So why is it OK to go to a stranger and tell them they should invite whomever into their lives?

Living in the South we often get offered pamphlets and the like to become Jehovian's, Baptist's, Born Again, whatever.

The parking lot of WalMart is a favorite for these types, as well as door to door. Yesterday morning around 9:45 (around here they offer services all day on Sunday's) we were loading up our groceries into the truck (which has no religious or atheist paraphernalia on it) and this man pulls his car right up behind my husband and tries to give him a flier through his window. Nothing aggravates my husband more than to be involuntarily solicited, however I think the basically being cornered did doubly so.

So other than using bible verses and satan as a defense, why is proselytization still used today? Especially with all the information available to people through media outlets on different religions, why bother?

It's not okay, that is why when they come on my porch I will sick my dog on them.

I think most of these people are subconsciously afraid that they might be wrong about their religious understandings, and if they can just get more people to agree with them, then maybe there will be truth in numbers.

I do not understand the mindset that feels it needs to not just get others to agree with them on religious matters, but to actively solicit for that agreement.

In Hinduism, we are prohibited from proselytization. It is severely frowned upon. Needless to say, when we see it in action from others, it does not endear us to them.

I was just thinking this morning why do we "share". Is not love the underlying cause behind all?

When someone comes to my house, I say politely no thank you. I used to invite them in and actually looked forward to them coming. I see now that it was ego, trying to see if I could convert them LOL

Just the other day we were stopped at the parking lot by an ederly man who felt the need to tell us about Jesus. The words that he used were based in a religious belief, but beyond the appearance I could see love radiating from his eyes. It was a reminder in and of love.

I share my beliefs where ever I am....that is who I am. If I were different here on the forum than at home or in public...would I be truthful to myself?

...but Viv we are here on the forum because we all want to share views. When I am in a parking lot I want to park or go to a store, I do not want to be solicited. I think there is a big difference. There is a proper time and place for certain activities. An activity that may be appropriate in one place may not be appropriate in another. Do you disagree with that?

The last few people who have approached me about Jesus have not done so with love in their eyes. They have done so because they perceive me to be an idol worshiper and my religion offends them. Their only desire was to tell me I was going to burn in Hell unless I repent and become saved and the only way to do that was to view the world as they determine it should be viewed. I am sorry, but that is not love.

If proselytizing would bother me I would see it as an opportunity to become more aware of my self. As I see everything as a blessing, I would look within my self and ask my self...why is this bothering me? Am I insecure about MY beliefs? Do I fear to push my beliefs onto others? Am I truly coming from a place of love or fear....when I share?

I truly believe that what I see in "others" is a reflection of myself....good or bad. The more I grew into my true Self...the more I saw it in others. The more I had of anything...the more I saw others having too.

I do, for the most part, agree with you. I am just having a hard time looking at the man who screamed at me that I was a child abuser because I was condemning my children to Hell for not putting them in a church as any kind of a blessing. I know that we are look at all things as blessings, but there are some situations in which it is harder to find the lesson!

In general, Christians proselytize because they are told to do so. On one hand many of them believe they own this "truth" that others are ignorant of, or blind to, and that they feel that the 'Good News' is indeed just that - and it will help them be better people.

I think the problem comes, with folks on this forum, that many people already have their own views and while I know some might be still unformulated - there are those with fairly deep understanding of the issues that simply do not require the type of proselytizing that one finds from door-to-door or parking-lot ambushes.

Very often these 'pitches' are poorly designed sophistry that are taught to the uninitiated for the express purpose of luring in the further uninitiated. And they, generally tend to be just that - sophistry. Hence many of the more hard line proselytizing denominations hand out pamphlets on how to best proselytize to Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, or just everyday people with appeals to reason (ironically through bad reasoning).

It irritates people because while yes, it might be done with the best intentions, very often is comes across from those people that do it - as scripted unexamined rhetoric - not honest discourse. When they come to my door - I make it discourse. And it becomes pretty apparent that their flowchart script gets derailed fairly fast.

I don't have a problem with proselytizing as long as it's no disingenuous - which I define as - if you have the wherewithal to approach people to proselytize doesn't it behoove you to really be able to speak to the topic rather than operate off of some kind of poor script of apologetics and rhetoric?

Otherwise it's like a pet cat coming to leave a dead bird on your bed. Yes the cat loves you, yes the intent was loving. But the fact is - you have little use for a dead bird.

I wouldn't call that prosetylizing Chaitanyananda...never the less even this appearance holds a blessing.

There will always be those that don't agree with ones beliefs, but you can't change the world, nor satisfy everyone. I have found that when I found myself at peace with raising my kids the way I thought was best, the world eased up on me.

That doesn't mean the world started to agree with how I raised my kids, it just means that a judgment from the outside was no longer a part of my experience. If the world agrees nor disagrees I don't know and therefore it no longer effects me.

There's a lot of social pressure on some of these people who are going door to door..

I was talking with some Mormon missionaries who go from door to door not long ago and they were pretty frank with me..

Being about college age and called "elders" mostly young men in their late teens.

They do this for about two years..they are assigned a city or place away from their homes. They are supervised also regularly and they must report the time they are proselytizing.. So much time a day is devoted to this.. One day a week they are allowed some free time they usually recreate among themselves. So this for them a part of their "career path".. which includes achieving an Eagle Scout badge and going to college..

The things they say are basically confined to their religion and they keep track of prospects and go back to them..They also will perform various services to people that are prospects.

I used to counsel a lady who was a Jehovah's Witness and their door to door work is more open ended as "Witnesses" but the time they do this is recorded in the Kingdom Hall and so they are monitored and so forth ... of course they have Bible study for their prospects...

The Witnesses will not participate in any inter-faith activities in the community. They socialize among themselves and are I believe closely monitored if they are associating too much with people who might influence them away from their religion. I was told this by the lady I counseled the last time I saw her.

So there it is.. to me not a very pretty picture.. I'm sure there are pressures on people in other groups as well and if what I've written above is inaccurate please correct it.

- Art