Third Time Is A... Charm?

[David Hunter]

Whelp, third and final time for the guy at the Medina Pride Event coming back just going at it. Even mooned us at the end. I really need to learn and practice how to handle people like this better.

 

[Hoping2]

Whelp, third and final time for the guy at the Medina Pride Event coming back just going at it. Even mooned us at the end. I really need to learn and practice how to handle people like this better.​

You can't take a dog to a cat show and expect to make a bunch of friends.
Just keep being polite.
Review the tapes of your interviews, so you can answer future questions and comments more succinctly/astutely.
I saw nothing you did wrong on this video: sometimes only we get anything out of conversations.
Keep insisting that it wasn't the real Christians who fomented all the events the haters impose on us.

I also think that it is a good idea not to prolong any conversation when the man is walking away.
Shouting after him, as he left, is what triggered his partial eclipse.
God does not love workers of iniquity. (Psalm 5:5)
Be safe out there.

 

[ozso]

Perhaps you've gotten to the point of casting pearls before swine. Matthew 7:6

 

[PloverWing]

Whelp, third and final time for the guy at the Medina Pride Event coming back just going at it. Even mooned us at the end. I really need to learn and practice how to handle people like this better.​

Well, that's a lot. Whether Jesus existed, and how much the church was complicit in colonialism -- that's not going to be resolved in a single street corner exchange. Maybe just say something like "Obviously, I see it differently", and let it go.

I did hear him say something at the end that may indicate why he kept coming back to your table: "And this is how you feign moral superiority when you're really just here to tell a group of human beings that your imaginary friend thinks they're evil." I wouldn't have said it in those words, but he has a point. If you're standing at the entrance to a Pride festival, you'll be perceived as protesting the festival and the people who attend it. That's how the local Gazette described your group: "During the event, several protestors gathered on the square corners, holding signs that often included Bible verses." In this context, you're not an evangelist; you're a protestor. The message that festival attendees will hear is that the festival shouldn't exist and the attendees shouldn't be here.

( Gazette source: People gather in Medina's square to celebrate Pride Month )

Protests have their place. I've been in a few protests over the years, protesting various wars and such. If your conscience really does compel you to protest against gay people, then follow your conscience. But if your goal is evangelism, then I think you'd do better in more neutral settings. I'm glad to read in your other thread, for example, that you've had a table at your local farmers' market. Much better; clearly, no one thinks you're protesting the existence of farmers. If people don't think you're opposed to their very existence, they'll probably be more open to hearing what you have to say about God.

 

[David Hunter]

You can't take a dog to a cat show and expect to make a bunch of friends.
Just keep being polite.
Review the tapes of your interviews, so you can answer future questions and comments more succinctly/astutely.
I saw nothing you did wrong on this video: sometimes only we get anything out of conversations.
Keep insisting that it wasn't the real Christians who fomented all the events the haters impose on us.

I also think that it is a good idea not to prolong any conversation when the man is walking away.
Shouting after him, as he left, is what triggered his partial eclipse.
God does not love workers of iniquity. (Psalm 5:5)
Be safe out there.

Thanks so much! I usually shout "Turn to Christ and live while God has given you time" for maybe something for them to think about it. But, you're right, I need to use some discernment there.

Well, that's a lot. Whether Jesus existed, and how much the church was complicit in colonialism -- that's not going to be resolved in a single street corner exchange. Maybe just say something like "Obviously, I see it differently", and let it go.

I did hear him say something at the end that may indicate why he kept coming back to your table: "And this is how you feign moral superiority when you're really just here to tell a group of human beings that your imaginary friend thinks they're evil." I wouldn't have said it in those words, but he has a point. If you're standing at the entrance to a Pride festival, you'll be perceived as protesting the festival and the people who attend it. That's how the local Gazette described your group: "During the event, several protestors gathered on the square corners, holding signs that often included Bible verses." In this context, you're not an evangelist; you're a protestor. The message that festival attendees will hear is that the festival shouldn't exist and the attendees shouldn't be here.

( Gazette source: People gather in Medina's square to celebrate Pride Month )

Protests have their place. I've been in a few protests over the years, protesting various wars and such. If your conscience really does compel you to protest against gay people, then follow your conscience. But if your goal is evangelism, then I think you'd do better in more neutral settings. I'm glad to read in your other thread, for example, that you've had a table at your local farmers' market. Much better; clearly, no one thinks you're protesting the existence of farmers. If people don't think you're opposed to their very existence, they'll probably be more open to hearing what you have to say about God.

Thank you! Wow, I didn't even know the local Gazette wrote anything on it! Thanks for sharing that. Yeah, we definitely were not protesting but that sure is how they took it. Kind of like when they say we are preaching hate when we're actually showing them love. :-(

We did have a great conversation with one gal at this year's event and my one friend has a nice 1.5 hour conversation with another gal at last year's event, so it's definitely worth being out there.

 

[David Hunter]

Perhaps you've gotten to the point of casting pearls before swine. Matthew 7:6

Didn't even think about that. Thanks

 

[d taylor]

-

​

You should setup outside of a church, at least these people would be open to hearing how to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life, by belief in Jesus.

 

[PloverWing]

We did have a great conversation with one gal at this year's event and my one friend has a nice 1.5 hour conversation with another gal at last year's event, so it's definitely worth being out there.

I'm glad you got to have some good conversations.

 

[PloverWing]

You should setup outside of a church, at least these people would be open to hearing how to receive God's free gift of Eternal Life, by belief in Jesus.​

With the church's permission, presumably. Otherwise, it'll look like you're protesting the church!

 

[d taylor]

With the church's permission, presumably. Otherwise, it'll look like you're protesting the church!

-
​

Well it would not have to be on their property.

But when a person is confronted like the person in the video, where he is surrounded by like minded people. The person will be more than likely really defensive, but take the same person and find them at home, or out at a place where they are not surrounded by like minded people. They may be more open to at least having a decent conservation or at least listen to what is being said.

 

[1Tonne]

If you're standing at the entrance to a Pride festival, you'll be perceived as protesting the festival and the people who attend it. That's how the local Gazette described your group: "During the event, several protestors gathered on the square corners, holding signs that often included Bible verses." In this context, you're not an evangelist; you're a protestor. The message that festival attendees will hear is that the festival shouldn't exist and the attendees shouldn't be here.

Sadly, you are right. Though on the rarest of occasion, when watching videos like this, a person who supports the pride event may have a new revelation and come to the foot of the cross. But this is very rare.

But if your goal is evangelism, then I think you'd do better in more neutral settings. I'm glad to read in your other thread, for example, that you've had a table at your local farmers' market. Much better; clearly, no one thinks you're protesting the existence of farmers. If people don't think you're opposed to their very existence, they'll probably be more open to hearing what you have to say about God.

A farmers' market would be better. But sometimes it is a good idea to quietly confront the wrong that people do. If these people are never confronted, then they will never see their error and their sin will simply grow and pull more people into it.
We just have to be careful how we go about it. We need to make sure that we are going with wisdom, love and truth, and gentleness and respect.

Whelp, third and final time for the guy at the Medina Pride Event coming back just going at it. Even mooned us at the end. I really need to learn and practice how to handle people like this better.

I did like, at the start, how you tried to get him to say that most wars are started by religion. Once he has said that, you can then counter him. Here is how:
"It's a common claim that religion causes most wars, but history just doesn't support that. Most major conflicts have been driven by power, politics, greed, territory, or ideology, not religion. For example, WW1, WW2, Korean War, Vietnam, Gulf War and the Ukraine War all have not been started by religion.
When you look at the stats, only 7% of wars in recorded history are primarily about religion. And among those, the majority were instigated by Islamic conquests and jihads, especially during the spread of early Islam and the Ottoman period.
Yes, Christians have been involved in conflicts like the Crusades, but Christianity as a whole does not promote war. In fact, the teachings of Jesus call for peace, forgiveness, and loving one's enemies.
So, while religion has been used at times to justify conflict, the root causes of most wars (93%) lie elsewhere: human pride, power struggles, and political ambition." Stats from "Encyclopedia of Wars"

He also claimed that nobody knows what happens once we all die. A simple response is:
"You can only be certain of what you know. You cannot claim to know what every person on the planet knows. And I personally know without a doubt that once we die, we will have to give an account for our lives."

He also tried to claim that there is no evidence that Jesus existed. A response:
"Virtually all scholars of antiquity believe that Jesus was a real person. Jesus isn’t just a figure from the Bible. Even non‑Christian historians recorded His existence not long after His death. Tacitus, writing around 116 AD, confirms that Christ, who was executed under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius, was the founder of the Christian movement. Likewise, Josephus, a Jewish historian around 93 AD, refers to “James, the brother of Jesus,” thereby attesting to Jesus’ life and the impact He had on those around Him."

He was trying to imply that Jesus never died on the cross.
"If Jesus’ death and resurrection were just a lie, then explain this: When in history have so many people willingly suffered and died brutal deaths for something they knew was false?
The disciples had everything to lose, yet they went to their deaths proclaiming that Jesus is Lord and that He rose from the dead. Paul, a former persecutor of Christians, was radically transformed. Peter was crucified. James, Jesus’ own half-brother, who once doubted Him, later died believing Jesus was the risen Messiah.
And consider this: if the resurrection story were faked, no one in the ancient world would have used women as the first witnesses, since their testimony wasn’t considered reliable at the time. Yet the Gospels boldly report that women were the first to see the risen Christ. This is a powerful sign of authenticity, not fabrication.
People don’t willingly die for something they know is a lie. The best explanation is the simplest: Jesus really did rise from the dead."

He also tried to claim that you cannot use the bible to prove the Bible's authenticity. Here is a response:
"The Bible isn’t just one book; it’s a collection of 66 books written by different authors over centuries. Just like historians compare multiple sources to confirm events, we can compare the different parts of the Bible. The Gospels, Acts, and letters all support and confirm each other. That’s not circular; that’s a collection of multiple eyewitnesses telling the same story, and then putting those historical accounts into one book."

 

[DragonFox91]

You did well asking him about eternity - what happens after he dies.
He says nothing happens
You confront him on it by saying 'it all just happened?'
& he says he doesn't know & it's hubris to think otherwise, & the conversation moves on.

But you do know.

Hold your ground here & narrow in on this. You can attack here based on topics like creation (its design), life's origin (points to a Creator), & meaning (if everything is just an accident it doesn't matter b/c it's all just an accident). An honest atheist doesn't have a good answer for any of those, & he flat-out told you he doesn't, he doesn't want to think about it

& don't let him bounce you around, he's trying to overwhelm you w/ dozens of different topics he's just rapid-firing, but stick to the topics you feel strongest at.

You do well overall. You have a tempered spirit