Image via WikipediaI have always tried to be respectful of the religious beliefs of other folks. In my past, I have been active in fundamentalist Christian denominations. Currently, I would say my beliefs are in flux, though I do still consider myself to be Christian. While a lot of my social views would be in conflict with my former congregations, I still respect and support the right of those congregations to espouse those views. In the immortal words of John Lennon, "Whatever gets you through the night, is alright, is alright."The reason I bring this up is because I am facing a bit of a dilemma within the Dickster household. A few years ago, my wife decided that she was dissatisfied with the Catholic Church and went on a pilgrimage, as it were. She went with my support. She ended up deciding to join the Mormon church. Again, I gave her my full support and attended her baptism into that church. She also understood that I had no interest, and still have no interest in becoming a Mormon. Nothing wrong with it, just not my thing.
The reason this is now a dilemma within our household is that she has recently informed me that the missionaries in her church want to talk with me. She has told them repeatedly that I have no interest in joining their church, and she would prefer that they not push the issue. They are continuing to push the issue. The first time my wife told me that they wanted to come talk to me, she said that they might be coming by that day and the reason was to talk to me. She had told me ahead of time not to answer the door. Sure enough, they showed up that afternoon, and I did not bother to answer the door.
Recently, she informed me that they dropped by again when I wasn't home. Their purpose was to talk to me. Again, I want to be respectful of the religious beliefs of other folks, but at the same time, I do not want those folks trying to force their beliefs down my throat. My wife has repeatedly told them not to speak with me. She knows all too well that I can be a bit of an asshole if I feel that I have been sufficiently provoked. OK, she would probably say that I can be a bit of an asshole even if I haven't been provoked.
The way I see it, I have two choices. I can continue to avoid speaking with the missionaries. This way, I can be respectful of their beliefs and continue to support my wife's decision to be a part of their congregation. Or, I can speak with them. If I speak with them, there is a pretty good chance I can be respectful and firm enough to convince them that I have no interest in their denomination. There is also the chance that if they push the issue to hard that I could say some things that would be less than respectful. So, if you were me, would you continue with avoidance, or would you talk with the missionaries?
