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Oh, please cut the crap. Do you have any desire to be continually harangued by someone who believes differently than you and keeps pushing it on you against your will? Day after week after month after year, imagine them telling you every day that you should change your mind because you're wrong, and when you tell them you're not interested or to go away, they don't.
I am "continually harangued" by many people about many things, including various religions, but mostly other things. You know how I look at it? It's part of life. It's part of living with people, being part of a society. People are always pushing their beliefs - religious, political, social, ideological, etc. - on other people. Some of it is very subtle, some of it is very aggressive. Some is passive, some is very direct.
That's life - grow up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mercury Cougar
Would YOU like that? Please lie and say it wouldn't bother you to be treated your entire life that way. And for the record, it's not the 'judging' that bothers me, it's that they won't s-t-f-u when I ask them nicely to cut it out and leave me alone. Poke the bear with the stick often enough, pretty soon the bear is going to get tired of it.
Who won't leave you alone? Who are "they"?? If someone is genuinely harrassing you then deal with it. I have a hard time believing you're being genuinely harrassed except perhaps by a family member, in which case you can do something about it if you really want to. I don't know where you live, but where I live, nobody harrasses me. Maybe you do need a change of location.
Although there is an association concerning women marrying young and a bit of an association on voting Republican. So maybe the kind of conservative religiosity that encourages wives to be younger than husbands has some impact.
On a different matter I lean a bit more toward MC in that I think continually trying to convert someone uninterested can border on harrassment. If a Hindu told me I shouldn't eat meat it might not irritate me, but if he continually went on about it day after day I'd get tired of it. To me the Gospels don't indicate you should just badger people. Granted there's an implication that when you "move on" from a person it means they're going to Hell, but even then I don't think it's seen as being about badgering them about it. Maybe they'll change their mind later or maybe not or maybe it's their own business.
Granted I think atheists are sometimes lacking in self-awareness as I find much of what they do here to be badgering people into "deconversion" and tiresome. Even if they feel it's "defensive" many here are not the people hurting them and it's just lashing out wildly.
Last edited by Thomas R.; 10-15-2009 at 02:08 PM..
Atheists should respect a believer who cares about him enough to "convet" him, not get angry and hate the person.
Passive-aggressive stance at its finest.
Your statement is like me telling you: "Please convert to my religion, Buddhism, because your god is a hypocrite, murderer, and fake. I'm telling you to do so because you will then be saved in the mighty name of the Buddha and so you won't suffer through all 18 levels of hell"
Repeat and rinse.
I care enough for your very soul and don't want you to be misled by your religion because my religion is the true and real one.
Don't get angry or hate me please. Just drop your beliefs and convert to mine
Your statement is like me telling you: "Please convert to my religion, Buddhism, because your god is a hypocrite, murderer, and fake. I'm telling you to do so because you will then be saved in the mighty name of the Buddha and so you won't suffer through all 18 levels of hell"
Repeat and rinse.
I care enough for your very soul and don't want you to be misled by your religion because my religion is the true and real one.
Don't get angry or hate me please. Just drop your beliefs and convert to mine
Passive aggressive is what you are doing right now.
If you told me any of that out of genuine concern then no, it wouldn't bother me, I wouldn't hate you or get angry, and I'd appreciate your concern, although I wouldn't convert. I might choose to discuss your beliefs vs. mine and engage you in such a discussion, but I wouldn't deride you or your beliefs.
You know, there acually are atheists who have the sense to realize that Christians have a real belief in eternal life vs. eternal suffering and have a genuine interest in trying to help people. If anything you should be offended by Christians who NEVER try to share their faith with you. I don't understand how this is such a threat or annoyance to any atheist, except if he is unsure in his beliefs and fears being "converted", knowing his weakness.
My parents grew up with many muslims who always tried to convert them and they didn't take offense to it, but took it as a compliment that their muslim friends cared about their spiritual well-being. Of course, my parents also tried to share the Gospel with them, in return. But they got along regardless of this.
I have never seen people whine and moan more than certain atheists who whine and moan about Christians who witness to them. You would think they are being held down and tied up, and forced to listen to Christian propaganda for hours, but the reality is that nobody is "forcing" anything on them.
As for harrassment, people harrass over many things, and harrassment is harrassment. To blame Christianity or Christians in general is ignorant and dumb. I get harrassed by many vegans in my life about eating meat, and I don't blame all vegans for it, because I treat each person as an individual. I also am harrassed by some atheists in my life, but I know it's not all of them so I don't blame atheism for it. It's just ignorant people being offensive and rude.
I have never seen people whine and moan more than certain atheists who whine and moan about Christians who witness to them. You would think they are being held down and tied up, and forced to listen to Christian propaganda for hours, but the reality is that nobody is "forcing" anything on them.
When christers attempt to keep or insert laws relating to their particular brand of dogma into our laws, YES we are being forced to "listen" to you. Blue laws, laws against certain types of birth control, crusading to eliminate abortion, laws against gay marriage, creationism taught in public schools, ten commandments in courthouses, 'god' mentioned in the pledge of allegiance, et cetera et cetera.
Matthew 10:14
Mark 6:11
Luke 9:5
Luke 10:10-11
Acts 13:51
Acts 18:6
Please follow your own bible for once.
I haven't tried to "convert" you at all. We are having a discussion. So how do any of those verses apply to me in regards to my interaction with you?
I'm not arguing with you about anything regarding religion or faith. I'm arguing with you over what I see as your irrational and offensive over-reaction to Christians.
Furthermore, all those verses would apply great to a Christian who in "real life" approaches the same person over and over and harrasses him, but they really don't have any bearing on a Christian who partakes in a "Religion" forum where the people he's talking to are also here, of their own free will, choosing to go out of their way to talk about religion.
Nobody's forcing you to be here and interact with Christians and other religious people. If you feel "harrassed" then don't come here, or ignore the people you feel "harrassed" by, or just skip their threads.
It's extremely rare to find a believer that isn't judgmental of non-believers and doesn't try to convert them.
Well here's one.
Listen if you don't believe I respect that and I see why "where's the proof"?
As for me I do believe I actually read up on many religions and though my studies find similarites with each other and that's what I believe that it's all connected.
Oh, please cut the crap. Do you have any desire to be continually harangued by someone who believes differently than you and keeps pushing it on you against your will? Day after week after month after year, imagine them telling you every day that you should change your mind because you're wrong, and when you tell them you're not interested or to go away, they don't.
Would YOU like that? Please lie and say it wouldn't bother you to be treated your entire life that way. And for the record, it's not the 'judging' that bothers me, it's that they won't s-t-f-u when I ask them nicely to cut it out and leave me alone. Poke the bear with the stick often enough, pretty soon the bear is going to get tired of it.
True anyone who forces you to "believe" is not rational maybe even bi-polar .
Passive aggressive is what you are doing right now.
Of course, because I was responding to a person who think it's okay to let that passive aggressive approach to slide. "We" aren't talking about people who states it once and drop it after you say thanks but no thanks. "We" are talking about those who won't let it go. If you want a religious discussion, keep the conversion on the down low. Sadly, Christians cannot have a debate without including sinning or telling that your lifestyle and non-beliefs are going to lead you to Hell.
I have my own beliefs and I follow them in my own way. I won't tell someone how to live their life. Don't do the same to me. Your momma should've taught you better than to leave your manners at the doorstep. If you are so impolite as to use that p-a stance, don't expect me to allow you to slide by just because you have "good intentions". I will call you out on it and make you look like a fool.
I'm more offended at Christians trying to share their faith with me like a plate of cookies than trying to educate me about it without the implications, jabs and stabs. The reason why you cannot understand why atheists get annoyed, hot and bothered is because you are not pitching for the other team. You cannot put yourselves in their shoes or even "see" their side.
This is also a religious forum where we can speak our minds. The point of this forum is talking talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly of religion. Just because you yourself might not have been harassed by other people with their religious intent doesn't mean others have not. What makes you think Atheists are blaming Christians? "We" are blaming their actions and their speech and not the person per se. And "we" are too polite and allow "you" to continue your speeches because "we" were brought up better than that. Sadly, "we" allow "you" to continue to do this. But no more. "We" have voices and won't stand for this p-a abuse any longer. Unfortunately for the rest of the non-converting Christians, "you" are paying for the crimes of what the fanatics have done to other people.
Finally, for your convenience, I am religious. However, I have the decency to not be up someone's grill and ask them if they are saved or not. Tell me, what purpose do you hope to gain by attempting to convert another person? To feed your own ego and insecurities? People have their own set of beliefs and it's not your duty to be nosy in their business that does not concern your own life.
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