Some months ago a pair of young women accosted me twice in as many days to discuss my religious beliefs (or lack thereof). They identified themselves as members of the Mormon Church. I generally dislike being accosted by Mormons. I find it annoying that they show up uninvited and unannounced to attack my personal beliefs for no other reason than to make themselves feel better. They waste my time, annoy my dog, and show me a great deal of disrespect. I try to remain polite, or as polite as one can be while quickly walking away without a word or carefully shutting the door in their faces. One of my main problems is that I don’t have a script prepared, and without one I cannot make it clear to them that I am uninterested. I know that I am not clear with my feelings, because they never quietly shut up and leave; they always persist in re-explaining things for the gazillionth time and then leaving some nice literature for me to study. I guess I’m just too nice.
I dare them to show up on my doorstep now, though. Now that I have a script prepared. Now that I know what I want to say to them. I can only await with bated breath their next knock on my front door. I imagine the conversation going something like this:
“Hi, I’m so-and-so with the such-and-such blah blah blah Mormon Church. I’d just like to give you the August edition of our this-is-such-a-great-publication.”
“No thanks. I’m really not interested in your literature. Actually, I’m rather busy cleaning the toilet right now and I really must get back to it.”
“Oh. Well, how about if I just leave it for you to peruse at a more convenient time?”
“No, really, you can keep it. I don’t want to read it, and I won’t read it even if you do leave it here.”
“You’re not a Mormon?”
“No, I’m not.”
“And where do you attend church? To what denomination do you belong?”
“Well, actually, I don’t. Attend church or belong to a domination (oops, Freudian slip there, I meant denomination.)”
“You don’t? But, you do believe in God, and accept Jesus Christ as your savior, right?”
“Well, once again, no, I don’t.”
“You don’t? Haven’t you read the Bible and understood that God is your creator and Jesus Christ your savior?”
“I think, before we go too much further with this fruitless discussion, I should say this to you:
“Your religious beliefs are ignorant and dangerous. It is imperative that you let them go immediately, and in their place adopt my religious non-beliefs because they are so much better. Let me just go upstairs and grab some of my own literature, complete with links to informative (and interactive) websites that will help you understand the errors of your ways.”
stuttering, “Well, that is just more than a little rude. I think it quite unnecessary for you to attack my religious beliefs.”
“But, when you decided to show up, uninvited and unannounced, at my front door, professing your splendid beliefs and questioning my own non-beliefs, you were not in any way suggesting that my beliefs are ignorant or dangerous and you definitely were not trying to convince me to abandon my non-beliefs in lieu of your beliefs?”
stunned silence
“Yes, that’s what I thought. Please, go bother someone else now.” sound of slamming door.
Ok, ok, I know that is all pure fantasy. Any Mormon worth her/his salt wouldn’t go away so quickly or easily.
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