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Is this the latest thing?

Tharmas

Tharmas

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 29, 2001
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2,119
Location
Texas
Gender
He/him
Basic Beliefs
Pantheist
I’ve lived at my current address for twenty-six years and in all that time I’ve had only three or four door-knocking Christians out to save me.

Then this morning I got a message on my mobile that wasn’t a robo call. It was from an actual person, a woman who started out with “You don’t know me but…” Then she went on about some verse in Revelations that I might find interesting, an online Bible class I could take, and how if I was stressed out by the virus and all the other things that were going on I should call her.

Is this the latest thing? Electronic proselytizing? Was she just randomly dialing numbers, or did she have a list, and if so how did I get on it? Inquiring minds want to know!
 
I got unsolicited mail from someone one town over inviting online or phone discussions of "any topic." Four scripture quotes included.
 
Tharmas said:
I’ve lived at my current address for twenty-six years and in all that time I’ve had only three or four door-knocking Christians out to save me.

Then this morning I got a message on my mobile that wasn’t a robo call. It was from an actual person, a woman who started out with “You don’t know me but…” Then she went on about some verse in Revelations that I might find interesting, an online Bible class I could take, and how if I was stressed out by the virus and all the other things that were going on I should call her.

Is this the latest thing? Electronic proselytizing? Was she just randomly dialing numbers, or did she have a list, and if so how did I get on it? Inquiring minds want to know!
Click to expand...

A fair number of people have recently joined eschatological movements, reading the turbulence of our times as a sign of an impending End.
 
I'm thankful that they haven't found me yet. :D. Once in a while, I get mail asking me to join a local church. I assume they need more people to help pay the bills. But, I haven't had anyone trying to convert me in many years, probably more than 10 or 15 years. We don't bother god, so it doesn't bother us. That's how I see it. :p

I mean seriously. If there was a god, I would think it's tired of all the prayers it gets asking for this or that. If there was a god, it would love atheists because we don't bother it. I have a friend who is always praying to it to help her find Mr Right. WTF! I would think a god has better things to do than play match up for older women. But, I digress.
 
You know I've never once been approached by a random evangelist, by any means? I think they sense danger when they see me coming.
 
I get 'em occasionally, but this is the Midwest. The doorknocker variety. Jehovah's Witnesses are common. One came last year and didn't leave after I told her I was an atheist. Her next line was, "Don't you know Satan runs this world?" "Really? I think you're giving Trump more power than he actually has. But it is bad enough, what he's doing here."
Far worse is when someone who is nominally in my social circle, or at least someone I see around town, wants to witness. A postal clerk I'd known for years, and always had fun chats with, came to my door to witness. Once a former student wrote me a rather lengthy handwritten letter urging me to join his church. (Both of these were JWs.) And I have a coven of born again relatives on the eastern seaboard -- omigod, Jesus this and Jesus that, and 'He is risen!' ...even on birthday cards!! Even at the end of family news emails!! My policy is to ignore their belches of faith and respond to whatever else they say. But they don't give up. If faith is supposed to give you discernment, they should know by now, beyond question, that I'm not in their parade, don't wish to hear about their parade, and see nothing but the horseshit left behind.
 
It took ~15 years of growling at them, but I think I've gotten most of the local door-to-door evangelists to put us on their 'do-not-bother' list. (We've lived at our current address for over 22 years now, so the last several years have been peaceful in that department.) Unfortunately, I still get folks approaching me in store parking lots as I load my purchases into my car, trying to hand me religious tracts and spew idiocy at me. I tend to be polite(ish) and a bit short, making it clear that I'm not interested, as I refuse their tracts/litter.
 
Old Woman in Purple said:
It took ~15 years of growling at them, but I think I've gotten most of the local door-to-door evangelists to put us on their 'do-not-bother' list. (We've lived at our current address for over 22 years now, so the last several years have been peaceful in that department.) Unfortunately, I still get folks approaching me in store parking lots as I load my purchases into my car, trying to hand me religious tracts and spew idiocy at me. I tend to be polite(ish) and a bit short, making it clear that I'm not interested, as I refuse their tracts/litter.
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It's not about converting us though. It's about ensuring that the faithful continue to feel rejected by anyone not already in the cult.

This guy explains it perfectly:

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This./\
Wish they could prepare them better for it, though. I know four Mormon missionaries that were so unsuccessful on their missions, so vilified or chased off with violence, that they attempted suicide. With varying degrees of success.
But they were sent to countries where the Catholic Church owns all the cemetaries. If anyone converted, they couldn't be buried with the family.

The LDS just cannot compete with that sort of brand loyalty extortion.
 
Yesterday, I thought of this thread because we received a little card in the mail with a Bible verse and a message inside wishing us well during the pandemic. It was from the JWs as there was a website included, for us to contact to help us cope. :rolleyes: My neighbor received the same card but she is so addled that she didn't realize it was from the JWs until I explained to her that JW was an abbreviation for Jehovah Witness. I guess all these groups are in need of money or new converts and knocking on doors is either too unsafe during the pandemic or most people don't open their doors to strangers anymore.
 
skepticalbip said:
Don't know about the "latest thing" but telephone evangelism is a thing.

https://awr.org/training/

https://www.byfaith.co.uk/paul20053.htm

https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1967/11/the-magic-of-telephone-evangelism

https://www.bible.ca/evangelism/e-phoning.htm
Click to expand...

So, it is a thing. What freaked me out a little bit was that, unlike most spam callers I get, she called me by my first name. Ironically, it's a Biblical name and she had trouble pronouncing it. That implies she wasn't just dialing at random. I mention my first name on my voice mail but in a shortened, familiar version. Maybe she got my name from the tax rolls or something similar. Oh no, that means she would know where I live.

I think SoHy is right about the virus scaring people off.
 
Tharmas said:
skepticalbip said:
Don't know about the "latest thing" but telephone evangelism is a thing.

https://awr.org/training/

https://www.byfaith.co.uk/paul20053.htm

https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1967/11/the-magic-of-telephone-evangelism

https://www.bible.ca/evangelism/e-phoning.htm
Click to expand...

So, it is a thing. What freaked me out a little bit was that, unlike most spam callers I get, she called me by my first name. Ironically, it's a Biblical name and she had trouble pronouncing it. That implies she wasn't just dialing at random. I mention my first name on my voice mail but in a shortened, familiar version. Maybe she got my name from the tax rolls or something similar. Oh no, that means she would know where I live.

I think SoHy is right about the virus scaring people off.
Click to expand...

The cards that both my neighbor and I received had our names on them. I think if you own a house, that information is public, if you know where to look. So, these people go through a lot of work just to be annoying. Bless their hearts. ;)
 
southernhybrid said:
Tharmas said:
skepticalbip said:
Don't know about the "latest thing" but telephone evangelism is a thing.

https://awr.org/training/

https://www.byfaith.co.uk/paul20053.htm

https://www.ministrymagazine.org/archive/1967/11/the-magic-of-telephone-evangelism

https://www.bible.ca/evangelism/e-phoning.htm
Click to expand...

So, it is a thing. What freaked me out a little bit was that, unlike most spam callers I get, she called me by my first name. Ironically, it's a Biblical name and she had trouble pronouncing it. That implies she wasn't just dialing at random. I mention my first name on my voice mail but in a shortened, familiar version. Maybe she got my name from the tax rolls or something similar. Oh no, that means she would know where I live.

I think SoHy is right about the virus scaring people off.
Click to expand...

The cards that both my neighbor and I received had our names on them. I think if you own a house, that information is public, if you know where to look. So, these people go through a lot of work just to be annoying. Bless their hearts. ;)
Click to expand...
AHA... You have lived in Georgia long enough to learn that it isn't impolite to criticize someone as long as it is followed by, "Bless their heart".

Welcome, you are now a southerner. :huggs:

(Of course I am assuming that you now enjoy BBQ, collard greens, black eyed peas, corn bread, and grits)
 
Most of my annoying calls and things have been from people like "Microsoft technical support" who happen to have my number and know somehow, I have an issue with my windows. I get the odd e-mail from a "representative" of a former Banker, Politician or Business man that wants to give me several hundred thousand dollars. I get through the letter box from pizza places, and other takeaways which at least have discount coupons! I also have had a few rings & text where there is an offer to take my case and claim for an accident ( I never had) but they seem to have heard I had.
 
Oh, yeah, if Capitalism counts as a religion then I definitely get a lot of calls. And letters. And emails. Usually offering to "consolidate my student loans". In their pockets.
 
I regularly get [scam] calls about the warranty on my car being on the verge of expiration.... My car is 22 years old; any warranty [if it existed, which it doesn't] would have more value than the car itself.

The car [A] is paid for, and gets me where I need to go.

I am content with it.
 
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