I have a friend thats a christian and i'm an atheist....?

Question

How do i get him to stop trying to make me read the bible and talk about God,he keeps forcing his religion on me and its just not cool not everybody has the same beliefs,he's a cool friend but i'm gonna have to stop being friends with him if he doesnt stop soon.

Answer 1

No one should be forced into a religion.....and no one should be judged.

If the time should come, seek knowledge.

Lectio Divina is Latin for “spiritual reading” and represents an early monastic technique of prayer which continues in practice though less widely, intended to achieve communion with God as well as providing special spiritual insights and peace from that experience. It is a way of praying with Scripture that calls one to study, ponder, listen and, finally, pray from God's Word.

History
Lectio Divina was first expressed in the year 220 AD. It was found that to read the Bible profitably it is necessary to do so with attention, consistency and prayer. The systematization of “spiritual reading” into four steps dates back to the 12th century. Around 1150, Guigo II, a Carthusian monk, wrote a book entitled “The Monk’s Ladder” (Scala Claustralium) wherein he set out the theory of the four rungs: reading, meditation, prayer and contemplation. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI stated, “This is the ladder by which the monks ascend from earth to heaven.”

Method
Lectio is typically practiced daily for one continuous hour. A selection from the Holy Scriptures is chosen ahead of time, often as a daily progression through a particular book of the Bible.

Time
Selecting a time for lectio divina is important. Typical methods are to pray for one hour in the morning, or to divide it into two half-hour periods, one in the morning and one in the evening. The key is to pre-select the time that will be devoted to the prayer, and to keep it. Using the same time every day leads to a daily habit of prayer that becomes highly effective.

Place
The place for prayer is to be free from distractions. This means it should be isolated from other people, telephones, visual distractions, etc. Some find a religious icon to be helpful. The same place should be used for lectio if possible, especially as one first begins to practice it. Familiarity with a location reduces the possibility of distraction away from the prayer. Some practitioners conduct other devotions, such as praying before the Catholic Eucharist, as a preparation for Lectio Divina.

Preparation
Prior to reading, it is important to engage in a transitional activity that takes one from the normal state of mind to a more contemplative and prayerful state. A few moments of deep, regular breathing and a short prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to guide the prayer time helps to set the tone and improve the effectiveness of the lectio.

Once the stage is set it is time to begin the prayer. There are four phases of the prayer, which do not necessarily progress in an ordered fashion. One may move between different phases of the prayer very freely as the Spirit guides.

The Four Moments
Lectio
Read the passage several times.

Meditatio
Reflect on the text of the passage, thinking about how to apply to one's own life. Gravitate to any particular phrase or word that seems to be of particular import. This should not be confused with exegesis, but is a very personal reading of the Scripture and application to one's own life.

Oratio
Respond to the passage by opening the heart to God. This is not primarily an intellectual exercise, but more of the beginning of a conversation with God.

Contemplatio
Listen to God. This is a freeing oneself from one's own thoughts, both mundane and holy. It is about hearing God talk to us. Opening our mind, heart and soul to the influence of God. Any conversation must allow for both sides to communicate, and this most unfamiliar act is allowing oneself to be open to hearing God speak.

Answer 2

Use the Bible against them in a way that confounds them.

OK, take for example Homosexuality. Citations are found New Testiment in Corinithans and Romans.

One Girl I know tells me about this.

So I put to her that Women Are Not To Speak In The Church 1 Corthinthians.

She goes, Yeah I know taht one.

You are NOT to keep the company of fornicators.

She has friends with lose sex habits who aren't married

She said, I'll see who I want to.

Now, I can defeate the Homosexuality angle and that confounds her.

If she can pick and Chose Corinithans, so can anyone else.

If she has problems with HER rights under Cortinthians, then she should be aware of rights of others taken by Corinthians, even if she don't like it.

It's not check mate, but it's check and possible stale mate.

Religious Christians with closed minds hate it when you use the Bible to confound them.

But you have to know the Bible and know logic.

You both end up coming out of this with a broader thinking process!

Answer 3

One way to get this person to stop preaching to you would be to get them to answer some basic questions about their bible that point out very basic contradictions. Tear down their beliefs one by one and they might either join you in your atheist conclusion or they may give up once they realize they don't have a chance of winning any debate regarding xianity.

Things like what are the ten commandments (there are two very different sets of commandments.

What is the flood story and how many animals were brought on board? Again, conflicting accounts (and in the same book of the bible)

The link below is a great reference site to help arm you in the debate.

Answer 4

I am glad that your friend cares about you enough to risk your friendship to talk to you about the gospel.

Have you said that you want him to stop? How about letting him know that you understand what it means to be a Christian. Once he knows that you understand he might not try to force you to believe.

Then let him know (if its ok with you) that you don't mind if he prays for you. That way he is doing something for your eternal destiny without overtly bugging you.

Also perhaps you could let him know that if and when you do have questions that come up about Christianity, God and the bible that he will be the first person you ask!

I am glad he is your friend.

Take care.

Answer 5

Tell your friend how you feel.

I’m a Christian married to an atheist and while I would love for him to find Christ, and believe he will eventually, I know that it would be a terrible mistake to try to push my beliefs on him. I try to set a good example, I pray for him and leave it at that. You can’t force others to share your faith. Tell your friend that he should respect your choice and if you ever change your mind he will be the first to know.

Realize he is sharing his faith because he wants you to know God’s love. Those of us who have this relationship want everybody else to share in the joy. His intentions are good.

Answer 6

i'm an atheist and Buddhist and maximum human beings of my pals are theists. maximum of my relatives is Christian. My acceptable chum is likewise a Christian and we merely celebrated our thirteenth wedding ceremony anniversary. If we've been going to kill one yet another, we could have accomplished it by making use of now and that i doubt it could have been over non secular differences. all of it comes right down to respecting the rights of others to persist with their course and insisting on that comparable admire from them.

Answer 7

Remind your friend of the bible verse Matthew 7:6 Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do,they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces! This basically means don't waste your time preaching or sharing the word with someone that doesn't want to hear it.

Answer 8

I was raised Christian. I can tell you right now that he's been programmed to talk to you about religion day and night. You see, Christians show their care for others by telling them about god, the bible and hell. It's a sign of endearment that he is tormenting you and not respecting his beliefs. The most important thing to remember is that there is no way to reason with him. If I were you, I would try and pick up a couple of versus from the Bible to humor him with. Then tell him your soul is saved, you've accepted Jesus and god has a plan for you called Atheism. He'll probably buy it. Christians are pretty gullible.

Answer 9

The Bible say`s if your friend is a " true " Christian , he/she should not be having fellowship with you **** 2nd Corinthians 6 : 14 .. Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers : for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness ? and what communion hath light with darkness ? ****** Ephesians 5 : 6 - 7 .. Let no man deceive you with vain words : for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience . Be not ye therefore partakers with them .( have nothing to do with them ). So . if this is a true Christian friend , ask him/her why they are disobeying God`s Word that they claim to follow ? Your friend has presented the gospel to you , and you have chosen to rejected it , so you should do your friend a favor and help with his/her salvation , and cease to associate with them .

Answer 10

I am a Christian who had an atheist friend in high school. If I ever tried to force my religion on her all she had to do was tell me to stop. But some don't work that way. Try telling him to stop and if that don't work try discussing ur differences in ur beliefs.