I just got preached to

[slide to the left]

I went to lunch with a temp in the office and get an earful of Jesus. I used to be like that so I know where she is coming from, but I was offended. Pretty much because I used to do that to people. Now, I love Jesus and all, but am very liberal and she just didn't get it. I finally was like, yeah, yeah, I believe that, yeah, just so we could talk about something else.

If people know me they know my fruit. I don't like being preached at.

[BOSSHOG]

1. Have her explain the cherry picking

She probably hates gays because she is "instructed" to do so in Leviticus, but in that book it also says those who work on the sabbath should be stoned to death. What's up with that freak girl? How come "christians" pick passages in the bible to justify their hate and yet if a passage might effect their actions its just set aside. I like those chit chats.

[slide to the left]

5. no joke

and in the Bible, divorce is just as "bad" as being gay, yet they can go to church and even be pastors

[BOSSHOG]

7. I'm loaded for bear

on the marriage issue. If "christians" want to maintain the sanctity of marriage why not outlaw divorce instead of preventing people who love each other from getting married. Oh, well we just pick and choose to justify our sorry existence on the planet.

[hunter]

18. My own "loaded for bear" issue is gay marriage.

Our rotten federal government doesn't support homosexual couples, but I do.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

19. Here, here

[MemphisTiger]

8. As long as you repent for the sin

you can have a divorce. The bible does outline some issues that make divorce okay.

[slide to the left]

10. adultry

but is also says a divorced women that remarries is an adultress and adultresses should be put to death.

[MemphisTiger]

15. Some of those punishments seemed unusually harsh

to me in the Bible. Good thing Jesus came along to forgive us all like the prostitute and unclean.

[MemphisTiger]

2. Did you calmly tell her that you think this subject at work

is inappropriate?

[MadMaddie]

3. I have done that with a good friend of mine..

I tune her out....and intentionally don't talk about politics or religion anymore...

[Fenris]

4. Can one ever be comfortable whilst being talked to about Jesus?

Talking with someone about Jesus is entirely different. Being to talked to about Jesus is just awkward.

I don't know. I find proselytizing to be extremely rude.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. What can be very interesting

is to talk with them about the history of the Bible, or other religions-makes their heads spin. But you have to watch it because it can backfire and make them try to "save" you more.

[Warpy]

9. Think of how that sounds to a non Christian

Somebody needs to tell these poor earnest saps what kind of resentment of the Christian faith they're sowing out there in the world.

In other words, they won't get anywhere telling folks what good Christians they are. They'll have to start SHOWING IT.

[slide to the left]

11. I agree nt

[sonsera]

12. proselytizing

I believe this is a rather common occurrence among new converts, they are "on fire" and want to tell the world about it. Some churches encourage their new members to go out and proselytize but I believe it would be better if they would wait until they have become more mature Christians and learn to be more tactful in their approach. Preaching to some people does turn them off, which can be counter productive, so one has to be learn how to get the message across with out embarrasing or offending them. Living the faith and preaching by personal experience is a much better way. People will notice it without you having to tell them. But if they ask, then... If this sounds like manipulation, you are right, but usually it works much better than shoving it down someones throat. ;)

[MemphisTiger]

16. Our church is evangelical and asks us to go out and

preach the word of Jesus to the "unchurched" as our preacher calls them. He also has some helpful guidelines like keep your testimony to 2 minutes not a dissertation and to use common sense. No need in deliberatly pissing someone off that you have no chance of sharing the word with.

[squarepants]

17. I agree with what proselytizing said

for the most part. Somebody who feels strongly about something is going to want to tell others about it. It really doesn't matter what it is, and there is nothing wrong with that. But like proselytizing said, I think before a christian should go around preaching to someone else, they really should be more mature in their faith. Speaking from personal experience IS the better way I think to get through to somebody, rather than just spouting off what you've read and what you heard somebody else say was true. I personally do believe in God (still have a lot of questions, though) and I've read the bible and heard preachers over the years, but have not "experienced" most of the things they say you're supposed to experience. Because of that, I feel I am no position to go around preaching to anyone else. I hate to say it, but I really think MOST (not all) of the people who call themselves christians need to stop preaching to people because, as some people said above (this post), they spout one verse, but completely ignore another, or they take a verse and twist it around to suit their own interests, or they want to say gay people and abortionists are going to hell, yet the same people who say that stuff will turn right around and tell a lie or steal money from someone. Anyway, that's just my 2 cents.

[hunter]

13. I'm jealous. I haven't been preached to in a long, long time.

Do you think George W. Bush is Satan's "house boy?"

[slide to the left]

14. Don't know

But I know me and W don't believe the same thing

[elshiva]

20. Grrr! This is why I never talk about Jesus unless someone asks

me a question about him.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

21. I always have mixed feelings on this one.

One the one hand, Christians (and the occasional Muslim) I've never met before coming up to me and trying to convert me always infuriates me.

On the other hand, if I were to be converted to Christianity in a flash of blue light I'd probably feel duty bound to convert as many people as possible by whatever means, and to regard one convert as being worth annoying as many people as necessary. As I understand Christian teaching, if you can convert someone you're making it more likely they'll go to heaven and less likely they'll go to hell, which is doing them a greater service than any worldly favour possible. So in some ways I have more respect for actively proselytising Christians than for live-and-let-live ones.

They sure as hell piss me off more, though.

[MikeH]

22. This is one of my problems with Christianity

As I understand Christian teaching, if you can convert someone you're making it more likely they'll go to heaven and less likely they'll go to hell, which is doing them a greater service than any worldly favour possible.

That does seem to be what many, if not all, Christians believe.

Even when I was serious about Christianity, I could never accept the duty or obligation to be concerned about whether other people are "saved" or "unsaved", and to do whatever I could do to try to convert others, motivated by such a concern.

If that is something one has to worry about, I don't see how one can live or enjoy life.

For that reason and others (i.e. Christianity was not of help to me personally) I am no longer a Christian.

[Zebedeo]

25. Of course

That's why people should not take offense at being "proselytized." When you think about it, even if you don't believe in what they are saying, they do, and they are risking social embarassment and awkwardness and breaking the taboo of talking about religion, all out of concern for your immortal soul. It would be a lot easier for them to sit back and let nonbelievers continue on their path that leads to destruction. The reason they don't is that they care.

[Sgent]

23. I've had my share

of preaching living in the rural South.

That being said, it seems like the more they actively proselytize, the bigger the hypocrite.

I have many very good friends that are deeply religious -- some of them preacher's or preacher's wives (same thing here). In my 30 years of knowing some of them, I've been invited to attend church with them a few times, and I know they would listen if I asked them questions -- but mostly they just try to live good lives. I respect that much more than I do someone yelling at me.

[Evoman]

24. Just let 'em chatter

I have a christian friend who I have been friends with since grade six (I am doing my Master's right now). Every now and then he has a big gulp of Jesus juice and starts preaching to me and giving me his "testimony". I just sort of grin and bear it, and when I'm feeling saucy, I debate a little...then we go play some pool. Yeah, I'm a pretty "hardcore extremist atheist" as some people here would call me, but theres no use in getting too upset. Everybody has their own way of thinking and doing things, and as long as they aren't "governing by christianity" or forcing you to do something you don't want to do, just let 'em chatter. Oh..and revel in your superiority too, hehe. Joking....no flames please.

Evoman