Fabulous- Aussie Atheist Goes Door To Door In Salt Lake City To Convert Mormons

[Jcrowley]

Door To Door Atheists Bother Mormons

Australian filmmaker John Safran is so fed up with mormons ringing his doorbell early in the morning that he flies to Salt Lake City Utah and tries to convert Mormons to atheism. Needless to say, the locals were not pleased.

http://my.break.com/media/view.aspx?ContentID=185806

[LittleClarkie]

1. As a Christian I say...

heh, I actually don't have a problem with this. But then the hard sell approach makes my teeth itch.

[msongs]

17. so it's ok to intrude on people's privacy to pimp religion? nt

[LittleClarkie]

31. Strike that, reverse it.

And is atheism a religion?

[Ladyhawk]

35. Atheism is a religion like "off" is a TV channel. n/t

[LittleClarkie]

36. Hence, I'm not sure why msong's undies were in a bundle

As he/she seemed to take my comment in the exact opposite way I intended.

[martymar64]

50. I like that response.

Can I use that one?

[dorkulon]

53. Well said!

Is that yours or did you get it somewhere? Either way, I'm stealing it. ;-)

[stlsaxman]

55. hahahahahah that's wonderful!

may I steal it?

[jessicazi]

2. If he wants to get the most bang for his buck

he should head to Provo or Orem, not SLC.

[Dogmudgeon]

3. That makes my day!

Our next-door neighbors are Jehovah's Witnesses. They don't proselytize us, but they make sure we get visitors a couple times a year.

"Hello, Ma'am, I'm from the Council of Democratic Secular Humanists, and have you heard the Good News of Ingersoll, Murray, and Doctor Dawkins?"

--p!

[crispini]

45. ROFL!

oh yeah!

[Ian David]

4. I can't understand a thing Australians say, anyway. Otherwise, good yuckums or whatever. n/t

[Sapphocrat]

14. You mean "fair dinkum"? LOL n/t

[Hamlette]

5. I'm blocked from the site here at work

Blocked by my emloyer, the state of Utah. Is there something naughty on the site or do they just not want me to see Mormons in a bad light? (no, the state is not run by the mormons, cough, cough, not really)

[Jcrowley]

7. It's pretty hilarious

try to catch it later. One older guy basically sends him off with a brooming.

[malaise]

42. I agree

What a great response. Both Mormons and Jehovahs in my part of the planet learnt to avoid knocking on my gate.
One evening last week I stopped at a restaurant to pick up some food and a pastor from who knows what church walked up to me and said 'I am Rev whatever and I need...' Before he got any further I asked him who the hell cares and walked on. Violate my rights at your peril is my approach. Kudos to the Aussie.

[customerserviceguy]

6. That was a hoot!

However, if they had ventured into that first or second ring of suburbs outside of SLC (in the city, amazingly enough, not everybody is Mormon), they'd have been tarred and feathered, at the very least. Still, great shots of giving the Mormons a taste of their own medicine!

[XOKCowboy]

18. Never thought of that... If he'd gone to Orem, Ogden, etc...

they might have gotten more than they bargained for!

I liked the little ol' man to took his cane to them! LOL

[Barnaby]

8. Sauce for the goose, and all

Good for him!

[Warpy]

9. HAHAHAHA!!! Great rant!!

That bishop certainly showed his Christ like tolerance. He's lucky they didn't press charges.

Good thing he didn't come bashing on my door when I was still working 12 hour night shifts. There's a reason religious people never bother with me any more. I scared them all off.

[ReadTomPaine]

10. Hilarious!

As they say, turnabout is fair play.

[goforit]

11. roflmao!! I've been waiting for this!!! Long overdue!

[originalpckelly]

12. I think this is hilarious!

They certainly didn't like someone coming to their door and bugging the crap out of them, did they?

That is how everyone else feels, whom doesn't belong to a door-to-door religion. Even if you're not an atheist, it sure is fun to see people get a taste of their own medicine.

[earth mom]

13. This gives me an idea! Next time a fundie comes to the door...

ask them where they live because you want to go over to their house and proselytize your views or lack thereof to them! :evilgrin:

[Zhade]

15. Funny, but not helpful.

This is just going to feed all those idiots who wrongly thing that atheism, the lack of belief in gods (not the belief in no gods), is somehow a religion.

Sigh.

[originalpckelly]

21. It's what I would call a religious spectrum statement...

"One nation under God" and "There is no God" are both religious spectrum statements.

However, if you are mum on the whole topic of religion, then that is secularism.

People often associate the lack of religious statements as atheism, but of course it is not. You can be the most devout follower of a religion and never tell anyone, and you are still a believer.

[Zhade]

23. "There is no god" is not a view held by all atheists, though.

Only by 'strong' atheists.

[OnyxCollie]

43. If you believe in god, you're not an atheist. You're an agnostic.

Just like you can't be a vegetarian and eat fish.

[dorkulon]

54. If you believe in god, you're not an agnostic. You're a theist.

The question is whether one can call himself an atheist if he simply acknowledges that he doesn't possess the ability to know the unknowable. It's tricky, because I want to say I'm an atheist, but I'm not willing to say for sure that there isn't some god-ish intelligence or something beyond our perception--because, while I find it largely improbable, I simply don't know for certain that it isn't the case.

I simply leave it at this: I don't know what's really going on here in this life/universe/everything, and neither do you. I guess since agnostic translates as "doesn't know," then that's what I am. But I don't want anyone to think that implies a belief in any supernatural phenomena. In fact, to me it implies the extreme of skepticism.

[OnyxCollie]

57. I guess I should have been more specific, and not have used belief in god.

Atheists believe there is no god. Agnostics believe if "it" exists, and whatever "it" is, the answer is unknown to us.

But, back to atheists: Either you disbelieve in god, or you don't.

[fishwax]

58. no, that's not true

"Either you disbelieve in god, or you don't."

One needn't declare that they disbelieve or believe. One needn't take a stance on the issue, because one needn't care.

Strong atheists believe that there is no god. they disbelieve in god.

Theists believe that there is a god (in some form).

Weak atheists need neither believe nor disbelieve that there is a god. Weak atheism is the absence of a belief in god, not the belief that there is no god or the rejection of belief. It differs from agnosticism in that agnostics believe we can't really know. Weak atheists don't believe or disbelieve (and don't necessarily care).

[OnyxCollie]

59. I looked up the definition of atheist.

from Dictionary.com: An atheist is one who denies the existence of a deity or of divine beings.

from American Heritage dictionary: One who disbelieves or denies the existence of God or gods.

No mention of "degrees" of atheism. Either you disbelieve, or you don't. Much like you consider my reply to be false, instead of true.

On edit: Would a "weak" atheist make the statement, "I deny the existence of god. A little bit." or "I deny the existence of god. Unless I don't, then I'm all for it. Unless I do, in which case forget about what I said earlier."

I used to be a vegetarian. Seven years. Then I became a vegan. After two years, I started eating fish and cheese. At the time, I said I was a vegetarian that occasionally ate fish. After a while, I stopped saying that. I was no longer a vegetarian.

[fishwax]

62. dictionaries are not the best source for complex topics

But here's another from dictionary.com: "a lack of belief in the existence of God or gods."

A lack of belief is not the same as a rejection of belief. Do you think everyone on earth has taken a stand (or cares to take a stand) on the god/no god issue? One doesn't have to choose between disbelief (a rejection of belief) and belief, so the statement that "Either you disbelieve, or you don't" is simply false.

[OnyxCollie]

63. Lack of belief falls into the "don't know" category.

And that is agnosticism.

[fishwax]

64. no, agnosticism is different

agnosticism is the belief that it's unknowable whether there is a god (or, as dictionary.com puts it: "an intellectual doctrine or attitude affirming the uncertainty of all claims to ultimate knowledge").

That's different from a lack of belief; it's also different from merely not knowing, in that it's not just not knowing, but an affirmation that it is indeed unknowable).

There is overlap between agnosticism and weak atheism, though they are not equivalent. But both are examples of people who don't fit the "you either disbelieve or you don't" model.

[OnyxCollie]

That's a cop out.

"Do you believe in god?"

Theist: Yes.
Atheist: No
Agnostic: I dunno. Maybe. Who knows for certain.

"Don't care", "Not interested", and "Next question, please" are not answers to the question.

Weak atheisim rings as hollow as "Independent Democrat".

[OnyxCollie]

65. That's a cop out.

"Do you believe in god?"

Theist: Yes.
Atheist: No
Agnostic: I dunno. Maybe. Who knows for certain?

"Don't care", "Not interested", and "Next question, please" are not answers to the question.

Weak atheisim rings as hollow as "Independent Democrat".

[fishwax]

66. No, it's not a cop out. Yours is an oversimplification.

Why would it be a cop out, anyway? Why does someone have to answer the question based on the multiple-choice answers you've supplied? :shrug: Frankly, "i don't give it much thought" seems like a pretty reasonable answer to me.

But let's go with your model:

Theist: Yes.
Atheist: No
Agnostic: I dunno. Maybe. Who knows for certain?

Leaving aside the fact that there's no "I believe in many gods" choice, I agree that the answers you've put in the mouths of each category are correct. But just as those who answer "yes" can be further divided because not all theists have the same approach to god, so too can the atheists be divided, since not all atheists reject a belief in god. (Indeed, you entered this subthread in response to Zhade's comment that " 'There is no god' is not a view held by all atheists.")

So, do you believe in god?
Strong Atheist: No, I believe that god does not exist.
Weak Atheist: No, I do not believe that god exists.

Those two statements are not equivalent.

Nor is "I do not believe that god exists" equivalent to "I dunno. Maybe. Who knows for certain?"

Anyway, the distinction between weak atheism and strong atheism is not a new one, and what it has to do with independent democrat, I don't know. But it is, for atheists, the conventional way of organizing themselves. If you don't care to distinguish one from the other, that's your business, but don't be surprised if people point out that your generalizations are inaccurate.

To put it another way--imagine you ask people the question you've posed until you gather up a large number of confirmed atheists. Then you ask them a second question: "Do you believe that there is no god?" They aren't all going to answer "yes."

[HCE SuiGeneris]

39. Are those idiots worth worrying about? I think not.

[nealmhughes]

16. I was 20 years old and fresh out of the academic portion of Navy Nuclear Power School

and assigned to the reactor "prototype" of the Nautilus at the Idaho National Laboratory out in the desert near Arco, ID, about 80 miles from Idaho Falls. One had to ride a bus into and out of the site. We regularly put in 12 hour days of hands on training on how to run a naval reactor.

The training is fast, furious and one "oops" and one gets to go to an oiler as a paint chipper or grease monkey. Needless to say, the pressure was intense. Sleep was a blessed event.

Idaho Falls as a city felt compelled to single me out for "conversion" it seemed. Ding dong! To the door I would go. Tell them I am happy with my church and not even remotely interested in a free copy of the BOfM or to go to a "youth meeting."

Repeat. Continually. I spent 3 months of hell trying to beat exhaustion only to be thwarted by the friendly smiling faces above their clipon ties, white shirts, nametags and black polyester pants.

Finally, I had enough and slept stark naked on the couch, ready to jump up and welcome them with open arms when they called next. They did and I did. They fled, I followed them out of the house yelling, "Come back! Come back! I've got beer and pizza for us all!"

Finally, a month of sleep when I needed it.

[XOKCowboy]

20. Good work..

Hit'em where it hurts!

:rofl:

[Maraya1969]

27. Go to the door naked! What an idea!

:yourock:

[Trajan]

41. LMFAO ....

Ok ... THAT was funny ....

I would avoid the nekkid part, but the pizza and beer thing sounds like good fun .....

[Vidar]

19. Good for Safran. I actually tolerated Mormons for a time because

I am a fan of Orson Scott Card's sci fi. Then I had to throw the same pair off my porch five times. I was not gentle the last two times. Reporting them to the police as a public nuisance finally worked.

[tblue37]

25. I like Card's SF, but he is a Bush-loving rightwinger

politically, and I get very angry when I read his political BS. He has always been all gung-ho for the F***-up in Iraq.

[Vidar]

28. Yeah I know--I haven't read him much since 2000, but after the the deaths of Frank Herbert & Asimov,

he was my favorite.

[tbyg52]

47. Yuck!

I don't get that at all from his fiction. Darn. Another SF author down the drain....

[ronnie624]

68. Eeeew! Orson Scott Card? A Bush lover?

Song Master and Song Bird were two of my favorite novels. I read them many years ago and had recently considered reading them again, but if Card truly supports the Bush administration, I wouldn't touch them with a ten foot pole.

[Judi Lynn]

38. Good for you! Hope the fifth time was the one which got the message to them. n/t

[Subdivisions]

22. OK, this one hits close to home...

I attempted to provide my family of 8 to a different sort of life than the one they were used to in the shadow of the very urban Dallas-Ft Worth Metroplex. So, I shopped around for a job on Career Builder and got a bite from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I traveled there for an interview, was hired and moved my family there shortly thereafter.

But being Jackson Hole (you know Jackson Hole, the beautiful Tetons? I voted at the same location Dick Cheney voted at for the 2004 elections), it is very expensive to live there so the alternative for folks of less means is Star Valley, Wyoming, which is where we actually rented a house.

Star Valley is 99% Mormon and the town in which we lived had a population of just 350. Being new in town of course all the townsfolk were aware we were there and after about 2 days a couple of Mormons came to the door (maybe on Thursday) and said that they had noticed that we hadn't been to the church yet and wanted to know if we were planning to attend to which we respectfully replied that we were Christians (s/o and kids are but I'm not) and would be attending a Christian church.

They came to the door about three more times and I finally had enough. The next time they came to the door, it was snowing to beat all and I invited them in and offered them coffee, which they don't drink. I told them that I had been respectful to them on their initial visit and had been patient thereafter but that now I'm done. I told them that I was actually Atheist and invited them to hear my point of view and then, as they tried to hide their horror and squirm and make for the door, I told them no, no, I've listened to your testament now I'd like you to give me the respect of listening to mine. Then I proceeded to tell them that they have based their lives on a delusional and psychotic framework...etc.

I was there for a year afterwards and not one Mormon ever showed up at my door again. And, they were'nt very nice to us at the local grocery...or pizza joint...or police station. You get the picture. My s/o hated living in the place closest to Heaven anyone on this Earth will get because of those people and, now, we're back in Texas.

Edited to add: I don't begrudge anyone their religion, sexuality or race (etc.), just don't shove it down my throat. Mormons in general are good people. But radicals of any religious persuasion foist their beliefs without regard or respect for those who choose to believe otherwise.

[jayctravis]

33. My friend in college is a home-schooling hippie...

she LOVED when Mormons would come to the door and enjoyed debating them.

She actually told me she got a call from one of them who had actually converted away from Mormonism, based partially on the seeds of doubt my she had sown.

[bridgit]

24. talk about a daunting task...

:rofl:

[canetoad]

26. I laughed so hard

the tears ran down my legs.

Come on Aussie come on, come on
Come on Aussie come on

(to the tune of Come on Aussie come on)

[Generic Brad]

29. What an inspiring story!

It never occurred to me to give proselytizers a taste of their own medicine.

[Violet_Crumble]

30. That's a few years old now...

It's from 'John Safran vs God, which was hilarious and it's available on dvd...

In his most audacious project yet, John set off across the globe to take on religion. He roadtests Buddhism in Japan and Voodooism is Haiti. He doorknocks in Utah and tries to convert Mormons to atheism. He tries to convince the Grand Dragon of the KKK to let him join even though he's Jewish. He travels to the UK to get a Muslim extremist to place a fatwa on an Australian colleague. He auditions for the Harlem Gospel Choir. He is washed in chicken blood in Mozambique. He drinks Native American peyote in Arizona... and vomits. The series builds to the final episode where a Christian exorcist casts out all of John's demons.


http://www.johnsafran.com/tv.html

For any locals, John Safran and Father Bob can be heard on Triple J...

[siligut]

32. If you are a woman and answeing the door naked isn't your cup of tea

Next time they come to your door, hit them with as much of the following that you can before they run away in terror.

Joseph Smith had 15 wives and actually sent one pitiful believer away on a mission so old Joe could marry his wife too.

It wasn’t a revelation that caused the Morons to allow blacks into the priesthood and abolish polygamy it was their quest for statehood, plain and simple.

Temple rituals? Masonic rip-offs.

People don’t leave the church because they have/want to sin, they leave because they wake up to what a load of crap the belief system is.

If they continue to harass you and your neighbors you will have no choice but to canvass the area with some of the abundant anti-mormon literature that exists. Actually yell this as they are leaving, get it in for the sanity of yourself and your neighbors.

[AnnieBW]

34. Dealing With Religion Salesmen

I have several ways of dealing with unwelcome door-to-door religion salesmen:

- Yell out, "honey, the sacrifices are here!"

- Tell them that you're an apostate

- Sic a grumpy pet on them

- Offer to debate the finer points of your religion with them. Works even better if you're a non-Judeo-Christian.

- Be inappropriately attired (naked, in underwear, in bondage gear, etc.)

The funniest one I'd ever heard of was some gamer friends who were all dressed as Nazis and waiting on their buddy to show up so they could drive to their LARP location. There's a knock on the door. The head "Nazi" answers it with a "sieg heil!" Instead of their buddy, it's a Jehovah's Witless. The JW sees a whole bunch of Nazis in the room, and beats a hasty retreat.

[upi402]

37. ooh ooh! Tell them that the 'woman from rib' thing is crap!

oh, and that the earth is 4.5 Billion years old, not 6 Thousand years.
And may as well let them know that the animals didn't walk off that boat thingy.

That's probably enough, exploding brains are messy.

John Safran:yourock:

[eridani]

40. My policy is to cut religious door-bangers some slack

I figure I probably annoy some people when I do precinct walking.

[HardRocker05]

44. LOL - talk about turning the tables. nt

[crispini]

46. That's awesome!

ROFL!

[tbyg52]

48. Oh yeah! Now next I'd like to hear about...

...someone with money setting up monuments to every *other* religion they can think of right next to those cross/bible/whatever displays on public property.

[badgerpup]

49. Wish I had the nerve to do this one...

Friend of mine asked the Knock knock for Jesus people if they'd brought the goat, since the ceremony was just starting...
OK...that got a :wow: reaction...at which point he pretended to really LOOK at the two people standing there and and spake thusly;

"Oh, I'm so sorry! You're the VIRGINS! C'mon in, you're late!"
They left very quickly...:rofl:

[GliderGuider]

51. I've had no unwelcome visitors since I put this on my mailbox

[gulfcoastliberal]

52. He should rike a bike wearing a lab coat, carrying a backback full of Dawkins.

NT

[Blue_Tires]

56. lol at that!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

60. I Think He's A Total Dumbass And That There Was Nothing 'Fabulous' About It.

Hell, someone's gotta say it.

I know I'm supposed to fall in line with popular opinion on this and burst out laughing, but I found him to be a complete and utter jackass.

Were the people he confronted the ones that were knocking on his door? Did he only go to the houses of mormons who go door to door to single them out specifically? Or, rather, did he just go to a religious town and victimize innocent decent people just to pass his own bitterness that other non-related people did to him onto others who had nothing to do with it?

Nothing I respect less than those who seek to be vindictive towards innocent people merely because they have a gripe with someone else from a generalized group. What he did wasn't funny; it was childish, misdirected, inappropriate and disrespectful.

Personally, I find people like him (and others that prey on innocents in order to make themselves feel big) to be pieces of crap. Like I said: Someone's gotta say it.

[loyalsister]

69. You make good points

I have a philosophical problem with the inconsistency of overgeneralizing and hitting every door rather than just the door of the specific individuals who prostheletized as well.

[hsher]

61. Thank you, sir! Can I please have another?

Can we have some more of this? Nationwide? Seriously?

[GreenPartyVoter]

67. LOL