[x-pixie-lottie-x]

no it isnt fair... but i can see that they think there helping us.....
they believe if we dont believe in the same god as them and all that they do that we wont get to heaven or wherever or that they wouldnt because they didnt try and help us... i can see why they do it why they believe it is better for people... if that makes sense

i was brought up CofE and the schools i went to were (not by choice just all any school by me is)... but im not sure i believe in much at all....
i often wonder what people would do if they lived by me and were jewish or something... the only schools this area is the catchment area for are CofE the others you can get into by being religious are catholic... kind of limits the options...
x

[08rbut]

Not if they are a scientist. They tend to disagree with religion and are quite often atheists (I'm really trying not to make generalisations!) I have noticed anyway.

Personally, i don't think you should make them but telling them trying to convince them isn't that bad, just don't be too pushy and accept no, as said earlier

[Venomilys]

Well, it is unfair not to. I mean, my faith is the correct one, right? I'm doing them all a favour by saving them from the fire mon!

[ChampEon]

I don't think it's a bad thing if people try to encourage you to convert to their religion. It can get annoying after a while perhaps, but it's far from an evil act.

For example, I was on my way to uni some time 6 months ago and just outside the entrance I was approached by a man who asked me if I believed in karma. I told him honestly, "No I don't". Then he asked me if I wanted to learn how to live peacefully, to which I told him that I am already perfectly content and at peace with my religion. Even after all that, he still proceeded to hand me a book on Hinduism - well I think it was Hinduism because there was a picture of one of those blue hindu gods sitting cross-legged on the front and back cover.

Anyway I didn't take the book in the end but I did appreciate that someone actually wanted me, a total stranger, to be happy in life and live life peacefully een though I am already content with my own beliefs.

Oh and it was quite a shock when I realised the guy was a Hindu because he was white, and I've personally never seen a white hindu before!

[Astronomical]

It isn't fair, if you approach somebody and try to convert them to a religion then you're trying to sell them lies. That's never good.

[jmj]

(Original post by pizzle223)
I'm not religious. I did go to a CofE primary school and I understand that many people are religious for their own different reasons.

But is it fair for religious people to approach me in the street and to knock on my door trying to convert me to religion?

Only once can I say that I've ever been offended by this and it was in a situation on Oxford Street where a Hare Krishna began talking to me and basically told me he could make my life a lot better than what it is. Personally I'm pretty happy as it is.

Now if I was to begin approaching religious people and telling them they could be a lot happier if they forgot all about their religion I'm sure there would be outrage.

So is it fair for people to randomly approach any stranger and try to push religion onto them?

I'm not complaining and would never treat anyone different due to there religious beliefs.. but thought it could be a good discussion.

Discuss.

The Bible tells us to tell other people about Jesus, but it's not to force other beliefs onto others. 1 Corinthians says it's God's job to do the actual converting, Christians are simply to tell other people about Him so they can make a decision as to whether to accept Christ's free gift of salvation to others. It's certainly not right for people to try to force people to become Christians. I don't think it's necessarily bad for Christians to knock on doors or be talking about Jesus in the street, as long as they respect other people's views and don't badger people who are not interested. The apostle Peter puts it like this:

"15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" 1 Peter 3:15

[LiterallyInsane]

They amount of times Black people especially loud Nigerians approaching me in the street and informing me about Jesus and how Christianity is the right way to enter heaven. This left me gobsmacked but it is their right to exercise their freedom of expression. I simply told them cant you see I am dressed as a Muslim and in no way interested in their sermons.

[Soph(:]

It annoys me, I have nothing against religion I'm even techincally Catholic myself but I think if people want to be religious they don't need to inflict it upon anyone else. Like a couple of weeks ago at 7 o'clock Jehovah's Witnesses came knocking on my door preaching I wasn't particularly pleased especially at that time

[SnoochToTheBooch]

if nobody was ever exposed to religion until they turned 21 I am sure it would die out overnight. as it is, today's believers are yesterday's brainwashed children. it's ****ing disgraceful if you ask me.

[jmj]

(Original post by SnoochToTheBooch)
if nobody was ever exposed to religion until they turned 21 I am sure it would die out overnight. as it is, today's believers are yesterday's brainwashed children. it's ****ing disgraceful if you ask me.

If it's simply to do with children being brainwashed, then how come loads of people become Christians when they are adults? What about all the people who are churchgoers as children but then reject it all as adults?
Thanks

[SnoochToTheBooch]

(Original post by jmj)
If it's simply to do with children being brainwashed, then how come loads of people become Christians when they are adults? What about all the people who are churchgoers as children but then reject it all as adults?
Thanks

The adults who join are no doubt in the minority though, and don't the children who join it and leave when they are old enough to realise they're being conned support my point?
It's not all to do with children being brainwashed, some gullible adults are taken in too, but that's surely most of it. IT's a family thing, it's a whole culture. It puts so much pressure on kids. I was one of those kids with a religious upbringing myself. The guilt tripping is not to be underestimated. I'm sure if they were unable to recruit kids, the major religions would wither and essentially die.

[askew116]

(Original post by SnoochToTheBooch)
if nobody was ever exposed to religion until they turned 21 I am sure it would die out overnight. as it is, today's believers are yesterday's brainwashed children. it's ****ing disgraceful if you ask me.

TSR won't let me 'like' your comment, so I'm saying it here. I just typed out a whole essay on religion but deleted it as I'm a little tipsy right now and can't be sure everything I said is 100% PC!!

[SnoochToTheBooch]

(Original post by askew116)
TSR won't let me 'like' your comment, so I'm saying it here. I just typed out a whole essay on religion but deleted it as I'm a little tipsy right now and can't be sure everything I said is 100% PC!!

lol, oh well, I'll just have to make do with my negs.

[Alpharius]

It doesn't bother me if its polite.

It bothers me when they tell me or others that they will burn in hell, or have no basis for morality. That infuriates me.

[jmj]

(Original post by SnoochToTheBooch)
The adults who join are no doubt in the minority though,

Really? There are loads of people who I know who became Christians when they are adults and that's just my personal experience- a huge proportion of adults become Christians at university and lots of adults become Christians through things like Christianity Explored, Alpha Course and church run events.

(Original post by SnoochToTheBooch)
and don't the children who join it and leave when they are old enough to realise they're being conned support my point?

In a way I don't think so, because if they were being 'brainwashed', they wouldn't want to leave, would they?

(Original post by SnoochToTheBooch)
It's not all to do with children being brainwashed, some gullible adults are taken in too, but that's surely most of it. IT's a family thing, it's a whole culture. It puts so much pressure on kids. I was one of those kids with a religious upbringing myself. The guilt tripping is not to be underestimated. I'm sure if they were unable to recruit kids, the major religions would wither and essentially die.

Gullible adults? What about highly intellectul and intelligent adults who were sceptics before they became Christians, e.g. CS Lewis who when he became a Christian became known as 'the apostle to the sceptics?'

[SnoochToTheBooch]

(Original post by jmj)
Gullible adults? What about highly intellectul and intelligent adults who were sceptics before they became Christians, e.g. CS Lewis who when he became a Christian became known as 'the apostle to the sceptics?'

If an adult can be convinced that 2000 years ago there was a son born to a virgin mother that had the ability to, say, make water spontaneously turn into wine, feed 5000 people with a couple of basket's worth of food, walk on water completely unaided, magically re-attach severed ears, raise people from the dead, and raise from the dead himself, then that adult is as gullible as they come. Whatever other achievements these supposedly intelligent people may have had, that stuff is ****ing ridiculous and in taking it seriously they made idiots of themselves. That stuff was made up in an age when people were easier to decieve, we should all be past that by now.

[jmj]

(Original post by SnoochToTheBooch)
If an adult can be convinced that 2000 years ago there was a son born to a virgin mother that had the ability to, say, make water spontaneously turn into wine, feed 5000 people with a couple of basket's worth of food, walk on water completely unaided, magically re-attach severed ears, raise people from the dead, and raise from the dead himself, then that adult is as gullible as they come. Whatever other achievements these supposedly intelligent people may have had, that stuff is ****ing ridiculous and in taking it seriously they made idiots of themselves. That stuff was made up in an age when people were easier to decieve, we should all be past that by now.

That doesn't answer my question of how highly intelligent people become Christians. Have you ever investigated the Bible for yourself?

As the stuff you've said- the reason Jesus is able to do all of that is because He's God; the creator of the universe- He's perfectly capable then to manipulate the laws of the universe in order to reveal His power and authority. The only thing you have to trust in for Christianity to be extremely plausible is that God exists. It certainly wasn't 'made up' 11 out of 12 apostles died for their claims to see Jesus rise from the dead and the last one, John, was imprisoned on a penal colony on the Isle of Patmos. They claimed to see him, eat with him, touch Him etc. They were either telling the truth or dying for something they knew to be false- why would anybody die for a lie?

Also, in one of the oldest and most reliable manuscripts, Paul talks about the centrality of the resurrection. He mentions how 500 people saw Jesus rise and how most of them were still alive at the time Paul was writing his letter, so his readers could go check it up for themselves- considering these circumstances, it's quite a claim to say every Christian is gullible and is an idiot for trusting in it. Faith in the Bible means trusting in evidence, not believing in something despite a lack of evidence. Again, have you ever checked it out for yourself?

[S-man10]

(Original post by jmj)
That doesn't answer my question of how highly intelligent people become Christians. Have you ever investigated the Bible for yourself?

A high intelligence in one aspect does not mean their overall intelligence is high

[jmj]

(Original post by S-man10)
A high intelligence in one aspect does not mean their overall intelligence is high

There are millions of Christians who are extremely intelligent overall and yet become Christians, therefore I think it's quite inaccurate to claim Christians are idiots/gullible considering the people that actually are Christians.

[Id and Ego seek]

Only if they're Egyptian polytheists.