(no subject)
While I was brushing my teeth this morning, Mom came running in to say "Come in here and listen! Dad's got a proselytizer at the door!" Since this is one of my favorite household amusements, I joined her and Bean in the living room to hear what the Jehovah's Witness had to say. Dad expressed his disappointment in many door-to-door religion salesmen in that they often hadn't looked into other religions much before becoming convinced that theirs was The Right One and that everyone should join it. The JW said that actually, she had looked into a number of other religions, but she had found that "they often share a common trait: false teachings." Oooh boy.
I feel sort of badly for those that try to sell us their god. Most of my family members like to see how much they know about religions, what they can get these people to say, or how intelligent their arguments are. My cousin Beth has a reputation for getting the salesmen so fed up with her that they ask to speak to her husband when he strategically wanders by the door. When asked, the couple acts astonished that anyone would assume they were married, horrified at the thought, and content to live in sin with one another. This usually gets rid of the proselytizer. This morning's JW left after she found herself saying "we're not liked" repeatedly. I guess she thought that wouldn't be a good selling point.
I watched them (there turned out to be two, but the younger one stepped back and kept her mouth shut when Dad started asking questions) leave, their long skirts swishing as they hurried off to their next house. They had done well under scrutiny; Dad said they were some of the most intelligent he'd spoken with. I half pity and half admire those sorts. They're not likely to convince many, since most people already have their own set of beliefs, whether or not they might include religious teachings, but I am impressed by their conviction. They believe so strongly in their strange old mysticism that they will do what they can to help others by including them. I don't have that sort of faith in my beliefs. They're right, scientific "facts" change over time. I wish many religious groups would update their texts as well to better fit the times.
I feel sort of badly for those that try to sell us their god. Most of my family members like to see how much they know about religions, what they can get these people to say, or how intelligent their arguments are. My cousin Beth has a reputation for getting the salesmen so fed up with her that they ask to speak to her husband when he strategically wanders by the door. When asked, the couple acts astonished that anyone would assume they were married, horrified at the thought, and content to live in sin with one another. This usually gets rid of the proselytizer. This morning's JW left after she found herself saying "we're not liked" repeatedly. I guess she thought that wouldn't be a good selling point.
I watched them (there turned out to be two, but the younger one stepped back and kept her mouth shut when Dad started asking questions) leave, their long skirts swishing as they hurried off to their next house. They had done well under scrutiny; Dad said they were some of the most intelligent he'd spoken with. I half pity and half admire those sorts. They're not likely to convince many, since most people already have their own set of beliefs, whether or not they might include religious teachings, but I am impressed by their conviction. They believe so strongly in their strange old mysticism that they will do what they can to help others by including them. I don't have that sort of faith in my beliefs. They're right, scientific "facts" change over time. I wish many religious groups would update their texts as well to better fit the times.