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Jehovah’s Witness Went a Little Too Far
We have all received the Jehovah’s Witness knock at the door. The timing is usually perfect with dropping a glass of milk or sitting down to eat. They have every right to practice their religion as they see fit. If spreading the Word is part of their faith, I am okay with that too, in a general sense.
My driveway is ¼ mile. It is obscure by design. In the driveway of a farmhouse there is a delivery box with my house number. I want to make it easy for drivers, especially Amazon, to deliver their parcels. Next to the delivery box, there is a path into the woods. It is thick and overgrown for a reason. It then opens to a big field. Through the field and back into the woods, you would find my house at the end.
I built the house three years ago on the farm I grew up on here in central Massachusetts. It is as far back as I could possibly build, and I am surrounded by hundreds of acres of conservation land. A great deal of that is swamp.
Yesterday I was working in my garage. I got a notice that my Amazon delivery is four stops away. So, I wasn’t too surprised when I was notified someone was coming up my hill. An unmarked white van showed up a minute later. They drive up to the house about five times per year. I really don’t mind. I noted on my delivery box that they can deliver directly to the house if they want to. Nine out of ten times they leave it in the box. Unbeknownst to me, but knownst to my wife, The Jehovah Witness had to have followed the Amazon driver and waited in my field for the delivery to finish. You may say I am paranoid. An uninvited person only comes to my house about once a year.
I went back to work. My wife spoke to, and politely dismissed, the JW. She came to the garage and told me about it. Mostly, I was disappointed with my lack of preparedness. Other than obvious deliveries, I am always carrying when someone shows up unannounced. And this person came and went without me knowing. Normally if he wasn’t trailing Amazon and caught me by surprise, his chances of meeting Jesus would have been much higher. Messing with people in Podunk is a bad idea.
Yes, I am a little defensive. Last year’s uninvited guest was the subject of an all-day manhunt complete with two helicopters and state police search dogs. He was hiding on my property and then got chased into the swamp by a state trooper with a keen eye. The year before that, an old couple just drove in announced. My builder was telling them about it, and they decided to come onto my property and check it out on a Sunday afternoon.
Comparing this to a conventional house, it would be like someone entering your backyard along a side fence. While there, they look behind your shed. Then they go to your back porch and see what you have under there. Then they knock at your back door.
I suppose this issue could relate to anyone looking for signatures, donations, etc. If there are any Jehovah’s Witness members here, please comment. I think this comes down to the expected level of privacy, which is above what it normally would be for a house on a street. At the very least, he was far too aggressive, and shadowing an unmarked Amazon van is probably illegal.
Obviously, there is nothing to do about it now, but I would like some opinions.
Published in General
It has been years since any Jehovah Witnesses have come to our door. Maybe the problem is that I don’t engage with them in any way to give them any encouragement.
That might stop the Amazon deliveries too.
Perhaps a “No Trespassing/No Soliciting” sign would be better.
Same here.
My mother was very polite to them. She’d invite them in, set a stopwatch, and then tell them that for every minute they spoke to her about their religion, they would have to sit there and listen to her tell them about hers. The JWs would then politely excuse themselves.
That’s the point. I don’t want it to be a compound. As soon as I put up a gate I don’t get any deliveries and I’m out of business. I just want a little respect.
Or a “No bicycles” sign . . .
I have found that arriving by bicycle is a good way to get into good conversations with people. As a total stranger who arrives by bicycle, I’ve been invited by old ladies and not-so-old people to come inside and look at their historic homes, but usually the conversations take place in the front yard. If instead of coming up to the door I stay out on the street and pull out a camera, that’s a way to meet people and have good conversations, too, more likely after they stop yelling at me. This happens sometimes at historic homes that are junky and run-down to the point where there may have been unpleasant interactions with county health officials or zoning officials.
I don’t think it would work so well to arrive by motor vehicle.
I’m not the only person who has reported on this phenomenon.
I have also found that it doesn’t work so well to get people to sign photo release forms. They may not mind having a photo taken that will appear on the internet (I usually ask) but they’re not going to sign anything.
That is out at the end of the lane.
As far as I’m concerned about the only good thing about the COVID lockdowns was the absence of Jehovah’s Witnesses at my door for the better part of 2 years.
I am an orthodox Christian. A Nicene Creed Christian. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are completely wrong. However, I will give them credit for a couple of things. They are aware of God, and they realize the nature of God is important.
I’m sure this guy knew he was trespassing and shadowing amazon. Hardly the nature of God. How could his actions possibly help his cause?
How would someone know that an unmarked white van is Amazon?
I dunno. There are all sorts of biblical examples where God or his angels engage in breaking and entering, ignoring locked doors, etc. A little trespassing would be minor in comparison.
Of course, the person in question may not have been God or his angel.
By it stopping every 500′ and leaving a package. Both of them arriving 2 minutes apart is statistically impossible.
But that can’t have been the routine, because the JW can’t go from house to house and tell their story at 2 minute intervals.
The bicycles would probably be somebody else.
So the alternative is he planned it using Google Earth. It doesn’t make me feel better.
😂😂😂
I’m in a remote location down here in central Texas, and I’ve had my “issues” with the JWs as well. But following a delivery driver in, then waiting for him to leave before coming in, sets alarms off for me.
Many years ago two Jehovah’s Witnesses made the mistake of knocking on my dad’s door. He was a free-lance artist so he was always at home. He cheerfully invited them in and immediately started discussing the Lord and his miracles. My father pulled out his Bible and Concordance and zealfully began quoting scripture to them, of course correcting their views of Christianity throughout the lopsided conversation. He had them reeled in like a preying mantis on a couple of bugs. After about 45 minutes to an hour, the anxious pair finally said “we’ve got to get going.” They could barely make it to the door as my dad preached and evangelized, barely catching a breath, following them all the way to their car. He was keen enough to take down their phone numbers so he could make follow-up calls, which I’m sure they appreciated very much!?
I’ve done this a time or two myself. I can remember a time when my husband and I were approached, not at home, but at a touristy little town on the St. Croix river. After I disputed some of their claims, the older of the two guys (they were both fairly young) pulled the younger one away and they beat a retreat. At home I would have Catholic Answers pamphlets by the door, so if someone wanted to give me material, they had to take mine.
-Mel Brooks. I waited a long time to use that line.
We don’t get many JH visitors, but when we do, they always walk their bikes up our driveway. It’s that long and that steep . . .
The Seventh Day Adventists rule my street in San Francisco and they only drop their books on the front porch.
It has been many, many years since I encountered roving bands of Witnesses. In a strange way, I’m heartened to know they are still out there.
Problem is: Jehovah’s Witnesses are protected by the Lord.
Or so they believe.
Anyway if one should get shot and dies for the cause, the death would make them a martyr.
So although there might not be any future trespassing on Chowderhead’s property, the death might only spur the rest of the congregation to continue on spreading the word even more fervently.
Do they still believe that only a small number of people will actually be allowed in heaven, or did they update that once their membership increased?
First off, If I can see them with binoculars they are in range. On a good day I can hit 500 yards within a foot. Secondly, I would be off my property and spending the rest of my life in MCI junction. Doesn’t matter that I’m in a blue state. I’m sure it will never, never, come to that.
What bothers me is I was stalked, either by Amazon shadowing or Google Earth. All I need is a criminal that is a tiny bit smarter than the idiot we had last year.
You don’t have to shoot anybody. You just want them thinking about it.