To: Joe 6-pack
I don't think a truly devout person would look on you disrespectfully, but out of love for their fellow human. What you may perceive as disrespect, may just actually be an effort on the part of that person to look out for the well-being of your soul.
Yes, but to those of us who don't believe, it is incredibly condescending. Consider a Christian told by a Muslim that they were not living a moral life and that they should convert to Islam for the well-being of their eternal soul. And that Christian is then told that although he thinks he understands the nature of God and the universe, he is actually completely wrong. The Muslim knows this for sure because he has been told so by God, and he does not even consider the possiblity that he might be wrong. So what a Christian might perceive as disrespect for believing in the wrong God, following the wrong book, and believing in the wrong morals, might just be an effort on the part of that Muslim to look out for the well-being of his soul. And yet, I'm not sure many Christians (or any believers of a system) won't view it as disrespectful to be told that everything they believe in is wrong.
Now change Muslim to Christian and Christian to atheist in the above example, and you might get an idea how many of us atheists feel when proselytized to on a regular basis.
To: Stone Mountain; Joe 6-pack
If I had a cure for cancer, I'd want to share it with people. This is not much different in the Christians eyes. One cure takes care of physical death, the other cure takes care of spiritual death.
If you truly believed that someone without Christ was going to hell for eternity when they died, wouldn't you want to warn them? And really, what kind of Christian would they be if they DIDN'T warn others?
I can appreciate that some people's approach is less than desirable. I've been on the receiving end myself and so understand the offense taken. At that point, I guess you just have to figure some people don't have much in the way of people skills. But don't discount the message because of the messanger. There's too much at stake.
63 posted on
12/18/2006 10:05:39 AM PST by
metmom
(Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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