Why do people think christians aren't supposed to try to convert people?

Question

This board is so interesting to me and it always amazes me when people get upset saying they're sick of Christians trying to convert them or Christians themselves saying let them be don't try to convert them. Well i say you have a right to your opinion thats fine i respect that. But as Christians we are supossed to share the good news of the gospel aren't we. I don't think people should threaten others or say they will burn in hell. In everything we do it should be done in love. So for those of you who don't believe i ask you nicely just to think about why really? Deep down in your heart do you not feel a longing for something more? like something missing? If not good for you. If you do maybe you need Jesus in your life. I'm not trying to preach im just rambling its almost 2am guess i should get to bed. I'll just add most christians who talk about this stuff aren't trying to attack you, make you feel bad,guilty. they just want to share something special they have that you may not know

thanks for the answers so far i have a little better understanding now.

Answer 1

sharing the Good News of Christ is one thing.... 'trying to convert' is a whole issue that isnt ours to 'try to do'. God wants us to plant seeds... not cram seeds down the throats of others.... only God can change hearts.... and we need to stop thinking we have the power to change anyone. all we can do is 'be' Christlike.... share what He has done in our lives... and people can take or leave it....

Answer 2

When I was an Atheist nothing drove me farther AWAY from God than born again bible thumpers trying to save me. That doesn't work. It turns people off. Also most people who go to those type of churches are also the one who take the bible very literally. Most Atheist are very intellegent people who will not buy into that idea. They will see you as either a SOB pest, or a kind hearted fool, but either way, they will not hear you.

If you feel that you MUST share the good news, do it in a way that will speak to the non-believer. You do it by your actions and by your actions ONLY. Show that you care, help people, be Christ to them. Not just the one you want to 'save', but everyone. You will become know as that nice Christian lady. Don't think that because you don't mention anything about your faith that people will not know. Someone will know and they will talk about you. Word gets around. And if you are not threating, not judgemental, and not pushy, when someone is in need of some emotional help they might come to you. Don't use that against them to push your religion either. What one woman said to me after my mother died and I was still an Atheist was simply that reading the book of John helped her to be at peace. And another friend (her husband) said that since he started going to church he has found that his life is better. That is all that either of them said to me. The compete text as I have written it here. And not both together. It only take a sentence. People will think about it later. I went out and secretly bought a bible and started reading it from one cover to the other. And they must have been praying, because I did feel at peace when I was reading it. I was Baptized a year later. I hope this help you.

Answer 3

The reason it bothers me for the most part is that when Christians do try to convert people they are in general highly pompous about there position and shove it down your throat. They typically try to convert you by making you feel as if you are a sinner and completely wrong if you don't follow there way of thinking religiously. To me this is in fact very non-Christian behavior. They even do this to people that already are Christian and do you want to know why. They never even ask. They just go blasting in like ever one they talk to is a mortal sinner and they are above them.

I do have a number of Christian friends (very Christian Friends) that do not act this way. Nor do they try to jam the theories of their religion down my throat. Rather they lead through example. That is the true way to convert not by jamming it in peoples faces which is the way we classically view conversion.

Lead through example not by being a pious jerk is the message that I would convey. As well, be accepting of other religions. It would be very un-Christian in my viewpoint to think the possibility that you may not be 100% correct may exist.

One other thing, the reason the Church wants people to work so hard at converting people is economic. The more parishioners the more cash. Don't be fooled the Church is a business with religion as a basis for that business. Not that the religion is wrong don't take it that way, but it is a proven fact that the Catholic Church (as one example) at one time was the largest business and government and militaries in the world.

Answer 4

What about these ideas?

1) If you actually thought we were going to burn in hell wouldn't you go out of your way to prevent as many people to believe in your gospel as possible. And if we aren't going to burn in hell, then why does it matter what we believe?

2) Don't you think that atheists should be trying to convert people to the view of being skeptical of all religions and requiring evidence of any supernatural beings? Shouldn't we spread the good news that really you can live your life today without trying to reconcile contradictions in a 2000 year old text. That all the creatures on the planet are connected through evolution and that physics continues to show more spectacular behaviors the deeper we study it. Deep down, don't you feel that the stories of the bible are at best interpreted figuratively which is pretty close to saying made up?

3) I'm not attacking you, I'm just saying I have this idea that we would be better off if we all questioned authority and thought for ourselves and made judgments based on facts. That is something that maybe atheists are trying to share. Do you accept it?

Answer 5

Sharing is wonderful. but sharing the gospel by conversion and speech, and then living contrary to its message will only cheapen that which millions have found to be so precious to their hearts.

Conversion of the unbelievers is NOT about numbers or the "ritual" of accepting Christ, it is about living in accord with the Goodness that the Bible taught, just as Jesus did... and then through living a christian life inspires a person's heart and soul so deeply, that without force or coercion they will ask you for the "secret" of your happiness... THAT is when... the message in which you hold dear from living it, and then SHARING it from experience and NOT from theory... THAT is when... your Sharing and Ministering becomes a powerful encouragement and inspiration to uplift those who are already Christians but feel backsliden and empower those who are non-believers to WANT to believe...

Because you cannot convert the heart of those who do not want to be converted, just as you cannot wipe away a child's curiousity of what fire is, until they experience the heat themselves.

Would you believe if for eg. you were appraoched by an unrepentent alcoholic who reads you beautiful passages of the Bible saying what a wonderful life you would live if you accepted Christ.... coz he did and Christ changed his life... inspiring? encouraging? faith building?

Live the teachings first before we spew the teachings like some cheap flyers that people pass all over and passersby just crunch up and throw in the bin.... Value what you Share in order for you to Share with true Values

Answer 6

Good post. We as Christians are called upon to spread the Gospel. We don't (or shouldn't)try to ram it down people's throats. They have free will to either accept or reject it. Even if they reject it for whatever reason, our mission has been accomplished. The best way to witness for Christ is to lead a good, decent life worthy of a true Christian, to set an example. And you're correct - it should always be positive, in the spirit of love and concern, never condescending or trying to scare people. What it boils down to is you are just the bearer of the message, and it's up to the listener from there on out........

Christ Himself gave instructions on how to do this actually - he told the disciples to go into a town, spread the good news, and if they were rejected, just knock the dust of their sandals and move on to the next town, that's all......

Answer 7

Well, look at it this way... if you were having a life crisis, or had a serious question that you wanted genuine and personal answers for, how would YOU feel is someone came along and, completely disregarding your specific situation, feelings, beliefs, etc... spewed out a lot of generic crap in an effort to convert you to Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism, Mormonism, Atheism, Satanism... whatever... how would you feel? Would you appreciate it if someone showed such disrespect for your personal beliefs as to disregard your actual question and instead try to convert you to something? Would you appreciate it if someone suggested that there's something missing from your life, "deep down in your heart", because you don't believe in Siva or Apollo or the Tooth Fairy (I mean, Jesus isn't *really* important... if you believe in Jesus, then obviously something's missing from your life and you're in turmoil - you should believe in _____ instead and your soul will be saved).

And there's the rub. If someone is in search of a new faith, then by all means, that's your queue. But if they want genuine answers or advice from someone, sans an entire new belief system, then preaching to them is being very disrespectful. If they have other beliefs, and you come along saying "no, that's wrong - you need to belief in Jesus"... well, that's very disrespectful. In such cases, you're treating people as less than human - you're disregarding their personal feelings and beliefs and preying on their vulnerability.

There's nothing wrong with being Christian. There's nothing wrong with letting people know "hey, I'm Christian and happy" and hoping they see that and say "hey, I want that, too!". But once you cross that line and just start treating people as souless clay for you to mold, and thus become disrespectful, then, well... that's just very un-Christian of you. As soon as you start suggesting that someone NEEDS to believe in YOUR values (in this case, Christianity) and imply (or, in your case, directly state) that there's "something missing" in their life because theu don't, then you're making moral judgements that you, as a Christian (casting stones and all that), aren't supposed to be making.

Live your life the way you want... and if it's really so great, then people will notice, and hopefully they'll follow your lead, and there's no harm in being open to helping them when they come to that conclusion. But other than that... be respectful of others and their different beliefs.

Answer 8

"that you may not know"

We do know. We've all heard it many times. It's nigh impossible as an English speaker to have never heard someone talk about Jesus and Christianity. I know your faith tells you to spread the good news.

But constant proselytisation is a really bad advertisement for your religion. Think of what you know of Jehovah's Witnesses - everyone's stereotype is a pair of irritants stalking a neighborhood playing ding-dong-ditch-a-copy-of-the Watchtower.

To an atheist, a Christian telling you about the wondrous works of Jesus is like telling you that you could save hundreds on car insurance by switching to Geico when you've already figured out that another insurance company serves your needs better.

Like many atheists, I made a conscious decision to leave the church. The irritation with proselytisation, as far as it goes for me, is from two sources: the presumption that I am either ignorant of Christianity, or that I didn't hear the message in just the right way to make sense for me.

I'm not trying to be rude. But sharing the good news constantly is not good for either party.

Answer 9

I live my life according to the Word of God and hope that the Light of Christ draws people to ask what is different about me. Then I share the Good News of the Gospel. It's the Holy Spirit's job to un-veil thier spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear, and convert them. I have never used the subject of hell, but have only witnessed what God has done in my life. I believe that we should share the gospel with the love of God, not scare people with the wrath of God. Once they're saved, they'll know about the hell part anyway.

Answer 10

I will talk to people about Christianity. I will not however argue over it. I will not put effort into someone who honestly doesn't want to believe. Why? Because I'm new to all of this. From what I've read from the Bible, Jesus wouldn't waste his time arguing with people to convert them. God gave all of us free will to believe in Him or not. I cannot change that. All I can do is tell people about Him and pray that they'll find a way to be with Him. I think it is just as wrong to hound someone into believing something they have no will to believe in.

Answer 11

I agree with Connie. Sharing your faith should be done in love, but in that spirit of love, the entire truth should be laid bare no matter how uncomfortable it is. There is often far too much candy coating. People need to know not only that God loves us, that Christ died for our sins, but also that those unrepentant sins have consequences. God is not some big ole' snuggly Grandaddy in the sky who merely winks and turns a blind eye to our sins. On the other hand, I am in no way condoning screaming, "Turn or burn" at people either. There needs to be a balance. Jesus was gentle in His approach, but He also commanded "Go and sin no more."

Also, Mypublicident, you are grossly misrepresenting the intent of scripture in your post. Instead of blindly believing something posted on an anti-Chritian, anti-Bible website, perhaps you should investigate for yourself. That particular verse is part of the *Parable* of the Ten Minas. Jesus is not instructing His followers to kill for Him. If Jesus' intent was to have His followers kill for Him, then He wouldn't have admonished Peter for drawing his sword when the soldiers came to arrest Him.