Why do Christians proselytize?

[Cypress]

Okay. There are all sorts of weirdos here.

But out where people are not shielded by anonymity, I have not met any.

I have personally had more atheists be hard-assed about proselytizing atheism than Christians proselytizing Christianity.

But, I acknowledge, that may just be me.

I have been registered on this board since 2006, and I am pretty sure there are more threads and posts by atheists stating that anyone who is religious is irrational and stupid , than there are by holly rollers telling us we are going going to roast in hell fires if we don't convert to their religion.

On the other hand, the Holy Rollers have a terrible habit of using religion as an excuse to attempt to legislate away the rights of people they don't agree with.

 

[Cypress]

do you believe all morality is religion based?

No. Stoicism, Epicureanism, Aristotelian ethics are not based on any specific state religion or theistic practice.

Your post and this thread were about Christianity.

That didn't give you licence to take credit for the moral metaphysical vision of Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism.

 

[Ross Dolan]

I have been registered on this board since 2006, and I am pretty sure there are more threads and posts by atheists stating that anyone who is religious is irrational and stupid , than there are by holly rollers telling us we are going going to roast in hell fires if we don't convert to their religion.

On the other hand, the Holy Rollers have a terrible habit of using religion as an excuse to attempt to legislate away the rights of people they don't agree with.

Yup!

I have an agnostic perspective of the issue of "Do any gods exist?"...and have always been met with a great deal more anger and recriminations from atheists than from theists.

Here is my position:

I do not know if any GOD (or gods) exist or not;

I see no reason to suspect that gods cannot exist…that the existence of a GOD or gods is impossible;

I see no reason to suspect that at least one GOD must exist...that the existence of at least one GOD is needed to explain existence;

I do not see enough unambiguous evidence upon which to base a meaningful guess in either direction on whether any gods exist or not...so I don't.

(When I use the word "GOD or gods" here, I mean "The entity (or entities) responsible for the creation of what we humans call 'the physical universe'...IF SUCH AN ENTITY OR ENTITIES ACTUALLY EXIST.)

I seldom get any flak from Christians on that position...but atheists often tear into it as though only a moron would accept it.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

actually it's atheists who insist all morality is religious dogma.

they do not believe that morality exists even though it's rationally derived.

this gives away why they hate god, they love evil and their own narcissistic rage.

Fascinatingly stupid, but not surprising given this nonsense's source.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

To what do you attribute the difference?

AFAIK, there's only two versions of Islam. Both come under da’wa. There are about 2B Muslims on the planet.
https://fullerstudio.fuller.edu/proselytizing-in-islam/

There are thousands of versions of Christianity among the world's 2B Christians. Like Muslims, Christians are commanded by their religious dogma to spread the religion. Due to the wide variety of Christian denominations, some are more assholish about it than others.
I'm guessing you didn't have any Islamic Jihad folks in your class.

Two other factors to consider are the facts most people are good and total numbers of believers/demographics. If only 1 person out of a thousand is a fucking asshole, the odds of meeting an asshole in a school of 500 are small. Increase the school to 10,000 and the odds increase proportionally.

In the US, there are less Muslims than Jews and a vast majority of Christians. Specifically, Protestant Christians as students of history should know and understand why.

Given all humans are nearly identical, including being good, the odds of running into a Christian asshole are much greater in the US than in running into a Jewish or Muslim asshole. It's just a matter of numbers. Go to Iran, Israel or Ireland and the numbers change with the demographics.

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/
Christians 70.6%
Jews 1.9%
Muslims 0.9%

Mainstream Xtians (Catholic, Methodist, etc.) don't tend to evangelize others like some of the more extremist (Assembly of God, far-out Baptists) do. As to why I've never experienced Islamic proselytizing? Probably numbers, plus the ones who I interacted with were obviously moderates rather than extremists. Extremists of all flavors are very keen to "share the word" whether that word is about their god, their glorious orange tyrant, Amway, or the latest diet craze.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Okay. There are all sorts of weirdos here.

But out where people are not shielded by anonymity, I have not met any.

I have personally had more atheists be hard-assed about proselytizing atheism than Christians proselytizing Christianity.

But, I acknowledge, that may just be me.

In real life or on the Internet? I've also seen some atheists go after those who have a religious faith, call them brainwashed, idiots, weak, etc. -- on the Internet, not in real life. Basically some ppl are just assholes. lol

 

[BidenPresident]

Some Christians reach out to others because they think there are tangible benefits to being a Christian...and want to share those benefits. I think there are benefits to reading...and often reach out to share that thought in order to share what I perceive to be the benefits. It seems to be to be a natural thing to do.

Very few actually lecture others. I think you are misreading most Christians in that regard, BP.

I have personally never met a Christian who suggests that if one does not convert...that person is de facto immoral. Are you saying you have?

Every Christian I have ever encountered.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

nah. she is trying to say islam is not a prostelytizing religion, going off cherry picked ignorant personal anecdotes.

lol@dumbness.

I said nothing of the sort, Mr. Asshat. I said that "I have personally not" experienced being preached at by the Muslims I have known in real life. OTOH, I have been preached at numerous times by various Xtians, not including the ones who come knocking at your door to invite you to their churches. No doubt a lot of that was due to living in the Bible belt, in rural areas, where every other mile there's another little fundie church next to a corn field or cow pasture. I don't know whether Muslims try to evangelize others or not. And frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a damn either.

I bet you believe that Muslims, like your fictional atheists, have no morality because they don't follow whatever odd flavor of religion you do. So far I haven't seen much evidence of morality in YOUR posts. Just the fact that you ardently worship a #TangerineToddler and support violence to keep him on his throne tells us all we need to know about your level of ethics.

 

[Cypress]

Yup!

I have an agnostic perspective of the issue of "Do any gods exist?"...and have always been met with a great deal more anger and recriminations from atheists than from theists.

Here is my position:

I do not know if any GOD (or gods) exist or not;

I see no reason to suspect that gods cannot exist…that the existence of a GOD or gods is impossible;

I see no reason to suspect that at least one GOD must exist...that the existence of at least one GOD is needed to explain existence;

I do not see enough unambiguous evidence upon which to base a meaningful guess in either direction on whether any gods exist or not...so I don't.

(When I use the word "GOD or gods" here, I mean "The entity (or entities) responsible for the creation of what we humans call 'the physical universe'...IF SUCH AN ENTITY OR ENTITIES ACTUALLY EXIST.)

I seldom get any flak from Christians on that position...but atheists often tear into it as though only a moron would accept it.

When it comes to the internet, I question whether we are dealing with honest to goodness principled, irreligious, dispassionate atheists - or whether we are dealing simply with anti-christian zealots, who perhaps had a bad experience with a fundy church early in life.

I can post threads until the cows come home about Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Judaism and I will never get swarmed by angry atheists. They will inevitably maintain radio silence.

But if I post something about Christian history or theology, it's like waving a red cape at a bull.

OTOH, the most annoying thing about Holly Rollers is that they generally don't even understand the historical and theological basis of their own religion, and end up using religion as a fig leaf to cover their own blatant political biases.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Yup!

I have an agnostic perspective of the issue of "Do any gods exist?"...and have always been met with a great deal more anger and recriminations from atheists than from theists.

Here is my position:

I do not know if any GOD (or gods) exist or not;

I see no reason to suspect that gods cannot exist…that the existence of a GOD or gods is impossible;

I see no reason to suspect that at least one GOD must exist...that the existence of at least one GOD is needed to explain existence;

I do not see enough unambiguous evidence upon which to base a meaningful guess in either direction on whether any gods exist or not...so I don't.

(When I use the word "GOD or gods" here, I mean "The entity (or entities) responsible for the creation of what we humans call 'the physical universe'...IF SUCH AN ENTITY OR ENTITIES ACTUALLY EXIST.)

I seldom get any flak from Christians on that position...but atheists often tear into it as though only a moron would accept it.

Interesting. I find your reasoning the most logical and rational of all. Some atheists, however, like some Xtians/Muslims/keto dieters, etc., seem to find those who don't follow their same path as scary, wrong, "immoral," etc.

 

[BidenPresident]

Interesting. I find your reasoning the most logical and rational of all. Some atheists, however, like some Xtians/Muslims/keto dieters, etc., seem to find those who don't follow their same path as scary, wrong, "immoral," etc.

I've never had an atheist come up to me and tell me how atheism solves all the world's problems.

 

[Ross Dolan]

Interesting. I find your reasoning the most logical and rational of all. Some atheists, however, like some Xtians/Muslims/keto dieters, etc., seem to find those who don't follow their same path as scary, wrong, "immoral," etc.

Thank you, OW. I appreciate your comment.

 

[Ross Dolan]

Every Christian I have ever encountered.

You are saying that "every Christian" you have ever encountered has suggest that if you do not convert, you are immoral???

I'm not sure if you are just kidding...or using hyperbole for some reason.

I simply cannot accept your statement to be the truth.

 

[BidenPresident]

You are saying that "every Christian" you have ever encountered has suggest that if you do not convert, you are immoral???

I'm not sure if you are just kidding...or using hyperbole for some reason.

I simply cannot accept your statement to be the truth.

I really don't care what you think. Don't bother.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

I've never had an atheist come up to me and tell me how atheism solves all the world's problems.

Heheheh. No, I haven't either. I've merely encountered the most rabid ones on the Internet. The vast majority of my family members are agnostic or atheist. They are all good, hard-working, ethical people. So are the ones who are Christian, with just a couple of minor exceptions.

 

[Dutch Uncle]

The Christian Faith has been perverted and altered by the far right to be used as a tool for the the purpose of indoctrinating the not so intelligent with right wing ideology.

It's a version of the Christian Faith. Agreed on what they are doing with it. They are the American ISIS.

 

[Trumpet]

It's a version of the Christian Faith. Agreed on what they are doing with it. They are the American ISIS.

Exactly right

 

[Dutch Uncle]

I've never had an atheist come up to me and tell me how atheism solves all the world's problems.

I have but mostly they were invariably young, angry and stupid men who hate the world and want to set it on fire.

Like older theists, most older atheists keep their beliefs to themselves.

 

[Ross Dolan]

I really don't care what you think. Don't bother.

Telling anyone that you do not care what they think...

...is almost like telling them that you care very much. If you didn't really care, you almost certainly would not respond at all. I care what you think...so I respond.

In any case, BP, I think you are full of shit on this, "Every Christian I've ever encountered suggests that I am immoral if I do not convert."

 

[BidenPresident]

Telling anyone that you do not care what they think...

...is almost like telling them that you care very much. If you didn't really care, you almost certainly would not respond at all. I care what you think...so I respond.

In any case, BP, I think you are full of shit on this, "Every Christian I've ever encountered suggests that I am immoral if I do not convert."

All insults.