Threatening??

[JordanDaniel]

Why is it that whenever I try to preach the Good News to unbelievers they see it as me threatening them....Its not like im all doomsday status lol...Why is christianity so alarming and threatening to unbelievers?

 

[awitch]

I speculate bad experience from other people who have attempted to preach. Once you run into one unscrupulous proselytizer, any future one is suspect.

What tactic are you using?

 

[SithDoughnut]

Proselytising isn't that threatening, just annoying. It's a bit like if I came up to you and told you to stop eating meat because vegetarianism is far healthier, and if you don't I'll get all the animals to hunt you down and punch you in the face for the rest of your life.

Of course, the exact comparison depends on what you're saying.

 

[sanjaya1984]

Why is it that whenever I try to preach the Good News to unbelievers they see it as me threatening them....Its not like im all doomsday status lol...Why is christianity so alarming and threatening to unbelievers?

Well there are two reasons I can think of offhand. First, when you preach Christianity to a person, you are telling that person (directly or otherwise) that he's going to hell unless he converts to your religion. If you actually read the doctrines you preach carefully, you will recognize the full implication of this. I often hear Christians say that all sins are equal in God's eyes for the purpose of eternal punishment. This means that even a minor transgression is worthy of eternal, conscious torment at the hands of God. There is perhaps nothing worse than such a fate, and you are telling the person you preach to that he is worthy of it for seemingly minor transgressions. Would you not find this to be threatening? The "good news" is only good if one converts.

Secondly, some of us see Christian proselytizing as a threat to our cultures. Personally I like the religion I was born into. It's an integral component of my culture, and when you preach your good news to me, you are trying to destroy it. Missionaries in India cause great harm to local populations and end up damaging families by converting just a few people into zealous Christians (this, by the way, is why I strongly reject this popularly held notion that Christianity equates to family values, and even find the Christian religion to be opposed to family values). If you truly mean to convert everyone to Christianity, then your good news is a threat to my very culture. And given the billions of dollars that Christians pour into foreign missionary work, I do indeed see this as a legitimate threat rather than any sort of good news.

 

[hikersong]

Why is christianity so alarming and threatening to unbelievers?

I suspect you're projecting that idea into people's simple lack of desire to hear your message. Or if not, perhaps you should ask yourself what you are doing or saying to make people feel alarmed or threatened.

Most of us simply want to get on with our lives in peace. We will reject unsolicited offers of "help" or of "answers" or of "double glazing". And in addition many people don't like being forced to say "no, I'm not interested" to someone. Particularly if that someone is a friend or acquaintance. Maybe that feeling of discomfort is the reaction you are seeing.

 

[Gardenia]

Why is christianity so alarming and threatening to unbelievers?

I don't find Christianity to be threatening or alarming to me, personally. Some of the people who've preached at me? Yeah, some of them have been threatening. Refusing to listen to "no", following me or otherwise getting in my face or much too far into my personal space (one guy even grabbed my arm to try to get me to stay and listen to him!), so on...
Or not on a physical level, but a higher up at work preaching can be a bit threatening too, because you might feel that you could lose your job or whatever if you don't agree with what they're saying.

Most of them? Not threatening, just annoying. They don't believe I've read and studied the Bible, they try to tell me what I believe - and don't listen to me on the matter, they preach instead of having a conversation, they come into my work place and try to give me tracts, they don't back off when they should. Like, they're just incapable of putting themselves in the other person's shoes and understanding how they're coming off. I get that many Christians think they're saving souls and such, but sometimes they get to a point where they're pushing the person away more than doing any good.

So if you're not in that first group of people who do actually come off as threatening? I agree with some of the other posters... you may be misreading annoyance or discomfort. Again, it's not (usually) an annoyance, discomfort, or threat from the religion of Christianity - but the way the individual person is coming across.

 

[Eudaimonist]

Why is it that whenever I try to preach the Good News to unbelievers they see it as me threatening them....

Any time someone offers me an unsolicited sales pitch, such as when a telemarketer calls and tries to talk me in to changing my long distance plan, I am going to be heavily on my guard, and probably none too friendly.

No one wants to be put in a situation where someone uses sales techniques on them. That is just warfare concealed.

And it is far worse when someone is trying to change one's entire worldview. Who wants some random person to change them? That can easily feel like a personal attack, even if it isn't intended that way.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[Booko]

Why is it that whenever I try to preach the Good News to unbelievers they see it as me threatening them....Its not like im all doomsday status lol...Why is christianity so alarming and threatening to unbelievers?

Often in life it's not so much what you say as how you say it.

I sometimes see people criticize St. Paul because he said "be all things to all people" and they understand that to mean act without integrity as long as you can get people to sign on the dotted line and accept Christ.

I've never read "be all things to all people" that way, myself. Rather, I take it more as St. Paul giving some good advice to preach the Gospel to people in a way they can hear it.

What way is that?

Well, it will vary with each individual.

I don't find Christianity alarming or threatening.

I do find it interesting that you lump everyone who is not a Christian using the term "unbelievers."

Does that sound like a very friendly thing to call someone else?

If I started to tell you about my faith after I called you an unbeliever, would you be more or less likely to want to hear anything I said after that?

Perhaps a better approach would be not so much to "preach" the Gospel, which whether you think so or not yeah actually we have heard it before, plenty of times. This isn't 33 A.D. anymore you know.

But rather, be a friend and a help to people where you can, simply because that's the right thing to do. Use what Jesus teaches in the Gospel to do that. And sometimes, when people need help, there might be something in the Gospel you can offer them as help too. But it's up to them if they wish to take that pearl or not. If they don't, pushing doesn't help.

 

[vajradhara]

Why is it that whenever I try to preach the Good News to unbelievers they see it as me threatening them....Its not like im all doomsday status lol...Why is christianity so alarming and threatening to unbelievers?

i don't see it that way

i'm happy to hear about your beliefs provided you permit me to explain mine to you.

 

[TerranceL]

Why is it that whenever I try to preach the Good News to unbelievers they see it as me threatening them....Its not like im all doomsday status lol...Why is christianity so alarming and threatening to unbelievers?

Imagine a total stranger walks up to you, knowns nothing about you, then proceeds to tell you all about how you can better your life by following his dogma.

It's rude, it's inconsiderate and it's a waste of time. Expect to be treated rudely if you behave that way.

 

[GigageiTsula]

Why is it that whenever I try to preach the Good News to unbelievers they see it as me threatening them....Its not like I'm all doomsday status lol...Why is Christianity so alarming and threatening to unbelievers?

It's because the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). I would encourage you to finish reading that particular chapter, my friend. You might also consider Romans 8:7, 1 Corinthians 2:14 and 2 Corinthians 4:4. Those verses are also very good answers to your questions. I think that your questions would be a good topic in one of the Christian only forum sections too.

 

[b&wpac7]

It's because the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). I would encourage you to finish reading that particular chapter, my friend. You might also consider Romans 8:7, 1 Corinthians 2:14 and 2 Corinthians 4:4. Those verses are also very good answers to your questions. I think that your questions would be a good topic in one of the Christian only forum sections too.

I'd really like to hear what is meant by threatening. I am actually somewhat receptive to missionaries as long as they let me give my point of view.

 

[awitch]

It's because the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18). I would encourage you to finish reading that particular chapter, my friend. You might also consider Romans 8:7, 1 Corinthians 2:14 and 2 Corinthians 4:4. Those verses are also very good answers to your questions. I think that your questions would be a good topic in one of the Christian only forum sections too.

After checking out the provided passages, I would say that is bad advice. No offense there, GigageiTsula.

For Romans 8:7, we do not hate that which we do not believe in. In many cases, we already have our own gods, or just lack the evidence to believe in yours.

Corinthians 2:14 basically says we won't believe because we don't understand, and we can't understand until we believe. That's not really how faith works. We need a reason (like evidence) to believe.

Corinthians 4:4 doesn't make sense. Your god blinds the non-believers then holds us accountable for not believing?

If you want to know why non believers are threatened or put off, then asking non-believers is the right way to go for primary source answers.

 

[thegospelisgoodnews]

Why is it that whenever I try to preach the Good News to unbelievers they see it as me threatening them....Its not like im all doomsday status lol...Why is christianity so alarming and threatening to unbelievers?

The gospel is offensive to those who are perishing, thats why you need not worry about the unreceptive, when someone IS receptive then you have found someone who can be saved. don't waste your time trying to convince people who don't want to have anything to do with Jesus, pray that God would knock em on their butt like the Apostle Paul and make them into super apostles, nothing better than a once God hating pagan, to be touched by an all powerful, loving God, In one second they are completely sold out for Jesus

 

[b&wpac7]

The gospel is offensive to those who are perishing

What is your answer to those who say they don't find it offensive?

 

[GigageiTsula]

The gospel is offensive to those who are perishing

I agree, as I pointed out in my previous post.

 

[Gardenia]

If you want to know why non believers are threatened or put off, then asking non-believers is the right way to go for primary source answers.

I agree. Why go for round about speculation when you can get answers right from the source? Guess it all goes back to not listening to the people you're trying to preach too, and assuming you know how they feel and all that - it just doesn't help anyone.

 

[b&wpac7]

nothing better than a once God hating pagan

So I have to ask.

Am I a God hating pagan?

 

[GigageiTsula]

After checking out the provided passages, I would say that is bad advice. No offense there, GigageiTsula.

For Romans 8:7, we do not hate that which we do not believe in. In many cases, we already have our own gods, or just lack the evidence to believe in yours.

Corinthians 2:14 basically says we won't believe because we don't understand, and we can't understand until we believe. That's not really how faith works. We need a reason (like evidence) to believe.

Corinthians 4:4 doesn't make sense. Your god blinds the non-believers then holds us accountable for not believing?

If you want to know why non believers are threatened or put off, then asking non-believers is the right way to go for primary source answers.

No offense taken. Let me address what you said. Romans 8:7 says that the carnal mind (someone who isn't saved) cannot submit to God or to His law. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says that a person without the Spirit doesn't accept the things of God but considers them foolishness and can't understand them because they are only discerned through the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that the 'god of this age,' which is referring to Satan and not to God the Father, has blinded the minds of people so they cannot see the light of the Gospel. No one can come to Christ Jesus unless God the Father draws them (John 6:44) and no one can come to the Father except through Christ Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). The Word is very clear that there is no other way to salvation except through Christ Jesus (Acts 4:12). Anyway, I was wanting to share my Christian viewpoint with the OP and answer his questions from a biblical perspective.

 

[GigageiTsula]

The gospel is offensive to those who are perishing, thats why you need not worry about the unreceptive, when someone IS receptive then you have found someone who can be saved. don't waste your time trying to convince people who don't want to have anything to do with Jesus, pray that God would knock em on their butt like the Apostle Paul and make them into super apostles, nothing better than a once God hating pagan, to be touched by an all powerful, loving God, In one second they are completely sold out for Jesus

I think our Lord said it better, "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town" (Matthew 10:14). Salvation is of the Lord. We cannot save anyone, coerce anyone or force anyone to accept Christ Jesus as Savior. I could only guess and say that the majority of Christians today have never had a "Road to Damascus' experience which led them to the Lord.