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Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
#1
Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
They seem to appear on certain days of the week and have these annoying signs with annoying questions on them. Such as "Are we created?", etc. Obviously, I know that humans were not designed, and I have to grapple with the problem of evil every single day in my current job so I find assertions like that very insulting. I know Jehovah Witnesses are very closed minded people, and probably shouldn't be approached, so maybe let's talk about religionist kiosks more generally.

Telling readers about my current job may ultimately help someone trying to identify (perhaps in the future) me build up a picture of me but I'm just going to go ahead and say it:

I work for my local council as part of the team that assesses applications for parking badges for disabled people. Part of my role involves reading the many sad accounts that people give of their lives in order to obtain the highly coveted disabled parking badge (the badge means a lot to lots of people, so we receive lots of letters of thanks). My job is quite sad, but I know that I have a big impact on the lives of others.

Some examples: This person's application has a stamp from one of the local hospices, meaning that they are scheduled to die of cancer very soon - therefore their application gets given priority. Or, for example, this baby cannot survive without clunky medical equipment therefore their application is given special consideration. There was one application that stuck in my mind, submitted by a doctor who was originally born in Baghdad, Iraq, and I'd hate to find out exactly why he was in the condition that he was it. I felt compelled to write a letter of apology to him to say sorry for how Western imperialism is destroying his place of birth, but I knew that would be inappropriate.

Like I sad, many sad stories. And it makes me so angry people telling me all of this suffering is part of their deity's plan for a person. Or how humans are perfectly designed (when these stories show that they clearly aren't). I 'm wondering if educate the religionists during my lunch break maybe, but I know that may be a waste.
Thank you for your consideration.

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#2
RE: Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
Look at it like this: If a god does exist he made disabled people so that you would have a job deciding if they should have a special parking permit.
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#3
RE: Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
Is it worth your time though?

You're not going to change his mind, and he's not going to change yours.

The only upside is that he might move spots.

Were it me, I would only have a conversation about it if he approached me, and I wasn't busy.
"There remain four irreducible objections to religious faith: that it wholly misrepresents the origins of man and the cosmos, that because of this original error it manages to combine the maximum servility with the maximum of solipsism, that it is both the result and the cause of dangerous sexual repression, and that it is ultimately grounded on wish-thinking." ~Christopher Hitchens, god is not Great

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#4
RE: Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
No, I really don't think you should confront them. Unless you're an astonishingly persuasive person, you aren't going to get them to see the other side of the question (or even make them realize that it is a question) and you're not likely to get them to move along and peddle their tripe elsewhere.

As the adage goes, I can't recommend giving singing lessons to this particular pig.

Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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#5
RE: Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
No, you should just leave them alone and get on with your work.
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#6
RE: Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
No, just tip your hat to them as you walk by quickly.
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#7
RE: Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
(January 19, 2016 at 5:27 am)Mancunian Wrote: No, just tip your hat to them as you walk by quickly.

And kick them in the balls, if they're males. Cause religion sucks.
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#8
RE: Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
(January 19, 2016 at 5:30 am)Bella Morte Wrote:
(January 19, 2016 at 5:27 am)Mancunian Wrote: No, just tip your hat to them as you walk by quickly.

And kick them in the balls, if they're males. Cause religion sucks.

A fairly good idea (just check there are no witnesses) apart from the religious ones Smile
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#9
RE: Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
Given the nature of your job, your time should not be wasted on meaningless arguments with brainless adult-babies.
Quote:To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.
- Lau Tzu

Join me on atheistforums Slack Cool Shades (pester tibs via pm if you need invite) Tongue

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#10
RE: Should I approach the Jehovah Witnesses loitering outside of my office?
(January 19, 2016 at 5:34 am)Mancunian Wrote:
(January 19, 2016 at 5:30 am)Bella Morte Wrote: And kick them in the balls, if they're males. Cause religion sucks.

A fairly good idea (just check there are no witnesses) apart from the religious ones Smile

There are ways to eliminate witnesses. *nods*
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