Do you know how people feel about door to door salesmen? Annoyed as hell, right? Do you know how people feel about Jehovah's Witnesses? They're annoying as hell, right? Do you know how people feel about Mormon missionaries? They find them pretty annoying. How do we feel about street preaching types in general and other people who can't keep their religion to themselves?
I'm of the opinion that "annoying" might not be the best word for this kind of recruitment. I think it's inconsiderate and rude. I think it's arrogant and offensive. I think if you have a convincing argument, people will naturally latch onto it without you hammering away at your talking points. The more I thought about treating people the way I would like to be treated, the more I realized that missionary work wasn't my thing.
I should also mention, however, that at least these annoying, inconsiderate, offensive types are putting action behind their professed beliefs. It's hard to say they don't feel conviction. On the other hand, I am often startled by the passivity of Mormons who claim to exclusively know what brings True Happiness and also claim to love everyone in the world like a brother or sister, and yet they can barely manage to hand out a pass-along card. Most members leave all proselytizing up to the Church's missionaries despite orders that every member engage in missionary work. There's no shouting from rooftops, just quiet examples, prayers, and pent up hopes of seeing the world convert.
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