Intresting article on door-to-door religion

[Eric McTavish]

Nicely written and asks a very good question...

Story here.

Posted on Wed, Jun. 08, 2005
A guest column by Elizabeth Markley
Leave my child out of your evangelism

Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing. The fact that we are free to say what we wish without facing criminal charges shows true democracy in action. But at what point does freedom of speech become harassment?

There are individuals who go door-to-door in a desperate attempt to convert others to their faith. Those of us who are not interested in this face-to-face equivalent of spam either refuse to answer the door or blindly take the pamphlet that is handed to us, knowing that we will be throwing it in the trash.

I am a Pagan, so their conversion attempts are annoying, to say the least. Luckily for me, because of my honesty and courtesy toward them, there is usually no problem.

Then they decided to prey upon my child. Now I realize that all they were doing was simply sharing their faith with my child, but the fact is that she is a minor, and children do not realize that they can tell such individuals to leave them alone. So out of social fear, my daughter complied with every request they made. She was next door at her friend’s house when they not only pressured her to join in on a prayer, but also told her to fill out a form that they handed to her.

That is when I stepped outside to see why my daughter had not come home yet. When I saw that she was filling out some form I told her to stop writing and asked her what she was filling out.

She said that she did not know, but that this man (pointing to him) told her to fill it out. That is when I asked the man what he had given to my child.

He insisted that it was simply a statement of faith and nothing to worry about. I informed him that since I am her mother, he had no right to ask my child to provide personal information. He said that she could just put down her name, if that’s all she wanted to do. Didn’t I make it clear that without my consent he could not ask her to fill out anything?

While I support their freedom of speech and their right to practice their religion, how do those rights extend to a right to pry private information out of a minor?

I can’t help but wonder how the neighborhood would react if I were a Satanist and went around telling children about the joys of worshipping Satan. Surely I would be put in jail. So tell me, why is it that they can get away with it day after day? When are these people going to realize that what they believe does not void all laws that pertain to minors?

[Dmitri]

Getting my underage child to sign something without my knowledge will get a call to the police for solicitation of a minor and my lawyer...

[I'Cin]

Catching them getting my underage child to sign something will get my pointy-toed shit-kicking boot up their ass.

{sigh} No, I probably wouldn't actually lay hands on them (digression: "here, let me lay hands on you" -- a smack in the forehead and "you are HEALED!" But they still probably wouldn't be any smarter), but they'd probably prefer the cops by the time I was through.

While the evidence seems to poin the other way, I still refuse to believe that to have "religion" or faith requires that you check your intelligence at the door.

I'Cin

[Scarlett Rogue]

One of the best responses I have ever heard of came from another message board. The door to doors came and the woman of the house answered. When the ...I believe they were Jehovah's Witnesses, began their dialog, she told them to wait a moment for her to get her husband. The husband had recently been deer hunting and was at that time out in the backyard skinning and cutting the meat. He came to the door, after a quick stop to pick up his broadsword, and covered in deer blood, all 6'4" of solid muscle - and very amicably told the young men that he really didn't have time to talk just then ...he was in the middle of a sacrifice.

Never were any more door to doors seen around their house again

[Jeannie Fitzgerald]

What used to really bite my ample asset, besides tall dogs, was the way religious solicitors would ignore "NO SOLICITING" signs. When they would ring my doorbell, I would ask if they didn't see the sign and they would say they did but they weren't soliciting. Back then, I wasn't the sweet gentle thing I am now (relatively speaking) and at that point I would colorfully "explain" that soliciting was soliciting, no matter if they were pushing brushes, vacuum cleaners or religion. It would be a while before that group would come back. Where I live now, solictors are prohibited and generally one of the first few they hit will call the police who have plenty of time to arrive and trespass warn them, unless it wasn't their first offense, in which case they give them a free ride plus meals and lodgings, all before they have a chance to make it to me. It's been so nice the past 11 years I've lived here.

[Scarlett Rogue]

eh ..since we've moved to the country and our driveway needs mountain climbing gear or a 4WD to get up, we don't get any people anymore - ...unfortunately, this includes the mailman, UPS, etc.

[Cyranno DeBoberac]

One of the best responses I have ever heard of came from another message board. The door to doors came and the woman of the house answered. When the ...I believe they were Jehovah's Witnesses, began their dialog, she told them to wait a moment for her to get her husband. The husband had recently been deer hunting and was at that time out in the backyard skinning and cutting the meat. He came to the door, after a quick stop to pick up his broadsword, and covered in deer blood, all 6'4" of solid muscle - and very amicably told the young men that he really didn't have time to talk just then ...he was in the middle of a sacrifice.

Never were any more door to doors seen around their house again

A guy I used to work with, after being woken up the third weekend morning in a row by a family of Jehovah Witlesses whom he had twice before politely told to not come around any more, stormed out of bed and answered the door stark naked. And if the stories are true, boy did he give them something to witness! :)

The daddy Witness stammered a hasty good-bye while trying to cover his wife's and sprog's eyes.

They never came back.

[Scarlett Rogue]

:rotfl:
Okay, I'll have to add this one to my collection.
heh, it's a good things pagans don't go door to door, they wouldn't be insulted ..they'd just grade him

[Emrld]

I think my best was I was loading up my car at Christmas Break from Collage and the boys in the white shirts and ties came by. They asked if they could have a moment of my time. I told them sure but I was on a timing deadline. If they would help me load my car from my 2nd story apartment I would let them have whatever time was left to talk.
They were so excited. . . apparentlly I was the first person all day willing to listen to them. So they busted but and helped load the car and we got to the last item. . . . In a crate which was in a bag was my pet Iguana. . . .I asked them if they wanted to pet my liziard. About that time they realized they had somewhere else to be . . . Who knew that they thought a pet lizard was satanic . . .

[Mistress Kath the Innkeep]

The Jehovah's Witness or whatever else is floating around out there haven't been near my house in a couple of years. They were roaming our neighborhood once upon a time in October when I was setting up for Halloween...they seemed to have some aesthetic difficulties with the bones...and tombstones...and assorted body parts...and conversation...

They were trying to get my dad to come out ot the sidewalk to talk to them so their little ones wouldn't be exposed to the horrors of my yard...Dad said he was very busy...he had to help me find the demon and the coffin.

Kath