This really upset me

[7armyrugrats]

When my husband and I moved to his previous duty station we had so many groups coming it was pitiful. We had JW’s who told my kids their father was going to Hell because he’s a soldier, SDA’s who told me the Pope was the anti-Christ and that the Catholic Church is the whore of Babylon, and a few groups I’m not even sure who they were that were also very upsetting. The Baptists, Mormons, Evangelicals, and Methodists were all pleasant and good company. They realized I was not interested and still offered assistance while my husband was deployed with no strings attached. It got so bad that I moved on post to avoid all of them, even the pleasant groups that caused no harm. If you can get away with not opening your door I would suggest it. But I had 6 kids who would answer it if I didn’t. Glad your husband made it home safely. For his peace of mind and yours, I pray you find a solution.

 

[steve_b]

Last night my husband and I got a knock on the door.

[snip] for space

How do I deal with this?

I would ask them,

1. • why do you believe what you believe?
     1. if it’s the bible, ask them where the bible came from and when was it created?
     2. Ask them if they know that the writers of the NT are in the Church they are writing to and for.
     3. Ask them What’s the name of that Church? Just so that you know, The Catholic Church wrote, assembled, and canonized the NT. Peter Paul James John Matthew Mark Luke are all Catholics. If they balk at that share with them the following
     4. Acts 9:31 So the church throughout all ἐκκλησίακαθ’ὅληςτῆςJudea and Galilee and Sama’ria…"
     ἐκκλησία , καθ’ , ὅλης , [τῆς (http://bibleapps.com/greek/3588.htm) put your cursor on each word to see the meaning. iow the Church ἐκκλησία , τῆς] throughout all καθ’kata ὅληςholos] is the Kataholos Church = Catholic ChurchThe English word catholic is a transliteration of the Greek katholikos which is a compound word from kata, which means according to, and holos, which means whole. that’s why we have
     • St IgnatiusBp of Antioch, ~69 a.d. - ~107 a.d., ordained by apostles, disciple of St John the apostle, called the Church the Catholic Church Epistle to the Smyrnæansof which schismatics won’t be going to heaven Epistle to the Philadelphians
     • St Polycarp, Bp Smyrna, disciple of St John called the Church the “Catholic Church” The Martyrdom of Polycarp
     • Muratorian canon http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/muratorian.html
     • Irenaeus ~180 a.d. wrote “Against Heresies” called the Church the “Catholic Church” Adversus haereses Bk 1 Ch 10 v 3], and also Irenaeus who was taught by Polycarp, teaches all must agree with Rome [Bk 3, Ch 3, v 2-3]Chapter 3
     • Cyprian~250 a.d. Epistle 54
     • The Nicene Creed, 325 a.d., it’s a matter of faith to believe in the “One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church”
     • etc etc
     • Now ask THEM who started YOUR religion and when was it started? You can google ever single group and their origin. The main point, Jesus established ONE Church and they aren’t in it.
     At that point you can thank them for coming by, and have a nice day

 

[KendraDZ1902]

And yet they came back, which means they didn’t listen or didn’t believe your response.

.

These were new people, I had Mormons this winter that bothered me and some JW’s who came by a few times. I haven’t seen these people. It is a weird community that I live in. On the same road in about a 2 mile section there is a HUGE Catholic Church. . A mormon temple, Seventh Day Adventist, 2 non-denominational churches and a Baptist Church. I think maybe the other Churches may be struggling for members because the Catholic Church has over 1,100 families registered and I have been to all 3 Masses on Sunday one time or another and they are all full. lol.

 

[Beryllos]

I fervently hope to be able to bring Mormons and JW’s to tears through logic one day

I used to have a JW lady come around… I would ask what I hoped were thought-provoking questions, esp when she started bring young people around who were being trained.

… the JW’s are not so pleasant to deal with…

The JW in my town are polite, always come in pairs, one trainee and one experienced. Several times I have tried debating them - I’m fairly familiar with Scripture - but it never seemed to put a dent in their point of view. They listened politely but always have a good comeback. I think they are well-trained (thoroughly brainwashed).

One option is to tell them that they should just shake the dust from their feet as they leave (Matthew 10:14), but I have never done that, and I am not sure if the bible should be used in this way.

P.S. (edited to add this afterthought) It may be more appropriate for you to use this gesture, shaking dust from your feet, once they are gone from your door. It might make you feel better about their intrusion.

P.P.S Once I came to the door wearing a Mass General Hospital blood donor T-shirt. That got them started with their ideas about blood transfusions. Ha!

 

[KendraDZ1902]

Hi Kendra, are you upset that you got upset when someone accused your faith of all types of terrible things and told your husband grievous lies? Actually, I commend you for just slamming the door in their faces. I’ve actually punched people in the face.

.

Yes. I don’t do well with people yelling at me. It freaks me out and I usually say things just to hurt the person’s feelings. You hurt me I hurt you type thing. I didn’t want to do that to this lady so I slammed the door. After I calmed down, I felt bad. I would have probably said horrible things to her if I didn’t get away though.

 

[agnes_therese]

They wouldn’t let you finish a sentence. It wasn’t that I couldn’t they wouldn’t let you. lol. When I didn’t let her interrupt, she started yelling that we don’t follow Christ. Like, screaming. It was insane.

Well, right there, I’d be slamming the door in their faces. You do NOT show up at my house, uninvited, and then start yelling at me!
You have no reason to feel bad about shutting the door.

 

[mrs_katekista]

I used to get those kinds of “visits”, too - Particularly from JWs. There were times when I just ignore them and pretend nobody’s home but my children were sometimes curious and peek through the window. They would keep ringing the doorbell until someone opens the door. So, I would open our storm door. Sometimes, telling them that I was not interested is enough, sometimes they would insist on leaving their pamphlets but I tell them to save it because I won’t be reading it. When they try to start talking, I apologize that I cannot listen and just slowly close the door. As much as I would love to discuss with them, I feel like if I engage with them, I will be compromising the safety of my children.

I just realized that lately, I haven’t been getting the “visits”. I hung a huge woven palm leaf on my front door last Palm Sunday. Now I wonder if it has something to do with it? Maybe a Catholic symbol/sign on your front door will help? Hopefully, it will send them a message not to approach your home. I know for those who are really determined, it might be more of a reason to knock on your door. But, it’s worth a shot, I guess.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-...Cg/s512/549806_4398095641125_1897724890_n.jpg

The one on the left is what I have on my front door. The other is on my altar.

Hope this helps!

 

[KendraDZ1902]

The JW in my town are polite, always come in pairs, one trainee and one experienced. Several times I have tried debating them - I’m fairly familiar with Scripture - but it never seemed to put a dent in their point of view. They listened politely but always have a good comeback. I think they are well-trained (thoroughly brainwashed).

I haven’t had a big problem with JWs either. Until I moved to this community. My stepdad’s stepuncle, who is my parent’s next door neighbor, is a JW. A few years ago he came to the house around Easter time. I answered the door and him being family hugged him and invited him in. He asked me if I wanted to, “see the resurrection of Christ.” I looked at him puzzled and said, “I think I am 2000 years too late.” He looked at me and scratched his head and said, “Uh? Oh no, it is a play at church.” and he laughed and laughed.

 

[KendraDZ1902]

I used to get those kinds of “visits”, too - Particularly from JWs. There were times when I just ignore them and pretend nobody’s home but my children were sometimes curious and peek through the window. They would keep ringing the doorbell until someone opens the door. So, I would open our storm door. Sometimes, telling them that I was not interested is enough, sometimes they would insist on leaving their pamphlets but I tell them to save it because I won’t be reading it. When they try to start talking, I apologize that I cannot listen and just slowly close the door. As much as I would love to discuss with them, I feel like if I engage with them, I will be compromising the safety of my children.

I just realized that lately, I haven’t been getting the “visits”. I hung a huge woven palm leaf on my front door last Palm Sunday. Now I wonder if it has something to do with it? Maybe a Catholic symbol/sign on your front door will help? Hopefully, it will send them a message not to approach your home. I know for those who are really determined, it might be more of a reason to knock on your door. But, it’s worth a shot, I guess.

Sign in - Google Accounts

The one on the left is what I have on my front door. The other is on my altar.

Hope this helps!

Those are really pretty! There is a Catholic bookstore down the street from me. I will have to go and see if they have a sign or something to hang on my door.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Last night my husband and I got a knock on the door. I was speaking to my grandmother so he answered. It was a couple who came to bother us. My husband told them we were Catholic and happy. The guy was like, “Oh I used to be Catholic,” and started his anti-Catholic speech. My husband was confirmed early in the RCIA process and then left for a deployment, so he has never had to deal with people coming to bother us. I don’t know what the deal is with the area I live in, but since we moved here, people knock on our door all the time. I have stopped answering the door. My poor husband is standing at the door with his mouth wide open in total shock that this guy is saying this stuff to him. So, I got off the phone, went to the door, and started defending our faith and they started yelling. I told them that they came to my house. I didn’t come looking for them and not to yell. She yelled again and I slammed the door in their faces.

How do I deal with this? Why do people feel the need to come to people’s houses and yell at them? I was so upset afterwards that I was shaking. This winter I had Mormons who would come by almost weekly, when I did open the door, they never yelled. It was like since we weren’t letting them dog our faith that we were wrong.

Probably Jehovah Witnesses. Just put up a “Please Do Not Ring or Knock” sign on your door, and leave it locked. I used to open the door to JWs but just say, “Oh, no thanks, we’re Catholic,” and close the door again. After a while they stopped coming by.

 

[SwizzleStick]

…How do I deal with this? …

I don’t answer the door to strangers. Even when my youngest is curious about who is at the door and goes and looks out before I have a chance to get there and whoever sees my son, if I don’t know who is standing there, I usually don’t answer. It is my house and I typically feel no obligation to open the door if I don’t know the person standing there. Generally, the only time I do is if it is a child who might need help. Usually an unknown child is just selling something, though, and an adult is waiting on foot or in a vehicle nearby. Even so, I am very cautious about opening my door to strangers, even for children, since home invaders have been known to use women and children to gain entry to a home.

Even if the person is there to discuss another faith, I am not very good about arguing or articulating why our family is Catholic and will remain so. So, I personally just don’t answer the door if I don’t know the person there.

 

[cheezey]

I have a little sign next to my door that says,

“All in this house are glad to be Catholic. Be blessed on our doorstep, be blessed as you enter.”

That gets the message out pretty clearly to whomever that they are welcome to my home for discussion if they so wish, but most people who see that take it as a hint that I’m not interested in their alternate “religion”.

Or, you could do what my cousin used to do. If a Jehova’s Witness knocked on her door, she would say “I’m so sorry, but I’m in the Witness protection program.” …That usually either caused a laugh or it brought the end of the discussion.

in more than ways than one…

No matter how you handle the situation, please remember that whomever it is knocking at your door (or telemarketing the family during dinner time…oye!) that they are a real person, also made in the image of God and worthy of kindness and respect. You can be very firm while also remaining very kind.

EDIT: I somehow missed the part where they were yelling at you. **I will reiterate my statement that you can be very firm while remaining kind. ** I have been in a similar situation to yours. It is quite upsetting to have someone in your home raising their voice at you because of your beliefs. Very upsetting indeed. To use the term they would teach you in a call-center environment, try not to be “hooked” by them. That is, they get you upset and you also begin throwing insults–that’s no good. Simply say, “Thank you. You need to leave now.” This is YOUR house and you are in control of it.

 

[just_came_back]

Last night my husband and I got a knock on the door. I was speaking to my grandmother so he answered. It was a couple who came to bother us. My husband told them we were Catholic and happy. The guy was like, “Oh I used to be Catholic,” and started his anti-Catholic speech. My husband was confirmed early in the RCIA process and then left for a deployment, so he has never had to deal with people coming to bother us. I don’t know what the deal is with the area I live in, but since we moved here, people knock on our door all the time. I have stopped answering the door. My poor husband is standing at the door with his mouth wide open in total shock that this guy is saying this stuff to him. So, I got off the phone, went to the door, and started defending our faith and they started yelling. I told them that they came to my house. I didn’t come looking for them and not to yell. She yelled again and I slammed the door in their faces.

How do I deal with this? Why do people feel the need to come to people’s houses and yell at them? I was so upset afterwards that I was shaking. This winter I had Mormons who would come by almost weekly, when I did open the door, they never yelled. It was like since we weren’t letting them dog our faith that we were wrong.

next time open the door naked with a spray painted pentagram on your stomach all while holding cutlery. LOL! I kid, I kid. Protestants door knockers, next to vaccum cleaner salesmen and Amway idiots, are the worst.

 

[Church_Militant]

Sorry about that Kendra. Have you considered a “No Soliciting” sign in your yard or whatever?

One thing that can be somewhat helpful with such meatballs is to keep a supply of good Catholic tracts at hand and just tell them “Here,this will help you better understand.” and close the door.

My two best choices are from Our Sunday Visitor’s Tracts and are linked below.

God’s peace my friend,
Top Ten Questions Catholics are Asked
Questions Catholics Are Asked: Are You Saved?

 

[Evan]

When they say " I used to be Catholic"

Interupt and ask “What sin was so precious to you that you left God’s church rather than follow it’s teaching?”

Often it is of a sexual nature (Divorce remarriage) (contraception) (abortion) (pre-maritial sex) (living together)

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Sorry about that Kendra. Have you considered a “No Soliciting” sign in your yard or whatever?

I’ve had solicitors tell me, “I’m not soliciting,” which is why “Please Do Not Ring or Knock” is a little more limiting. Then, you can just point to the sign and wag your finger.

“No Trespassing” is also still a good sign to have.

 

[DamienD]

They weren’t JW. They were these people:
usa.watv.org/truth/truth_life/content_mother.asp

 

[cheezey]

Last night my husband and I got a knock on the door. I was speaking to my grandmother so he answered. It was a couple who came to bother us. My husband told them we were Catholic and happy. The guy was like, “Oh I used to be Catholic,” and started his anti-Catholic speech. My husband was confirmed early in the RCIA process and then left for a deployment, so he has never had to deal with people coming to bother us. I don’t know what the deal is with the area I live in, but since we moved here, people knock on our door all the time. I have stopped answering the door. My poor husband is standing at the door with his mouth wide open in total shock that this guy is saying this stuff to him. So, I got off the phone, went to the door, and started defending our faith and they started yelling. I told them that they came to my house. I didn’t come looking for them and not to yell. She yelled again and I slammed the door in their faces.

How do I deal with this? Why do people feel the need to come to people’s houses and yell at them? I was so upset afterwards that I was shaking. This winter I had Mormons who would come by almost weekly, when I did open the door, they never yelled. It was like since we weren’t letting them dog our faith that we were wrong.

I have often wondered why people ‘yell’ their faith. Doesn’t seem ever necessary. Shouting for joy is one thing; yelling to convince/convert someone else is another.
I have also wondered that if people yell their faith, could it mean they are not all too convinced of what they preach? Doth protesting too much?

I’d get sign…

 

[maryjk]

I’ve had solicitors tell me, “I’m not soliciting,” which is why “Please Do Not Ring or Knock” is a little more limiting. Then, you can just point to the sign and wag your finger.

“No Trespassing” is also still a good sign to have.

Years ago, my husband had a heart attack. On the day he came home from the hospital, I put a sign on the door.

Do not ring bell. Patient Sleeping. Only knock if it is important and can’t wait.

Or something like that.

JW came by. And Rang the Bell!!!

They tried to explain to me WHY it was important to wake my husband up. They got yelled at that day.

 

[NHInsider]

They wouldn’t let you finish a sentence. It wasn’t that I couldn’t they wouldn’t let you. lol. When I didn’t let her interrupt, she started yelling that we don’t follow Christ. Like, screaming. It was insane.

Not Mormons, then, they’re much better trained than that. Probably not JW’s, either.

Sally