When is it appropriate to share your religious faith with others?

[17th Angel]

Originally Posted by cyberpi

By good deed, by forgiveness, and by judgment.
By open rebuke, by eating and drinking with sinners, and by knocking on doors.

As a stranger coming across someone who needs a good deed, and doing so without permission.
As a stranger coming across someone asking for a good deed, and doing so without question.

As a stranger coming across someone who needs forgiveness, and urging them to confess and forgive others.
As a stranger coming across someone confessing and asking for forgiveness, and doing far more in jubilee.

As a stranger coming across someone who could use his judgment, and providing it with zeal.
As a stranger coming across someone asking for his judgment, and offering it within parable and within questions.

As a servant, as a door, and as a shepherd.

There we go... lol

Thanks for the post. (I was trying to get mee to come out with something along those lines.)

[mee]

Originally Posted by Alex P

There we go... lol

Thanks for the post. (I was trying to get mee to come out with something along those lines.)

MEE comes out with what mee wants to come out with

[17th Angel]

Consider my wrist slapped.

[mee]

Originally Posted by Alex P

Consider my wrist slapped.

[Godfather89]

the question concerning: When is it appropriate to share your religious faith with others? Is a good question, allow me to establish how I feel concerning the options given and than give you my own suggestion to the question.


-Knocking on doors

No, that's in all ways the most arrogant thing you could do. The way I see it is that: Knocking on someone else door represents urgency + A Religious Message = "My Religion is so important that I believe it is the only way to save you!"

Its a sacrilege against God. Typically opening your door to a stranger, I think of a salesman trying to sell you something. I wouldn't do it. Religion is not meant to "be sold"

-Passing out written materials

Like what, the central spiritual texts? Or like information about said religious group? If it is the latter than I see no harm, especially if a particular religion has a stigma in a particular society it would be best to correct misunderstandings.

-Inviting friends to religious services

Only if my friends are open to the idea...

-Telling friends about your beliefs, with or without invitation

No, only in an invitation would I discuss and I would try to be unbiased as possible.

-Mission trips to share beliefs and do good works

I don't see whats wrong with this, after all I believe that if you want to get people into your religion you should not have to sell it but lead by example. Doing good works is leading by example and this is probably the best option out there.

-Faith-based movements or attempts to change laws or politics, from the Puritans to Dr. Martin Luther King to pro-life groups

These have a worldly agenda, keep your religion to thyself if we are to do any change it should be to take a libertarian approach (The right to do what you want to do; without imposing your ideologies among others). So I am pro-life, if their is someone pro-choice I'm not going to fight them and demonize their ideologies instead I will just say it is my personal choice.

-Sharing beliefs with someone who is in distress

Only if in their distress they ask for what I believe or have come to understand...

-Faith-based help projects such as homeless shelters that require text studies, hospitals with religious ministries to patients, drug treatment programs (e.g., Scientology's Narconon), etc.

I don't see whats wrong with this, after all I believe that if you want to get people into your religion you should not have to sell it but lead by example. Doing good works is leading by example and this is probably the best option out there.

-Pointing out weaknesses or faults in someone else's beliefs

Never, that is the most arrogant thing you can do, unless its constructive and ONLY IF they welcome it.

-"Slacktivist Witnessing" - e.g., holding up signs at football games, religious graffiti, T-shirts, etc.

No not my thing... It implies things to me, that their beliefs are right and mine are wrong some how. Its like knocking on the door.

-Other??

Yes here is my own suggestion, to the question "When is it appropriate to share your religious faith with others?" How about when you understand the religious faith you uphold? When you say "Its not for everyone and I know this." It is when you have actually understood your religious convictions when you should share them. When I say understand I dont mean in the superficial sense either, Im talking a deep understanding.

[Dondi]

Hello Godfather89. Welcome to the CR forum. May you find this a fruitful and invigorating discussion board. Your opinion is valued.

Originally Posted by Godfather89

-Knocking on doors

No, that's in all ways the most arrogant thing you could do. The way I see it is that: Knocking on someone else door represents urgency + A Religious Message = "My Religion is so important that I believe it is the only way to save you!"

I don't see the arrogancy when one is simple trying to show the way of salvation to someone. People who come to your door have certain convictions concerning death, judgement, and the afterlife. They truly believe that the message they represent is the way to heaven and God, however misguided you believe they are. Now some might be downright arrogant if they start tossing hellfire and brimestone, but most people I know who do it are gentle in nature and have sincere concern for souls. It's not a matter of "my religion is better than your religion". It's more about educating folks to the option to choose Christ as Savior who otherwise have no clue.

Originally Posted by Godfather89

Its a sacrilege against God. Typically opening your door to a stranger, I think of a salesman trying to sell you something. I wouldn't do it. Religion is not meant to "be sold"

Sacrilege against God? How? Do you not think God would want us to tell others about Him?

As far as the saleman angle, salvation is free. In the words of the late Keith Green:

"For maybe they don't understand it
Or maybe they just haven't heard
Or maybe we're not doin' all we can
Living up to His Holy Word
'Cause phonies have come
And wrongs been done
Even killing in Jesus' name
And if you've been burned
Here's what I've learned
The Lord's not the one to blame
For He's not just a religion
With steeples and bells
Or a salesman who will sell you
The things you just want to hear
For His love was such
That he suffered so much
To cause some of us
Just to follow, follow"

Originally Posted by Godfather89

-Other??

Originally Posted by Godfather89

Yes here is my own suggestion, to the question "When is it appropriate to share your religious faith with others?" How about when you understand the religious faith you uphold? When you say "Its not for everyone and I know this." It is when you have actually understood your religious convictions when you should share them. When I say understand I dont mean in the superficial sense either, Im talking a deep understanding.

This I can agree.

[sherry]

I might have an opinion or two on when it was appropriate to share your faith...

Bottom line, it's not about what is appropriate for YOU to do, but what is apporpriate for those that you ary trying to share your faith with. Each case needs to be looked upon individually because what they need or don't need in their life will vary from person to person.


1. Knocking on doors
I can only answer this from a personal level. When I was back home it wasn't THAT much of a big deal, I'm from a small community and rarely was it a total stranger that knocked on my door. I usually knew them, of them, or after a brief introduction found out I knew their family. It didn't bother me to invite them in for a "chat". But I don't live in that small community anymore. The last 7 years I have moved from town to town, 750 miles away from that community. If anyone knocks on my door, they are a TOTAL stranger and no way am I inviting them inside of my home and risking my children's safety. I'm also not about to shut my door and leave my children unattended while I listen to them.

IMO, if you're going knocking door to door, fine. But say "I'm John Doe with the Church of X. Here's a flyer with some information about our church/ beliefs. We would love to talk to you. Our doors are always welcome to you." Then let that person choose if your message is something they want to hear.

At this point in time in my life, anyone who is "in your face" about their religion is not going to get anywhere with me. I very much believe in "personal space" and that everyone has a right to their own opinion. I do agree that alot (not all, just alot) of those who are trying to "convert" these days take it as a "sales man" approach. For every 10 people with the attitude of "I truly care about you as a human" knocking on my door, I feel that only 1 is truly sincere. I think part of this is that more and more their "sales pitch" (just for the lack of a better phrase) is SO rehearsd and memorized, it does not sound like its coming from the heart. This is why I continually ask people "in your own words...".

For the last 7 years I have attended one of the most prominant(sp?) Baptist churches in this area. They have a large congregation, they send their youth choir to places like Hawii and Niagara Falls every summer to "spread the word and witness". My husband's family is one of the oldest members of the church, including a grandfather that is a deacon. Now I know that I'm not the most outgoing of people, and some of the fault of what has happened over the years lays on my shoulders. The first several years we traveled from where ever we lived 2-3 sunday's a month to attend church here (sometimes a 4 hour drive 1 way). But for the last 4 years we have been living in this area. Do you know, for such a large church that boasts about how much they do for others, how much they care for others and how "successful" they are with their youth missions, not once was I ever personally invited to attend anything other than sunday morning services. They are big on "sit ins" and going to help those who are in need- when I broke both of my feet, I didnt even receive a phone call. Now, I realize that I could have taken the initiative and just shown up on wednesday night prayer meetings or whatever else was going on, but I'm not one to insert myself if I don't feel welcome.

My point is this. They work HARD to bring new members to the church. But once you are there /shrug their job is done. They need new members to pay for the huge plasma screens they have instead of the old fashioned projector screen etc etc. LOL, but do you know, since I stopped going to that church severl months ago, I hear alot of "we missed seeing you at church.." I want to say "Really? What's my first name?"

I will stop now because I feel myself going off on a tangent about why I have turned my back on "organized" religion and possibly christianity as a whole and that is not for this thread.

[cyberpi]

From what I can read, Jesus rewarded the strangers who had the faith to knock on his door.

[mee]

Is this ok

Jehovah’s Witnesses—What Do They Believe?
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in Almighty God, Jehovah, Creator of the heavens and the earth.