Proselytizers in the 'hood

              Our neighborhood seems to receive more than its share of visits from members of those bringing the “good news”. Last year, during one four week period we received 3 teams of emissaries, two from Jehovah’s Witnesses and the other from the Mormon Church. Indeed the sight of two or three representatives, usually clad like undertakers in dark suits and carrying briefcases prowling the neighborhood is a fairly common sight. 

               Whereas most residents seem to briefly indulge their sales pitch from behind the security of a partly opened door, prior to accepting their “Watchtower” (or equivalent); others give them short shrift and close the door with a terse “not interested". I have adopted a somewhat different response. Since they have seen fit to invade my privacy unbidden, I have now decided to try and take them on. I employ a pre-emptive move before they have time to get into their sales pitch and ask them a couple of (to my mind) quite legitimate questions.

               I inquire if they have considered that their chosen brand of religion is most probably the result of an accident of birth, since had they been born in Israel they would have been Jewish; in Italy, Roman Catholic; in India, Hindu or Buddhist; or in Saudi Arabia, Muslim. Radical changes from one belief to another, whilst not unknown -are extremely rare. I then continue by suggesting that their belief structure has not been acquired as a result of carefully considered thought leading to religious conviction, but from a process of mind conditioning throughout their formative years. They were instructed in what to believe without question, either by their parents and/or some controlling ecclesiastic. This would have stressed that should they fall short of meeting the right level of piety and rectitude they will be ultimately be subjected to the severest divine retribution. In other words they have been scared into it and for reasons of fear and superstition overlaid with a dash of guilt, they willingly toe the denominational line -blind faith!

               Their predictable blustering response is to proclaim that their convictions were indeed acquired as a result of carefully considered thought and introspection. This then opens the door for another question which is to enquire where and in what respects the unsuccessful competitors for devotional commitment have fallen short. Should not Islam be more likely since it evolved later than the others in an age of relative modernity? After all they are “People of the Book” with the same God and some overlap with Judaism and Christianity. What about Buddhism? Being more of a philosophy than a religion there is less of the supernatural esoteric to accept. In any event, all the contestants more or less embrace a “Golden Rule" concept in which we are all counselled to “do as you would be done by”, and it is only after the power and control freaks become involved that the problems start.
             On the latest visit, having completed some superficial research of their history and founders, I opened my account by inquiring whether Joe Smith sent them or were they Charlie Russell’s boys. This unexpected and somewhat crass query certainly seemed unsettle them even more than my two initial questions. At the end I asked why it is that we receive so many visits. After all our area consists mainly of reasonably affluent, law abiding (-to them, God fearing) citizens. In other words we represent safe and easy territory. Might not their ministrations be more appropriate in less fortunate areas where crime, violence and general mayhem is more common?  The effect of this plus my two questions caused them to abandon me as a lost cause, beating  a hasty retreat to next door.
             In future I am thinking of suggesting that Jesus’ parable of the talents in Matthew 25, where the recipient of just one talent buries it in the ground, could well be seen as a metaphor for their belief code. They have neglected to use their one talent of a magnificent, God-given reasoning brain and have effectively buried it whilst looking to others to do their thinking for them.

           Finally, I accept that despite their questionable doctrine they are sincerely trying to do good works. They would probably receive a less hostile or negative reception if they tried to look less funereal and wore informal clothing to better relate to those whose homes they are targeting. In any event I strongly feel that rather than just blandly accepting their predigested theological pablum, they should be questioned.