religious proselytizers

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I find it rather intrusive, to be honest. However, I know they mean well so...whatever floats their boat.

I don't like religion stuffed down my throat - it spoils my day. Would they like it if I tried to convert them to Paganism? I'll believe what I believe and they can believe what they believe.

Why not try to teach them your way? After all if your path is true then there is no need in hoarding Truth from the people.

So what can you believe? I didn't understand that last bit.

That all people are responsible for their own destiny, and the destiny of their future lives is made in the present or past one. I would never try to convert anyone to my beliefs, so why should evangelicals and proselytizers try? Everyone has the right to their own BELIEFS, just that certain people, and I believe we have at least one amongst us, uses guilt trips to sell his beliefs as snake oil. That's what annoys me.

I know what you mean, and it is very annoying.

If we are in control/responsible of our own destiny, then who can say our destiny wasn't meant to spread what we have Heard?

It is not for us to leave our brothers in ignorance.




To add: This does not imply we should force people into our beliefs. Frankly, I don't believe in converting/conversions.

After all, Who needs followers when Death follows us?

Attempting to convert someone to your own faith is an insult. You are not only implicitly saying that they believe in a lie (insulting their own faith or beliefs), you are implicitly saying that you believe that they have not bothered to examine the arguments and issues for themselves. In short, you are implicitly saying that they are idiots who believe in lies.

Hmm...most mainstream Buddhists, I would agree with you. But, I belonged to a Japanese Buddhist sect when I was at school which did prosyletize. I felt rather odd and uncomfortable being obliged to try and convert the Christians in my school who'd spent much of the last five years or so trying to convert me, and they must have found it a bit odd too!

One thing I've noticed is that nobody seems to be as active in prosyletizing - or as hostile to their former belief systems - as the newly converted. Which makes me half wonder if in some cases at least, it's a fear thing - people who, deep down, don't totally trust their belief, so feel more secure if they can persuade other people to believe with them. This tends to be borne out, for me, by the fact that the most secure, happy, loving and spiritually wise people I've met, of any belief system, while they spend a great deal of time helping others, tend not to even bother trying to convince them of the 'rightness' of their own belief system.



CottlestonPie, I think we're all agreed that tolerating dangerous lunatics is inadvisable. The point is, the vast majority of people who don't happen to share your religious beliefs are not dangerous lunatics. They're just people who don't share your religious beliefs. To equate letting them get on with their lives, with an Aztec gorefest seems a little...over the top, to say the least.

Even when we question, we proselytize our doubts. However, when it becomes a mission, a duty, then the purpose is obscured.


M.