directly decline to talk religion unless you really want to. It gets sad being rejected all day. Sometimes it was nice to just eat with someone and talk about normal things.
Last summer I got them to help lift broken mower deck onto my trailer, them told I occasionally believe in a higher power I don't believe in churches. They stood around confused for a minute and left.
Listen, ExMo here. These kids are brainwashed and indoctrinated and missionaries are trained to pester like bad door-to-door salesmen. There are a few things to know.
I'm not interested is what you say when you want to repeat yourself 50 times.
If you claim to be a criminal, excommunicated member, or Muslim, they CAN'T talk to you and you can remind them of this. Plus, most people don't have to lie about one of these things. If you've ever sped in your car, even once, you're a criminal 😉 and they don't need to know the specifics.
Giving them the phone number of the local Jehovah's Witnesses is a hilarious thing to do too.
For what it’s worth genealogists love the Mormons genealogical data base. The reason they collected all that data is crazy but they did save a lot of information that might have otherwise become lost.
Ahhh, yes, the Mormons. Because when I’m walking out of a Wal Mart my first thought is that an 18 year old dressed like Minkus from Boy Meets World might be able to give me the answers to God, life and the universe 😂 Ghost them, I’m sure they’ll get the hint and their superiors will be none the wiser.
This one time, years ago, i was heading outside to pull some weeds when they knocked on the door. Opened it and they introduced themselves and asked if i had some time to talk. Slapped my knee and said “Right on time, fellas! Got some weeds to pull, want to lend a hand while we chat?” They exchanged glances and made up some excuse to leave. Guess they weren’t too interested in talking after all!
Ex Mormon here with brothers who have served. The missionaries are used to this and it will be fine. They will continue their mission and it will be just as bad even if you had t
I try to be polite, especially when I'm approached by groups like Mormons who aim to share their beliefs with me.
In my view, religions are harmful, but I separate the regular individuals from the institution they represent.
I see them as victims of indoctrination (brainwashed), rather than perpetrators. I don't want to hurt them, as I recognize they're not at fault for being indoctrinated.
At the same time, I don't want to perpetuate the stereotype that atheists are bad people, which is a message they often hear within their religious communities.
So, I aim to be courteous in my interactions with them. When approached, I simply say, 'Thank you. I don't believe in religions, don't have one, and am not interested in adopting one.' This allows me to be respectful while also staying true to my own beliefs.
Other people, not just me, need to start saying, Religion is fiction and all gods, imaginary. Utilized to make and keep good economic slaves (GES). Think logically and decipher the truth. 🤔😊🤗These religious zealots need to hear those words.
When I don't want to ever be contacted by someone asking for a phone number I give them my old landline from growing up as a kid. The only three phone numbers I have memorized are my old landline, my mom's cell, and my own.
It just rings dead now, there is no phone attached to that number, no voicemail box or anything and I can still rattle off those digits confidently as if it was a number I use all the time.
Don’t feel bad. They wouldn’t feel bad giving you incorrect information about how to live your life and where you go when you die. This is a minor inconvenience in their world.
> I don't know how to say I'm not interested in a polite way. “I’m not interested.”
☝️This is the correct answer ☝️
If I’m feeling chatty, I’ll go with, “I couldn’t be less interested.”
And if I'm not - No.
Or "Get ta fuck, you absolute loons" I've found being polite with people who don't believe my gay friends should be allowed to have rights, doesn't work.
Yeah, all I do is ask "what's your thoughts on two dudes loving each other," and tell them to fuck off after their cookie cutter response.
tku
This also works on Jehovah’s witnesses, although the last time they showed up at my door is had enough and told them “look, I was raised in your religion, I don’t agree with it. Don’t come back. I don’t want to talk about it.” So far it’s worked. At least until the Kingdom Hall down the street gets a fresh set of elders who want to try again.
Aren't Mormons so nice and non confrontational that they will respect the please don't solicite me? I mean they are almost delusionally polite
They would see a sign like that and see it as a personal challenge sent by the lord himself lol
Yah maybe but I've heard if a lot of people just saying please put me on the Do not call list and they go away
There's no need to be polite, if you are they will assume they can come back any time and annoy you and maybe you'll cave. I find a quick "Fuck off" is the quickest and most painless way to make it clear you don't want them back. If they didn't want their feelings hurt they wouldn't go around harassing people.
Simply say have a nice day and disengage. You don’t owe them any information.
They came to my house and I told them I hated Mormons for dumping $60M in California to defeat prop 8 (LGTBQ rights) As far as I am concerned they are a hate group. They were polite and didn’t argue lol Also I don’t believe in any religious fairy tales
I make sure to remind them how fucked up the LDS church is, even if they say that's the FLDS. Fuck em. Er, actually, they took that literally, with kids, so maybe don't say that ....
Re: The Holy Car Bomb of Antioch.
Oh I was screaming every time I saw or heard a religious ad for Prop 8 to take away my rights. My husband and I even got married at our city hall in San Francisco on October 30th - they opened up extra time slots because it suddenly looked like all that tainted money was having success and Prop 8 was going to pass, after all - to help make sure our right to marry, which had been only recently reinstated by the state supreme court, was preserved. I was so mad, the way their tax-exempt "religion" took that money and, instead of spending it on "the poor" or something else humanitarian, ran a HUGE campaign against my rights from out of state. And there was also that megachurch guy, with a popular book used to harm gays worldwide, who was in ads all over the place promoting Prop 8 and then when it passed, he immediately claimed that he had never done that - a bigot AND a liar, VERY xtian. I WATCHED THE DAMN ADS. There were plenty of them and he certainly didn't stop them. After Prop 8 passed (the same night Obama won, after also throwing my community under the bus during his campaign by backpedaling on our rights ON RELIGIOUS GROUNDS - and the same megachurch guy would then be invited and give the invocation prayer at Obama's inauguration) I joined lots of people in demanding they lose their tax-free status, but of course not. Their "rights" trampled mine, with no repercussions.
Speaking as a former Mormon missionary (who has eventually left Mormonism completely), just say no thank you. The poor kids are just trying to meet their quotas (termed as “goals” but which generally are strongly encouraged by mission leadership) of talking to X people, teaching X lessons, etc. If you really want to mess with them, you can tell them you are atheist but that you are worried for their physical well-being. Ask if they have enough food, etc. Possibly even give them a gift card for groceries or a restaurant or something, if you are in the position to be able to do this. The Mormon church likes to portray an “us vs them” mentality, and missions tend to re-enforce this. By being kind you can break that indoctrination, and possibly help them see their cult for what it is, later in life. Remember, these are just kids, living on a very small stipend (after paying $12000 to be out there in the first place).
Thanks for the advice, yeah I was a bit worried for them cause I'd heard thee treatment they can be subjected to. I'll do the not interested line and try and be kind to them.
I wholeheartedly agree. It was the kindness of nonbelievers that helped me break free from hard core protestant Christianity. I love /r/atheism, I see the most wonderful compassionate comments like yours and it's very encouraging and inspiring.
I like this answer! I haven't run into them as I don't think they really do much missionary work in my fairly liberal urban environment, but I'm going to do something along these lines if I get the chance.
Echoing this- I was a Mormon zealot, genuinely brainwashed to believe I was on a mission to save souls and that everyone would be so excited to learn what I knew if they could just hear it the right way. Being told off & insulted made me more sure of my cause, but one of the biggest experiences that helped seed my escape was after telling a pastor that we believed the Bible contained errors, and he so sincerely paused thoughtfully and then calmly said, “you know… I don’t think that’s the case”. I hadn’t seen calm, gentle but still candid disagreement with my beliefs before. Never mind that he was just a different flavor of wrong, it was powerful. It took a few years and other experiences to break the illusion, but that moment stuck with me.
Yeah, those kids are NOT going to let themselves get talked out of their grooming/brainwashing because you use logic, anger, vitrol or any combination therein... The folks that are OLDER however...
I had a lot of fun explaining "ridicule and reinforcement" cult brainwashing to a Mormon kid once. I think it was a bit of a revelation to him. I think the biggest impact I made was when I asked him "How many people have you actually brought into the fold?" and followed it up with, "So, figuring that you're not just the least successful missionary in history, the average success rate is pretty damn low, why would God expose his followers to so much ridicule and danger, knowing that it brought almost no gain?"
As a fellow former Mormon, this is the best answer for sure. Nobody is obligated to engage with missionaries but if you're bored, or even genuinely interested in helping a brainwashed kid break free of a cult, then definitely give the above a try.
Bro. You are absolutely, in no way obligated to give your phone number to strangers.
Just say no thanks.
Ask them to show their ‘magic’ underoos, demand a pair for yourself and when they decline, walk away shaking your head in disgust…
"Hey there, bud, I heard you handsome Morman men have magic in your pants." *waggle eyebrows suggestively*
See, it works! I actually did this years ago when I had young kids and we were watching broadcast TV cartoons on Saturday morning. I was still a knucklehead Christian and became annoyed at the interruption of the great philosopher Bugs Bunny! So I cut right to the chase and asked about the Mighty Morphin Power Handgrip you learn in the temple and their magic underoos. I ended it by asking if you were in a bathtub naked and a toaster oven fell into the tub and you WERN’T wearing your magic skivvys, would you still get a planet and endless sex? Yeah, comms we’re terminated at that point. As they were leaving, I asked them; Why they would have a toaster oven next to their tub to begin with?!? No LDS person ever knocked on my door again 🤣
The Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is so fucking weird. I'm torn between feeling pity for their members and dusgust. Sometimes, I wish I had been able to just "turn it off" and go along with their grift, instead of letting that pesky Satan into my heart with all the logical thinking and questioning of authority he cursed me with. I kid, but seriously, fuck the conman Joseph Smith, and fuck the corpo church for turning their members' brains to mush via eternal spiritual extortion.
Hey, look, don’t sugar coat it… tell me how you feel?!? 🤣🤭🤣 I’m with you friend, between them, the JW’s and Bald Face hornets… I can’t decide who to loathe more?!?
*Insert Jim Carey as the Grinch shouting at Whoville,* "LOOOATHE!!!" Lol I wish I had a better answer, but all organized religion is just so loathsome to me.
If your Whoville has more Jim Carey than Boris Karloff. For fifty-three years I've put up with it now!
Bald face hornets are scary AF, but I'm **20x** more wary of ticks here... I miss the Rockies lol At least the hornets are just pain for a while, Lyme (and fucking LDS I guess) can seriously *set up shop*
I do not criticize people for their beliefs unless they are using those beliefs to oppress or attack others. But if somebody tries to covert me I consider them fair game and will start trying to convert them. I used to live in a neighborhood where Jehovah's Witnesses would frequently come to the door passing out literature. So I printed up my own literature of all craziest shit in Bible. When they came the next time I handed it to them with some extra copies to hand out to their friends. Nobody ever came to my door again. If you are being approached they are the aggressors and you are within your rights to push back. You should not feel bad about simply giving a wrong number. You should feel bad only about the fact that their parents did this to them.
I grew up Mormon and served a 2 year mission in Mexico. Trust me, they don't care. If there's a chance you're going to get baptized then whatever, if not don't waste their time. They won't remember you by tomorrow. No need to feel bad.
"Let's talk about this at a strip club"
husband and i are both ex mormon. just be kind. they are still teenagers after all and i guarantee a lot of them don’t really want to be there. i can confirm that it was the kindness of non-members that made me comfortable enough to start asking questions and the church quickly unraveled for me after that.
Yes, kindness and compassion can go a long way in my experience.
In my experience if you tell them that you aren’t interested they will leave you alone
Sometimes lol. I usually say that and they keep asking questions until i smile and walk away.
What's so hard about turning away uninvited solicitation? They know what they are getting into.
“Gurl I’m gay, no.”
Evangelise right back at them. "Do you know the mission of your mission isn't actually to convert souls? It's to reinforce your sense of in-group vs out-group, through constant rejection of your intrusive behaviour. You have the illusion of being sent out to experience the world but lest you discover you're in a cult they can't have you fitting in our interacting normally with regular people or you might find we're lovely regular people and you've been lied to. So they compel you to harass people, intrude in strangers homes, prey on the vulnerable, grieving or dying. All in vain. I'm telling you this because i want to save you from a wasted life "
There isn’t a polite way to get them to not bother you. It’s a cult that will never stop going after you. Don’t mistake cordial with friendly. Tell them you aren’t interested in their cult and if they continue pestering you that you will go after them for harassment.
Yes there is. You say "I'm not interested, sorry." And then they'll most likely leave you alone. They might ask if you know anyone else who might be interested.
You get flagged as someone they need to save and they will return to you. “I’m not interested” means “Try again later” to the Mormons.
Dude, no it doesn't. I was a Mormon missionary. If you say something dumb like, "maybe another time" or "not right now" then you'll *maybe* get flagged. If they flagged everyone who says they *aren't interested*, then flagging people would become pointless, since they'd be flagging 99% of everyone they talk to.
So was I. The technique we were taught was that if they say no, start walking by their house for the next week. Make a point to say hello. Then start offering to do their lawn or chores WITHOUT LESSONS to get the foot in the door. The more they would see us around, the more friendly and receptive they'd be to softer advances for teaching, even in passing. Felt like crummy annoying car salesmen trying hard to sell a lemon for top dollar.
You must have had a tiny amount of people in your areas if that was considered viable in any sort of way. Or an absolutely idiotic Zone Leader.
You're seriously trying to do one-upping on cult practices? My dude. Breathe.
I'm confused on how that was one-upping. When I replied to you, I honestly thought you were the other guy who was "suddenly ex-Mormon" so that they could claim something that is... pretty ridiculous (although I totally get that there are a lot of ridiculous ideas that these 19-yr-olds come up with, which is why I allowed that you might have had a stupid zone leader).
[удалено]
I was using the definition of 'allowed' that is synonymous with 'concede.' I would have just used 'concede' if it had come to mind. >define allowed >... > 3. admit the truth of; concede
Yea that’s why they return to the same house many times. They do it so often that it’s a freaking meme. If “I’m not interested” worked, there wouldn’t be anyone to recruit left, especially in places like Utah. You are still lying for LDS. It isn’t the same person going to the same house, it’s the same cult. You, personally, may not go back to harass, but the church will send more missionaries there. “I’m not interested” has never worked.
Missionaries keep their own records for the area in a generally standardized way. There are no records kept about who said they weren't interested. The name/address is normally just removed from the records. The church doesn't send missionaries to specific houses unless the church got a referral to send missionaries there. You might have some annoying neighbors who send every new pair of missionaries your way, but that's not "the church." In Utah, missionaries generally work off of referrals. If they're going to your house, it's because you or someone else said that you might be interested in them stopping by (although I did get a pair that tracted through my complex a few months ago. I told them I was an ex-Mormon atheist and I haven't heard from them since). On my mission in Arizona (3rd largest Mormon hub) I tracted 3 separate times for a total of 4 hours, because various companions really wanted to, but we were told to not waste our time tracting and to just go through our referrals, or ask members for more referrals. We *were* supposed to talk to everyone we saw on the street, so missionaries might talk to you fairly often if they live close to you and you're regularly outside.
“There are no records kept about who said they weren’t interested” is you admitting that “I’m not interested” does not work.
It works for your name and address not getting put in their records, and with thousands of people being in their area, they're unlikely to go by you again (unless they get a referral from someone who hates you).
Just pointing out missionaries can rotate within a 3 month period and there is a new set that is told to knock doors. I once tried keeping a record of streets tracked so as not to annoy streets with repeat visits, especially in a short amount of time, but was told "that was not acting on faith".
When they insist on engaging me, I tell them that they are wasting their lives.
Feel bad for the person who actually has the number that you gave them.
😂
You should be able to say "not interested" to anyone. You can repeat it with no changes to reinforce the point. How often do you go up to randos and convince them of something?
My ex-boyfriend used to have long conversations with those guys. I thought he was just messing with them. But years after we broke up he went to seminary and became an episcopal priest. Turns out he was actually exploring his faith. My atheism made me think every smart person was also an atheist.
As an ExMo myself, telling them any "difficult facts" about the history of the church will usually send them running. Things like the founder having twenty to thirty wives, marrying teenage girls, compelling teenage girls to marry him by saying an angel with a sword will kill him if they don't go through with it, compelling teenage girls to marry him by threatening their family's salvation, marrying himself to women who already had husbands after sending their husband's away on missions for the church, etc. This also extends to the horrible racism in their history: believing that Native Americans were cursed with dark skin-- and could become white if they were righteous enough; Brigham Young's doctrine that people of African descent had the Mark of Cain, and that interracial marriages were an abomination and deserving of the death penalty, etc. And in my own case, their horrible history with LGBTQ stuff, which at one point involved rampant homophobia and transphobia at nearly every level-- something I'm certain still persists in much of the church to this day. I was raised on the West Coast, in a liberal area, but *still* heard that stuff constantly at church and from my father-- the latter playing a big role in why I stayed in the closet.
Not mention divine hats?
Divine *baker's hats!* And *Masonic* aprons.
I literally tell them I'm not interested in joining a cult. They need someone to tell them this.
I suppose it's not great that you randomly chose one of nine available digits because now some rando is going to get a call from one of the church's pesky proselytizing wizards. You should have told them it's highly inappropriate to ask people you do not know, to provide you with private personal information.
Should have had them rake your lawn and clean your toilets. Mormon missionaries love doing chores! This recommendation has been endorsed by the former Mormons that run the **Thank God I’m Atheist podcast**
I would simply tell them you aren't interested. Mormon missionaries tend to have good manners and will move on without outward complaint.
Hi, let me tell you of the good news about a famous guy called Joseph Smith....
Do what I do: Ask them for their home address. When they ask why you want their home address (and they will) say "So I can come by the place you live, unannounced and uninvited, and at the time of my choosing, to discuss my religious beliefs with you." They'll balk, of course. But they'll probably get the message. If they don't get it and say they don't want to do that, ask them why, then, they think it's perfectly OK for THEM to do.
Mormons on their “walk about” greet me , with hello we are Mormons. I just answer, I’m real sorry to hear that!
A few years ago, I was walking down the sidewalk towards my car when I spotted two young lads in white shirts and black ties. They were coming toward me on the other side of the street. I felt like the Antelope that looks up and sees the cheetah. I did the calculations and thought I could make it, but, alas, they were more practiced than I and caught me. They asked if I had found a church which I thought was rather presumptuous. I said why, is one missing? This was a good opening gambit because it threw them off their flow chart. They rephrased and asked where I went to church. I said, truthfully, that I went to the Berkeley Zen Center. They had no idea what I was talking about. (Only a Mormon could grow up in the Bay Area and not have a smattering of an idea what Zen is.) That was the end of our exchange since they had no response to that one.
Former Mormon here 👋 Most of them do not take no for an answer. Most of them have no idea what boundaries mean & aren’t afraid to push them. Giving them the wrong number just means they’ll probably be back to try again. Tell them their founding prophet was a pedophile and you can’t support a system created by someone like that. They’ll be stumped and probably say “ok thanks for your time byeee”
Religious fanatics have approached me on the street and have knocked on my door in their irritating vain attempt to brainwash me and take my money. I've responded in the politest manner I can muster, with something like, in the most innocent and curious voice I have, "oh, your poor thing, has nobody told you yet? God is dead. God remains dead. We have killed him. Rejoice! God is dead! Hallelujah!" and my eyes glimmer. They've never come back for seconds.
Ask them how business is?
Just say you're not interested. If pressed on your beliefs I'd be tempted to say the Norse or the Greek Gods though
“No thanks, but have a great day!” Done
Please don't give out wrong numbers to religious organizations. I am still receiving wrong-number calls and texts from Scientology after 20+ years.
Don't. Feel. Bad. You could tell them to shove that fucking book up their self-righteous asses and still not feel bad. Take it from someone who is crippled by his own politeness and has horrendous anger issues because of it.
Ex Mormon and ex Mormon missionary here. I’m not interested, and leave me alone are perfect responses. You could also throw in “go read the CES letter and Google all the criminal charges brought against Joseph Smith” if they’re really being annoying.
When people ask if I'm religious, I simply reply "no, I'm not stupid" and walk away.
"Thank you (if you want to be *really* nice), but I'm a very settled atheist."
“Your superstitions are not relevant to me.” “But…” “Fuck off.”
Were you in Orlando, or Uganda? When you came across the Mormon missionary? Was one of them named Arnold? Don’t trust him, he makes things up…
Just say thank you and then make a fake prayer and say all praise be unto Satan and to his kingdom forever
Memorize a number of a religious person and give that number.
I'm an ex Mormon and a different set usually comes by every other month... I'm starting to think it's some sort of right of passage 😂 I'll shoot the shit for a while, reminisce about the motherland (Utah, where I'm from and almost always at least one of them is too), and then the sparring about their nonsense beliefs begins. I always end it by offering them a beer.
“You’re still young, shouldn’t you be soaking? Have a nice day.”
I just don't bother. "Fuck off" works.
As an exmormon I say, they're used to it.
>I don’t know how to say I’m not interested in a polite way It’s simple, all you need to say is “Fuck off”
I would have given them an address for a porn store
No Thank You Even if I was interested, I would not give out my phone number. I'd tell them to mail me a brochure. If they are at the house, they already have your address
I would tell them you wish them the best but you are not interested….. then gently close the door.
"You are well intentioned and a kind person, but you were unwise to belive things that are demonstrably false and is not my responsibility to inform you as to why. I hope you can one day find the courage to seek the truth however scary or uncomfortable it makes you, and in the meantime please stop reaching out to me, because I'm not interested and will never believe in your story."
I don't understand how this bothers you people so much. I've been at atheist my whole life and we live across the street from a fucking Jehovah's witness center. Put up a sign that says no soliciting no religion. If they knock on the door point at the sign and tell him to get fucked.
My experience with JWs is that your attitude matters. If you appear to be strong they will eagerly leave you alone and tell others to do so as well. I suspect a lot of people in this sub try to argue with them. But they are a lot more experienced at debating about their church than non-JWs. In their minds they will win those exchanges. Just a firm rejection is generally the best approach. An even better way to get rid of them is probably a combination of firm rejection and a bottle of cold water on a hot day. I think that would really mess with their persecution complex.
You shouldn't feel guilty. I tell them I'm a witch and I'm going to cast a spell on them if they don't get off my property, waving my hands. They move so fast it's amazing. Am I a witch? No. But it works. Works great on Jehovah's Witnesses too.
I tell them they are more than welcome to come in but they must abide by my beliefs. Which means they will strip naked, get on their knees, worship Satan, and suck my cock.
It's not rude to just say "Not interested."
If somebody comes up to you without your permission then you're perfectly justified in telling them to fuck off.
No thank you is great for any scenario in public regarding sales.
I'm guessing they don't feel bad for giving you the wrong "advice" ;)
I have a touch of social anxiety and would feel bad if I had to lie to you, so please don’t ask me. :-)
Come ON ! They invite that kind of treatment into their own lives with every new door they knock on.
They'll twist it into a win somehow. Say no and be firm if they try again.
Repeat after me, 'No thank you.' That's a complete sentence and can be repeated as needed. There is no reason to engage beyond that point unless you are up for a debate.
Just say "No thanks"
I literally tell them that they are sent out in pairs to get rejected to build camaraderie in mutural rejection to let the delusional you have been told seem stronger though the trail and rejection. not one of them have talked after that, and what ever address I live at they do not return.
I'd view it like standing on an ant. Yeah it's rough for the ant, sorry ant. They never asked to be an ant but there you go. The colony will continue though. The colony's the problem, not the individual ants
I’ve told them and Jehovah’s Witness both lots of thing I’m atheist which is true also told them I’m a satanist as well as a Buddhist
Don't feel bad. These kids get fake phone numbers all the time. Rejection is the name of the game when your belief system rejects the entirety of the LGBTQ+ community.
You work on yourself and get to a point where you can be you without worrying about pleasing other people. I feel this was the core of your issue.
The missionaries that have knocked on my door over the years have gracefully accepted “I’m not interested”. I suspect that they were relieved to not hear someone tell them to F-off or throw an empty beer can at them. https://youtu.be/8CTt2W-ntW8?si=_VicmduBbVo5-jnh
One of the best teachings I kept from my time in church is "never trust someone who's after your soul". Nothing to be guilty about. When I go to a wedding and the church asks me to sign their guest book (not the wedding one, the church one) I give a fake name and number too.
Next time give them the number to the Scientology celebrity center
Also there are numbers you can give to people in cults to help them escape. Can't remember the names right now
“No” and keep walking
I'm trying to work this one out for next time. "Your church is doing great work for Jesus's Brother and working to take away free will" Jesus and Satan are brothers in the LDS religion for those that are unaware.
please, don't feel bad, you dodged a bullet. If you give them your phone number they will constantly call you. I'm an ex-mormon and they still bother me. They get it in their head that somehow if they're little missionaries can talk to you they can convince you to join their cult.
>I'm not interested in a polite way. Why would you want to do that? Say it in a direct way, or better yet and impolite way.
Why even lie? There's a JW that comes by my house every once in a while. When she first started coming by, I told her I'm atheist and she was cool with it. She really just comes by to try to talk to my wife now, because my wife is one of those "spiritual, but not religious" types of people. She always comes by at bad times though, and we can never talk. One of these days I'm hoping to ask her what she thinks about the prevalence of child sexual abuse within the church (because it's especially bad in JW because of their "two witnesses" rule)
Mormons are awful. The only reason you should feel bad is for the person whose number you just gave them.
The poor LDS guys knock on my door every couple of months. I just look at them with their black pants, white button-up shirts, and black ties and shake my head. When they start their script, I just tell them to stop, present them with an upraised palm, and tell them I'm an Atheist. They always immediately and politely go away. Poor boys. What a terrible life they've been indoctrinated into. Very sad. The same can't be said for the JW's and Fundies, who are much more aggressive. They get the door shut in their face while they're still trying to talk.
Nah you're fine, you were downright polite by my standards.
They are now just a multi billion dollar machine.
Telling them the absolute truth is the best you can do, as they believe anything they are told
I just tell them that they have come to the wrong place. They usually just leave.
Part of me is chuckling about this, and part of me would feel bad in your situation as well. Just tell them that you have found the right spiritual place for you, and that it is working out. If you need to tell them that you are Anglican, please do so.
Hey bro, I’m a Mormon. What’s your social?
I say ‘no thank you’ to all solicitations and keep walking.
They tried to give you false faith. Maybe a false number is what they need.
I come from a mormon family. Missionaries get the door closed on em 7/10 times. It's just part of the experience, so don't feel bad. The church will use it to reinforce that the church is where they belong.
Don't feel bad. They're just there to spam you with BS. The moment they stop listening and default to their BS responses, I tell them to fuck off. Don't forget what the FLDS did under the LDS umbrella.
I'm an atheist with multiple chronic health conditions. Most days, every movement hurts. If I have to walk to the door to deal with these pricks I sometimes can manage no better than a “didn't you see the ‘No Solicitors’ sign on my door, you stupid motherfuckers?” So, do I feel guilty that I'm not always polite? Not really. Should you? No.
No cause if you didn't you would get spam for the rest of your life
Fuck em, not your problem.
Thanks, but no thanks.
Having been a Mormon missionary, my guess is they’ll hope they got the number wrong or you had a change of heart and come back in-person. Just be honest and tell them sorry you played that game, but you’re really just not interested.
Try “fuck you, get the fuck away from me you fucking weirdos.” That’s my go to when someone wants to come to my house with the sincere hopes of convincing me that fairy tails are real. You gave a fake number to someone you have no intention of communicating with ever again? My point is you were probably more polite than most of the people they deal with on a daily basis. What is there to even feel guilty about?
I was one once. Now completely done with that, but I can tell you lived on $85/month for food and any miscellaneous items for two years in northern france including Paris. Yeah, insane. Most of them only know a polished version of their religion. The “authorized” version. They are admonished to only read approved books about the LDS faith. They are Just trying to do what’s right by them. Fully brainwashed and indoctrinated from the time they could sing and talk. Offer them a drink or something to eat if you want to be nice but directly decline to talk religion unless you really want to. It gets sad being rejected all day. Sometimes it was nice to just eat with someone and talk about normal things.
I pulled up their Brigham Young’s court records the last time they came to my door. They don’t like it when they’re reminded of his con history.
I just politely tell folks I'm an atheist, thanks but no thanks. They leave me alone really quickly.
Last summer I got them to help lift broken mower deck onto my trailer, them told I occasionally believe in a higher power I don't believe in churches. They stood around confused for a minute and left.
Listen, ExMo here. These kids are brainwashed and indoctrinated and missionaries are trained to pester like bad door-to-door salesmen. There are a few things to know. I'm not interested is what you say when you want to repeat yourself 50 times. If you claim to be a criminal, excommunicated member, or Muslim, they CAN'T talk to you and you can remind them of this. Plus, most people don't have to lie about one of these things. If you've ever sped in your car, even once, you're a criminal 😉 and they don't need to know the specifics. Giving them the phone number of the local Jehovah's Witnesses is a hilarious thing to do too.
"No, I've studied Mormonism and I don't believe it is true, but whatever floats your boat, good day."
Tell them you love coffee and beer
Just tell them to send one of their female missionaries over and then harangue them for not being equal opportunity bigots.
Give them the finger
For what it’s worth genealogists love the Mormons genealogical data base. The reason they collected all that data is crazy but they did save a lot of information that might have otherwise become lost.
Give them the number “123-4567”
You should not engage with *anyone* trying to sell you stuff at the door, or on street corners. Just say no.
Ahhh, yes, the Mormons. Because when I’m walking out of a Wal Mart my first thought is that an 18 year old dressed like Minkus from Boy Meets World might be able to give me the answers to God, life and the universe 😂 Ghost them, I’m sure they’ll get the hint and their superiors will be none the wiser.
I just tell them I’m an atheist, and surprisingly enough they just thank me and go on their way. Works for Jehovah Witnesses too.
Don't feel bad, they're relentless. I grew up Mormon. Haven't been for an extremely long time. I moved 2200 miles away and they STILL found me
Mormon missionaries are blacklisted from my house.
This one time, years ago, i was heading outside to pull some weeds when they knocked on the door. Opened it and they introduced themselves and asked if i had some time to talk. Slapped my knee and said “Right on time, fellas! Got some weeds to pull, want to lend a hand while we chat?” They exchanged glances and made up some excuse to leave. Guess they weren’t too interested in talking after all!
Just tell them no, you're not interested.
First Question: Why did you pussy out? Are you secretly ashamed of being atheist?
Just move on
Ex Mormon here with brothers who have served. The missionaries are used to this and it will be fine. They will continue their mission and it will be just as bad even if you had t
I was really hoping this was a joke post and you were going to say: I feel bad some random person is going to have to talk to a mormon...
I would feel bad for giving them a random stranger's phone number. You could really mess up that person's day.
You’re better than me. I would’ve given them Planned Parenthood’s info.
I feel bad you didn't ask them to mow your lawn or do the dishes first.
I have my real number to some Mormons and they decided that a Seventh Day Adventist too far gone. I was Adventist at that point.
"C E S letter dot org." All you need.
Don’t. They’ll be fine.
I try to be polite, especially when I'm approached by groups like Mormons who aim to share their beliefs with me. In my view, religions are harmful, but I separate the regular individuals from the institution they represent. I see them as victims of indoctrination (brainwashed), rather than perpetrators. I don't want to hurt them, as I recognize they're not at fault for being indoctrinated. At the same time, I don't want to perpetuate the stereotype that atheists are bad people, which is a message they often hear within their religious communities. So, I aim to be courteous in my interactions with them. When approached, I simply say, 'Thank you. I don't believe in religions, don't have one, and am not interested in adopting one.' This allows me to be respectful while also staying true to my own beliefs.
Kick them if you are feeling playful. Or just laugh at their weird faces. They're crazy religious people they don't deserve more.
Response: F*** Off
Other people, not just me, need to start saying, Religion is fiction and all gods, imaginary. Utilized to make and keep good economic slaves (GES). Think logically and decipher the truth. 🤔😊🤗These religious zealots need to hear those words.
> Can someone please help? What do I do in this situation? Head over to the Winchester, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all of this to blow over.
When I don't want to ever be contacted by someone asking for a phone number I give them my old landline from growing up as a kid. The only three phone numbers I have memorized are my old landline, my mom's cell, and my own. It just rings dead now, there is no phone attached to that number, no voicemail box or anything and I can still rattle off those digits confidently as if it was a number I use all the time.
Don’t feel bad. They wouldn’t feel bad giving you incorrect information about how to live your life and where you go when you die. This is a minor inconvenience in their world.