List of questions to ask bible bikers

[Poonis]

I'm compiling a list to have as a guide to ask *any* traveling religious salesman if they should come knocking on my door. I am wondering if anyone else has some good questions to ask as well. I am concerned with 'blanket' questions that would apply to all religions, so as to not only have questions for Jehova witnesses when the mormons knock, and vice versa. Here is what I have so far:

 

1. What is your intent with discussing your beliefs with others as with me?

2. What is the purpose of your religion?

3. What differentiates members of your religion from those who are not members?

4. What are the goals of your religion?

5. What is the creed or are the creeds of your religion?

6. What are the written accords, testaments, and/or scripture of your religion?

7. What is the history of your religion?

8. What are your beliefs founded on, and how have you verified this foundation as true?

9. Who and what is God, and how do you know?

10. How effective is prayer, and how do you know?

11. How effective is belief, and how do you know?

12. How should I live my life, and how do you know?

13. What happens to me when I die, and how do you know?

14. What is truth, and how do you know?

15. Everyone is ignorant of something, otherwise they would be as omniscient (All-Knowing) as God. As a member of your religion, what is something that you are either unsure of or have not found an answer to?

16. What does your religion think of those who are non-members?

17. How have you verified what you believe is true?

18. Is there any other way I may verify that your beliefs are true aside from what someone else has written or said?

19. Am I allowed to read the scriptures of your religion by myself before I consider whether or not I would like to become a member of your religion?

 

Does anyone else have good questions to ask?

[Guest Roamin' Lion]

This would be an excellent list of questions for any religious evangelist.

 

Thanks.

[trashy]

This would be an excellent list of questions for any religious evangelist.

 

Thanks.

 

alternative approaches:

 

1) Answer the door while cleaning your shotgun

2) Say "I'll be right there!" every time they ring the doorbell, until they give up.

[fallenleaf]

alternative approaches:

 

1)  Answer the door while cleaning your shotgun

 

This works... or rather cleaning it visible through a window in the front of the house works. I was cleaning an old busted WWII shotgun we had when the JWs were hitting my neighborhood. They walked half-way up the walk... stopped... looking through the window for like a minute... conversed and then left.

 

Ironically, this wasn't intentional. I was cleaning my room, which at the time was at the front of the house, and I took the gun down from the display to clean it. It wasn't until they were on the walk to my door that I realized they were there.

[dead_hobbit]

While they've avoided me thus far, I'd probably answer a missionary's door-knock with something like:

 

"אתה מדבר עברית?"

 

Which means "Do you speak Hebrew?"

 

A person - of any religion - must be able to have basic understanding of the language his scriptures were written in if they wish to discuss them in order to convert me. Even if their response is "No, I do not speak Hebrew" - that is fine with me. Why? Because they've at least done some research into the original language of their scripture(s).

 

What I really love to do is knock down the Mormon's King Follet discourse where Joe Smith tries to claim that if you take out the first letter of the bible, the entire meaning of Genesis changes. He really didn't know what he was talking about.

 

 

Anyways, try to remember that most missionaries are good people. Don't be harsh with them unless they're harsh with you. They might have all of their ideas about life wrong, but most are fairly decent people.

 

Now, if you get a missionary who is an asshole - then by all means, tear his theology to pieces. And let him have a nice, big chunk of your mind.

 

But don't start a fight if it can be avoided.