Don't they see that we're not forcing them in any way? I mean we just want to share something we have. If they don't want it, then, fine! That's their choice! Their blood isn't on our hands, since we tried to tell them, and they do not believe. I mean it's their decisssion--we all have free will, right? But why does society say that we cram it down their throats?
You can answer if you're a Christian.
2007-11-27 18:01:23 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Okay, okay. I'm not a Pastor. Just had something peaceful to say. Don't worry, it's not your fault. It's the fault of Christian extremists who know little to nothing about other religions, and have no qualms writing off everyone different from them as a sinner who just won't accept God. The ones that really make us angry are the ones who use racial slurs and won't listen to our points of view. I love Christians, I really do. It's the people, not the religion.
2007-11-27 18:12:14 · answer #1 · answered by Savyy 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
They couldn't possibly believe we're "cramming our beliefs down their throats" when they're perfectly free to ignore us. It seems to me as if their complaints are based on the discomfort they feel when they hear the Gospel of Christ. The Holy Spirit is calling them, and they'll say any ridiculous thing to avoid hearing His voice. As we know from John 3:19-20,
"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed."
I think a better metaphor would be that by witnessing to them, we're "turning over their rock."
2007-11-28 02:24:30 · answer #2 · answered by words for the birds 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Society will say what it will. The fact is that a lot of people aren't Christian but still claim to be. This creates a stereotypical view of Christians and Christianity which leads people to assume that all Christians are trying to force their views on them. Society as a whole is ignorant to some of the most important things and I doubt that is going to change any time soon. Don't let it bother you. Do what you can and the rest is up to God.
2007-11-28 02:07:53 · answer #3 · answered by Ben D 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Simple...because some "Christians" do try to "cram the Gospel down their throats". It is a basic human characteristics to categorize and label things to make them easier to understand! It's called stereotyping and while it can have benefits when working with objects and concepts, with people, it can, and all too frequently does, lead to negative perceptions about whole groups of people that share the characteristic/label.
Cramming something down someone's throat doesn't necessarily mean force...techincally it does but as an expression, it can also refer to obnoxious or intrusive behaviors. I've used the term "cramming it down my throat" to describe the way I feel about the endless "smear campaign" commercials I see on TV around the time of major elections...the same points over and over ad naseum until I want to scream. Yes, I can change the channel, but that doesn't change the fact that I feel bombarded by messages I don't want to hear!
The way I see it, there is a difference between looking for an opening and trying to force someone to listen to our message (intimidation, threats, rude or obnoxious behavior are all forms of "force" in this context). To give you a relatively harmless example I've witnessed, two women strike up a conversation somewhere...one asks the other, "do you know Jesus" (or "are you a Christian" or something simple like that). The other woman says no and makes it clear (verbally and/or non-verbally) that she isn't interested. The first woman says, oh, then you're going to hell" and walks away. Even this simple comment contributes to the image that Christians try to cram the Gospel down everyone's throat. Nothing wrong with asking the question but if more Christians followed the example of Jesus, Christianity wouldn't have this image problem! Jesus asked a lot of people to follow him and when they didn't want to, he didn't chase them down and try to make them listen...he might have discussed it further with his disciples but Jesus knew that people had to be open to the message to accept and understand it (that's why he spoke in parables!).
2007-11-28 02:50:47 · answer #4 · answered by KAL 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is not necessary to force anybody. If we have love, behave good, help others etc., automatically the people watch us will turn into christianity. I don't like people cram and spend lot of money for this.
2007-11-28 02:12:14 · answer #5 · answered by Prakasam N 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a pastor but I believe the reason is because their faced head on with the truth and must admit that they have sinned. They cannot deny that, we all know we've done something wrong at one point in time. This, in turn, hurts their pride. Having to admit that their is Someone greater then they that is in complete control isn't easy when you believe mankind holds the answers for everything.
2007-11-28 02:07:06 · answer #6 · answered by stpolycarp77 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I am a pastor. I think that a lot of people present Christ in a way that has a lot of pressure, or makes people feel guilty. We are a huge part of the problem.
2007-11-28 02:06:59 · answer #7 · answered by Brofo 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Holy Spirit convicts us to turn to God. Men under conviction tend to see their enemy at every turn. In our country (US) the population is predominantly Christian, so the real instances of attempts to convert must seem overpowering at times.
2007-11-28 02:17:28 · answer #8 · answered by sympleesymple 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
although i'm not a pastor, i know that people think Christianity is cramed in them or forced on them because it's not what they really want. they know if they know better, they have to do better so they rather not know. it's sad but true.
2007-11-28 02:07:42 · answer #9 · answered by use 2 b lost 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, all your answers do come from a book we dont believe in
2007-11-28 02:04:36 · answer #10 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋