In the US we have Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses that do this; are there any similar in the UK and what kind of religion do they proselytize?
Lived in the UK nearly 60 years, JWs are the only door to door religious folk I’ve known. They are coordinated, so If you talk too much sense you won’t see them again. Probably had them knock under 10 times total at houses I’ve lived in. They are not ubiquitous or bothersome.
Yeah, in my rural area Jehovah’s Witnesses occasionally show up at the door. Mostly handing out printed leaflets. One time someone who looked very meek and shy gave me a painstakingly handwritten letter in blue biro that must have taken them ages. I did read it after politely saying thanks and goodbye, and it was thoroughly unhinged and extreme oceans-will-boil-with-blood doomsday Revelations fanfic.
Cities get a lot more interesting. Walking round That London or Bristol, for example, you may well be accosted by anything from charity muggers to scientologists to people with more individually idiosyncratic convictions. I just solve it by never ever making eye contact and pretending to be deaf tbh, because I find the process of getting out of the conversation once they’ve engaged to be deeply embarrassing.
We had some JWs come to the door once and offer my husband some pamphlets. He offered them some physics pamphlets in return.
They didn’t come back.
“Ah yes, here’s a pamphlet on the Big Bang, one on string theory, one on quantum physics, and oh! I just happen to have one from another area: Biology, here you go, evolution.”
Yeah we do, JWs mostly. But if you look at the /m I mod you can gauge the response they get from me ;)
Solicitors in the UK are what you’d call lawyers in the US. And generally no, not in my experience. I think I had Jehovah’s Witnesses around once 20 years ago.
We’ve had a few in recent years, but they’re generally pretty happy to bugger off if you say no politely.
I’ve not lived in the UK for about 15years but growing up we would occasionally get Jehovah’s Witnesses knock. Not very regularly though.
I used to have Jehovah’s witnesses comming around once per year but I asked them to stop comming and they actually stoped.
spreading the word of jehova is an important aspect of their religion, so they tend to do it wherever they safely can
There’s a darker aspect to it too, because the church elders know that the people they visit are not likely to be receptive, and many of them will be outright rude.
Debriefing the returning members is a big part of the process, and helps to reinforce the idea that the church is warm and welcoming, while the outside world is cod and uncaring.
yeah, the main dutch watchtower is around where i live
theyre a very, uh, ‘tightly woven’ community
Yeah it happens, the local church used to canvas quite a bit where I used to live. It happens more in poorer communities, I’m almost certain. Also had mormons, JWs and scientologists a couple of times.
Gotta love them US imports!
Yeah we get Jehovah’s Witnesses - I just let them excitedly tell me all about their beliefs for ages and pretend to be interested. Then eventually I will say something like - Well, that does sound reasonable - I will have to tell my husband about this.
They tend to fid an excuse to leave after that - which is at least one nice thing about them, some other groups - will tell me that my “lifestyle choices” are immoral and I will go to hell. Jehovah’s don’t - they just leave.
