Do Christians read proselytizing manuals? No, not the bible. I mean proselytizing manuals.?

Question

I mean books about how to proselytize, not the bible. Have you ever read one? (whether you're Christian or not)
I recently bought a book fromo a flea market entitled "Compact Guide to World Relgions". It was only 50 cents, so I decided it was worth it.
When I got home and started reading the book, I realized what it actually was. It was not an unbiased, impartial, objective overview of religions as I thought it was at first glance. It turned out that it was a Christian book. It presented about fifteen religions or thoughts including Judaism, Muslim, Shinto, secularism, new age, Tao, etc. It presented each religion basically as a deviation from the "right" religion of Christianity.
There are sections about how to evangelize and things to say to people of each particular belief. There are arguments for Christianity and counter-arguments for just about every argument against Christianity. I learned a lot about the Christian lines of thinking. Interesting...

Answer 1

chick tracts.

now THOSE are funny...and a proselytizing tool, if you are feeble minded

Answer 2

Here's one from the past:
http://www.wcg.org/lit/gospel/evang/evang00.htm

Some present day Catholic Evangelistic Manuals:
http://www.usccb.org/evangelization/publications.shtml

Here's a Methodist Manual:
http://www.gbod.org/evangelism/fsparticipants.pdf

There are too many Baptist manuals to list.


It's manipulation of people's minds, in my opinion. No different than commercials on television that try to get people to buy their products. Teach people that there's something wrong with them, that they don't "measure up" somehow, and then provide the solution - and in the meantime, the money from each new "saved soul" filters upwards and those above get richer, and richer, and richer.

Answer 3

I was channel surfing last night when I saw the lovely faces of Kirk Cameron and Ray Comfort on the TV screen. Curious, I stopped and watched for a minute. Apparently the name of the channel was the 'Trinity Broadcasting Network'. Kirk and Ray were advertising Instructional Evangelical pamphlets and videos that taught how to "Evangelize". I literally laughed out loud..

Another little story from my day yesterday:
I was browsing the 'Religion' Section of my local bookstore when I came across a book titled "When He Doesn't Believe: Help and Encouragement for Women Who Feel Alone in Their Faith" by Nancy Kennedy. It's about a woman 'coping' with the fact that her husband is a non-believer and it supposedly tells women who are in a "unequally yoked" marriage how to cope.

Answer 4

We have a "manual" if you will. But it is nothing like you describe. It's more like a discussion guide. It covers the basics of what we believe to share with those who are interested. It does NOT discredit other religions or even mention them for that matter. it's simply informative material about OUR beliefs. We do not criticize the views of others.

Answer 5

I am re- reading one on the Christians during the first 300 years. It says none of the religions that where there then are still around today.

Answer 6

I have read a few things about other religions before, however I think its hard to really look at something you dont know much about objectively when you believe in something or were taught something so differently your entire life. It is interesting to learn about other religions and beliefs but it doesnt change my personal beliefs or my faith

Answer 7

Yes, I know this from my evangelical neighbour. She has books on how to bring people to her faith. It is something a lot of churches train and teach their people to do.

For certain sects like the JWs, it is like the SOLE mission in life.

I find that it helps if you read the books yourself and learn all the tactics.

Answer 8

Manuals? You make it sound like Christians are employees of Jesus, Inc...

I suppose some Christians read books about "proselytizing". I prefer John Grisham novels...

Answer 9

I know Christians read them, because my mother did. She was a Methodist Sunday school teacher, and quite devout. She kept thinking she was going to convert me, but it never happened. When she was in the hospital and knew she was going to die, we had a touching reconciliation over the phone (she was in Pennsylvania and I in California, with no money for me to go visit her) where we quit using labels and talked about what each of us believed, especially about what was happening to her. It turned out we were nowhere near as far apart as we had thought. Since her minister would not talk about it, continuing to pretend she was going to get well, she was grateful that I was willing to talk. It is one of my fondest memories of my mother.

Answer 10

Of course the hymn-singers deem proselytizing as a tool. That's exactly what it is.

You might be better to think of the word as one that means "the ability for inventing and telling lies to bolster ones own belief in spite of the know and established facts in opposition."

Proselytizing = lying for a cause; propagandizing; sharing dishonesty; evangelizing BS; slinging god's muck, etc..

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb62/Randall_Fleck/Solve_DishonestyGIF.gif

[][][] r u randy? [][][]
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Answer 11

It sounds interesting. NO, I don't read books on how to share my faith. I try to walk my talk. I think that is the best witness of all.