with a punchy one liner on yahoo answers, why do we persist trying? How much valuable time is wasted? Shouldn't we be out raking the yard?
2006-12-21 03:06:13 · 25 answers · asked by Captain America 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Zero, what was you converted from and to? I would love to hear more!
2006-12-21 03:09:18 · update #1
Padwin, great point!
2006-12-21 03:10:54 · update #2
Zero, thx for your added details, but the point was that it doesn't seem to ever happen in this type of forum; of course conversions happen in other settings.
2006-12-21 03:13:12 · update #3
Yoda, nice facial hair.
2006-12-21 03:15:10 · update #4
Annie, thx, you made me pause and think. Quite profound.
2006-12-21 03:33:47 · update #5
Because all the atheist needs to do is pray, seek the Lord's face and turn from his wicked ways and he'll hear from heaven and his sins will be forgiven and he will be saved.
Many an atheist when faced with a traumatic situation has called on the name of God. Teaching the gospel is never a waste of time. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
2 Chronicles 7:14
"If my people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." Jesus Christ told us this.
2006-12-21 03:15:43 · answer #1 · answered by Jeancommunicates 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Who says we're all trying? There are some obvious attempts, and those usually end up with all negative ratings for some reason. People don't like to be told outright what to think, so the ones that are obviously trying evoke the automatic knee-jerk resistance. It is the ones who stimulate the thought process that really get through; conversion never happens by force, at least not at the deep level inside a person's mind. I am constantly being converted, and the day I stop is the day I declare myself senile. I refuse to cling to a dogma simply for the sake of consistency. If a certain aspect of a religion proves to be helpful and tests out well in the crucible of life, then I may adopt it; but that doesn't mean I will then close my mind to alternatives. My most firmly held beliefs are the ones that survive more tests. The ones I dismiss as silliness are the ones that fail those tests. And the tests themselves do not escape scrutiny...
P.S. Good point using C.S. Lewis as an example, Hafeman. In his book, "Surprised by Joy," he recounts the process by which he moved from atheism to Christianity, and he seemed to arrive there by careful and concentrated thought over a period of years and with insights from others. He did not just "convert." He is an unusually lucid writer when it comes to this aspect of his life. It is because of people like C.S. Lewis that I do not dismiss Christianity outright.
2006-12-21 03:32:36 · answer #2 · answered by Black Dog 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question- Id' rather have another wisdom tooth pulled than argue/fight about religion...
I try not to use one-liners, b/c msot serious questions I think require more than just one line to fully and accurately answer.. In the meantime, I feel that I cannot convert someone, anyone. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. A person must be ready and willing to accept that what they've been believing might possibly be wrong. They have to be willing to accept God's answer even if it's not what they'd like the answer to be. Then God will send His Spirit to answer.
I believe this to be the way He works- He's done it to me about a couple different things. I've had a question, prayed, wanted a certain answer, but no answer has come untill I've humbled myself to where I was willing to accept and act according to WHATEVER His answer was...
2006-12-21 03:28:31 · answer #3 · answered by Yoda's Duck 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was formerly an atheist, and now i am a Christian, and have been a pastor for going on four years now. C.S. Lewis was a very famous atheist, and then he became the best known author and scholar of Christianity in the past 300 years. So was Josh McDowell (another famous Christian author and scholar) and Lee Stroble (yet another of the same) Its really not that difficult to convert an atheist into being a Christian. All they have to do is get over themselves and their supposed intellect and see that there is something far more vast and larger than the culture they live in. Its really simpler than you make it out to be.
2006-12-21 03:14:20 · answer #4 · answered by Hafeman 5000 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Darned fine question dude. Actually I don't know too many atheists that try to convert people. Atheism is more a lack of belief than a belief they feel others need to share. On the flip side I think the most effective Christians are those that proselytize by how they live their lives rather than by their arguments for their faith.
As for raking leaves? EHck, that's something we can really be effective doing.
Great point.
2006-12-21 03:10:07 · answer #5 · answered by toff 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The goal might not be to convert, but to soften. Atheists should accept that intelligent people might still believe in God. Christians should accept that Atheists aren't evil and/or stupid and/or self congratulatory.
Of course, Punchy one liners probably won't do that either.
2006-12-21 03:14:50 · answer #6 · answered by Mr. Bad Day 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
There Nothing wrong with planting seeds.....someone might turn to or away from God at any give moment. It all about exchanging idea....Is there no reason for newspapers, Blogs or Speaking at All or is that all a waste of time. We human love to debate and express ourselves.
2006-12-21 03:10:20 · answer #7 · answered by Lovely B 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't have to convert anyone. I am only called to preach the gospel. So my job is only to inform people of what the Bible teaches. The atheist can accept or reject the information he/she is given. They have the God-given free will to believe or not.
2006-12-21 03:10:09 · answer #8 · answered by ? 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What're you talkin' 'bout? I was converted. Thanks to a very cute, very persistent guy in my Advanced Placement Art class in highschool, I confronted the irrationality of my faith and the impossibility of the god concept.
Catholic > quite confused > atheist
That was my transition. I didn't have a bout of agnosticism. I didn't switch to another religion. I didn't try to force myself to believe or disbelieve. I simply allowed myself to open my mind... and here I am now.
2006-12-21 03:07:24 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 0⤋
Jeancomm...: And you know this how?
Anyways, the REAL reason why people debate on either side of the issue is becuase they haven't experienced the GLORY that is Our Lady of Mysteries!
Praise Tsunami! Bring upon the Goddess Transformation!
*Wink wink nudge nudge*
2006-12-21 03:28:07 · answer #10 · answered by eigelhorn 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋