I don't like the doorbell.

[spatch]

Every time one side of the brain suggests something like a nice weatherproof porch cam to see exactly who it is downstairs ringing the doorbell, before we throw on a pair of pants and trudge down from the third floor only to discover it's a nice pair of Jehovah's Witnesses who'd very much like us to read their fine magazine, the other side of the brain rejects the idea as giving in too much to the hermit mindset and not promoting healthy human-human talky-talky interaction and the like.

Even if this morning the doorbell did wake me up and I did throw on a pair of pants and did trudge down from the third floor, only to discover it was a nice pair of Jehovah's Witnesses who'd very much like me to read their fine magazine, causing me to very politely mumble "Nothankyou, nothankyou" through half-open eyelids (didn't even make eye contact! Go me) before shutting the door and going back upstairs.

Next time when the doorbell rings I'm sending the cat.

Comments

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

True.

A Christian friend of mine would actually invite them in and send them away with his own literature. Pretty funny.

[spatch]

My father invites them in, offers them a cup of coffee or tea (decaf for the Mormons) and then listens to their points very nicely, and then refutes them all with Scripture. I think it's a nice way to get a little religious discussion in, and Dad's good like that. Me, I'm good for a mumbled refusal and a stagger back upstairs. Besides, I don't entertain guests very well.

[redtheblue.livejournal.com]

There's only so much a body can do to influence benevolent behavior in those around it. For me, it's not having children in order to discourage population explosion, and not speaking to the openly religous about their religion. I'm looking for a way to actually make them ashamed of their beliefs, like they are about their bodies. When I am rich I will put up a grant for teams of psychologists to explore this.

[unferth.livejournal.com]

Did you ever hear the story Tim Powers (Catholic SF writer) tells along those lines?

He had either Seventh Day Adventists or Jehovah's Witnesses show up on his porch, so he started arguing theology with them while standing on the porch. He was using their Bible for reference, to avoid arguments about versions ('Oh, you Catholics have your own version of the Bible. That's not what the real one says.') Since they're door to door missionaries, they have small Bibles printed on very thin paper.

Which was all fine until he got out his magnifying glass, to read the small print.

As he put it, "Well, it was a sunny day..."

Apparently he set their Bible on fire. Which at least got them to leave. Quickly.