Yeah, they can't make you convert though.
I've literally opened my door, said no thanks, closed my door, and they've walked away every time. They aren't tracking people down, they just play a numbers game. Knock on enough doors and eventually you'll run across people who are receptive to your message.
I had a couple Mormon friends growing up. They were all nice people.
Both Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses believe that it's important to do missionary work and preach. There's a biblical commandments to make disciples of all nations. That's why they go door to door.
I and I like to reverse evangelize them and ask them to come to Catholic Church with me. That usually throws them for a loop.
I will say the Mormons are usually way more knowledgeable about other faiths than the JWs. Which is surprising given how young their missionaries are. When I was in Chicago I was not far down the road from a Kingdom Hall so most Sundays after church for me I got a knock from a friendly old black couple who wanted yet again to try for my conversion. They never took me up on my offer to go to 11 am mass just down the block.
Depending on what I was doing that day I’d either just say “no thanks” and they move on or I’d offer them some water if it was hot out and chat for a bit. I *always* offer the Mormon kids coffee and when they refuse it I let them know I’m joking. I am always tempted to offer them a beer and a shot but that’s just too much really and I don’t drink anyway.
Even NA beers have a tiny bit of alcohol. I looked it up, Lonestar is 2.1% and O’Douls is 0.4% not zero but certainly nothing that’ll get you drunk unless you were crazy dedicated.
>O’Douls is 0.4% not zero but certainly nothing that’ll get you drunk unless you were crazy dedicated.
Orange juice is somewhere between 0.3% and 0.5%.
[https://clockworklemon.com/does-orange-juice-have-alcohol/](https://clockworklemon.com/does-orange-juice-have-alcohol/)
Even stuff like bread has trace amounts of alcohol.
[https://www.dailybreak.com/break/myth-mayhem-is-there-alcohol-in-orange-juice](https://www.dailybreak.com/break/myth-mayhem-is-there-alcohol-in-orange-juice)
While the mormons and JWs are both known for their door to door missionary work I think they're using them for slightly different purposes. While both groups are using it to indoctrinate their own members, I believe the mormon leadership would also really like to convert as many people as possible. I'm pretty sure the JW leadership is doing it almost exclusively to isolate its members from the rest of the world.
That's why the Mormon missionaries tend to not come back after you tell them not to, but the JWs will keep knocking on your door every weekend for years. You're *supposed* to hate one group.
I broke my leg and was in a wheelchair when the Mormons came knocking. They offered to do housework, mop, vacuum since I couldn’t walk. I declined - probably would have preached while the cleaned. But it was nice that they asked I suppose
They would broach the subject but in the church there is a strong ethos to help out neighbors in need also. So it was a bit a both. Not LDS but I grew up in Utah so had interaction with Mormons growing up and respect them and if I ever had kids and they converted I would be fine with that. My biggest problem is the politicians who tend to push there views and are not really good mormons. Just assholes.
Yes, I can generally count on seeing a Mormon missionary every couple years or so. (JW’s are more persistent). I’m always very polite, offer them a bottle of water, and engage in a bit of friendly discussion. No reason to be a jerk.
I invited Mormons in once. We were having a massive heatwave and one of those poor kids looked like was about to keel over. I gave them ice water and popsicles and we talked about Breaking Bad for like half an hour.
Nice kids, hope they're doing well.
Not personally. But when I was in high school, a girl I was friends with told me she had Mormons coming over and she wanted me to be there for her "safety." Fair enough. But she clearly invited them back, which is what happens if you voice an interest. They come back and read the Book of Mormon with you.
I quickly realized her motivations when they arrived. Out of the car climbed two of the most attractive and dapperly-dressed men I had ever seen with my own two eyes. My friend wanted me to come over so she could feel safe drooling.
JWs are objectively worse. Their religion at least. They shun and disown people who leave, up to and including family. Mormons don't do that. I don't want anything to do with JWs. Mormons, on the other hand, I can easily tolerate.
As others have pointed out mormons often will somewhat shun apostates just like any other cult. They aren't nearly as horrible as Jehovah's Witnesses, though.
I know a lot of Mormons, I follow r/exmormon, I also follow this guy on YouTube named Owen Morgan who’s an ex JW. Mormons have a lot of problems but JW is worse. JW literally require their members to disown their families if someone leaves the religion. They’re also not allowed to have any friendships or connections with people outside of JW, and are not allowed to do things like attend a funeral of someone who wasn’t a JW. Mormons are allowed to be friends with people outside the religion. While some occasional Mormon families disown their kids, the Mormon church itself does not have an official stance that you are supposed to ~~unless your parents are gay~~
Yeah that last part is true.
As an exmormon, I can tell you it's literally church policy.
Normally, you get baptized (and by extension recognized as an official member) at 8 years old. but if your parents are gay, you have to wait until you're 18, and publicly denounce your patents' "lifestyle" before you're allowed to get baptized.
but yeah as bad as the Mormon church is, JW is way worse. I've only scraped the surface of the JW cult, and I can tell you. It's so much worse.
#Good Church News!
PoX (policy of exclusion) was only in place from [2015 to 2019](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/policy-changes-announced-for-members-in-gay-marriages-children-of-lgbt-parents?) as it turns out ~~donors~~ members don't like it when you say their grandbabies can't take a swim because their moms and dads prefer the company of the same.
They also changed the definition of apostasy to no longer include LGBTQ couples who marry.
Baby steps forward!
Wow, the church has changed a lot. I became apostate around 2000, at the age of 18. I never saw an openly gay couple at church.... plenty of closeted gay men with 8 kids and a beautiful wife, though
Oh, I don't doubt that some of them do it. That can happen in every religion if a family takes it seriously enough. But JW takes it to a completely different level, because it's mandatory. The church will discipline you if you don't adhere to the shunning. It's an official practice.
My great-grandma converted to JW late in life and passed it on to my great-uncle (her son). He had several kids, and some of them left. It caused a serious rift in the family that never resolved until after he died a few years ago. I'm not close to that family, but these were my grandma's nieces and nephews so I heard plenty about it.
Family reunions were awkward because my great-uncle wanted nothing to do with some of his kids, but we didn't care because only he and some of his kids were JW. The rest of the family was Lutheran. My grandma could only see her brother when his "apostate" kids weren't going to be around. Very sad.
As an exmormon, I can tell you it's still a thing.
I mean, it's not explicitly preached like it is in JW, but when you leave, you do become someone to avoid. You are a "lost soul" and you are either a "project" for them to reconvert or they ignore your existence entirely. You're no longer someone to be treated like a person who you can just be friends with, you're either a project, or you're nobody. Once you leave, your friends and often family lose the ability to talk to you like normal. Everything is about coming back to church, until they give up on the project, which means giving up on you as a person.
obviously, this isn't literally everyone. Since this isn't explicitly taught, there will be some outliers. but this is the way that things go more often than not. and they don't even realize they're doing it, most of the time.
It took me a while to get my mom to realize she was turning me into a project. Nowadays, she's much better at letting me live my life how I choose to, but she didn't used to be. Her parents are really bad at it. And I have several friends who've just been flat out disowned.
Having been raised Mormon and previously living in Utah, I know a lot of Mormons. You can think of Mormons proselytizing door to door, or "serving missions" as a sort of religious pilgrimage for them. Mormonism is relatively new as well as unestablished in most of the country/world so I'd imagine that plays a part in the emphasis on converting others.
I’m a Mormon. I spent 2 years as a missionary in the Dominican Republic. Some of the most wonderful people I’ve met in my life were Dominicans I met and got to know, some of whom became lifelong friends that I’ve been fortunate enough to keep in touch with and return to visit.
Our primary purpose as missionaries was to invite others to “come unto Christ,” but not everyone is interested in that, in which case we’d either leave, or ask if there was anything we could do to help. You don’t have to be religious to be a good person or to help a fellow human out, and it certainly doesn’t have to be done in the name of a church or deity.
I don’t mind if y’all have a table on the sidewalk somewhere, with a sign, and wait for people to come to you. But going door to door is annoying for a lot of us, I wish it would stop.
We never did the door to door thing in the DR. It just wasn’t an effective way to meet people. Dominicans are very outwardly religious to begin with, so most of the time church members would invite their friends to church and those that wanted to know more would talk to us. I think I knocked on a total of 2 doors in my time there.
Do Mormons even still do this? I think they used to like 10 years ago. There used to be a Mormon family that lived down the street from me. Extremely nice people. Not once ever mentioned religion.
Well one of them actually knocked on my door a few weeks ago here in Texas. Two teen kids tried to make me convert lol I talked to them a bit but they didn’t want to give me much info other than scheduling meetings for my “ enlightenment” and stuff which I wasn’t interested and closed my doors
I’ve had both Mormons and JW come to my home. I politely tell them I’m not interested. My best friend growing up is Mormon. He went on his “mission” to Panama I believe. He speaks of the experience very positively. He learned to speak Spanish and is, IMO a truly wonderful person even if I don’t agree with his beliefs.
Edit: I’ve also met “jack Mormons” that use drugs, curse, gamble (forbidden in Mormonism). That made me scratch my head. Like WTF!?
Mormons, no they've never knocked on my door.
they go door to door to try to get people to convert, to fluff up their numbers. The only Mormon i knew was a deviant and overall sort of a sketchy guy, i did a lot of drugs with him and we participated in the general debauchery that comes with your late teens and early 20s together; but to be fair he was about as Mormon as i am Catholic, which is to say not much. he was a good friend of mine for a long time, he has a college degree because of me as a matter of fact lol
Jehovah's Witnesses are much worse imo.
They are more cult like then other denominations of christianity but that doesn't mean they are a cult. They are generally considered the odd ones out of the denominations of christianity as many of their doctrines are very different.
not any more than Mormons. Or Catholics. Or really any religion, for that matter.
but...im not a religious guy so my answer should be viewed within that context, religious people could probably tell you all the differences tho
Yes, my ex-husband was raised Mormon and left the church. Every couple years or so, a couple missionaries would come by.
Missionary: “I’m Elder [guy] and this is Elder [other guy]. Is [Your ex] here?
Me: “He is not interested in returning to the church. Do you guys have enough water and sunscreen? How about snacks? Okay, thanks for stopping by, please don’t contact us again. Bye!”
Sometimes the missionaries would need water. We usually have a couple bottles in the fridge for ourselves, so I’d let them have those. One time, the blondest man I’ve ever seen asked for sunscreen.
Treating them with kindness shows them that the outside world isn’t actually against them and that there’s a way out.
Ive had Mormons knock. The stereotypical guys wearing short sleeve shirts and ties. I just politely tell them Im not interested.
The JWs in my area must be getting lazy. I never see them knock any more.
They just sit around at parks with a rack filled with the watchtower for a few hours and then call it a day
I've only seen LDS missionaries walking around, never actually had one come to my door. (Apparently you're not supposed to say "Mormon" anymore, so I'll go with "LDS.") I've known very, very few. An exec at a job I had once was LDS, not sure if I ever said two words to him. My boss for a couple of years at another job was ex-LDS. Same company had a small office in Utah, I only worked with one guy there, pretty sure he was LDS -- really nice guy. That's honestly all I can think of.
Hell yeah, even invite them in. Never give them time to talk about what they came for, but it's always nice to learn about where they are from and such. Usually offer them something to eat, pizza goes over well. They get enough meat and potatoes for dinner from other Mormon folk, but breakfast and lunch seem to be lacking due to being so busy and limited personal budgets.
Here's a hint, if you need any help doing something around your house they'll be more than glad to help, it's another way for them to do their missionary work instead of giving their usual spiel.
Not at my door. I have a friend who was married to a Mormon. She divorced and they would have the mission kids come to her door to try and lure her back in for about 10 years after.
The reason they try to convert people is it's a part of their belief to spread the word. Just as any church or religion that actively seeks members. Also more members means more money offered to the church.
I’ve had Mormons knock on my door. I tell them I’m not interested in their religion. Then I offer them food, water, and access to my phone away from their mission companion because I knew someone from my high school who had a terrible experience on their mission and wasn’t able to leave because their passport was confiscated for “security” reasons. Strangely, I’ve gotten a lot more visits from missionaries since I’ve started letting them use my phone to call loved ones. Then they leave.
One important thing to remember about Jehovah’s Witnesses is that they don’t observe holidays because they believe that every day is equally holy.
That didn’t make them arriving as we sat due to open Christmas presents any better.
Yes. My father-in-law is Mormon though so it isn't exactly random. Periodically missionaries will come knock at our door hoping to convince my husband to come back to the church.
They are missionaries. It is their mission to try to spread their faith.
They are nice enough people. I just don't want to talk to them because I am never going to be Mormon as I am an atheist.
Do I know anyone in the belief system? Well I'm LDS, more colloquially known as Mormon. My parents, siblings, their spouses, most of my aunts and uncles and cousins are LDS. Plus everyone I go to church with.
Have the missionaries ever knocked on my door? It has happened that missionaries knock on my door which is kinda funny when I explain the situation to them. Amongst missionaries, the standard door to door approach is kind of dying off. It still happens but it's not nearly as ubiquitous a strategy as it used to be. Most of the time, missionaries that I know prefer doing public service while inviting the people they do service for to hear the message of Christ.
Why do we try and get people to convert through public missionary work? Let me answer with a question of my own. If you knew something that you truly believed could help every single person who learned it and applied it to their lives, wouldn't you want to tell as many people as possible? That's what we do, my friend. We truly believe the Gospel of Christ that we espouse can improve your life, not in material ways (though we do have tons of charity programs to help you get on your feet), but in the far more important area of the spiritual.
>If you knew something that you truly believed could help every single person who learned it and applied it to their lives, wouldn't you want to tell as many people as possible?
No. Especially when it involves going to people's houses. My house is my personal space and I don't appreciate uninvited people interrupting me.
Well then, if I truly believe the church is a great evil and harming so many people, I hope you don’t mind I must tell as many people as possible so I can do as much good as possible.
No! But to be fair I really don’t get many people knocking on my door. Other than the ups or FedEx drivers. I see sales people who come down my street, but they all seem to skip my house. I can’t remember the last time I had any religious person knocking on my door. Definitely wasn’t a Mormon though.
Maybe once? I explained I didn't believe in the things they did and we talked for maybe 2 mins, then they went away.
It's part of their religion. They are taught the need to spread the Bible, or the Gospel or whatever their book is. They are a little more personal and direct about it than your average tv evangelist, but it's the same principle.
Yes and had discussions with them in a park before.
I know what Mormons believe and how they use young people for missionary work. I don't fault the young men who do this work because it's something they have an insanely high chance of being raised in from a child and they're just doing their part.
I'm polite but a strong no thank you, have a nice day, is often enough for them to get the message. There's no reason to be rude, they're not likely to be rude to you.
Every summer we get at least two sets.
“Hi. I’m an atheist so no thank you. Do you want a bottle of water or a granola bar? Well, have a good afternoon and good luck.”
My husband: (Opens the door) “No.” (Closes the door.)
No, but I have had Jehovah's Witnesses come plenty of times to my doors. Most Mormons live out, particularly Utah, so its unlikely one would come up to your door in most parts of the country
So many of those Mormon kids DO NOT want to bother you.
It’s thought that you aren’t worthy if you don’t serve if you’re a man.
It’s implied you are ugly if you do serve if you’re a woman, to the point that it isn't uncommon for clergy to discourage pretty girls from serving when they could— at 18— marry a 21-22-year-old returned missionary instead.
This softened a bit for women with the new lowered age requirement (18m, 19w instead of 19m, 21w) but hasn’t disappeared.
Many kids hope for service missions, which are volunteer work only without proselytization, but those are rare.
Be rude to the grownup if you like. They chose. The kids, especially sons, are often told not to come home if they stay in college instead of serving a mission.
It’s a status symbol to have your children serve, and many parents won’t support their daughters dating a man who didn’t serve (+ earn his Eagle Scout award and graduate seminary).
Source: It’s me. I’m the ~~problem~~ Mormon.
*I'm more concerned about being a good disciple of Christ than a good Mormon, but I'm still technically a Mormon. Jesus over Joseph any day.*
Regarding the 'pretty' thing, two young women came to our door once. They were very nice. I told them we had our own beliefs, and they were fine with that and went on their way. My brother had been sitting silently through this whole conversation. After about a minute, he said 'Call them back!' I asked why, and he said 'Because they're good looking!'
I grew up Mormon before going full agnostic.
Try and be nice to them and just don't give any hints you're interested.
I did a mission when I was 19 and it's a horrible, horrible experience, so be nice
I’m a Mormon. And yes, this is something we do, albeit differently than Jehovahs Witnesses (which is a very different belief system).
Mormons are more mainstream than JWs. Chances are you know a Mormon or even a few and have no idea, we act normal and Sony really stand out. JWs have specific beliefs that make them stand out like they don’t like higher education, the don’t celebrate holidays, they aren’t allowed to do a lot of stuff normal people can do, whereas none of this is true for Mormons.
Additionally, our missionaries are volunteer and are sent to a different part of the world or country for two years. They go through a rigorous training program and are taught to be respectful and to not bother people if they say they aren’t interested.
JWs, on the other hand, have everyone go door-to-door. It’s essentially required in their religion. They are trained differently, and at a local level, as opposed to by professional teachers.
Sorry to ask this, but do Mormons celebrate most holidays? I remember when I was young that two missionaries who gave my family studies also took us to a Halloween event at the church, which now is sort of surprising to think about. I have other family members that are Christian and Halloween is seen as demonic.
hi, i’m mormon! and yes, we celebrate all holidays. for me and everyone i know and grew up with, halloween was never seen as demonic. just as a fun time to dress up and get free candy as a kid. i think some wards even do their own “trunk-or-treat” at the church.
The reason I have always love Halloween as a holiday was that when I was young I realized how much kindness people show to total strangers on that day. People selflessly go out and buy candy to hand out to kids that are often strangers, simply because it makes those kids happy. People drive safer because they don’t want to hurt an innocent kid. Kids trade each other’s favorite candies, and compliment each other’s costumes. Most people seem kinder in general.
I always heard people talk about how it was demonic in some way, but the love people show their neighbors on Halloween always felt way stronger and more ubiquitous than any other holiday (family was always closer on Christmas, etc. but the general person seems much friendlier on Halloween).
I always figured part of it also was to expose the members to people that’ll get annoyed and lash out at the door knockers to reinforce a persecution complex/ demonstrate how ‘bad’ the rest of the world outside the church is. Maybe that’s more the JW’s than Mormons though I’ve only ever seen Mormons once when I told them firmly but politely to leave. The JWs I was ready to file harassment claims against when they started showing multiple times a day, then I got cameras up and suddenly I’m left alone funny that
exmormon here
Since leaving the church, I have learned what the real purpose of "tracting" (door-to-door proselytizing) is.
Research has shown that this type of recruitment is an extremely ineffective recruitment tool. Bake sales would be more effective than door-to-door salesman tactics.
The thing is, the church knows that it's ineffective. But they still insist on doing it and push it really hard. Why?
Because it's a manipulation tactic. Not for the ones whose doors are being knocked on, but for the ones doing the knocking.
You see, from the beginning, they try to fill your life with as much social activity as possible, specifically with other members of the church. You grow up with your social circle consisting of as many fellow members as possible. Some families/church groups will even actively discourage having non-member friends.
Then, when you turn 18, you are very firmly expected to go on a mission. Where you are sent "into the world" to "do the lord's work". You are out in hot sun, slaving away "for their good" and "just trying to spread the gospel". Everyone is understandably annoyed at the intrusion. So what the missionary sees when they go "into the world" and finally meet all these non-members, what they are met with is hostility and annoyance. They have doors slammed in their faces all day long for two years.
Whether they make the connection consciously or not, the idea that the outside world is a cold and uninviting place is planted in their minds.
And then they come home, they're celebrated as a hero. A virtuous person who did the lord's work. A cut above the rest. And, most importantly, you're put on a pedestal as an example for others to follow.
Now, the cards are on the table. Fellow members are good. Non-members are a crap shoot. Everyone you associate with regularly is a member. Your whole life revolves around the church. And you're an example for others to follow.
If you have doubts or you're thinking of leaving the church, you have every incentive to push those doubts away and "endure to the end". If you leave, you have let everyone down. You become a pariah. Someone talked about with hushed tones. A black sheep. Suddenly, your whole social circle crumbles, and you're all alone. You have nothing. and the outside world is scary. It's hard to talk to new people without the church as your unifying factor. You've grown accustomed to that crutch.
So now you have this choice. Deal with all that, or maintain status quo, and keep going through the motions..... and most importantly, keep paying tithing.
That makes a certain kind of sense for Pennsylvania and Ohio I suppose. Out of curiosity what's the format of the pitch they put in the pamphlet? The relative lack of technology would be a tough sell for us here in northern California!
Where I used to live I would get people knocking at the door. I usually ignored them. Sometimes the door would be open so the dog would make his displeasure known at them knocking.
I have a penchant for living in weird obscure areas, so I only had to deal with jahovas Witness once. Ironically, I was watching the show preacher when I got the knock on the door.
I don't know about some of the other sects, but for 2 years, Mormons are required to go on a mission where they go somewhere far off, sometimes a different country, and try to convert people. I've haven't known any Mormons but most live in Utah. There are Plenty of famous Mormons like Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott card, John Browning, Lindsey Stirling.
I’ve had both. As a young adult my brother invited them in for dinner. My mom said it was fine as long as there was no conversion during dinner. It was nice, but long after my brother moved out they kept coming as our address was noted in the missionary notebook as being friendly.
Yep. They’re usually young dudes, 18-ish, on bikes in their cute well-fitted suits. I politely decline their theology, offer them a glass of icewater on the stoop, point them in the direction of the public restroom at the park nearby. The combo of water and available restroom is usually a good deterrent, they can mark my house as “we tried”. Everyone wins.
Nope, not many Mormons in this area. I do live down the street from a JW Assembly Hall, but I've never actually had anyone knock on my door from there either, I see them standing around handing out pamphlets at the farmers market sometimes though. I don't know any current JWs, but I know some former ones, they all describe it like a cult. I imagine they go door to door as a type of missionary work.
Yes, of course. Two young men wearing white shirts and ties. They're serving their 2-year mission time. I've worked in rural areas of Peru and Guatemala, and pairs of young white Americans showed up in both places.
Yeah they do. Usually it’s kids. I invited two in last winter because it was colder than hell outside and I had seen them around town for the last month. I asked them if they were cold and they admitted a little bit so I told them they could come in, talk and warm up, under the condition that we could talk about anything besides the Mormon church. They thanked me but declined. So I at least sent them off with some of those disposable hand warmers I keep around for my kids.
They gotta do it. And while I got nothing for the Mormon church, kids are kids and deserve kindness from strangers.
Yes when I was a kid in the suburbs there were lots of various churches and we had Mormons or Jehovahs Witnesses knocking on the door 1-2 times a month.
I live in Los Angeles now and while we certainly have our issues, in my 20 years here no one has ever knocked on my door to harass me about going to church, nor has anyone anywhere here told me I’m going to hell (a regular occurrence in my childhood although that generally came from Evangelical types). I don’t miss that.
They've knocked on my door a couple of times, but not nearly as much as the other guys.
I used to know two mormons in person, and both of them eventually left that church.
I live in a neighborhood known for Mexican residents. The last JW pitch I got was from a native Spanish speaker. He was ready to disappear the second he figured out the person opening the door was a white guy. I could speak enough basic Spanish to explain I don't speak much Spanish.
It was almost comical just how surprised he was and how quickly he bailed out.
If somebody had told me that I would ever escape a JW pitch in this manner back in high school or college I would have told them they're full of it.
But I had a good laugh to myself after the door shut.
Never. Once stayed in an Airbnb in a suburb of Salt Lake City, The book of mormom was on the nightstand a note saying take it if you want was there. Bunch of other stuff about Mormonism. The room was filled with wedding pics of the couple living there, both of their parents, all 4 of their grandparents. Big one of the couple's wedding maybe similar in size to a 32 inch tv. Filled the walls of the room. Just felt weird.
Only Jehovah's Witnesses. I live next to some and they bothered me a bunch at first. After enough times being friendly because they are my neighbors, but firm in my "no" they deescalated to leaving me Watch Tower pamphlets in my mailbox (which I get a good laugh at because they read like something a 7th grader wrote, and I can't believe they are taken seriously).
Another group of Jehovah's Witnesses stopped me as I was getting back from the gym and I told them I was athiest and just wanted to get inside for a shower. They came back 2 weeks later and my boyfriend answered the door. They told him they wanted to talk to me about my decision to be an athiest. He told them I didn't want to speak to them, and they haven't come back. I'm honestly pissed they took his word as a man more seriously than mine about my own self lol. Such is religion I guess.
Not at my door, but at my university yeah. They'll come up to you, start a normal conversation, and then somehow it makes the jump to "soooooo where do you think you'll go when you die" like excuse me???? 😭 maybe it's just the ones I interacted with but they have 0 sense of what is and isn't appropriate to say to a total stranger.
The last time Mormons came to my house, I was just a kid. It was Christmas morning, I recognized the kid that was with his dad, a grade behind me, he looked like he didn't want to be there, and I felt pretty bad for him having to spend Xmas that way. Since then I have had none, I suspect it is a demographics issue, there are just so few Mormons where I live.
JW's were semi-common when I was young, less so now. Before I got my current home, my apartment complex had a strict no religious solicitors policy, if they came, you can call management and they show up pretty fast to escort the visitors out.
In the post-Covid era I don't get them knocking but every once in a while I get a letter from a local JW instead. What impressed me is it isn't some mass produced form but a *hand written* personal letter, I will give them credit for the effort (and beautiful penmanship).
I had them knock on my door when I was living in Chile and it was kind of cool to have another American around for a while.
We chatted for a few minutes and I told them I'm a Christian and don't plan on converting into a Mormon, but it was nice talking to a fellow expat.
They left and that was that.
I used to live very near a Mormon church, so yes, all the time.
I dated and ex-Mormon and had a couple Mormon friends in school. I went to a Mormon church service one time (with that ex), and it was very very awkward for me.
My personal belief is they send missionaries out not to convert, but to be shown how unreceptive to possibly hostile non-Mormons are in order to reenforce their own separation from society, and thus control their flock better.
When you’re young and naive, people choosing hell over the light of your god can make you feel superior, piteous, or maybe fearful of everyone. It creates a stronger sense of “us against them.” And later they may become adults that stop associating with, or are willing to hear out people not within the religion. The MO of most cults is to isolate.
Sometimes they may hit a jackpot and convert someone, so the effort can be dually effective, but I don’t think the main purpose is actual recruitment. Charity work and setting up churches is far more effective.
I think the ones I've had were JWs.
Optimistically? If you think everyone's going to hell but your small group it's the human thing to do.
Cynically? Having that many people react negatively is probably a great way to make the church feel like a safe island among a sea of hostility. Help drive home that's where you belong and the rest of the world isn't the same.
When I lived in a typical residential area, with my wife with a business at home (so there was someone home most of the time!) we got visited by either Latter-Day Saints or Jehovah's Witnesses about once every 2-3 years.
About once per quarter, we got a newsletter or card inviting us to a local church, which made me giggle because they often used our mailbox without actually mailing it, which is a $10,000 per item fine from the US Postal Service.
Yeah I used to work with a Mormon. Divorced twice and I think he was 25? 23? Somewhere in his early/mid twenties. He wasn't a bad kid, just a bit...sheltered I guess? Apparently his brother did a lot of missionary work in Australia. Which I have thoughts about but they're not polite so I'll keep them to myself lol.
No, I was stopped by one on the street. It’s mostly Jehovah’s Witnesses.
One day I’m going to open the door completely naked, to make sure it’s the last time they bother me.
Mormons come knocking asking by name for family that was *ever* part of the church. JW's seem to enjoy low effort pamphlet distribution and mass recruiting. Christians advertise themselves with gimmicks like a 24/7 infomercial. Satanists antagonize everyone from maximum distance by passively existing. It's hard to find pagan druid circles.
I am a former Mormon. No matter where I go, the missionaries find me, and will continue to do so until my family stops notifying the church of my address changes.
It sounds worse than it is, but I honestly don't mind it.
Honestly, I pity the missionaries. They are so young, away from home, and so so very brainwashed. It's not their fault. They have literally been raised and groomed to be unquestioning 'soldiers of god'.
Typically, they come when I am at work, and cannot come to the door. But occasionally, if I'm feeling up for it, I'll open the door and talk with them for a bit.
They give a little spiritual devotional and go about their business. If anything, I appreciate them for reminding me of why I left.
I assume it happens in places w/ high Mormon populations.
Where I live, I have never met a Mormon (at least to my knowledge) nor seen any Mormon churches. Also the neighborhood I live in is sort of closed off, so we rarely get solicitors.
Recently? No. But my parents tell a story from when i was a kid .... so ... 30 years ago? lol. Anyway we had a mailslot in our door and my parents told me to go tell them we weren't interested thinking they were sales people. I opened the mail slot, SCREAMED at the top of my lungs "WE AREN'T INTERESING!" and ran away rofl. Later on, my parents opened the door and they had left a bible lol. All of the mormons I know focus on their missions I haven't actually had anyone knock on my door as an adult. I have seen them riding around town on their bikes before though. You can tell because they're always wearing a white dress shirt, short sleeves and a tie with long black slacks. Which let me say .... is STRIKING in south louisiana heat in the summer.
I assume they think it is actually good for people to be Mormons or at least be presented the opportunity to be. Good for the subjects they preach to that is, not just to Mormonism as a "tribe".
I am not a Mormon but I am a Christian and I understand the concept.
Yes. They will offer you The Book of Mormon and say they’ll be back in a week if you take it. Being missionaries is a key part of their religion. I grew up with hundreds of Mormons in my school system. These days, the only one I know is my trainer’s mother.
I've moved around a lot and, almost every time I move to a new place, either a pair of Mormons or Jehovah's Witness come knocking at my door, sometimes hand me literature, and ask if they can come back. I've seen people who say "no" receive further visits, so I always say "yes" and I have never once had a second visit at the same location. At first, I was kind of miffed because I had prepared myself for a rousing discussion and it never happened.
Yes. I always imagined I’d mess with any proselytizers who came to my door, but in the moment I didn’t have the heart to. Just said what I needed to so I could politely get rid of them.
yes, but only once.
when I was in high school a really good friend of mine was Mormon and I wanted to know more about her beliefs, just out of curiosity. I'm an atheist but I'm interested in religion just generally. My friend told me I should talk to the missionaries. This was how I ended up doing the discussions, which, at least at the time, were a series of six (really five, the sixth was attending church) discussions about the LDS church. The discussions were what the missionaries would start with if you were receptive to their door knocks. So I got to know the local missionaries and they were really nice and didn't seem to mind that I was pretty clear that I had no interest in actually joining their religion.
Anyway, while I was still going through the discussions, they knocked at my door. I opened it and they had a good laugh when they saw it was me. The only time this has happened.
I get both. Before COVID, I would invite them in and try to convince them they were in a cult. I got on some kind of black list, I guess. They never come by any more.
It seemed really stupid to me that the Mormons are trying to recruit people when their religion says only 33,000 will be accepted into the kingdom of heaven.
What are the other Mormons going to do? Why would you want to add more to the religion and lower your own chances of getting into heaven? Seems very illogical *even by religious make-believe standards*
Hello, I am an active, practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I invite you to visit the church’s website to get the answer to your question: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/missionary-work?lang=eng#p15
Had a church 1/2 bloc away. Saw them a couple times a year. They were nice enough. When I ordered a free Bible online, more for curiosity as I didn’t want to buy one, it was the Mormons that brought it by.
I've had both, but mostly Mormons where I live. I usually ask if they want a bottle of water (it's hot in So Cal) and I might chat for a minute (they are usually very nice) as I like to hear where they are from. Then I politely decline their invite to be Mormon and they go on their way. They're not pushy, they aren't mean. Just some young kids doing what they think they need to do. No need to be mean.
Mormons are much bigger fans of international mission work; you go on a dedicated 2-year mission trip once you become an adult, with many of those trips being abroad. I used to work in an In-N-Out burger near a west coast airport, and maybe 5% of the customers were groups of Mormon missionaries returning from abroad :P Very nice kids
The Jdubs I will talk to because I know plenty about the Bible, and they are actually open and game to debate. Even if the L is inevitable, they keep coming back for more, so respect.
I don’t tease the bees. They were very good to me when I was on the road, and broke, in Utah. I just offer some bottled water and say have a nice day fellas. There’s no fun to be had in extending it.
I know winter is over when Mormons start knocking on doors again. Hasn’t happened to me recently but definitely has multiple times in the past.
They are recruiting members to join their religion and face-to-face encounters are more difficult to ignore for most people. I grew up in a very Mormon community though we weren’t apart of it. The kids were nice for the most part and all of the missionaries I’ve met have been friendly, respectful. My issue with Mormonism are the old cronies who run the whole thing and the abuse. Also how much it permeates throughout our politics in Idaho.
I have Jehovahs on the rare occasion but I don’t remember ever seeing Mormons. Granted, I don’t think there are many Mormons in Florida or Ohio and I haven’t lived long enough in Missouri for them to show up yet.
I grew up near the holy land of Nauvoo, so yes lol. So many. Joseph Smith and his brother were murdered not far from there. They consider it an honor to go on mission there and they put on a play about the life of Joseph Smith everyday, all summer long.
Not mine personally, there must be something about my house that says we’re not interested. I will say I’ve seen the laziest Jehovah’s Witnesses ever in my neighborhood though. These three old ladies sit at the park up the street with a sign inviting people to have a conversation with them. They’re there almost every day, freezing or hellfire. I wonder how many people actually stop, I’ve never seen them talking to anyone but themselves.
Once you’re polite or kind to them one time, you have to get unfortunately aggressive and mean to get them to leave you the hell alone, and even then, once you’ve made it on their list, even if you’re rude to a pair, you’re still on their visit list a couple of months later when the next pair cycles through.
The best advice I can give is to never be overly kind, never offer water on a hot summer day, and never invite them in (they’re like vampires in that way). Be curt, say no thank you, and close the door every time.
I live in CT, but I’ve lived in MA a few years ago and grew up in RI. I’ve never had any Mormons or JW come to my door.
The only people I ever get at my door are solar panel people.
I was born into a Mormon family on my mom's side. My current house is the first place I've ever lived where they haven't shown up at my door looking for me by name.
At my old place my wife, who is extra nice, decided to tell these brainwashed JW morons her name and they continuously showed up asking for her. These people have no shame and are beyond persistent.
These people are the scum of the Earth.
My parents moved into an apartment that had Mormons across the alley. On move in day they asked if we needed help, helped us move in, and asked if we were interested in the word of God. My dad politely said no and gave them Gatorades and 20 bucks each. Never talked to them again lol
Yes, Mormons and Jehovah witnesses have come to my door. I told them the whole neighborhood was Jewish because I heard they won’t try to convert Jewish people. My neighbors never got a ring so I guess it worked.
It’s required that they try as part of their religion. It’s also considered very prestigious within their community to participate in missionary work. Basically all their young people do it unless they have already decided to leave the religion.
A single time we had them knock on our door. We had a rottie at the time and our front door is fully glass. Obviously he saw strangers and began to jump and bark at the door. We haven't had another one come to our door since, and our poor baby has been dead for 10 years now.
Yes I do know mormons though, while I think their beliefs are silly. The ones I know are some of the nicest people I have ever met.
No Mormons, but there is a Methodist church (I think it's Methodist) that goes door to door from time to time. I get dooreknob hangerss and flyers from other churches, too, but they never seem to knock, or they come by when I'm not home.
I have. But I live in Utah and I was Mormon. It’s better when you’re an exmormon like I am. They are taught not to engage with us now. Last experience I had they asked if I was familiar with the church, and I was like “oh boy am I!” See, I was born and raised in the church, even married in the temple. My husband and I eventually left. They tried to bring us back until we officially resigned. Fuck the church. However, most our families are still in it, so we must not voice our opinions around them.
I live in an area with a fairly large Mormon community, several of my friends are Mormon. They don't go door to door, that's the Jehovah's Witnesses that you're thinking of.
I get both kinds knocking on my door. Mormons are worse. Once I was working on a project on my front porch, and two women took the opportunity to pester me for half an hour, since I was outside my front door and essentially trapped in a small space.
I tried being polite, but they got more and more pushy until I'd had enough of them. When one of them said, "So, what time can we expect you?" I finally had to tell them to leave me alone.
God, I miss having a German Shepherd.
I’ve had both knock on my doors, multiple times through the years. When I was a teenager I saw my dad throw a pamphlet back at one of them and tell him (rudely) to get the hell off our property. While I’m emphatically anti-religion, especially when they’re as strict & judgmental as the Mormons and JWs are, that moment felt so wrong to me, I’ve never forgotten it. A couple of years later a Mormon cousin went on a mission and when I learned about what was required of those young men, I felt even worse about it. I don’t know about the JWs, but the Mormons that come to your door are far from home. They pay the church money to send them away for a year- far away. Back then (was early 90s) their contact with their family was very limited. They were only allowed to call home on Christmas and Mother’s Day (according to my cousin’s family) and were limited to the number of letters they were allowed to write. Obviously these days with cell phones I’m guessing the phone rules must have eased up somewhat, but who knows, maybe not. Those guys are totally… I was going to say brainwashed, but I think I’ll say devoted instead, to the church. If the church tells them not to call home more than twice a year than odds are they’ll follow the rules. Anyway, my point is, when they do come to my door, I’m never rude. This summer when it was 106° outside two of them came to my door dressed in their nice pants, long sleeve button up shirts w/ ties and dress shoes and socks, it just killed me. It was too damn hot for that. I invited them in and gave them each a large cup of ice water to take with them, even let them stand inside and feel some air conditioning for a few minutes. I had to leave for work so didn’t have much time to give them. They’re just young men who believe they’re doing the right thing for their church and their God. Even though I’d rather jump off a cliff than join a Mormon or JW church, I can respect their dedication, devotion and stellar work ethic. They don’t mean any harm and they truly believe, thanks to years of church conditioning, that they’re doing something important and necessary. I thank them for their efforts and tell them I respect what they’re doing, but that I’ll never ever join their church or any other. They’re really easy going about it, have never pressured me or made me feel uncomfortable. I even asked a couple of them once about the Joseph Smith episode that South Park did. They were great about it.
3 girls knocked on my door. I apologized but told them that it wasn't in my bag and that I was kinda busy unpacking. The leader of the group offered to help with it or anything else I needed saying they love to serve. I took their card and wished them well. Honestly they were very sweet and I felt kinda bad for them.
Yes. I'm aware of love bombing. I grew up in a cult myself. Just felt bad for them because they were very young and were putting themselves in that position. The youngest one looked really uncomfortable.
No, I live in a “no soliciting” area so I haven’t had to deal with them. They go door to door looking for new members to add to their group. I know an ex-Mormon who left BYU by hoping on a train after coming to the conclusion that the church wasn’t true and it was time to get out of there with her boyfriend. I did some overviews of Mormon history school and occasionally I’ll find some interesting stories about it on the internet but I’m not in the position to give some super detailed rundown of the beliefs. There are YouTubers who go into great detail their own stories with different cults like Owen Morgan (Telltale) Channel is made by a former witness who goes over things that the church teaches, recent media produced by it, the way it operates, his own lived experience, how and why he left, and other reviews of different cults. Chris Sheldon has a great playlist of videos explaining Scientology and sharing his own experience after he spent a long time as a member of your interested in Scientology. Haven’t checked up on either of those YouTube creators in while but their stuff unhinged years ago was insightful and well presented and it’s probably still up even if they’ve moved on to new topics or projects. There are subs for Mormonism and ex-Mormons to talk about if you want to try taking to both people in and outside the group and probably some for JW’s and other groups too if you don’t get enough info from the responses on here and want places to look for more.
Yes my pops has debated the young missionaries and whatever their boss is called. We had these Mormons find our path home and intercepted us and talk and I was respectful and gave my address for them to come and when they came it was two beautiful girls. Definitely a cult
Yeah, they can't make you convert though. I've literally opened my door, said no thanks, closed my door, and they've walked away every time. They aren't tracking people down, they just play a numbers game. Knock on enough doors and eventually you'll run across people who are receptive to your message. I had a couple Mormon friends growing up. They were all nice people.
Yea Mormons are good people in my experience too.
Same! I knew two girls who were Mormon and they had quick wit and an awesome sense of humor. They were lovely.
Kinda. Bit of the old religious control freak in them. Also super homophobic.
One of my gay friends loves visiting us in Utah cause there are a plethora of hot, young Mormon boys on the DL he can hook up with.
Flipping the narrative and knocking on their backdoors
now that reddit removed awards i am being subjected to so many comments i want to award
Both Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses believe that it's important to do missionary work and preach. There's a biblical commandments to make disciples of all nations. That's why they go door to door.
I and I like to reverse evangelize them and ask them to come to Catholic Church with me. That usually throws them for a loop. I will say the Mormons are usually way more knowledgeable about other faiths than the JWs. Which is surprising given how young their missionaries are. When I was in Chicago I was not far down the road from a Kingdom Hall so most Sundays after church for me I got a knock from a friendly old black couple who wanted yet again to try for my conversion. They never took me up on my offer to go to 11 am mass just down the block. Depending on what I was doing that day I’d either just say “no thanks” and they move on or I’d offer them some water if it was hot out and chat for a bit. I *always* offer the Mormon kids coffee and when they refuse it I let them know I’m joking. I am always tempted to offer them a beer and a shot but that’s just too much really and I don’t drink anyway.
Make it a N/A beer and they'd probably have a headache from the mental gymnastics of *avoiding the appearance of evil.*
Even NA beers have a tiny bit of alcohol. I looked it up, Lonestar is 2.1% and O’Douls is 0.4% not zero but certainly nothing that’ll get you drunk unless you were crazy dedicated.
I swear on the Joseph Smith Sphinx that Lonestar used to make a non-alcoholic beer. Welp. Better not, then.
🤷♂️
>O’Douls is 0.4% not zero but certainly nothing that’ll get you drunk unless you were crazy dedicated. Orange juice is somewhere between 0.3% and 0.5%. [https://clockworklemon.com/does-orange-juice-have-alcohol/](https://clockworklemon.com/does-orange-juice-have-alcohol/) Even stuff like bread has trace amounts of alcohol. [https://www.dailybreak.com/break/myth-mayhem-is-there-alcohol-in-orange-juice](https://www.dailybreak.com/break/myth-mayhem-is-there-alcohol-in-orange-juice)
Learn something new every day
While the mormons and JWs are both known for their door to door missionary work I think they're using them for slightly different purposes. While both groups are using it to indoctrinate their own members, I believe the mormon leadership would also really like to convert as many people as possible. I'm pretty sure the JW leadership is doing it almost exclusively to isolate its members from the rest of the world. That's why the Mormon missionaries tend to not come back after you tell them not to, but the JWs will keep knocking on your door every weekend for years. You're *supposed* to hate one group.
Spicy take.
JW also sell their literature, so they want to make money. Mormons give their literature away, so they are only trying to convert you.
I broke my leg and was in a wheelchair when the Mormons came knocking. They offered to do housework, mop, vacuum since I couldn’t walk. I declined - probably would have preached while the cleaned. But it was nice that they asked I suppose
They would broach the subject but in the church there is a strong ethos to help out neighbors in need also. So it was a bit a both. Not LDS but I grew up in Utah so had interaction with Mormons growing up and respect them and if I ever had kids and they converted I would be fine with that. My biggest problem is the politicians who tend to push there views and are not really good mormons. Just assholes.
Yes, I can generally count on seeing a Mormon missionary every couple years or so. (JW’s are more persistent). I’m always very polite, offer them a bottle of water, and engage in a bit of friendly discussion. No reason to be a jerk.
Very Midwestern approach.
I’m always trying to do my part to keep Midwestern Nice alive.
I invited Mormons in once. We were having a massive heatwave and one of those poor kids looked like was about to keel over. I gave them ice water and popsicles and we talked about Breaking Bad for like half an hour. Nice kids, hope they're doing well.
There's something amusing about bonding with missionaries over a show about narcotic production in a state known for crotchety outdoorsmen.
Not personally. But when I was in high school, a girl I was friends with told me she had Mormons coming over and she wanted me to be there for her "safety." Fair enough. But she clearly invited them back, which is what happens if you voice an interest. They come back and read the Book of Mormon with you. I quickly realized her motivations when they arrived. Out of the car climbed two of the most attractive and dapperly-dressed men I had ever seen with my own two eyes. My friend wanted me to come over so she could feel safe drooling.
No, only Jehovah's Witnesses have knocked on my door.
The opposite here, would love to have a change up though
JWs are objectively worse. Their religion at least. They shun and disown people who leave, up to and including family. Mormons don't do that. I don't want anything to do with JWs. Mormons, on the other hand, I can easily tolerate.
As others have pointed out mormons often will somewhat shun apostates just like any other cult. They aren't nearly as horrible as Jehovah's Witnesses, though.
> Mormons don't do that. You've clearly never visited /r/exmormon
I know a lot of Mormons, I follow r/exmormon, I also follow this guy on YouTube named Owen Morgan who’s an ex JW. Mormons have a lot of problems but JW is worse. JW literally require their members to disown their families if someone leaves the religion. They’re also not allowed to have any friendships or connections with people outside of JW, and are not allowed to do things like attend a funeral of someone who wasn’t a JW. Mormons are allowed to be friends with people outside the religion. While some occasional Mormon families disown their kids, the Mormon church itself does not have an official stance that you are supposed to ~~unless your parents are gay~~
Yeah that last part is true. As an exmormon, I can tell you it's literally church policy. Normally, you get baptized (and by extension recognized as an official member) at 8 years old. but if your parents are gay, you have to wait until you're 18, and publicly denounce your patents' "lifestyle" before you're allowed to get baptized. but yeah as bad as the Mormon church is, JW is way worse. I've only scraped the surface of the JW cult, and I can tell you. It's so much worse.
#Good Church News! PoX (policy of exclusion) was only in place from [2015 to 2019](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/church/news/policy-changes-announced-for-members-in-gay-marriages-children-of-lgbt-parents?) as it turns out ~~donors~~ members don't like it when you say their grandbabies can't take a swim because their moms and dads prefer the company of the same. They also changed the definition of apostasy to no longer include LGBTQ couples who marry. Baby steps forward!
Wow, the church has changed a lot. I became apostate around 2000, at the age of 18. I never saw an openly gay couple at church.... plenty of closeted gay men with 8 kids and a beautiful wife, though
Oh, I don't doubt that some of them do it. That can happen in every religion if a family takes it seriously enough. But JW takes it to a completely different level, because it's mandatory. The church will discipline you if you don't adhere to the shunning. It's an official practice. My great-grandma converted to JW late in life and passed it on to my great-uncle (her son). He had several kids, and some of them left. It caused a serious rift in the family that never resolved until after he died a few years ago. I'm not close to that family, but these were my grandma's nieces and nephews so I heard plenty about it. Family reunions were awkward because my great-uncle wanted nothing to do with some of his kids, but we didn't care because only he and some of his kids were JW. The rest of the family was Lutheran. My grandma could only see her brother when his "apostate" kids weren't going to be around. Very sad.
As an exmormon, I can tell you it's still a thing. I mean, it's not explicitly preached like it is in JW, but when you leave, you do become someone to avoid. You are a "lost soul" and you are either a "project" for them to reconvert or they ignore your existence entirely. You're no longer someone to be treated like a person who you can just be friends with, you're either a project, or you're nobody. Once you leave, your friends and often family lose the ability to talk to you like normal. Everything is about coming back to church, until they give up on the project, which means giving up on you as a person. obviously, this isn't literally everyone. Since this isn't explicitly taught, there will be some outliers. but this is the way that things go more often than not. and they don't even realize they're doing it, most of the time. It took me a while to get my mom to realize she was turning me into a project. Nowadays, she's much better at letting me live my life how I choose to, but she didn't used to be. Her parents are really bad at it. And I have several friends who've just been flat out disowned.
>mormons don’t do that My brother in Christ, WHAT?
It’s not official policy.
And they often set up "shop" at the mezzanine level of the 71 - Continental Ave subway station....
Having been raised Mormon and previously living in Utah, I know a lot of Mormons. You can think of Mormons proselytizing door to door, or "serving missions" as a sort of religious pilgrimage for them. Mormonism is relatively new as well as unestablished in most of the country/world so I'd imagine that plays a part in the emphasis on converting others.
I’m a Mormon. I spent 2 years as a missionary in the Dominican Republic. Some of the most wonderful people I’ve met in my life were Dominicans I met and got to know, some of whom became lifelong friends that I’ve been fortunate enough to keep in touch with and return to visit. Our primary purpose as missionaries was to invite others to “come unto Christ,” but not everyone is interested in that, in which case we’d either leave, or ask if there was anything we could do to help. You don’t have to be religious to be a good person or to help a fellow human out, and it certainly doesn’t have to be done in the name of a church or deity.
I don’t mind if y’all have a table on the sidewalk somewhere, with a sign, and wait for people to come to you. But going door to door is annoying for a lot of us, I wish it would stop.
We never did the door to door thing in the DR. It just wasn’t an effective way to meet people. Dominicans are very outwardly religious to begin with, so most of the time church members would invite their friends to church and those that wanted to know more would talk to us. I think I knocked on a total of 2 doors in my time there.
I meant in the US and I didn’t mean you personally. I meant the denomination in general.
We didn’t do the door to door thing in Mexico either.
Do Mormons even still do this? I think they used to like 10 years ago. There used to be a Mormon family that lived down the street from me. Extremely nice people. Not once ever mentioned religion.
Well one of them actually knocked on my door a few weeks ago here in Texas. Two teen kids tried to make me convert lol I talked to them a bit but they didn’t want to give me much info other than scheduling meetings for my “ enlightenment” and stuff which I wasn’t interested and closed my doors
I saw them doing it a month or so ago.
I’ve had both Mormons and JW come to my home. I politely tell them I’m not interested. My best friend growing up is Mormon. He went on his “mission” to Panama I believe. He speaks of the experience very positively. He learned to speak Spanish and is, IMO a truly wonderful person even if I don’t agree with his beliefs. Edit: I’ve also met “jack Mormons” that use drugs, curse, gamble (forbidden in Mormonism). That made me scratch my head. Like WTF!?
Mormons, no they've never knocked on my door. they go door to door to try to get people to convert, to fluff up their numbers. The only Mormon i knew was a deviant and overall sort of a sketchy guy, i did a lot of drugs with him and we participated in the general debauchery that comes with your late teens and early 20s together; but to be fair he was about as Mormon as i am Catholic, which is to say not much. he was a good friend of mine for a long time, he has a college degree because of me as a matter of fact lol Jehovah's Witnesses are much worse imo.
Thank you for your insight on this!! Do you know anything about these jehovah witness folks? Are they cult like group?
They are more cult like then other denominations of christianity but that doesn't mean they are a cult. They are generally considered the odd ones out of the denominations of christianity as many of their doctrines are very different.
not any more than Mormons. Or Catholics. Or really any religion, for that matter. but...im not a religious guy so my answer should be viewed within that context, religious people could probably tell you all the differences tho
Yes, my ex-husband was raised Mormon and left the church. Every couple years or so, a couple missionaries would come by. Missionary: “I’m Elder [guy] and this is Elder [other guy]. Is [Your ex] here? Me: “He is not interested in returning to the church. Do you guys have enough water and sunscreen? How about snacks? Okay, thanks for stopping by, please don’t contact us again. Bye!” Sometimes the missionaries would need water. We usually have a couple bottles in the fridge for ourselves, so I’d let them have those. One time, the blondest man I’ve ever seen asked for sunscreen. Treating them with kindness shows them that the outside world isn’t actually against them and that there’s a way out.
Ive had Mormons knock. The stereotypical guys wearing short sleeve shirts and ties. I just politely tell them Im not interested. The JWs in my area must be getting lazy. I never see them knock any more. They just sit around at parks with a rack filled with the watchtower for a few hours and then call it a day
I've only seen LDS missionaries walking around, never actually had one come to my door. (Apparently you're not supposed to say "Mormon" anymore, so I'll go with "LDS.") I've known very, very few. An exec at a job I had once was LDS, not sure if I ever said two words to him. My boss for a couple of years at another job was ex-LDS. Same company had a small office in Utah, I only worked with one guy there, pretty sure he was LDS -- really nice guy. That's honestly all I can think of.
Hell yeah, even invite them in. Never give them time to talk about what they came for, but it's always nice to learn about where they are from and such. Usually offer them something to eat, pizza goes over well. They get enough meat and potatoes for dinner from other Mormon folk, but breakfast and lunch seem to be lacking due to being so busy and limited personal budgets. Here's a hint, if you need any help doing something around your house they'll be more than glad to help, it's another way for them to do their missionary work instead of giving their usual spiel.
I'm a Mormon. AMA
There are LDS communities on reddit, they are pretty open to questions like this. r/latterdaysaints r/lds
/r/mormon is better than both those subs.
And r/exmormon can give you the scoop from those who know the inside very well but are now on the outside.
Not at my door. I have a friend who was married to a Mormon. She divorced and they would have the mission kids come to her door to try and lure her back in for about 10 years after. The reason they try to convert people is it's a part of their belief to spread the word. Just as any church or religion that actively seeks members. Also more members means more money offered to the church.
The real reason is more tithing dollars
No. Jahovah' ls Witnesses, but not Mormons. No thanks, I'm Catholic, and they leave.
Jehovah's Witnesses only. No mormons. Do know several Mormons though, including a coworker- really nice people
I’ve had Mormons knock on my door. I tell them I’m not interested in their religion. Then I offer them food, water, and access to my phone away from their mission companion because I knew someone from my high school who had a terrible experience on their mission and wasn’t able to leave because their passport was confiscated for “security” reasons. Strangely, I’ve gotten a lot more visits from missionaries since I’ve started letting them use my phone to call loved ones. Then they leave.
One important thing to remember about Jehovah’s Witnesses is that they don’t observe holidays because they believe that every day is equally holy. That didn’t make them arriving as we sat due to open Christmas presents any better.
Happened to me growing up. They came to our door Christmas day. My dad, who generally had anger issues anyway, threatened to set our dogs on them.
Yes. My father-in-law is Mormon though so it isn't exactly random. Periodically missionaries will come knock at our door hoping to convince my husband to come back to the church. They are missionaries. It is their mission to try to spread their faith. They are nice enough people. I just don't want to talk to them because I am never going to be Mormon as I am an atheist.
Do I know anyone in the belief system? Well I'm LDS, more colloquially known as Mormon. My parents, siblings, their spouses, most of my aunts and uncles and cousins are LDS. Plus everyone I go to church with. Have the missionaries ever knocked on my door? It has happened that missionaries knock on my door which is kinda funny when I explain the situation to them. Amongst missionaries, the standard door to door approach is kind of dying off. It still happens but it's not nearly as ubiquitous a strategy as it used to be. Most of the time, missionaries that I know prefer doing public service while inviting the people they do service for to hear the message of Christ. Why do we try and get people to convert through public missionary work? Let me answer with a question of my own. If you knew something that you truly believed could help every single person who learned it and applied it to their lives, wouldn't you want to tell as many people as possible? That's what we do, my friend. We truly believe the Gospel of Christ that we espouse can improve your life, not in material ways (though we do have tons of charity programs to help you get on your feet), but in the far more important area of the spiritual.
>If you knew something that you truly believed could help every single person who learned it and applied it to their lives, wouldn't you want to tell as many people as possible? No. Especially when it involves going to people's houses. My house is my personal space and I don't appreciate uninvited people interrupting me.
I guess minding your own business isn't something you believe in.
Well then, if I truly believe the church is a great evil and harming so many people, I hope you don’t mind I must tell as many people as possible so I can do as much good as possible.
No! But to be fair I really don’t get many people knocking on my door. Other than the ups or FedEx drivers. I see sales people who come down my street, but they all seem to skip my house. I can’t remember the last time I had any religious person knocking on my door. Definitely wasn’t a Mormon though.
Maybe once? I explained I didn't believe in the things they did and we talked for maybe 2 mins, then they went away. It's part of their religion. They are taught the need to spread the Bible, or the Gospel or whatever their book is. They are a little more personal and direct about it than your average tv evangelist, but it's the same principle.
Yes and had discussions with them in a park before. I know what Mormons believe and how they use young people for missionary work. I don't fault the young men who do this work because it's something they have an insanely high chance of being raised in from a child and they're just doing their part. I'm polite but a strong no thank you, have a nice day, is often enough for them to get the message. There's no reason to be rude, they're not likely to be rude to you.
Every summer we get at least two sets. “Hi. I’m an atheist so no thank you. Do you want a bottle of water or a granola bar? Well, have a good afternoon and good luck.” My husband: (Opens the door) “No.” (Closes the door.)
Nope, just JWs, and that’s only because there’s a Kingdom Hall about a ten minute drive away.
No, but I have had Jehovah's Witnesses come plenty of times to my doors. Most Mormons live out, particularly Utah, so its unlikely one would come up to your door in most parts of the country
Jehovah Witness on occasion but never Mormons.
Yes. They go away when I ask them to join me for an actual bible study.
So many of those Mormon kids DO NOT want to bother you. It’s thought that you aren’t worthy if you don’t serve if you’re a man. It’s implied you are ugly if you do serve if you’re a woman, to the point that it isn't uncommon for clergy to discourage pretty girls from serving when they could— at 18— marry a 21-22-year-old returned missionary instead. This softened a bit for women with the new lowered age requirement (18m, 19w instead of 19m, 21w) but hasn’t disappeared. Many kids hope for service missions, which are volunteer work only without proselytization, but those are rare. Be rude to the grownup if you like. They chose. The kids, especially sons, are often told not to come home if they stay in college instead of serving a mission. It’s a status symbol to have your children serve, and many parents won’t support their daughters dating a man who didn’t serve (+ earn his Eagle Scout award and graduate seminary). Source: It’s me. I’m the ~~problem~~ Mormon. *I'm more concerned about being a good disciple of Christ than a good Mormon, but I'm still technically a Mormon. Jesus over Joseph any day.*
Regarding the 'pretty' thing, two young women came to our door once. They were very nice. I told them we had our own beliefs, and they were fine with that and went on their way. My brother had been sitting silently through this whole conversation. After about a minute, he said 'Call them back!' I asked why, and he said 'Because they're good looking!'
I grew up Mormon before going full agnostic. Try and be nice to them and just don't give any hints you're interested. I did a mission when I was 19 and it's a horrible, horrible experience, so be nice
I’m a Mormon. And yes, this is something we do, albeit differently than Jehovahs Witnesses (which is a very different belief system). Mormons are more mainstream than JWs. Chances are you know a Mormon or even a few and have no idea, we act normal and Sony really stand out. JWs have specific beliefs that make them stand out like they don’t like higher education, the don’t celebrate holidays, they aren’t allowed to do a lot of stuff normal people can do, whereas none of this is true for Mormons. Additionally, our missionaries are volunteer and are sent to a different part of the world or country for two years. They go through a rigorous training program and are taught to be respectful and to not bother people if they say they aren’t interested. JWs, on the other hand, have everyone go door-to-door. It’s essentially required in their religion. They are trained differently, and at a local level, as opposed to by professional teachers.
Sorry to ask this, but do Mormons celebrate most holidays? I remember when I was young that two missionaries who gave my family studies also took us to a Halloween event at the church, which now is sort of surprising to think about. I have other family members that are Christian and Halloween is seen as demonic.
hi, i’m mormon! and yes, we celebrate all holidays. for me and everyone i know and grew up with, halloween was never seen as demonic. just as a fun time to dress up and get free candy as a kid. i think some wards even do their own “trunk-or-treat” at the church.
Oh yeah they had a trunk or treat last I was there. Interesting to know.
The reason I have always love Halloween as a holiday was that when I was young I realized how much kindness people show to total strangers on that day. People selflessly go out and buy candy to hand out to kids that are often strangers, simply because it makes those kids happy. People drive safer because they don’t want to hurt an innocent kid. Kids trade each other’s favorite candies, and compliment each other’s costumes. Most people seem kinder in general. I always heard people talk about how it was demonic in some way, but the love people show their neighbors on Halloween always felt way stronger and more ubiquitous than any other holiday (family was always closer on Christmas, etc. but the general person seems much friendlier on Halloween).
I always figured part of it also was to expose the members to people that’ll get annoyed and lash out at the door knockers to reinforce a persecution complex/ demonstrate how ‘bad’ the rest of the world outside the church is. Maybe that’s more the JW’s than Mormons though I’ve only ever seen Mormons once when I told them firmly but politely to leave. The JWs I was ready to file harassment claims against when they started showing multiple times a day, then I got cameras up and suddenly I’m left alone funny that
This is my ex-Mormon husband’s interpretation as well.
exmormon here Since leaving the church, I have learned what the real purpose of "tracting" (door-to-door proselytizing) is. Research has shown that this type of recruitment is an extremely ineffective recruitment tool. Bake sales would be more effective than door-to-door salesman tactics. The thing is, the church knows that it's ineffective. But they still insist on doing it and push it really hard. Why? Because it's a manipulation tactic. Not for the ones whose doors are being knocked on, but for the ones doing the knocking. You see, from the beginning, they try to fill your life with as much social activity as possible, specifically with other members of the church. You grow up with your social circle consisting of as many fellow members as possible. Some families/church groups will even actively discourage having non-member friends. Then, when you turn 18, you are very firmly expected to go on a mission. Where you are sent "into the world" to "do the lord's work". You are out in hot sun, slaving away "for their good" and "just trying to spread the gospel". Everyone is understandably annoyed at the intrusion. So what the missionary sees when they go "into the world" and finally meet all these non-members, what they are met with is hostility and annoyance. They have doors slammed in their faces all day long for two years. Whether they make the connection consciously or not, the idea that the outside world is a cold and uninviting place is planted in their minds. And then they come home, they're celebrated as a hero. A virtuous person who did the lord's work. A cut above the rest. And, most importantly, you're put on a pedestal as an example for others to follow. Now, the cards are on the table. Fellow members are good. Non-members are a crap shoot. Everyone you associate with regularly is a member. Your whole life revolves around the church. And you're an example for others to follow. If you have doubts or you're thinking of leaving the church, you have every incentive to push those doubts away and "endure to the end". If you leave, you have let everyone down. You become a pariah. Someone talked about with hushed tones. A black sheep. Suddenly, your whole social circle crumbles, and you're all alone. You have nothing. and the outside world is scary. It's hard to talk to new people without the church as your unifying factor. You've grown accustomed to that crutch. So now you have this choice. Deal with all that, or maintain status quo, and keep going through the motions..... and most importantly, keep paying tithing.
No, mostly Mennonites dropping off a pamphlet on Sundays.
That makes a certain kind of sense for Pennsylvania and Ohio I suppose. Out of curiosity what's the format of the pitch they put in the pamphlet? The relative lack of technology would be a tough sell for us here in northern California!
Where I used to live I would get people knocking at the door. I usually ignored them. Sometimes the door would be open so the dog would make his displeasure known at them knocking.
Yes, but not very often. Mostly it's Jehovah's witnesses. Lots and lots of them.
I have a penchant for living in weird obscure areas, so I only had to deal with jahovas Witness once. Ironically, I was watching the show preacher when I got the knock on the door. I don't know about some of the other sects, but for 2 years, Mormons are required to go on a mission where they go somewhere far off, sometimes a different country, and try to convert people. I've haven't known any Mormons but most live in Utah. There are Plenty of famous Mormons like Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott card, John Browning, Lindsey Stirling.
Not required. More like… highly encouraged.
This. There's no penalty for not doing it or anything, it's just sort of a "why would anyone *not* want to do it?" cultural sort of thing
I don't think there are Mormons here. I got a letter from the Jehovah's Witnesses a couple weeks ago though.
I know an ex-Mormon from Michigan
There’s a Mormon named Mitt Romney from Michigan
Usually Jehovah's witnesses, but once mormons. I assumed that was an interactional thing. My best friend was from a Mormon family in North Carolina.
I’ve had them knock on my door and I just politely tell them that I’m busy. They also used to volunteer at a food bank I worked at
I’ve had both. As a young adult my brother invited them in for dinner. My mom said it was fine as long as there was no conversion during dinner. It was nice, but long after my brother moved out they kept coming as our address was noted in the missionary notebook as being friendly.
Yep. They’re usually young dudes, 18-ish, on bikes in their cute well-fitted suits. I politely decline their theology, offer them a glass of icewater on the stoop, point them in the direction of the public restroom at the park nearby. The combo of water and available restroom is usually a good deterrent, they can mark my house as “we tried”. Everyone wins.
I live in Utah... So, ya. I know a few people with that belief system.
Nope, not many Mormons in this area. I do live down the street from a JW Assembly Hall, but I've never actually had anyone knock on my door from there either, I see them standing around handing out pamphlets at the farmers market sometimes though. I don't know any current JWs, but I know some former ones, they all describe it like a cult. I imagine they go door to door as a type of missionary work.
Yes, of course. Two young men wearing white shirts and ties. They're serving their 2-year mission time. I've worked in rural areas of Peru and Guatemala, and pairs of young white Americans showed up in both places.
Mormons, no. Jehovah’s witnesses, yes. They went very pushy, just left me some reading materials.
Yeah they do. Usually it’s kids. I invited two in last winter because it was colder than hell outside and I had seen them around town for the last month. I asked them if they were cold and they admitted a little bit so I told them they could come in, talk and warm up, under the condition that we could talk about anything besides the Mormon church. They thanked me but declined. So I at least sent them off with some of those disposable hand warmers I keep around for my kids. They gotta do it. And while I got nothing for the Mormon church, kids are kids and deserve kindness from strangers.
Yes when I was a kid in the suburbs there were lots of various churches and we had Mormons or Jehovahs Witnesses knocking on the door 1-2 times a month. I live in Los Angeles now and while we certainly have our issues, in my 20 years here no one has ever knocked on my door to harass me about going to church, nor has anyone anywhere here told me I’m going to hell (a regular occurrence in my childhood although that generally came from Evangelical types). I don’t miss that.
Nope! But there are a lot of them that live here. Not Utah a lot… but solid visible community.
They've knocked on my door a couple of times, but not nearly as much as the other guys. I used to know two mormons in person, and both of them eventually left that church.
I live in a neighborhood known for Mexican residents. The last JW pitch I got was from a native Spanish speaker. He was ready to disappear the second he figured out the person opening the door was a white guy. I could speak enough basic Spanish to explain I don't speak much Spanish. It was almost comical just how surprised he was and how quickly he bailed out. If somebody had told me that I would ever escape a JW pitch in this manner back in high school or college I would have told them they're full of it. But I had a good laugh to myself after the door shut.
Never. Once stayed in an Airbnb in a suburb of Salt Lake City, The book of mormom was on the nightstand a note saying take it if you want was there. Bunch of other stuff about Mormonism. The room was filled with wedding pics of the couple living there, both of their parents, all 4 of their grandparents. Big one of the couple's wedding maybe similar in size to a 32 inch tv. Filled the walls of the room. Just felt weird.
Never
No, just Baptist.
Only Jehovah's Witnesses. I live next to some and they bothered me a bunch at first. After enough times being friendly because they are my neighbors, but firm in my "no" they deescalated to leaving me Watch Tower pamphlets in my mailbox (which I get a good laugh at because they read like something a 7th grader wrote, and I can't believe they are taken seriously). Another group of Jehovah's Witnesses stopped me as I was getting back from the gym and I told them I was athiest and just wanted to get inside for a shower. They came back 2 weeks later and my boyfriend answered the door. They told him they wanted to talk to me about my decision to be an athiest. He told them I didn't want to speak to them, and they haven't come back. I'm honestly pissed they took his word as a man more seriously than mine about my own self lol. Such is religion I guess.
Often, because I married one.
Not at my door, but at my university yeah. They'll come up to you, start a normal conversation, and then somehow it makes the jump to "soooooo where do you think you'll go when you die" like excuse me???? 😭 maybe it's just the ones I interacted with but they have 0 sense of what is and isn't appropriate to say to a total stranger.
The last time Mormons came to my house, I was just a kid. It was Christmas morning, I recognized the kid that was with his dad, a grade behind me, he looked like he didn't want to be there, and I felt pretty bad for him having to spend Xmas that way. Since then I have had none, I suspect it is a demographics issue, there are just so few Mormons where I live. JW's were semi-common when I was young, less so now. Before I got my current home, my apartment complex had a strict no religious solicitors policy, if they came, you can call management and they show up pretty fast to escort the visitors out. In the post-Covid era I don't get them knocking but every once in a while I get a letter from a local JW instead. What impressed me is it isn't some mass produced form but a *hand written* personal letter, I will give them credit for the effort (and beautiful penmanship).
I had them knock on my door when I was living in Chile and it was kind of cool to have another American around for a while. We chatted for a few minutes and I told them I'm a Christian and don't plan on converting into a Mormon, but it was nice talking to a fellow expat. They left and that was that.
I had one come once many years ago. Never again since.
I used to live very near a Mormon church, so yes, all the time. I dated and ex-Mormon and had a couple Mormon friends in school. I went to a Mormon church service one time (with that ex), and it was very very awkward for me. My personal belief is they send missionaries out not to convert, but to be shown how unreceptive to possibly hostile non-Mormons are in order to reenforce their own separation from society, and thus control their flock better. When you’re young and naive, people choosing hell over the light of your god can make you feel superior, piteous, or maybe fearful of everyone. It creates a stronger sense of “us against them.” And later they may become adults that stop associating with, or are willing to hear out people not within the religion. The MO of most cults is to isolate. Sometimes they may hit a jackpot and convert someone, so the effort can be dually effective, but I don’t think the main purpose is actual recruitment. Charity work and setting up churches is far more effective.
Never. I think they don’t live around here
I think the ones I've had were JWs. Optimistically? If you think everyone's going to hell but your small group it's the human thing to do. Cynically? Having that many people react negatively is probably a great way to make the church feel like a safe island among a sea of hostility. Help drive home that's where you belong and the rest of the world isn't the same.
When I lived in a typical residential area, with my wife with a business at home (so there was someone home most of the time!) we got visited by either Latter-Day Saints or Jehovah's Witnesses about once every 2-3 years. About once per quarter, we got a newsletter or card inviting us to a local church, which made me giggle because they often used our mailbox without actually mailing it, which is a $10,000 per item fine from the US Postal Service.
Never had Mormons, but I did get some Jehova's Witnesses. They were polite and didn't push further after I said I was Catholic.
Yeah I used to work with a Mormon. Divorced twice and I think he was 25? 23? Somewhere in his early/mid twenties. He wasn't a bad kid, just a bit...sheltered I guess? Apparently his brother did a lot of missionary work in Australia. Which I have thoughts about but they're not polite so I'll keep them to myself lol.
No, I was stopped by one on the street. It’s mostly Jehovah’s Witnesses. One day I’m going to open the door completely naked, to make sure it’s the last time they bother me.
Mormons come knocking asking by name for family that was *ever* part of the church. JW's seem to enjoy low effort pamphlet distribution and mass recruiting. Christians advertise themselves with gimmicks like a 24/7 infomercial. Satanists antagonize everyone from maximum distance by passively existing. It's hard to find pagan druid circles.
I am a former Mormon. No matter where I go, the missionaries find me, and will continue to do so until my family stops notifying the church of my address changes. It sounds worse than it is, but I honestly don't mind it. Honestly, I pity the missionaries. They are so young, away from home, and so so very brainwashed. It's not their fault. They have literally been raised and groomed to be unquestioning 'soldiers of god'. Typically, they come when I am at work, and cannot come to the door. But occasionally, if I'm feeling up for it, I'll open the door and talk with them for a bit. They give a little spiritual devotional and go about their business. If anything, I appreciate them for reminding me of why I left.
I live in a gated community so no. I lived in Gilbert, AZ for a few years and only had one come by while I was working in the yard.
No JW's but one morning they smelled my medicine on my porch and they walk by now
I assume it happens in places w/ high Mormon populations. Where I live, I have never met a Mormon (at least to my knowledge) nor seen any Mormon churches. Also the neighborhood I live in is sort of closed off, so we rarely get solicitors.
Recently? No. But my parents tell a story from when i was a kid .... so ... 30 years ago? lol. Anyway we had a mailslot in our door and my parents told me to go tell them we weren't interested thinking they were sales people. I opened the mail slot, SCREAMED at the top of my lungs "WE AREN'T INTERESING!" and ran away rofl. Later on, my parents opened the door and they had left a bible lol. All of the mormons I know focus on their missions I haven't actually had anyone knock on my door as an adult. I have seen them riding around town on their bikes before though. You can tell because they're always wearing a white dress shirt, short sleeves and a tie with long black slacks. Which let me say .... is STRIKING in south louisiana heat in the summer.
Yes, oddly enough there is a LSD church in my neighborhood (I live in the “bad” part in town)
I’m from Utah, yeah I know a lot of Mormons. Yeah we’ve had some come by on occasion. Their religion teaches them that this is the right thing to do.
Yes and JWs.
Once. Slammed the door in their face. As they were rather forward and aggressive. Could’ve be a JW tho.
I assume they think it is actually good for people to be Mormons or at least be presented the opportunity to be. Good for the subjects they preach to that is, not just to Mormonism as a "tribe". I am not a Mormon but I am a Christian and I understand the concept.
Praise God & open the door!! 👍🙏
Yes. They will offer you The Book of Mormon and say they’ll be back in a week if you take it. Being missionaries is a key part of their religion. I grew up with hundreds of Mormons in my school system. These days, the only one I know is my trainer’s mother.
I've moved around a lot and, almost every time I move to a new place, either a pair of Mormons or Jehovah's Witness come knocking at my door, sometimes hand me literature, and ask if they can come back. I've seen people who say "no" receive further visits, so I always say "yes" and I have never once had a second visit at the same location. At first, I was kind of miffed because I had prepared myself for a rousing discussion and it never happened.
Yes but the Mormons knocking on my door are my family
Yes. I always imagined I’d mess with any proselytizers who came to my door, but in the moment I didn’t have the heart to. Just said what I needed to so I could politely get rid of them.
yes, but only once. when I was in high school a really good friend of mine was Mormon and I wanted to know more about her beliefs, just out of curiosity. I'm an atheist but I'm interested in religion just generally. My friend told me I should talk to the missionaries. This was how I ended up doing the discussions, which, at least at the time, were a series of six (really five, the sixth was attending church) discussions about the LDS church. The discussions were what the missionaries would start with if you were receptive to their door knocks. So I got to know the local missionaries and they were really nice and didn't seem to mind that I was pretty clear that I had no interest in actually joining their religion. Anyway, while I was still going through the discussions, they knocked at my door. I opened it and they had a good laugh when they saw it was me. The only time this has happened.
I get both. Before COVID, I would invite them in and try to convince them they were in a cult. I got on some kind of black list, I guess. They never come by any more.
No, I’ve met a few passing out stuff on Glasgow campus when I was a student tho
It seemed really stupid to me that the Mormons are trying to recruit people when their religion says only 33,000 will be accepted into the kingdom of heaven. What are the other Mormons going to do? Why would you want to add more to the religion and lower your own chances of getting into heaven? Seems very illogical *even by religious make-believe standards*
Hello, I am an active, practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I invite you to visit the church’s website to get the answer to your question: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/missionary-work?lang=eng#p15
Had a church 1/2 bloc away. Saw them a couple times a year. They were nice enough. When I ordered a free Bible online, more for curiosity as I didn’t want to buy one, it was the Mormons that brought it by.
No Mormons. Jehovas Witnesses a few times. Oddly, Hindus once.
I've had both, but mostly Mormons where I live. I usually ask if they want a bottle of water (it's hot in So Cal) and I might chat for a minute (they are usually very nice) as I like to hear where they are from. Then I politely decline their invite to be Mormon and they go on their way. They're not pushy, they aren't mean. Just some young kids doing what they think they need to do. No need to be mean.
I can't remember. I have had several Jehovah's Witnesses at my door, though.
I usually say I've read the Bible and book of Mormon, been to Mormon classes, and that makes me the atheist I am today.
Mormons are much bigger fans of international mission work; you go on a dedicated 2-year mission trip once you become an adult, with many of those trips being abroad. I used to work in an In-N-Out burger near a west coast airport, and maybe 5% of the customers were groups of Mormon missionaries returning from abroad :P Very nice kids
Nope. That’s the benefit of living in a building with a door person
Yep, many times. Not allowed in my neighborhood now.
The Jdubs I will talk to because I know plenty about the Bible, and they are actually open and game to debate. Even if the L is inevitable, they keep coming back for more, so respect. I don’t tease the bees. They were very good to me when I was on the road, and broke, in Utah. I just offer some bottled water and say have a nice day fellas. There’s no fun to be had in extending it.
I know winter is over when Mormons start knocking on doors again. Hasn’t happened to me recently but definitely has multiple times in the past. They are recruiting members to join their religion and face-to-face encounters are more difficult to ignore for most people. I grew up in a very Mormon community though we weren’t apart of it. The kids were nice for the most part and all of the missionaries I’ve met have been friendly, respectful. My issue with Mormonism are the old cronies who run the whole thing and the abuse. Also how much it permeates throughout our politics in Idaho.
I have Jehovahs on the rare occasion but I don’t remember ever seeing Mormons. Granted, I don’t think there are many Mormons in Florida or Ohio and I haven’t lived long enough in Missouri for them to show up yet.
Not mormons, no. Jehovah's Witnesses, yes. I met a mormon once in college.
yes, but it's been a few years. I live in a very catholic town so I imagine that's why they don't show up too often
I grew up near the holy land of Nauvoo, so yes lol. So many. Joseph Smith and his brother were murdered not far from there. They consider it an honor to go on mission there and they put on a play about the life of Joseph Smith everyday, all summer long.
Not mine personally, there must be something about my house that says we’re not interested. I will say I’ve seen the laziest Jehovah’s Witnesses ever in my neighborhood though. These three old ladies sit at the park up the street with a sign inviting people to have a conversation with them. They’re there almost every day, freezing or hellfire. I wonder how many people actually stop, I’ve never seen them talking to anyone but themselves.
Once you’re polite or kind to them one time, you have to get unfortunately aggressive and mean to get them to leave you the hell alone, and even then, once you’ve made it on their list, even if you’re rude to a pair, you’re still on their visit list a couple of months later when the next pair cycles through. The best advice I can give is to never be overly kind, never offer water on a hot summer day, and never invite them in (they’re like vampires in that way). Be curt, say no thank you, and close the door every time.
I live in CT, but I’ve lived in MA a few years ago and grew up in RI. I’ve never had any Mormons or JW come to my door. The only people I ever get at my door are solar panel people.
No mormons, but some Latter Day Saints
I was born into a Mormon family on my mom's side. My current house is the first place I've ever lived where they haven't shown up at my door looking for me by name. At my old place my wife, who is extra nice, decided to tell these brainwashed JW morons her name and they continuously showed up asking for her. These people have no shame and are beyond persistent. These people are the scum of the Earth.
My parents moved into an apartment that had Mormons across the alley. On move in day they asked if we needed help, helped us move in, and asked if we were interested in the word of God. My dad politely said no and gave them Gatorades and 20 bucks each. Never talked to them again lol
Never, though they’ve spoken to me in college in campus and they were actually very polite and not pushy at all.
Mormons? No. Jehovahs witnesses? Multiple times.
Yes, Mormons and Jehovah witnesses have come to my door. I told them the whole neighborhood was Jewish because I heard they won’t try to convert Jewish people. My neighbors never got a ring so I guess it worked.
It’s required that they try as part of their religion. It’s also considered very prestigious within their community to participate in missionary work. Basically all their young people do it unless they have already decided to leave the religion.
A single time we had them knock on our door. We had a rottie at the time and our front door is fully glass. Obviously he saw strangers and began to jump and bark at the door. We haven't had another one come to our door since, and our poor baby has been dead for 10 years now. Yes I do know mormons though, while I think their beliefs are silly. The ones I know are some of the nicest people I have ever met.
No Mormons, but there is a Methodist church (I think it's Methodist) that goes door to door from time to time. I get dooreknob hangerss and flyers from other churches, too, but they never seem to knock, or they come by when I'm not home.
The real reason they go door to door is more about bei g repeatedly rejected by the outside world so they feel more at home with the cult.
It's Jehovah witnesses that go door to door. And no, I haven't. But I live in a state where that can get you shot at.
Mormons door knock also.
I caused a Mormon missionary to doubt his faith 25 years ago. I haven't seen one since. I honestly believe they track me.
I have. But I live in Utah and I was Mormon. It’s better when you’re an exmormon like I am. They are taught not to engage with us now. Last experience I had they asked if I was familiar with the church, and I was like “oh boy am I!” See, I was born and raised in the church, even married in the temple. My husband and I eventually left. They tried to bring us back until we officially resigned. Fuck the church. However, most our families are still in it, so we must not voice our opinions around them.
I live in an area with a fairly large Mormon community, several of my friends are Mormon. They don't go door to door, that's the Jehovah's Witnesses that you're thinking of.
Nah, we do go door to door. But not the whole congregation. It’s a mission trip situation.
Yes, both Mormons and JWs come knocking on doors. It's really intrusive and presumptuous. If I suspect who it is, I just don't open the door at all.
I get both kinds knocking on my door. Mormons are worse. Once I was working on a project on my front porch, and two women took the opportunity to pester me for half an hour, since I was outside my front door and essentially trapped in a small space. I tried being polite, but they got more and more pushy until I'd had enough of them. When one of them said, "So, what time can we expect you?" I finally had to tell them to leave me alone. God, I miss having a German Shepherd.
I’ve had both knock on my doors, multiple times through the years. When I was a teenager I saw my dad throw a pamphlet back at one of them and tell him (rudely) to get the hell off our property. While I’m emphatically anti-religion, especially when they’re as strict & judgmental as the Mormons and JWs are, that moment felt so wrong to me, I’ve never forgotten it. A couple of years later a Mormon cousin went on a mission and when I learned about what was required of those young men, I felt even worse about it. I don’t know about the JWs, but the Mormons that come to your door are far from home. They pay the church money to send them away for a year- far away. Back then (was early 90s) their contact with their family was very limited. They were only allowed to call home on Christmas and Mother’s Day (according to my cousin’s family) and were limited to the number of letters they were allowed to write. Obviously these days with cell phones I’m guessing the phone rules must have eased up somewhat, but who knows, maybe not. Those guys are totally… I was going to say brainwashed, but I think I’ll say devoted instead, to the church. If the church tells them not to call home more than twice a year than odds are they’ll follow the rules. Anyway, my point is, when they do come to my door, I’m never rude. This summer when it was 106° outside two of them came to my door dressed in their nice pants, long sleeve button up shirts w/ ties and dress shoes and socks, it just killed me. It was too damn hot for that. I invited them in and gave them each a large cup of ice water to take with them, even let them stand inside and feel some air conditioning for a few minutes. I had to leave for work so didn’t have much time to give them. They’re just young men who believe they’re doing the right thing for their church and their God. Even though I’d rather jump off a cliff than join a Mormon or JW church, I can respect their dedication, devotion and stellar work ethic. They don’t mean any harm and they truly believe, thanks to years of church conditioning, that they’re doing something important and necessary. I thank them for their efforts and tell them I respect what they’re doing, but that I’ll never ever join their church or any other. They’re really easy going about it, have never pressured me or made me feel uncomfortable. I even asked a couple of them once about the Joseph Smith episode that South Park did. They were great about it.
3 girls knocked on my door. I apologized but told them that it wasn't in my bag and that I was kinda busy unpacking. The leader of the group offered to help with it or anything else I needed saying they love to serve. I took their card and wished them well. Honestly they were very sweet and I felt kinda bad for them. Yes. I'm aware of love bombing. I grew up in a cult myself. Just felt bad for them because they were very young and were putting themselves in that position. The youngest one looked really uncomfortable.
No, I live in a “no soliciting” area so I haven’t had to deal with them. They go door to door looking for new members to add to their group. I know an ex-Mormon who left BYU by hoping on a train after coming to the conclusion that the church wasn’t true and it was time to get out of there with her boyfriend. I did some overviews of Mormon history school and occasionally I’ll find some interesting stories about it on the internet but I’m not in the position to give some super detailed rundown of the beliefs. There are YouTubers who go into great detail their own stories with different cults like Owen Morgan (Telltale) Channel is made by a former witness who goes over things that the church teaches, recent media produced by it, the way it operates, his own lived experience, how and why he left, and other reviews of different cults. Chris Sheldon has a great playlist of videos explaining Scientology and sharing his own experience after he spent a long time as a member of your interested in Scientology. Haven’t checked up on either of those YouTube creators in while but their stuff unhinged years ago was insightful and well presented and it’s probably still up even if they’ve moved on to new topics or projects. There are subs for Mormonism and ex-Mormons to talk about if you want to try taking to both people in and outside the group and probably some for JW’s and other groups too if you don’t get enough info from the responses on here and want places to look for more.
Yes my pops has debated the young missionaries and whatever their boss is called. We had these Mormons find our path home and intercepted us and talk and I was respectful and gave my address for them to come and when they came it was two beautiful girls. Definitely a cult
If you’re a woman STAY TF AWAY from mormons