Impressive proselytizing effort

[RobbieB]

Nobody rings the doorbell now except deliveries on their way out.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I bought the sign 8 years ago. Once the virus is gone it will ring again)

 

[CaptTom]

Don't these people have better things to do than send proselytizing letters to atheists?

No, they don't.

They're basically [MOD EDIT] committed to spreading their beliefs. The organizers of the religion/cult/political party/charity have an army of true believers willing to do God's/the cult leader's/the party's/the cause's work for free.

I'm working may way through a series of BBC podcasts about a cryptocurrency scam. There's also a web site about it if you'd rather read than listen.

I'm fascinated by confirmation bias in human nature; how willingly we will follow a leader or leaders, and how easily we dismiss anything contrary to our preferred narrative. I found the third episode in the podcast above particularly chilling in today's climate of partisan polarization.

 

[calmloki]

Guess I've a little different take on the hand-written letter ploy. To me it represents a (given the laborious and careful writing style of the letter I got) substantial effort on the part of the writer. I can admire the work even if it is expended on something I don't want - granted, that thing needs NOT to intrude on my life. I can admire the effort that goes into building an eco-home out of used tires and bottles as long as long as it isn't right in my living room window. Tossing a letter out is easier than getting up to answer the doorbell, though in this case I still have the letter to show people and get their input.

 

[Koolau]

Ah, yes. One of the advantages of living in a locked building. Access is quite limited so never an unsolicited knock at the door. I can deal with mail I don't want. We even have a trash chute.

I'm suspicious of any mail that looks too perfect yet hand written. YMMV

 

[CaptTom]

No, they don't.

They're basically [MOD EDIT] committed to spreading their beliefs. The organizers of the religion/cult/political party/charity have an army of true believers willing to do God's/the cult leader's/the party's/the cause's work for free.

I just want to thank the mods for fixing my post. I don't even recall what I wrote, but presumably it added nothing to the sentence because it looks fine with the offending word or words removed.

I try very hard not to be either judgmental or political about this. I'm just fascinated by the way human nature has evolved to put such great value on tribalism and following leaders, often against the individuals' own interests. Some very smart people, whom I respect a lot, have exhibited this fierce tribal loyalty and blindness to contrary information. I find it easier to accept things when I understand them. So I try to understand. It's not always easy.

 

[athena53]

DH had an uncle who was a devout Jehovah's Witness. He had the percentages figured out- W% wouldn't answer the door, X% would answer the door but tell him to go away, Y% would listen, Z% would come to a meeting and become members. He knew how many doors he had to knock on before he recruited enough people to open a new Kingdom Hall (they limit the size of congregations).

Not my thing at all- I'm an Episcopalian and one priest used to drily observe that the reason the Evangelicals got to the pioneers in the West first was that the Episcopalian preachers waited till the railroads came through to venture out to the hinterlands.

I've been getting religion-related mailings ever since I ordered prayer cards for DH's funeral 4 years ago- apparently the company sold my contact information. I keep the address labels but don't send them any money.

 

[Gumby]

I don't really mind door to door or phone evangelizing. I've chatted with Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and some others whom I can't recall right now. They all operate on the principle of "if you don't ask, you don't get". I'm quite capable of telling them "no thank you". And, especially now that I'm retired, there's usually nothing urgent that they could be interrupting. I suppose if they just wouldn't take no for an answer and continued to come every day, I might feel differently, but so far all the ones I've dealt with have appeared to be quite nice people, even after I turn them down.

 

[Texas Proud]

Maybe it was done with an autopen. They look real.

+1... they are getting very good at making things look hand written...


Edit to add....

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

+1... they are getting very good at making things look hand written...


Edit to add....

Wow! It is even writing boustrophedon (sort of). Very cool/scary.

Upon reflection, I am not sure why I found that so unnerving: I was using HP Plotters to do similar things more than 35 years ago.