Do u like it when people 'preach' their religion to u?

Question

Any religion. Have u had any such experience where people 'preached' their religion to u forcefully(i.e, though u didnt show any interest)? Who, When and where and How?

Answer 1

I live in a small Midwestern town, so most everyone here is Christian, but yeah, I've had this happen and no, I don't like it. I don't mind if someone shares their faith with me, says what they are, and discuss it and our differences civilly. It's when they hear I don't agree and immediately turn on me because I'm different that I don't like. I'm unfortunately related to two of these types of people. Ironically, my minister uncle isn't one of them. Always found that amusing that my uncle's a minster and not pushy, but I have two other relations that aren't ministers who are.

One is my aunt, who knows that I don't go to church, don't consider myself Christian anymore(as close as I'll ever be able to say I'm an atheist in my family as being a different faith other than Christian is the same thing as atheism to most of them), and don't want religious gifts or books given to me, continues to do just that. She's sent me religious books, religious music and movies to me and she knows I'm not interested.

She has also written some very un-Christian letters to me, comparing me to a number of biblical figures(none of them good, or they're the ones that started out "bad" and became good Christian people in the end, hints at what she hopes will happen to me), insulting me, calling me names, and even going so far as to insinuate that because I'm not Christian as an adult, my parents failed to raise me right. She also has a habit of cornering me at family gatherings in private away from everyone to proselytize and try to intimidate me to reconvert.

Then there's her youngest son. He's a missionary, and while I have no problem with that(what he wants to do with his life is his business, not mine), he has become worse than his mother in some respects. He missions in a poor country, so when he talks about how things are down there(whether we ask or not), he speaks very arrogantly of them and how they "don't lead very Christian lives", like they have a choice, like they ENJOY being "sinful".

He has ambushed myself and my husband on at least one occasion at the family Christmas gathering, asking us if we went to church every week and then began to condemn us when my surprised husband, not expecting this, answered that we didn't before I could come back from the bathroom to fend off the question. He's a sneaky sort of person, asking out of the blue, going behind people's backs to get "dirt".

I've been given books by both of them that made me sick reading even one paragraph about how I should become Christian again, that I was going to "hell", even one book that insinuated that I had a poor life(only because I don't TALK about every minute of my life to them. I don't share every minute of my life with my own mother, let alone a nosy, busybody aunt and cousin, oy) and was unhappy and in financial difficulty and poor health at the time because I didn't go to church. For the record, none of those accusations were true about my life. I was happy, healthy, and had a job at the time this was said.

I've been told by some family members that they "worried for my soul" and where I was going to end up after death. I've been told I was "wrong" for believing in reincarnation instead of Heaven. I've been called angry, negative, selfish, antisocial and a whole slew of other things whenever I try to stand up for myself and my beliefs whenever anyone attacks me like this at family gatherings. I've been forced to attend services and Sunday School when I was sick enough to be in bed and once through a blinding blizzard where it was pretty much suicide to even try to go out in it.

I deal with this every time there's a family gathering. They know I'm not interested in religion, even though I make no move whatsoever to be hostile towards them(I only get "hostile" when I'm attacked first, otherwise, I don't care and am content to let them be and have their beliefs, even talk about them in front of me. Yes, I also let them pray in my home, too, so I'm far from being "against" religion), yet more than a few members will go out of their way to attack me, bait me into fights, or corner me for the sake of humiliation and intimidation.

It happens at least once every gathering like this, typically by my aunt and occasionally the one cousin, and I never know how they're going to do it as they try different tactics each and every time. What I listed above are just a few of the various ways I can think of that I've been forcefully preached to.

Answer 2

No I do not like to be preached at, but I am open to discussing religious beliefs.

Yes I have had the experience of someone forcefully preaching at me and recently it has happened nearly everyday. There is a guy who comes into my office almost daily. He drives everyone crazy & everyone in the office runs the opposite way when they see him coming. He doesn't really bother me too much because I can usually hold my own in a religious discussion, but he's pretty off the wall.

He likes to get into phylisophical discussions and likes to use words that no one understands, so he always says "in other words..." and then explains what he just said. I think he just likes the sound of his own voice.

The way I deal with him is I just keep working or I have gotten up and walked away.

Answer 3

Depends, it can be fun. When they come to the door I put on my best bumpkin accent and feign interst and when they start telling me about stuff I start throwing in the "but, I don't understand, I though said X," and lead them to a point of contradiction. Then through the socratic method I drag them around to contradicting themselves and wish them a good day.
It can also be entertaining, when I went to UNC there was a guy who would preach in "The Pitt" all the time. He was hilarous, he would yell at all the woman and call them sluts for wearing shorts and tell everyone that walked by that they were going to hell. Baiting him was a popular between class passtime.

Answer 4

I had a classmate in secondary school where after she was told that I was gay, befriended me, then tried to convert me. She took me to church and some of her Christian Fellowship meetings. But after a few months of hanging out with her, I got bored. I guess I kinda hung out with her in the first place because I was lonely, and she hung out with me because she thought I needed to be saved by Christ, and that it was her duty to "show me the light". So in the end, I did not become a Christian, and I'm still gay We're just classmates again. In Malaysia, it is compulsory to have a religion. They sometimes air preaches on the radio to try to convert people into Islam. Not sure if it works though.

Answer 5

I am always open to religious debate with someone who can understand that people have different opinions, and that the debate is an exchange of ideas, not a judgment on one religion vs another. However, I have had people "preach" to me on more than one occasion, and I am extraordinarily offended by it, though I usually let them have their say, only because it shuts them up quicker. I am a firm believer that though we may have faith, none of us has proof of any kind as to the true nature of God, if one exists, so to shove your ideas in someone's face is the ultimate hubris. I have had Baptists, Catholics, Born-agains, Seventh-Day Adventists, and Jehovah's Witnesses get in my face. One even called me a Heathen (I am Agnostic--which means I believe in spirituality but do not define a God). Unfortunately, I see in too many instances that organized religion serves to divide and promote hatred of others who do not share a particular belief. I can't imagine any God would want that--so I steer clear.

Answer 6

Someone should NOT force their religion on you. If you showed no interest!
But, think of it this way. Many think their religion is the only way to save you, for you to go to heaven with them. They must like you and want you there with them.
Imagine, you and I are in the desert and I know where there's a bottle of water. Enough for both of us. Do I tell you were to get it so you will be saved? Or do I keep it to myself and say, let her find it on her own?
Jesus said I will give you living water and you will never thirst again.
We preach because we care. And we preach because Jesus said to do so.
†

Answer 7

For the record, Jehovah's Witnesses preach because Jesus commanded his followers to do so. (Matthew 24:14; 28:19)
Jesus sent out his disciples, directing them to go to peoples homes. (Matthew 10:7, 11-13)
The message the Witnesses proclaim involves the lives of people and is motivated by love for God and neighbor.
We call repeatedly even at the homes of people who do not share our faith because people move, and their circumstances change. We have an opportunity to speak with different individuals each time we call, people themselves change, as well serious problems in life may stimulate an awareness of spiritual need.
We realize not everyone is happy to see us, but some are, and that makes it all worth while.
Besides, I think if people truly believed in what they think is the truth about the Bible, they would be moved to let people know that as well! I would think you'd be coming to my door!

Answer 8

obviously no. forcefully imposing such delicate matters such as religion should be illegal. religion is something dear to an individual beleiver and such thing like foreceful preaching might spark a conflict which frankly speaking is unnecessary and more damaging to one's faith

Answer 9

I have had it done to me many many times, especially when I was younger. There was this one pastor to a church, I was looking for a church to attend and thought that I would go to a bunch of them and pick the one that taught the closest to what I personal believe, and so I visited his church.

Every time he saw me after that he asked when I would be back. I said I wasnt sure, I was looking for a church that practiced what I believed in, and he told me that his church practices what is true and if I dont believe how his church believes that I am going to Hell for not believing in the bible and God's son.

I did not like him, or the way he headed his church, and so I did not go back still. HE CAME TO MY HOUSE, and spoke to my parents about my attendance. He tried to convince them to remove me from public school and put me into this Christian school that his kids all attended. He said that if I did not come to church than I would go to Hell and it was MY PARENTS responsibility to see that I came.

I was 14 at the time.

You can imagine how well my parents took that.

They said that they dont need some preacher telling them how to raise me, that they dont agree with his church's policies (they locked the doors after mass started and no one came in and no one was allowed to leave until mass was over) and he was not back. But he still sends me cards on xmas telling me that my presence at the xmas service is expected.

It just makes me so angry.

Answer 10

selection 3: Agnostics...those are the most tolerant human beings of religion because they carry the concept for the reason that they do no longer understand for constructive of the solutions to major questions that religions attempt to respond to (creation, put up-lack of life, human's function on earth, and so on...) so that they do no longer attempt to forefront one tale or interpretation. they are in the different case more desirable than keen to study from human beings of ALL religions and it really is this would to study that makes them tolerant.

Answer 11

I like to have the freedom to search for the answers in many scriptures, and by personal experieneces; and I feel everyone should have the same freedom.

I have closed and locked the door in the face of many a Jehovah's Witness, Mormon, and Christian sect.

I have even had to call the police on them because where I lived at the time; any solicitation at that property was forbidden.