Why are people so quick to think they are having religion forced on them?

Question

I've known people who lived under a government that told people to go to one church or go to prison. In our free-market culture (of ideas and economics) of course people regularly come across religious things they may not agree with, but how is that "forcing"? They seem very different to me.

Yes, I think semantics in this issue are very important. "Forced" is the difference between an outing and a kidnapping, making love and rape. I absolutely think it's a word to be taken seriously. In many of the cases cited below I think pestering, rude, or annoying really are better descriptions of what happened.

Anyway, thanks for all the responses, I'll let you know my favorite answer soon - you may be surprised.

Answer 1

Because right now religious extremists (fanatical right-wing christians like Bush and company) are in power, and as such, they help enact laws that follow their belief systems. The fact that victims of rape can't have abortions or that two loving consenting adults of the same sex can't marry because it's "against God" are two examples of such laws. Banning stem cell research because it's an abomination to God is another example. Schools are teaching creationism, whether the child wants it or not. Separation of chuch and state no longer exists. So yes, these ideas are being forced on many people who believe otherwise.

Answer 2

You'll probably have to give an example before anyone can give you a straight answer. Usually when someone feels like religion is being forced on them is when they are a child or other inferior in a situation in which the dominant person or people are of an orthodox religion. This is especially true when the religious folks believe theirs is the only true religion and can't have a normal two way conversation without interjecting a religious comment, advice, etc. They tend to talk down to the rest of us as though they were geniuses for having their beliefs. Yet, most of them don't test that high if you know what I mean. They can't accept that we don't believe and leave us alone about it. They can't have a secular conversation and just leave the religious topic alone. There used to be standards for how you conversed in mixed company, regardless of your definition of mixed. Religion and politics cause too much controversy, and polite people left those subjects alone unless everyone in the room wanted to discuss it. Rude religious people can't do that.

Answer 3

Well, we are not being forced by the government to believe a certain way, though it does feel that there is a religious rite growing within the government to the people that aren't Christian or some sect thereof. But when the door bell rings and a Witness is standing at the door and you literally have to shove them out of your doorway to close the door, or when you are walking down the street and you are being bombarded by several people trying to get you to take a religious pamphlet, or you get told by people that you must believe something or you will spend an eternity in the fiery pits of hell and they don't let you believe as you want without major verbal dispute then you do feel like religion is being shoved down your throat.

But if you are referring to Christmas trees, and beautiful churches, or people demonstrating peacefully and unobstructively then no I do not consider that forcing me to be religious.

Answer 4

No one can "force" any idea or belief on anyone. Even in the governments that you speak of, those people might have to make a choice between a particular church and prison, but even if they choose not to go to prison, they can still maintain their own ideas and beliefs in the privacy of their minds.

It is impossible to cause someone to change an idea or belief simply by forcing. The only way to change someone's mind is to present information to them, and then they are responsible for making their own decision, whatever that may be.

Answer 5

Like, Most missionaries are like teleshopping agents or spammers.

They keep on showering their religion on you to make you join their sect, just as a dog would pee on a pillar to mark his territory.

And that pisses me off. Religion is a very personal thing. And I would prefer people stay away from my beliefs. I don't need no convincing, so spare the sales talk. I am not bald. I don't want that snake oil.


MODIFY: Being in a free country means I should be free from coercion, and free to live my life according to my choices, So if I choose not to be called by someone, or to avoidtalking to someone, I should be allowed to do that. Shouldn't I?

Or do you think a girl should have sex with every freak that asks her out? Simply because it is not illegal for girls to have sex before marriage, as it is in some countries? Or used to be ?

Answer 6

I don't think they really believe they are having religion forced on them. They are just using this as an excuse to try and do away with all things religious. I am a christian but I have respect for all religions. I truly believe that if we (the American people) don't start standing up for our rights they are all going to be taken from us. I look around me and all I see is violence and heartache. I believe the reason for this is because we have stopped teaching our children to respect God. It's just common sense that if you don't teach a child to do good it won't know not to do evil. I think it is the evil in the world that makes people think they are having religion forced on them. God Bless You.

Answer 7

Some people get defensive when the subject of religion comes up.

Now if a Jehovah's Witness came to your door or Kirk Cameron or his New Zealand buddy came up to you on the street, then personal space may be compromised.

Just be polite and handle the situation as peacably as possible.

Answer 8

they had my wife cornered in the garage with her back to the corner while these two men wearing black suits tried to talk religion into her.

Luckily I saw this while trimming some branches off a tree with a chain saw. You should have seen this guy's eyes when I came trotting down the hill with a running chain saw in my hands. (don't ever ever do that, it's really dangerous). But I could see the fear in my wifes eyes from 75 feet away throu the window in the garage. (and the two guys.)

the guy that was outside the garage (the third guy) had eyes as big as saucers when I approached him with the chain saw.

Can you believe it? They didn't want to leave even after I told them to LEAVE NOW !!! They tried to find out if I belonged to a church.

THE F-ing nerve!!!


Never argue with a guy that has a running chain saw in his hands.

Answer 9

Would you prefer the term badgered? Pestered? Tormented? Hassled? Harassed? Nagged? Beleaguered? Choose your verb, and spin the wheel of semantics. It's all the same.

Answer 10

Sometimes, when I'm sleeping I get a knock on my door. They knock & wait, knock & wait, & knock some more, it's very irritating.

I wake up, it's Saturday 8am, you guess it, they want to talk about the bible.

Then they act like I'm rude for telling them, that I work at night & that I need to go back to sleep. But, can I go back to sleep, no because I'm so pissed off that they keep knocking untill I woke up.

So, I have to spend the whole day tired and the whole night at work tired, too.