[Protagoras]

Nope, kinda like "YOU are going to be a good Baptist Christian boy because I am, and I'm a minister, the head of this household, and you WILL do what I SAY!" I was supposed to have a conversion experience on command. I also learned to use a .45 automatic at the age of 12 because he wasn't going to beat my mother one more time. Like I said, not everyone is a GOOD example of the religion they claim to belong to.

I'm sorry for what happened to you at the hands of an abuser, but I fail to see what all this has to do with what I said. And I still believe that trying to proselytize by giving a holiday greeting is more akin to what happened to you than a passive attempt to spread the gospel.

[Old Student]

"I'm sorry for what happened to you at the hands of an abuser,"

I'm not sure how you connect smiling at someone and wishing them a "merry Christmas" with forced conversion to a religion. Perhaps if I grabbed them and started telling them ALL about Jesus, you'd be right, but that isn't quite what I had in mind. Friendly greeting, my best smile, and on about my business. If they want to talk, I'm probably available, but I'm not planning on making them talk. EVERY thing a person does is an example of what they REALLY believe. If I treat people kindly, listen attentatively, and help where I can, I'm a lot more likely to get invited to talk about what I believe than otherwise. If I get in your face, and demand to tell you all about Jesus, well, lets just say I find that seriously annoying, too. One of my grandfathers was a used-car salesman. I don't like high-pressure sales. My approach is more like "find out what the folks want, and tell them what you can do to help them get it." Not just low-pressure, but no pressure.