Seriously, I dont want to lose my friend or her to turn into a weak minded person but her new palls are Christians and they are trying to brainwash her. I care for her and I know myself religion is dangerous. Or should I just leave her to it.
2006-07-16 23:44:43 · 25 answers · asked by Octavius 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
O...K...well firstly, just so's you don't offend a bunch of perfectly reasonable and non-brainwashing Christians, it'd help to be a little specific about who exactly is doing this thing. They may well be trying to explain to her that certain utterly irrational things are facts - but that's the basis of all faith - belief in the unseen. Technically this doesn't make her a weak-minded person. Again, religion may be dangerous to you, but might in fact be a beautiful thing to her, and respond to some need she may feel, but not necessarily share with you.
Generally, if someone is going to invest in a faith at some point in their life, it's a journey they'll be drawn to make by their own curiosity, irrespective of what others say, and as others here have pointed out, she can still be your friend if she's a Christian.
If you absolutely, definitely want to meddle and turn her away from this path, take some hints from CS Lewis's archdemon in The Screwtape Letters:
1. Force nothing. Do not rant, but talk calmly to her about her growing faith if and when she mentions it. Appear rational at all times. Plant tiny seeds of doubt, framed as reasonable questions - "what about the dinosaurs?" is a good one.
2. Keep her focused on the 'real world' when you can. The real world can be anything from scientific explanations to material desires to relationships with other human beings. This will deter her from turning her mind to spiritual questions.
3. Find a few of her new Christian friends who, were they not put together by this connection, she might not normally like. Plant seeds of doubt about these people, and focus her attention on how different she is from these specific people, appealing to her pride by telling her she's inherently "better" or more strong-minded than these people. If you can get this idea to take root, it will be easier to guide her to understand how different she is from all her new Christian friends, and from people of faith generally.
4. Provide her with credible alternatives to hanging around with her new Christian friends, and especially to going to church. Use your knowledge of her interests to give her "better things to do" than go to church or meet these friends. Again, by focusing her on "real life" - make sure you use phrases like this, so Christianity is identified as something other than real - you can keep her mind off religion for long enough for her susceptibility to it passes for the present time.
Hmm...chances are I might get reported for some of this, but if you can't get a little Devil's Advocacy from a man in Satan-suit, where CAN you get it? Just to be clear again - I don't think you should meddle with this at all, but if you're bound and determined to do it, hopefully the pointers above will help you do it so that as few people as possible get hurt in the process.
2006-07-17 01:25:01 · answer #1 · answered by mdfalco71 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get her a really good book on ancient mythology including the tales of Mihras, Krishna, and Horace. The similarities of these dieties which precede Jesus by hundreds of years should be aparent if she has any intelect what so ever. Also remind her that the Bible was written in a time when people thought there was a clear force field in the sky that kept the water from flooding the earth...which they also thought was flat. Remind her also that the Bible is one book written a couple thousand years ago..by Men....and Men only. Finally if all else fails, tell her that the Gospel Tales were written roughly 70 years after the supposed crucifixion... Transcribed from old accounts.
If she still goes for it, sell her some air for $10,000 a cubic foot and retire.
Good Luck.
2006-07-16 23:52:33 · answer #2 · answered by mickeycushman 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
you can only counter the humour less with humour. your friend will need to make her own choices. If she gives up her freedom to choose it matters very little if it is to religious or to secular forces. cult thinking is still cult thinking, and forcing your will upon her is wrong as well. but continue to dispute with her if you can. you might want to introduce her to alternate religions such as the Universal Church Triumphant of the Apathetic Agnostic, or the strange Church of the Subgenius. These work by using the same wording as cults do and lampooning them, the agnostics are serious though, the Discordians might also be useful as a counter indoctrination vaccine.
edit; mickey's idea of a good grounding in the history of most of the bible stories and what cultures they were borrowed from is a strong anti dote to the religiously insane
Edit pegacita that is just what I mean, you have got it wrong, the bible says nothing about a round earth and describes it as flat, notably in the description of the flood, and early roman church burned people for saying different. and the comment about the scientists, the Greeks at about 400BC had calculated the circumference of the earth, described it as a sphere, and the church suppressed this. sailors calculated positions on a spherical earth but were told not to say it was real but that it was just a mathematical trick, and this that you say,this is christian truthfulness that you talk about.
2006-07-16 23:58:05 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Encourage her to think rationally rather be swayed by emotionally laden arguments about heaven and hell. Also, you might point out various examples of how otherwise sensible people have been persuaded to join all manner of cults in the past because it gave them the phony comfort that arises when you turn off your brain and allow yourself to be brainwashed into a blindly believing follower. Christianity is just another cult.
2006-07-17 00:06:18 · answer #4 · answered by Gallivanting Galactic Gadfly 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People must be allowed the freedom to believe and worship what they wish. Encourage her to look at what she is being told with common sense and hindsight. Not to be carried away by the moment when in their company but to think about it and discuss it with others when she is away from them.
If at the end of the day she turns Christian then you must allow her to get on with it. You can still be her friend and if she turns away from you she will not be a true Christian or have a friendship worth having.
2006-07-16 23:50:38 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why would you want to intefer and distroy a relationship over something like that. Free choice man you have the choice not to believe allow her the same respect. Many people benefit from religions and Christianity don't be so close minded
2006-07-16 23:53:37 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Y'all carry forth about how "God" gave us freewill, then state we'd want to keep on with this "God" or we are ****** when we die. How is that freewill? then you honestly have a majority of those positive loopholes, "oh, i'm sorry for stealing all those undesirable peoples' money, forgive me now so i visit goto heaven, lol." Then on the top you coach how unwilling you're to take heed to at least some thing countering your perspectives, a lifeless ringer for a customary non secular nutter. And imagine in this, incase you do come back by using some miracle (lol), You Reject the different "God", I only go with to reject yours too, so how are you any diverse? you're going to hell because you do not think in Allah, how does that experience? Does that experience only? "Oh no, yet mines accurate!" Yeah nicely Greeks idea their gods were accurate, Romans idea Their gods were accurate, "Pagans" idea their gods were accurate. Which leads me to each of the borrowed vacation journeys and practices that Christianity has taken from "Pagans", Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, etc. Y'all only followed the already in position festivities and claimed them for your self. What ever ensue to no longer stealing? (Jesus is corresponding to a T to over a dozen different Deity myths). Cheers and income from the wintry climate Solstice!
2016-10-14 21:23:13 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am so glad for her, hope she get you to also believe in Christ the Lord. You see as soon as you know the truth, there is no turning back, for now she must make an educated chose to walk the road of the light or the dark.
The holy Spirit keep on giving us the opportunity to learn to know God, i am so glad that she heard His voice and can be saved before it is too late.
God bless her, and you.
2006-07-17 02:12:23 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Let be what is not damaging to one's self. Will the religion harm her or does it offer a chance to beneficial to her life. If anything, let her realize that she has the choice to leave upon her beliefs at anytime, for God is understanding. As long as the religion isn't taking over her life at an extent that she's hurting from it, let it be.
2006-07-16 23:50:16 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hey Mickey...just to clarify....the BIBLE says the earth is round and suspended in the sky. The SCIENTISTS of the time believed it was flat. Christopher Columbus was a devout Christian. He went on his journey around the world to prove that the Earth was round.
Also....bottom line. God is stronger than any number of atheists, so if God is wooiing her, Good Luck!
2006-07-17 00:00:34 · answer #10 · answered by megmom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋