Mormon Missionaries

[UKDude]

I've been athiest since I left sunday school at the age of about 7, but I make it a point to collect and read the "religious books" so that I can understand where people come from and have a common frame of reference.

Two things usually drive them away with minimal effort, 1. tell them I'm athiest, this usually throws up enough red flags that most will politely leave soon after. 2. get my book of mormon from the shelf, along with the quoran, KJV and a translated Torah, bring them to the front door and ask them to please explain how each one of the other books is "wrong" without contradicting their own book in some way.

Usually never need 2, 1 nearly always works.

[geoint]

Just ask them questions that they do not want to answer. Ask them to rationally explain why god changed his mind about African Americans and finally allowed them into the church in 1978. Ask them why god changed his mind about polygamy. Talk to them about gay rights. These will not be well received and they will probably leave you alone. They will have something new to consider as well. Everybody wins!

God can reveal new ideas or laws if and when ever he wants. Do all you christians still make animal offerings? Isnt that in your bible? I know its in the old testament. How about when God ordered everyone in Jericho be slain. Are you ok with that? (just playing devils advocate).

Im mormon. Not a perfect mormon, I didnt do the missionary thing but I admire the guys who do go. As far as polygamy and african americans...etc. my response is always when you can rationalize why its ok to break commandments (see above) I will admit my church is wrong. (and God said so doesnt work since I cant use it either)

[ArmedJackal]

God can reveal new ideas or laws if and when ever he wants. Do all you christians still make animal offerings? Isnt that in your bible? I know its in the old testament. How about when God ordered everyone in Jericho be slain. Are you ok with that? (just playing devils advocate).

Im mormon. Not a perfect mormon, I didnt do the missionary thing but I admire the guys who do go. As far as polygamy and african americans...etc. my response is always when you can rationalize why its ok to break commandments (see above) I will admit my church is wrong. (and God said so doesnt work since I cant use it either)

I'm agnostic.

I don't try to chase Mormon missionaries away, I love to talk to them. It is one of the only opportunities in polite society to really grill someone on why they believe as they do. I genuinely am interested in seeing how they rationalize their positions and deal with the outlandish fantastical nature of religion. And since they approached me, I can do it without feeling like a jerk.

[mossy]

I'm agnostic.

I don't try to chase Mormon missionaries away, I love to talk to them. It is one of the only opportunities in polite society to really grill someone on why they believe as they do. I genuinely am interested in seeing how they rationalize their positions and deal with the outlandish fantastical nature of religion. And since they approached me, I can do it without feeling like a jerk.

I do the same thing with anti gunners, it's so much fun.

As for the missionaries i always tell them i am buddhist. They get this priceless look on their face because i don't look like the typical buddhist. They always give me whatever reading material they are passing out then move on to the next door.

And this makes 5000 posts on calguns. Now officially a calguns addict.

[geoint]

I do the same thing with anti gunners, it's so much fun.

As for the missionaries i always tell them i am buddhist. They get this priceless look on their face because i don't look like the typical buddhist. They always give me whatever reading material they are passing out then move on to the next door.

And this makes 5000 posts on calguns. Now officially a calguns addict.

Lol. What will you say when you get to 10,000?

[socal147]

I do the same thing with anti gunners, it's so much fun.

I offer antis the receiving end of a garden hose.

I offer missionaries a bottled water

Hot here are times

And always dry

[Zorba]

Its easy: Put a sign on or near your front door that says "No Soliciting and No Proselytizing". I've had zero problems since.

[AAShooter]

Hmmm . . . you come to my door without an appointment or otherwise expected . . . good luck with talking to me about anything.

The LDS folks keep stating they are Christians but try to convert me from Christianity . . . hmmm . . . doesn't quite pass the smell test.

[chuckdc]

Where I used to live was a house that was my brother's and he told me just to ask them to not come back, so I did.. his rules. Now that it's my nickel paying the rent, if they come by, I'll tell them that I don't really want to discuss faith, but they are welcome to have something to drink and cool off a bit. They have a tough enough time as missionaries, and the Mormons I've known have generally been good folks, so I'll be nice back.

Now the JWs, that's another story, the ones that come to my door have been universally obnoxious and have made impolite remarks about the faith I grew up in. That earns them the immediate goodbye, with prejudice. Back at the old place, they stopped coming by 'cause one time they showed up while I was in the garage. The door was mostly down to lower the visibility because I was cleaning a whole pile of shotguns from my brother's agency (including some that would be no-no's if they didnt have a badge attached to them). also in the pile for cleaning were my shotguns and a couple of the rifles that the CA government generally does not approve of. The JW folks looked under the door until they saw what was there. They were suddenly a LOT less interested in stopping by, and I didnt see them again for several years. The next ones I told to shove off because I survived an illness that required blood transfusions. They gave me some gabble-gabble about being damned and so on, but they sure did leave. I didnt like their use of a little kid to approach the door first, either.

[TexasAggie]

I'm LDS and also a returned missionary. The advice you received in this thread is good advice. Politely ask the missionaries to not return, and those particular missionaries will likely not return. Unfortunately, depending on your perspective, your spouse is LDS. We make it a point in our church to watch over the "flock." Your wife is part of that flock and all efforts by the members will be guided by the scriptural account of the lost sheep, and our obligation to retrieve them. If you wish to be left alone, your wife should go down to the local church house and ask to speak with the Bishop. Fill out whatever paperwork is necessary to have her records removed from the church (Don't think this process is as simple as calling or e-mailing). Once she is removed from the records of the church, you'll eliminate any attempts in the future to "retrieve the lost sheep," but it won't eliminate the random companionship that is unaware of your wife's history -- or your requests to be left alone -- from stopping by to try and share a message with you.

As a missionary, I sure appreciated a kind word, even from those folks who were not interested in our message. That goes a long way when most of your day has been spent being cursed out, ridiculed, etc. Be nice and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

As far as using the missionaries for their labor - that's between you and the Lord.

As far as preaching to the missionaries, you'll find they use the Bible and understand it just as well as you do. In many cases, they'll have studied it far more than the average church goer (I've read it twice, - cover to cover). We don't read it to understand your views; we read it to better understand ours. We use both the Bible and the Book of Mormon because, in our view, they support, not contradict, one another.

Best of luck to you.

[Frotz]

Well the Supreme Court disagrees with you that religious proselyting is soliciting. They have ruled that door-door religious contacting is protected under the 1A. Soooo there's that.

So... what does that mean for a sign that reads "NO PROSELYTIZING"?

[AAShooter]

I'm LDS and also a returned missionary. The advice you received in this thread is good advice. Politely ask the missionaries to not return, and those particular missionaries will likely not return. Unfortunately, depending on your perspective, your spouse is LDS. We make it a point in our church to watch over the "flock." Your wife is part of that flock and all efforts by the members will be guided by the scriptural account of the lost sheep, and our obligation to retrieve them. If you wish to be left alone, your wife should go down to the local church house and ask to speak with the Bishop. Fill out whatever paperwork is necessary to have her records removed from the church (Don't think this process is as simple as calling or e-mailing). Once she is removed from the records of the church, you'll eliminate any attempts in the future to "retrieve the lost sheep," but it won't eliminate the random companionship that is unaware of your wife's history -- or your requests to be left alone -- from stopping by to try and share a message with you.

As a missionary, I sure appreciated a kind word, even from those folks who were not interested in our message. That goes a long way when most of your day has been spent being cursed out, ridiculed, etc. Be nice and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

As far as using the missionaries for their labor - that's between you and the Lord.

As far as preaching to the missionaries, you'll find they use the Bible and understand it just as well as you do. In many cases, they'll have studied it far more than the average church goer (I've read it twice, - cover to cover). We don't read it to understand your views; we read it to better understand ours. We use both the Bible and the Book of Mormon because, in our view, they support, not contradict, one another.

Best of luck to you.

The brother of my friend was a strong Christian and had advanced degrees in religion/bible studies and rhetoric/debate. He used to eagerly await the missionaries to come by and engage him. It was great sport for him. Always wondered how some of the youngsters viewed that engagement.

[kygen]

Just tell them "no thanks, I'm not interested."

More or less this

[SID45]

I am LDS too. No its not a cult. If you don't want the missionaries to come, just tell them. If you want your name deleted , that is fine too. Live and let live.

[Xtracrispy]

I'm a non-denominational Christian, so naturally I don't believe in the Mormon beliefs. However, they are almost all nice folks, with a passion for helping. No need to be rude to them, they are trying to help people and make the world a better place, which I would think we can all agree is a good thing.
They can be annoying, but what are they really hurting?

With that being said, the fact that your wife was a Mormon doesn't help your situation. An I would also say it's likely her family/friends have called them to your house.