how do you feel about christian and catholic missionaries trying to get others of other faith to join theirs? do you think that is right just because you believe that your religion holds the truth and salvation while others don't? what about respecting their beliefs?don't you feel you are trying to takesomething which isn't yours? if i may be so bold, what you are doing is like poaching to me. how would you feel if others of other faith pull the same tact on your followers for the same reasons that you have? I'm ok if they come to you at their own free will, but going out in the streets, making nice to them,( you do it in third world countries and in well developed countries too, thus your excuse to just help the poor and needy doesnt hold up in the latter), questioning their religion, faith and studying it so you can find ways to turn it around. have you ever question your conscience or what your people are really doing?
2006-09-27 17:53:32 · 32 answers · asked by listlessbutdiligent 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
provocative.made me think.hmmm...my personal take is if your religion is what you think it is then people will become curious because they see in you the practictioner things they dont regularly see.your manors,actions ,behaviors is more of an invitation then imposing yourself on someone.
2006-09-27 18:01:36 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Like most religions, mine believes it’s correct and so we have missionaries out to help others who don’t know about. However, mine also believes that not everyone is ready for what believe is the truth and to accept it. After all everyone does have a choice. So the missionaries are out the give info and answer questions. Granted, once in a while they may seem a little pushy, but that’s usually for those “fence sitters” who know what we are and have been taught, but still don’t know what to feel. Even then, my church’s missionaries are between 19 and 23 years of age, and tend to get pushy when they needn’t be. In the end, we believe everyone will get what they believe and what they deserve and have no bias for other churches trying to help. We just think we have a little more to offer. Sorry for the inconvenience if any.
2006-09-27 17:59:55 · answer #2 · answered by Coool 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I can see both sides of this. As a non-Christian, on the one hand, it's really annoying to have some religious nut badgering you about their religion. It's also upsetting to think about Christians going out to impoverished countries and spreading their harmful nonsense.
On the other hand, if you were a Christian, and you believed, I mean really believed, that people who weren't saved by Jesus were going to burn in horrible torment forever and ever, wouldn't you want to do something to save those people from that fate? As an empathetic human, I don't want to see others suffer, even if it's only minor and temporary, but eternal, terrible suffering? The fact that most Christians aren't quitting their jobs and running out into the streets in a panic, trying desperately to tell people of the danger of hell makes me think they really aren't all that sincere in their belief.
So, yes, it's annoying, but I am a lot more patient with those types than I used to be.
2006-09-27 18:11:12 · answer #3 · answered by RabidBunyip 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If I were standing on a river band with accurate knowledge of a dangerous waterfall up ahead and I saw several swimmers/canoers headed downstream, I would throw life preservers, scream, wave my hands and try to convince them to come to the bank. Would they? Who knows? Would I be concerned that they might think I was being unfair, interrupting their fun? No way. It is a matter of life and death that people find the truth. True love will not give up as long is there is hope. If they honestly believe that they are right, they should be doing the same thing. I hope they are.
2006-09-27 18:09:59 · answer #4 · answered by Sparkle1 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First, it sounds like you don't understand faith.
If I were a muslim, my religious belief would tell me that my faith is the one and only correct faith, that I have the light of God. Therefore, it would be my mission to share this light with others. Therefore, I would not consider myself a true muslim unless I did everything in my power to show others the light of my faith and convert them so that they might be saved. This is the mission, to save people.
The same applies with my Christian faith. I believe that Christ came to the world to defeat death and set a place for us in heaven with Him because He loves me, as long as I choose to follow Him. And because He loves me, I must also love others because Christ loves others as well (He died for them as well too), and I want to show Christ to others so that they can be saved. There is nothing selfish about that.
Disrespecting others' beliefs? Of course not. They have the right to believe whatever they want, just like I do. I can't force anything on anyone. They have to make a choice just like I do.
It is not poaching. I would fully expect a muslim or a buddhist to try to convert me, because they THEMSELVES feel that they have the truth. That's why it's called faith.
2006-09-27 18:07:09 · answer #5 · answered by Danny H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don, evangelism is not at all a necessary part of Christianity. I don't know who told you it was, because it ISN'T.
The only necessity in Christianity is that you believe Jesus Christ is the Savior of Man and Son of God. That is the only requisite to being Christian. That's why it's called CHRISTianity-- belief and following CHRIST. But being kind and respecting others kinda takes precedence to "make everyone my follower, lol." In fact, I often think he never said that; it doesn't seem like a very Jesus-y thing to say, wanting EVERYONE to follow him. Someone who was so understanding of others seems unlikely to make demands like that.
2006-09-27 18:05:17 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think there is a big difference between proselytizing and missionary work. Missionaries establish themselves in the poorest countries in the world, and then they offer food, but only if they accept Jesus. I think that is terrible. They also take something from these people...their dignity and their right to have their own belief system. They survived for millennia serving their own gods, just fine and dandy.
2006-09-27 18:09:08 · answer #7 · answered by AuroraDawn 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Christians who "testify" to others are doing it because they believe they are trying to save that person's soul, because they care about them. They aren't doing it to make them feel inferior. Our religion says that we are supposed to try our best to be a great example of a Christian and try to show other people what it's all about. That doesn't mean we are being disrespectful. Being "respectful" of other peoples' choices does not mean you have to be silent about it or not reach out to them.
As for me, my conscience is clear - I have never judged or pestered anyone because of their religion. I would appreciate it if you don't make assumptions about strangers based on their religious affiliation.
2006-09-27 18:03:50 · answer #8 · answered by Heidi 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"how do you feel about christian and catholic missionaries trying to get others of other faith to join theirs?"
I used to be a Christian missionary...when I was a Christian. I found the entire process to be abusive in that it used tactics that weren't truthful. It felt very unChristian. Not to mention the denomination I belonged to made it clear that if they weren't part of our denomination then they were in the wrong religion and so we should convert other Christians (I was a missionary in a predominately Catholic nation).
"do you think that is right just because you believe that your religion holds the truth and salvation while others don't?"
After the experience of being a missionary and how I saw the Church (and how it doesn't seem to reflect the Christianity I had come to understand) I left it. I am now a Hindu. Hinduism actually teaches that trying to convert people from one religion to another is spiritually damaging. Some Hindu groups have engaged in what appears to be prosletyzing, but usually they're just trying to defend Hinduism (with the exception being ISKCON which has reduced itself to only offering others information and if they want it they figure the people will take it and if not then not to try to force anything..this is done to realign with Hindu values). Hinduism is also one of the few world religions that doesn't hold that it's view is the ONLY right view. The Dharmic religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism) are all very inclusive in the view of other religions. For example: Hindus believe that religion all religions are merely different perspectives on the same thing (God). A Buddhist friend of mine once compared religion to tools which I paraphrase him by saying that religion is merely a tool in which people use to reach spiritual goals. We all have different spiritual goals so we use the religion that is right for us to reach them. Just as you wouldn't use a hammer to tighten a screw you'd use a screwdriver, so you want to use the right religion for the right spiritual goals. This example always brought to mind a line from folksinger Ani DiFranco that goes "Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right." When I was a missionary this is exactly how I felt like we were using religion, as a weapon.
"what about respecting their beliefs?don't you feel you are trying to takesomething which isn't yours?"
Unrelated, I don't try to convert others. It's against my religion and after having been a missionary and seen some of the problems caused first hand I definately don't believe God would want us to convert other people. Yes I do feel like it is sort of like stealing because often missionaries aren't just stealing away one's core beliefs (by attacking them), but also a sense of identity that people get from their religion (usually done by promoting western culture as being equal to Christianity and trying to convert people to adopt western culture, too)
"how would you feel if others of other faith pull the same tact on your followers for the same reasons that you have?"
I know some of the tactics because even though I was a Christian, Christians fight for converts to their denominations all the time and use the same tactics they do to people of other religions. Now knowing these tactics when I have them come to me to try to convert me I am able to defend my beliefs.
"questioning their religion, faith and studying it so you can find ways to turn it around."
Oddly as a Hindu I have found that my Muslim friends understand and know more about Hinduism than my Christian friends. And Muslims who've tried to convert me (not quite as aggressively as Christians, but they do try, too) actually know what Hindus believe far more than the Christians. In fact I have visited numerous Christian missionary websites and read through their understanding of Hinduism only to be appalled by how little they know, how much misinformation they spread, and because of their own biases they cannot fully even understand what it is a Hindu believes (no wonder Christians say that the Hindus are the hardest to convert...the only Hindus who often do convert are those who they themselves don't understand the religion they were born into and haven't been educated enough to learn more about their own religion....of course once they convert they face all kinds of other troubles of a social nature ... long and complicated issue that I can't go into short detail here).
"have you ever question your conscience or what your people are really doing?"
Very much so! That is why when I got back that I did a lot of deep prayer and meditation on the matter and asked God to guide me. And God is faithful and did guide me. He guided me out of Christianity and into Hinduism (a religion that I honestly never even considered until it came about by chance that I met some Hindus at a study group and they began answer questions that I had and from there I began going to satsang with them, and eventually went to the local temple and was not treated any differently than anyone else there....even two girls from a local Christian university who were there just to observe were treated as if they were part of the community and each time there was a time to participate they were given the same opportunity as everyone else, though they refused).
Excellent question. Thank you for asking.
Peace be with you.
2006-09-27 19:04:36 · answer #9 · answered by gabriel_zachary 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why would I care if they proselytize?
No different than any other form of advertising.
The only ones who should be banned or opposed are those who go into impoverished areas and demand starving people become Christians and/or listen to sermons before they will be fed.
Or, those who use violence.
Forcing people to accept religion at the point of a sword, or, threat of starvation are both inappropriate.
2006-09-27 18:00:38 · answer #10 · answered by Left the building 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
It's a big complaint nowadays. But I was wondering when did people become so sensitive as to not be able to discuss religion, philosophy, science together. It's partly because sometimes these people can be so insensitve to you and what you are saying and partly I think because people don't want to question themselve anymore.
2006-09-27 17:59:12 · answer #11 · answered by Mister Farlay 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋