Live the Bible don’t hit people over the head with it is my motto.
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With 90% of unbelievers I agree with this statement wholeheartedly and that is the approach I take with them. My best friend grew up athiest and a few years ago had a radical born again conversion experience. That is the approach I took with her.
However, when you are dealing with pseudo-Christian cults (and their are specifics that classify them that way) like Mormons or JWs, you won’t get anywhere at all with the approach because they will just agree and say ‘oh we believe that too’ when in reality they may used Christian vocabulary but a different dictionary. They redefine basic terms like “God”, “Savior”, “Salvation”, “Atonement”, “Heaven”, “Grace”. If you don’t compare the Biblical gospel to Mormonsim (or JWs) then they are perfectly happy saying “we believe that too” (even if they don’t) and “see we are Christians too” even though they really do follow a different Christ. You have to point out to them the differences and that makes them angry. It doesn’t matter HOW you say something, the fact that you are not agreeing with their doctrine completely is ‘hate speech’. It is, at times, frustrating, but necessary to show them how their doctrines are NOT Biblical (and I can give you a list of really good sources that explain this in detail). You must first get a Mormon(or JW) to see that their group is not ‘the only true church on the face of the earth’ before you can begin to show them who Christ really was and what Grace really is.
I have pinged several other people who used to be Mormon and are now Christians who will tell you they came out the exact same way. A couple of others have been in ministry to the Mormons for several years and have experience exactly what I am saying. We are not hateful, but we are bold, because boldness in NECESSARY. We don’t hate Mormons, we love them enough to tell them the truth. Nothing breaks our heart more than when an LDS friend or family member dies, not knowing Christ. If we hated them, we would just leave them alone and not bother with being called names, being despised (as someone else on this thread said about me), the death threats from them, the frustration. To be honest, it would be a whole lot easier to just let them be and say we don’t care but we DO care, we care more than most because we put up with their abuse for the cause of Christ.
Check out a few episodes of “heart of the Matter” (HOTM.TV) and you will see what I am talking about.
I will check to see if I can find the clip you mentioned on exit polls.
reaganaut is right. I was born and raised in Mormonism. I thought all Christians defined the terms, “salvation, God, Christ, eternity, righteousness, progress, and heaven” in the same way I was taught.
Once I uncovered the lies and fallacies of Mormonism, I refused to ever look to Christ. He was a puny brother to me, and just a progressive god, who would one day attain the title of god the father in a Godhood with his progeny beneath him. (or so I had been taught in Mormonism and believed that all Christians thought of Christ this way)
I wandered in that dry desert wilderness for 40 years from the date of my Mormon baptism before Christ brought me to a place of despair - where I could give my life, and control of my life to Him.
There is a vast, unbridgeable difference between the Christ we know and the Christ of Mormonism. Being “nice” to them only lets them believe they have more knowledge than you - and they feel sorry for YOU.