The Noive

Unbelievable. The doorbell rang this afternoon - just your friendly neighborhood Latter-Day Saints making their rounds.

I answered the door in a cleric. Not typical for me on a Thursday midday, but I'd just come home from a visit with someone who is mentally a little checked-out right now (thought the cleric might help their recognition), and I have a graveside service this evening, so I figured there's no point changing clothes for just a couple hours.

So I answer the door in a cleric, and the guy looks at the white tab on my throat, hesitates for a moment, then starts in on his spiel.

I politely interjected, "I'm a Lutheran pastor, thank you, but I'm not interested.," foolishly thinking he might take the hint that ordination indicates a pretty major commitment to one's faith system.

But no, this did not deter him, he kept on talking!

So I more firmly interjected "I'm a Lutheran pastor. Thank you, but no thank you." And he still didn't look like he was going to stop, so then I just shut the door.

I hate being rude like that, but I also hang up on obnoxious telemarketers who won't take no for an answer.

Now, I know how hard and scary it can be to go door-to-door for anything, selling candy bars, working on a campaign, etc. Adding faith into the mix just makes you all the more vulnerable. So I give the Mormons props for their bravery and for their commitment to their beliefs and their desire to share their understanding of the good news with others.

But when someone politely declines your invitation, they do not secretly mean "Please, tell me more until you convince me you are right." Persistence in this instance is not a virtue but a violation of others' boundaries. No means no. Your response is then "Thank you for your time. Have a nice afternoon." Capisce?