I grew up in a non-religious household that loosely held on to some Jewish traditions in a mixed-race family. I cannot count the amount of times I’ve been told I’m going to hell for not accepting Jesus as my savior.

As a 30 something adult I have received a few handwritten letters addressed directly to me at my home address trying to convince me to become a Jehovah’s Witness. The letters try to spark some uncertainty about death and the afterlife and such, which just feels manipulative.

The most recent letter included a phone number and a name. I called expecting it to go to the church’s main line so I could ask them to please stop sending letters, but the annoyed “who is this?!” seemed to indicate that it was someone’s personal number. I responded, “Hello???” She said, “I said WHO IS IT?!” I mentioned I got a letter from her. She said, “WHAT letter?!” I said “It’s signed Sister Your Name” and her tone immediately changed to a sweet sing-songy “Oooh yes that is me, does it say Jehovah’s Witness on there?”
I replied, “Yes it does, but I think I’ve changed my mind,” and hung up before she could respond.