For Non Christians only Please.

I do not want to debate anything in this thread.
I would like to ask non Christins what they dislike about how Christians go about telling them about God.
I am hoping that this in no way becomes a hate thread. It would completely throw the purpose of this thread off track for people to spout out why Christians are not politically correct or moraly correct.
I would like to just hear about those things that bother people when they hear about God from a Christian.

Same goes for Christians. I would really appreciate it if Christians wouldnt come into this thread and try to defend Christianity here.

The only reason I am making this thread is to see what people do and don't like about how Christians tell them about God.

Things like slipping a pamplet to the waitress when you tip her or finding a business card about God ontop of a urinal.
Or maybe what Christians say or how they say it.

There has to be those things that are weird or just annoying or aukward.

Those are the things I would really like to see.

Again, please dont turn this into an argument. I am sure plenty of people would like to leave a few remarks about the subject and I would like them to feel comfortable in doing so.

I don't dislike it and I'm not offended by it. In fact I expect it most of the time given the nature of the belief system. I don't even have the heart to argue with Jehovahs Witnesses at my door (They're always such lovely old ladies, who will very politely leave if talke to openly and pleasantly)
If someone presses the arguement then I'm going to argue my point back. But always politely. There's no point turning anything into a yelling match.

If someone is arguing for something like creationism then I will attmpt to correct their misconceptions. (I know this sound arrogant, but I have yet to meet a creationist who understans what the theory of evolution really says)

From time to time, whether talking with someone or watching a news item, mind mind gets boggled by the concept of Christianity. It's incredibly hard, almost impossible to imagine what it must be like to believe that there's a deity personally looking out for you. I often get that when reading or watching somehting about a christian rock festival or the like. It's freaky,though seldom in a sense of being afraid.

Id say what I dislike most is arrogance, rudeness and any type of mob tactic. I have no trouble with people handing out flyers. But if they follow me, then I'd be annoyed.

I also strongly dislike it when people push their prejudicesand bigotry on you, justifying it in the name of God. Again, it has boundries. If someone mentions that they think homosexuality is a sin, then I'm probably not going to turn it into an arguement. If they think homosexuality should be illegal because it's a sin, then I'd have something to say.

__________________
From childhoods hour I have not been
as others were. I have not seen
as others saw. I could not bring
my passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
my sorrow. I could not awaken
my heart to joy at the same tone.
All I loved, I loved alone. Edgar Allen Poe

First, let me say that this thead has a noble goal, and I wish you luck. It'll be interesting to see where it goes.

Well, first off, I don't mind when people talk to me about religion. It's actually one of my favorite subjects, but there are things that I don't like.

The first thing that I can think of is when someone "tells" me about Christianity rather than "talks" to me about Christianity. Please, let me clarify what I mean by that.

When a Christian "tells" me about God, he usually tells me a lot of stuff that I already know. I know the basics of the Bible, and I certainly know who Jesus is, and why the Christians feel that he should be revered as God. Obviously, "telling" me things that I already know does nothing. I still have the same problems with Christianity, and I'm not more likely to believe because you haven't addressed them.

Also, when a Christian "tells" me about Christianity, he usually tells me from a position where he is sure that he is right. I've learned that if you are so sure that you can't question your own faith, you can't get me to question mine. The people that I've found convincing are people for whom faith is an ongoing process, and who can question themselves, which makes them able to "talk" instead of "tell."

Finally, I look for "fruits." If you make me uncomfortable or angry, I'm probably not going to listen to you very closely. I look for love, and understanding. After all, if you are asking me to believe that you are a representative of God, I think you had better exhibit the traits that your own holy text tells you to exhibit.

Okay, a couple of points from this statement.

When I'm working is not a good time to approach me. I like to talk about religion, but when I'm at work I have a job to do, and that takes priority. Also, anything I say at work has a tendency to reflect on my work. If you ask me at work if I'm a Christian, I will not answer you. I will not talk to you about religion, because if I offend you, my business has just lost a customer.

Also, I don't touch strange objects found in bathrooms. Ever.

So, stopping me on the street, or if I'm sitting eating a sandwich, is better than approaching me at work or leaving something.

Finally, if by "business card" you mean a Chick Tract, then I'm not going to listen to you. Those things usually contain gross misrepresentations of other points of view, and if you don't care what I think, I'm not going to care what you think.

Chick tracts are only convincing to people that already believe what you say. I do not.

That's what I have to say.

Good luck.

I won't say I deslike it, it is just I find it Humouras, how christian go on about telling about God, when I already bow my will to the God of Abraham(pbuh).

1. Abraham(pbuh) was not an idolater, and he did not enjoin partners with him.

2. I don't like it when they call a man, namee Jesus, a God, (as part of a mysteriouse triune).
When they have difficulty with it.

3. I don't like it that they call man a God when, it is clearly written that God has no likeness of male or female. I don't like it when they point to the cross with crucified Jesus, and call him God. To me it is pure idolatery. Never enjoined by abraham.

4. I don't like it when they are called to Islam, to bow down to the will of the creator(allah), in true monotheism, they call it evil.

I have other problems, with "christian preaching about God", but will be to numerouse to List.

__________________
"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just; because I seek not my own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
[The Bible, John 5:30]

I don't dislike it. I'm usually flattered.

I mean... It can be a little insulting, because the other person is technically saying, "Hey, I don't know the first thing about what you believe, but I'm sure you're in the wrong because I'm just so much more enlightened than anyone else. So I'll give you a chance to change your mind and then you can be right like me." But I try not to take it that way...it's a choice I make. I prefer to be flattered that they care about me than insulted that they think they're better than me.

Sometimes it's a little embarrassing, though. With some people it's awkward because you can see the wheels turning...they're waiting to see if you're going to confirm their belief in the transformative power of the Holy Spirit, or confirm their belief that you're a Hell-bound heathen who purposefully rejects Jesus and his suffering. It's a lose-lose situation from that perspective. I had a boss (a doctor) invite me to his Christian Bible group, in front of all my peers at work in the laboratory a few years back. It was really very uncomfortable for me to turn him down.

Trickster

Well, I agree with much of what others have said; talking versus telling, discussion versus preaching, that sort of thing.

But another thing that really bugs me is how often they treat me as a poor, lost soul who cannot know true happiness without Jesus. Like they are so enlightened and they actually feel sorry for me in my atheism. I find it condescending and rude to assume that my life is anything but wonderful based merely on the fact that I do not subscribe to their fairy tale.

Also, the idea they have that if I just knew more about the Bible's teachings, I would convert. I already know the basics, and those alone are, to me, preposterous ideas. Add in that even the most basic tenets lack any extra-Biblical confirmation, and I see no reason to delve deeper. Sure, there are decent sentiments in the Bible, but getting me to read a lone passage and agree with a normal, legitimate suggestion that judging others unjustly is not a good thing is not going to be a gateway to getting me to accept Genesis, a worldwide flood, the resurrection, or any of the so-called prophecies mentioned elsewhere.

Finally, in terms of many of the evolution forums I frequent, the ignorance (and sometimes willful deception) exhibited by many on the creationist side of the debate is astounding.

__________________
"I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day." - Douglas Adams

"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams

"Skaloopdidit" - Keeping Skaloop as the first cause until science can rule him out.

"I'd be a theist if it weren't for God." - Me

I agree with Trickster...

My main problem with Christians is if they think they're better than everyone else and think they're right. I can get along with any christian as long as they don't go "You're going to hell, you know?" on me.

In the worst case, you're dealing with people who want very badly to help you, people who feel that everything bad that happens to them is a test from God, everything good that happens to them is a blessing, everything bad that happens to you is because you're not Christian, and everything good that happens to you is because Satan is trying to confuse you. It's not falsifiable logic...even entering into an argument as a lost cause. I'm not big on anyone who is convinced they're right and you're wrong before they even speak to you.

However! Not all evangelical people are like this. Some are rational, enjoy learning new things, and don't always assume they're right, or that you're Hell-bound for believing something different. They just want to share. I have no problem with people like this, and they often make good friends.

Trickster

I certainly don't disagree with you there; I have several good friends in other forums who are strongly Christian, and it doesn't matter to either of us one bit because we are both respectful of our differences.

__________________
"I'd take the awe of understanding over the awe of ignorance any day." - Douglas Adams

"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom of it too?" - Douglas Adams

"Skaloopdidit" - Keeping Skaloop as the first cause until science can rule him out.

"I'd be a theist if it weren't for God." - Me

As others have mentioned, I don't mind talking with people about their religion as long as there is a respectful dialog. It cna be an interesting conversation.

What I don't like is being approached out of nowhere about it. If I am walking down the street, my goal is to get to my destination, not talk to some stranger about something I'm not interested in. This goes for any religious, political, etc. belief. What I find particularly annoying about these encounters is that the people that do so, do it in a way in that they act as though it's the first time I heard it. What they are telling me isn't new to me, and it didn't convince me before and it won't convince me now.

What I particularly dislike is the patronizing/condescending/pretentious attitude some people get. There's something about their voice when they say something that the just know should convince me, but i utterly going to fail. "Aha! But how could we have come from monkeys if there are still monkies around?!" Please. That was entirely unconvincing the first time I heard, and it is still unconvincing even now. So don't act like it's some magical nugget of wisdom.

Along a similar thought, I don't like how some act as though my life must be full of sadness and despair. I can't tell you how many times I've had this conversation:

-"Oh but christ's love will make you so much more content with your life."
--"I'm awfully content with my life now."
-"But not in the way christ will make it"
--"How do you know?"
-"Christ makes you a different, BETTER type of happy! A REAL happiness!"
--"Do you know me? No. So how do you have any idea how I feel about my life? I like my life, I wouldn't trade it for anything. How do you know that you are happier about your life than I am about mine?"
-"I just do."