Jesus Loves Me

Does anyone know how to politely but firmly drive the point home to Jehovah's Witnesses that you are not interested in converting?  I tried explaining that L and I are both Christians and we attend a church around the corner, but it doesn't dissuade them. I still got the whole spiel (which is apparently a real word- I just looked the spelling up on Dictionary.com* and was surprised for some reason to see that it's not slang), as well as their questioning who I was ("Are you L's friend?").

It should also be noted that they only target our house on our street.  I know this because I ran home yesterday during my lunch break (I'm currently temping) and imagine my surprise when a man and woman were getting out of a car directly in front of my house as I pulled up and parked.  Back story: the girl who lived here before us gave them her name and they stopped by after we moved in looking for her.  L answered the door and explained that she moved but they got L's name and continue to come by our house at random to "chat" with us, although most of the time we don't answer the door anymore.  Why they thought he would be home at 2:00 on a Friday afternoon instead of at work is beyond me, but they did ask when a better time to visit would be and they suggested weekend afternoons before giving me literature about who Jesus Christ really is and the basis of their beliefs and then getting back into their car and leaving.  Now the part of me that avoids confrontation is making me feel like we need to be out and about every weekend for the foreseeable future so that we don't have to risk answer the door to them and getting sucked into a conversation about their version of Christianity.

This has also sparked an internal conflict within me.  I realize challenging conversations like this are actually a good thing.  They help you reaffirm why you believe what you believe, give you clarity about your belief(s), and they make you stronger.  I shouldn't be afraid to have the conversations.  I'm actually not afraid to have the conversations, and in fact, in the right setting, I enjoy conversations like that.  I like learning about what other people believe, whether it be religion, politics, or just their general beliefs, and their reasons for their beliefs.  I think it makes me a more well-rounded person to know more about other people.  I'm definitely not of the mindset that you have to agree with me on everything in order to be my friend.  If we have differing opinions on things, it doesn't mean one of us is wrong and the other right, it just means we have a difference is opinion.  While I can definitely be opinionated and vocal about my beliefs, I really do enjoy the differences that my friends and I have.  But I digress.  Going back to the original point, I don't want to have a debate with the Jehovah's Witnesses.  The part that I dread is not the actual conversation but the possibility that they may not take no for an answer.  That's where I start to lose respect for other people who are trying to impart their beliefs and opinions on others: when they lose respect for the fact that I already have my own beliefs and opinions to which I am firmly committed.  I respect what they are doing, as well as their desire and passion to spread their beliefs, but L and I are not interested in converting.  I don't want to be rude to them, but there comes a point when their efforts are honestly annoying and intrusive. 



*If you don't use Dictionary.com, oh my gosh, definitely do so!  I see misspellings on blogs all of the time- for some reason, a lot of people particularly have problems with the words "voila" and "petite four" (yes, I know how random that sounds but a lot of the blogs I read are about food and apparently magic).  If you're not sure, as my dad used to tell me growing up, "Look it up, dear."  Drove me crazy in the '90s but I learned my lesson.