Unlike most folks, I have no problem with people trying to convert me.
Maybe those intrepid door-knockers are constantly catching me when I’m in a good mood (and not just freshly out of the shower). But even at my crankiest possible, I can still be human enough to be nice to tract-laden people who knock on my door.
Just because I’m a godless heathen doesn’t mean I can’t take a moment out of my day to have a conversation. My entertainments all have pause functions, and as an awkward dork, the more human interaction I get, the better.
Sure, maybe you’re not into the preachy part of the pitch, but you have to remember there’s a fellow Yukoner behind those badges and bibles. One, it won’t kill you to be nice, and two, it’s perfectly fine to say “no”.
I had an older gentleman at my door the other day who, after coming to the firm realization that I wasn’t going to join the team, started telling me about his coming to the Yukon in the ’50s. He had worked for the mines in Keno, mainly driving freight back to Whitehorse.
It was a neat chat, and one I would have lost out on with a quickly slammed door.
Looking at the various flavours of religious choice available in the Yukon, you have to realize that we’re not all going to have the same ideas about religion – pretty much ever. But cutting off dialogue with people based on their spiritual leanings is a backwards step for a modern society, sez I.
And you miss out on some good exchanges.
I have a friend who happens to be a devout Jehovah’s Witness. We spent a good deal of time talking about our views on religion, creationism and most other things spiritual. What really impressed me throughout these conversations was his story of how he arrived at his beliefs.
This was one of the few times I actually listened to someone tell me how they got to their personal belief in God, moving from point A to point B.
It was pretty fascinating, and after hearing his story, I could see exactly where his conviction came from, and why he made the choices he did. I could never begrudge someone their beliefs if they can clearly and rationally explain how they got there, and why it works for them.
I have a lot of respect for people who can spiritually “show their work”. It almost always makes for a neat story, and I’m a complete sucker for that.
Through these conversations, we get to the real heart of the matter.
Everyone’s got a story. Even the door-to-door religious folks.
Those people walking up your stoop and ringing your doorbell are just that – people.
Just because there’s no chance they’re gonna sign you up for their team, that doesn’t mean you have to be rude about it. You don’t have to holler at people through the mail slot. Conversion to religion isn’t an airborne virus.
I’ll never be a convert, but I’ll always be open to conversation.
Besides, religious or not, I’ll cut some slack for anyone knocking on doors in minus 30 weather.
