meritocrat

I'm an agnostic, but as far as I am aware there are 'rules' in the Bible pertaining to how you 'spread the word'.

Why do religious people feel it necessary to badger you constantly about there religion? Ultimately isn't it MY choice as to whether I believe or not? If so, what right does a religious person have to force anybody to be a believer?

spurly

Has someone actually tried to force you to become a Christian? If so, their tactics were way out of line. Jesus said that if someone refuses to listen to you as you tell them about the kingdom of God to go on to the next town.

Time is too short and the field is too big to try to force people to have a relationship with God. Besides that, Christianity is all about love and love can not be forced.

I'm interested to know what you mean when you say they tried to force you to enter a relationship with God. Please explain.

Kevin

Yellum Notnef

So why do certain Christians (yourself included) continue to hang around here and argue with us about it?

Nobody here besides other Christians are listening about the kingdom of God so how come you guys don't take Jesus' advice and go on to the next town?

Kassiana

Hm. I haven't normally, myself, been regularly "badgered" by anyone religion-wise. I have had the usual newbie evangelist who wants everyone to Believe what He says because he Quotes the bible and Uses! random caPitalization and punctuation? marks. Once I have told him I'm not interested, and that I don't want to hear any more, he usually goes away. (I say he because 90-95% of the time, it is a "he.")

If someone is, though, it's probably due to what they think is a good reason. Note that this doesn't excuse their rudeness in ignoring your wishes, but it does explain why. They believe God wants them to, they have a "calling" to bring you to God, they believe you'll be toasted forever by the Great Green Gobstopper if they don't get you to believe in the Holy Baskin-Robbins, etc. There's always the option of just ignoring them, of course, or letting your annoyance show to greater degrees as they continue to ignore your previous polite requests to stuff it, please.

I can assure you I have no desire to convert you to any religion, especially once you said what you said in your beginning post. Then again, being a member of a non-proselytizing religion who doesn't believe anyone goes to "hell," I wouldn't, would I?

christ-on-a-stick

Howdy meritocrat,

I think it has something to do with the whole "go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" thing Jesus said before flying off into the clouds. Famous last words and all

Lauri

happyboy

why do evangelists constantly badger you to convert?

it's simple, really: it's easier to believe rediculous bullshit faerie tales when you have positive peer approval.

happyboy

Beetle

It's amazing the amount of effort in conservative Christian churches that goes into motivating (aka "guilt-tripping") the flock into doing evangelism. It's not something that most people naturally want to do, even if there is a biblical command to do so. So the churches arrange "friendship sundays" (aka "invite a friend to church"), do seminars training people to do evangelism and jump through all sorts of hoops to get the regular pew-sitter fired up to do evangelism.

But I guess it's either that, or be stuck with 3,000 copies of The Four Spiritual Laws that nobody wants.

meritocrat

I'm an agnostic in a largely Christian family. Also most of our friends are religious too. It just annoys me when they consistently tell me why I must believe in God.

Opera Nut

Walk out on them......I've lost lost of "friends" and "relatives" that way, but it's probably saved me from having a stroke due to hypertension and being any more crazy than I already am.


Also, quote to them the verse about going into your closet and praying in secret, and not going out amongst the unbelievers.


Use their own book against them. It won't work, but what they hey, sharpen your arguing skills.