Vocal Voices

for well over a year now, Jehovah's witnesses have been 'soliciting' on Hungerford bridge - they are there when I go to work in the morning and again when I leave in the afternoon and I suspect are there all day. It's generally a team of two but sometimes three people. I've also seen them at my home station as well; always the same two young guys but they're generally chatting to someone or each other and just watch over the stand with their literature. But the people on the bridge (and also at Waterloo station itself sometimes) are quite active at holding out the literature and trying to get you to take it.... when they first started they would stand at the side of the bridge with their stand; now though they often position themselves in such a way that you have to walk around them or their stand.

Now - I'm not overly religious and just tend to ignore them (although do curse at them under my breath when they're really standing in the way); but I often wonder, if that was a Christian or Muslim group would they get away with standing on a bridge advertising their religions ?

I do get your point, but I think JWs are seen as fairly harmless 'nutters' by most people They don't threaten to blow people up, or 'kill infidels' so I think they get largely ignored.......

I think it ties into the English tolerance of eccentrics TBPH

good point Kaz - and yes; they definitely are very much ignored on that bridge

I thought that all religions were allowed to be "evangelical" so long as that in doing so they did not block the public highway and tended to preach positively about their view of things and not negatively, so as to cause friction, against other religions or sects.

From my dealings with them I would say that JWs, Mormons and Quakers fall into the "easy going" category. I have had some interesting chats with them even though I have made it known that I am an inconvertible Atheist.

I once told some JWs that I was a practising pagan and they scuttled away down the path

My neighbour in Lincoln who became a lovely friend was a j w
They were a lovely couple so kind we never talked religion
I missed them when they moved
I wish they were still my neighbours
Some he knocked on my door last week doing the rounds
I don't open the door to them these days

They would arrive on our doorstep every Christmas Day to my husbands fury, generally. After we arrived home
From our own visit to church. I have a fellow who calls on me we often have a chat,
He knows better than to broach the subject of their religion, we generally get onto politics.

I wouldn't have a problem with them calling Christmas day I think that is a good day for them to be out 'volunteering' as they call it.

But they won't because my friend is a JW and when I asked her what they do on the day she said "we all get together, everyone brings something to eat and we play games and have fun" Oh so basically Christmas without the expense.....sounds good to me.

NO, I think they should be volunteering, either door knocking and being ignored or working in a food shelter or homeless shelter

I don't mind the J W's or the Mormons. I don't always open the door to them, but if I do I find them polite and they toddle off after leaving a leaflet.

Lozzles wrote:I don't mind the J W's or the Mormons. I don't always open the door to them, but if I do I find them polite and they toddle off after leaving a leaflet.

I'm the same as you Lozz.

A few weeks ago on the train to Fuengirola the carriage was full of young American JW's and listening to them chatting they came across as nice, polite young gentlemen.

I did have to hide my laughter though - they all had badges pinned to their suits declaring Elder and then their surname..except one chap's surname was Berry!