HEARTS OF THE CITY: Exploring attitudes and issues behind the news.

A rotating panel of experts from the worlds of philosophy, psychology and religion offer their perspective on the dilemmas that come with living in Southern California.

Today’s question: When Jehovah’s Witnesses or Mormon missionaries knock on your door and are persistent, what is a good response if you are uninterested?

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Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena:

I am committed to my own branch of evangelism--in a society that doesn’t exactly encourage that kind of thing. So, I respect the right of others to bear witness to their convictions, even when I disagree with the message and the methods. I try to communicate this respect to the person who rings my doorbell. But I also make it very clear that their time will better spent by looking for another conversation partner.

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Lee Baker, co-president of Atheists United in Los Angeles and co-president of the nationwide Atheist Alliance:

When anybody comes to my door selling religion I feel compassionate because it’s not easy and I know they mean well. I tell them that I know they are very sold on their particular religion, but it happens there are about 20,000 different versions of religion in the world. I say, “I am happy to live in a country where I have all these choices, but I’m not in the market.” They usually don’t try to give me a pitch. I never have had to slam the door.

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Dennis Prager, who writes a quarterly journal, Ultimate Issues, and is founder-president of the Micah Center for Ethical Monotheism:

Let’s change “Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormon missionaries” to “environmentalist and political activists.” My home has been approached far more by political and social activists than by religious ones. The question shows that our society has more tolerance for political true believers than for religious ones. Having noted that, being religious, I like to talk religion with people of other faiths. So, when the people seem interesting, I invite them in. After listening, I give them the book I wrote on Judaism. I want them to know that others feel as strongly about their faith as they do about theirs.

* Compiled by JOHN DART / Times Staff Writer