This morning there was a knock on my apartment door. I said, "Who is it?" like I always do. I was expecting a package delivery, so I thought that would be who was there. There are over 150 units in the building, by the way. But this woman says, "You don't know me, but my name is A..., and I live on the 4th floor. I'd like to invite you to a memorial." So I opened the door a little bit. I said "Is it for J....?" [a kind and well-liked neighbor who died last week.] She says, "No. Please come if you want to." and hands me what appears at first glance to be a one of those programs for a funeral -- you know what I'm talking about? So after she left I looked all over the pamphlet to figure out who the memorial was for. I guess it was for Jesus? It said there was a "public meeting" so she was proselyting and boy was I p.o.d I called the apt. mgr and told her what was going on with this rude, rude, person knocking on everyone's door! The manager said "Is she knocking on everyone's door?" I said, I guess so. Anyway, she sure knocked on mine!" The manager said she'd get the woman to stop. But since the woman was likely still traipsing around the building, it's unlikely the mgr will be able to stop her, at least for this go-round. Anyway I am trying not to let this ruin my day. It's got me all agitated and angry. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know "this anger is hurting me more than it's hurting her." Heard that too many times already. I had breakfast, got dressed, so now I'm going to play some of my instruments and sing.

[Artchic528]

Well, I suppose you could toss the pamphlet in the shredder, or burn it or something else amusing.

Just wanted to start this reply by saying that I'm an atheist.

So it sounds like this person knocked on your door, was polite overall, and handed you a religious pamphlet. There are definitely worse things that could happen. Even if she were the type to keep talking and not leave the door (I have encountered people like this, usually salespeople) then I would politely say I was not interested, say "have a nice day" and close the door. No skin off my nose.

Indeed, this anger is hurting you more than it's hurting her. I would have taken the pamphlet, thanked her, promptly thrown it in the trash and then moved on with my day. Simple as that!

Originally Posted by Artchic528

Well, I suppose you could toss the pamphlet in the shredder, or burn it or something else amusing.

What a howl! Thank you! I just had a short memorial service for the pamphlet as it went down the shredder. Thank you for making my day okay again!

[Artchic528]

NP. I try my best.

Originally Posted by scaredandconfused

Just wanted to start this reply by saying that I'm an atheist.

So it sounds like this person knocked on your door, was polite overall, and handed you a religious pamphlet. There are definitely worse things that could happen. Even if she were the type to keep talking and not leave the door (I have encountered people like this, usually salespeople) then I would politely say I was not interested, say "have a nice day" and close the door. No skin off my nose.

Indeed, this anger is hurting you more than it's hurting her. I would have taken the pamphlet, thanked her, promptly thrown it in the trash and then moved on with my day. Simple as that!

Hi scaredandconfused. I put a "trigger" symbol on this thread, as you probably noticed. The knock on my door -- I guess two things upset me -- one, she woke me up. Two, she was deceptive, "inviting" me to "a memorial service," which it was not at all. Deception is a trigger for me.

I like Artchic's suggestion on how to make it fun!!!!! That takes away the trigger, for sure. I will remember that trick for the future...asking myself what's funny about whatever's upsetting me!!! And then doing some sort of comedy ritual to banish it forever.

I don't think there is anything funny about forced indoctrination but I'm glad you got a laugh out of it at the end. I have a NO SOLICITOR sign on my front window but that doesn't stop them. Have my kids in public schools and that doesn't stop them from coming home with bibles, given to them by our friendly neighborhood enforced indoctrinationists. My son even had an assembly at a public school recently that was sponsored by the local church so afterwards, they invited everyone to come to their church after class. Insidious and not funny, ....I got a pamphlet recently and ripped it up immediately before some poor unsuspecting victim reads it.

Originally Posted by ElsaMars

I don't think there is anything funny about forced indoctrination but I'm glad you got a laugh out of it at the end. I have a NO SOLICITOR sign on my front window but that doesn't stop them. Have my kids in public schools and that doesn't stop them from coming home with bibles, given to them by our friendly neighborhood enforced indoctrinationists. My son even had an assembly at a public school recently that was sponsored by the local church so afterwards, they invited everyone to come to their church after class. Insidious and not funny, ....I got a pamphlet recently and ripped it up immediately before some poor unsuspecting victim reads it.

Dear ElsaMars, I am TOTALLY IN AGREEMENT with you about forced indoctrination and proselyting. (And oh, by the way -- it was not the proselytizing woman who I meant to say was funny -- it was my solution, based on Artchic's idea -- to ridicule the situation by having a mock-funeral for the woman's religious tract.) Do you live in USA? Is what you describe happening here, STILL????? I grew up in the 1940s and 50s in the South (East Texas, which is part of the South), and was rampant there. Sounds like what your kids are having going on. Before Junior Hi (7th grade), we kids took turns getting up in front of the class at the beginning of the school day, and had to say a prayer. In Jr Hi and high school, there were prayers on the speakers in each room, coming in from the office. On girl had a gorgeous voice, and she would often sing a Christian prayer over the speakers. Which was really weird because there were a lot of Jews in our school, and in the city where I lived. I guess the parents were terrified to speak out against it, just as my parents were "closet liberals" and did not dare share their political views in public. My parents would have lost their jobs, had they done so. In high school, there was "religious emphasis week" where one of the school choirs sang religious songs -- Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish, and the other choir did the same another day that week. The other three days, there were lectures by a minister/priest/rabbi. I knew from the before I was even in first grade that there was separation of church and state, and what was going on was illegal. Nowadays, where I live ( I fled Texas) some of the schools have pull-out groups where kids who have parental permission go to what I think is called the Good News Club, and get indoctrinated into extreme evangelical teachings. I taught in a school that had that, in the early 1960s. I hated it! Most of the kids in my class left school every Wednesday for the early part of the afternoon, and didn't get back but a few minutes the end of the day. Where I live now, there are a few people who are trying to stop this practice, and the local newspaper has written about it a couple of times. Gosh, ElsaMars, it is a bad situation for you and your children. But I imagine it's a good opportunity for you to help the kids see what's true and what's "advertising" or brainwashing.

[LiteraryLark]

Reading the first post, I thought "So what? People knock on my door all the effing time, most of them are for religious purposes." But then A) it woke you up, and let me tell you I've been woken up from telemarketers on my PHONE and that makes me more aggravated then people who knock on the door and B) I read your last post and I can understand that the religious people are triggering. Personally, I do have a relationship with God and don't mind other people who do. In high school I attended two clubs: the Christian club and the Gay Straight Alliance club. There was no conflict between the two clubs or with my personal views, but there are no opinions I'd like to share regarding the current stances of religion.

My advice is to just say "thank you" and toss whatever they handed you without a second glance and get on with your day.

Dear Literary Lark, I'll try to write in bold in the post you sent. Thanks for sending it!

Originally Posted by LiteraryLark

Reading the first post, I thought "So what? People knock on my door all the effing time, most of them are for religious purposes." But then A) it woke you up, and let me tell you I've been woken up from telemarketers on my PHONE and that makes me more aggravated then people who knock on the door I found this wonderful device online calle "The trick" -- I plug it into the phone wire, and I can switch the bell on or off! I costs less than $10. Also there is nomorobo -- it prevents robocalls. It's free for a landline, and is available for iphone, but not androids yet. and B) I read your last post and I can understand that the religious people are triggering. Actually, religious people are not triggering. Many best friends over the years have been very religious. I have at least four very good friends now, too, who are religious. One is an evangelical Christian, extremely active with good works and teaching in her church. But she does not proselytize me. She talks about the wonderful things her church does -- like going as a group at night, under bridges where homeless people sleep, and giving them shoes. Personally, I do have a relationship with God and don't mind other people who do. In high school I attended two clubs: the Christian club and the Gay Straight Alliance club. There was no conflict between the two clubs or with my personal views, but there are no opinions I'd like to share regarding the current stances of religion.

My advice is to just say "thank you" and toss whatever they handed you without a second glance and get on with your day.

What I do get triggered by is deception. The woman was deceiving me. I did not know what the invitation was for and she didn't tell me, leaving me to believe it was a memorial service for a neighbor who had died. Plus, in a large building like the one where I live, but most of us here know the unwritten agreement that nobody knocks on someone's door whom they do not know. Everyone values their privacy. Plus, there are a few dangerous people who live here. We don't[ know who most of them are, but it's not entirely safe to live here. It's common courtesy to leave a note on someone's door if you want to contact them. A very, very few of my neighbors and I have agreements not to knock. We exchange phone numbers.