Christian Supremacist

The BBQ Pit
1

What I mean by Christian Supremacist is someone who, by mere virtue of having proclaimed themselves to be Christian, feel perfectly justified in feeling superior to non-Christians. I certainly don’t mean to imply that all, or even most, Christians are like this. But the ones that are really frost my shorts!

Here’s the story. There’s a church around the corner from us. Christian, but I’m not sure of the exact denomination. Every Wednesday evening, they have a kid’s club. There’s a church member named Trish who goes around the neighborhood on Wednesday evenings, picking up kids who want to go there. The first time she approached me, I explained to her that we are Baha’i, not Christian. She asked a little about the faith, and I explained to her where and how it started, and that we still believe Jesus was Divine, etc. etc. She said that the kids don’t have to be Christian to go to the church and have fun, everyone is welcome. Well, my 12-year-old wanted to go, and I was happy to let her. She’d gone several times prior to the incident that prompted this. She always had a good time. But, a couple of weeks ago, she came home early, in tears. Apparently, Trish told her that she’s misguided. There’s a battle going on for her Immortal Soul, between God and Satan. God wants her soul, but can’t have it unless she accepts Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. Trish told my daughter “I’m sure your mother isn’t intentionally misleading you, but that’s what she’s doing. You need to accept Christ into your heart and be baptized”.

I cannot tell you how angry I was!! The gall of this woman, to tell me that my kids would be welcome at their church, and then, when she had my daughter alone, to try to use scare tactics to convert her! My daughter is free to be whatever she chooses. I’ve not pushed my religion on the kids. If one of my kids felt that Christianity or Islam or whatever was their path to God, I would be delighted that they had searched within themselves and found their own way. But what this woman did was just sneaky and underhanded, and, IMHO, very un-Christian!

So, should I call the church and talk with the pastor, or have a talk with Trish next time I see her in the neighborhood, or just leave it be, or what?

BTW, sorry if I posted this in the wrong forum. I couldn’t really decide if it belonged here or in GD.

2

Talk with Trish.

While I have no real problem with someone witnessing to me, an adult, I think what trish did was sneaky and unkind.

3

I don’t have a problem with people witnessing to me, either. In fact, I’ve had very long, pleasant conversations with the LDS missionaries who live in our neighborhood. And if Trish had come to me, and said she was concerned about my daughter’s soul, I could have addressed her directly. My daughter, though, got so upset over all this that she couldn’t respond at all!

4

First, I’d strongly recommend against talking to the pastor and/or Trish, as they’re very well likely to agree that it is a good thing to scare – uh, encourage – kids into accepting Christ. (Sorry, NoClueBoy, but there’s Christians out there that well believe that the ends justify the means, and I suspect that the members of the church which norinew is talking about may be that type. The fact that they try to round up neighborhood children makes me a bit suspicious.) I’d be surprised if you didn’t end up listening to a sermon about why you are misguided and why you need to accept Christ, and how you will burn in hell if you don’t! In some parts of the Christian belief system, it is morally righteous to scare kids into accepting Christ – er, urge them to make a decision for Christ, and umm, remind them of the consequences of not doing so. To them, it’s much more important that people don’t go to hell, and unfortunately, the time when people are most receptive to this belief that they’ll go to hell if they don’t accept Christ is in childhood. That’s why they talk to kids and not parents – the parents are much more likely to tell them to sod off, but the kids are impressionable.

Using a kid’s club as a guise to do this seems like a relatively standard tactic for children (the exact strategies used vary as people go through different life stages). I fear the pressure for her to accept Christ will get stronger and stronger as she keeps going there.

If I may offer some advice, I’d say that unfortunately, just try to explain to her as best as you can that she just can’t go there anymore, and keep her away. Is there a kids club at another church nearby that isn’t so stridently geared towards scaring kids into accepting Christ?

5

One wonders what Trish’s reaction would be if, say, a Muslim (or even a different Christian denomination member) pulled the same sort of thing on her daughter?

On second thought, I don’t want to know.

6

You should cut off contact with this church group and drop in to see the pastor. They need to put a stop to this behavior now, before it becomes more damaging.

Inviting children to a church group and trying to convert them outside of their parents purview is very creepy behavior. If I were you, I’d kick up a fuss over it. Have your daughter write down the conversation on a piece of paper, and bring that with you when you go to see them. Then tell them if you hear of any further behavior like this, you’ll inform local news outlets.

7

You expect that they’ll actually listen to reason and stop this behavior? For them, it’s way too often all about converting people by any means possible (short of killing them), because it’s necessary to do anything to keep people from hell.

I wonder if Trish would recognized for her diligent work in furthering the cause of Christ for that!

8

Yeah, lel, I’ve seen those people. They make the ressurected, glorified Jesus cry. (He ain’t no baby no more!)

But, I would have to talk to Trish. If nothing else, to draw the battle lines. And you never know. It might end up all is well.

Or, they may say one thing to appease you and then say another by trying to get to your kid again in a different way.

:::sigh::: Come on, Christians! Stop that!
btw, I am one myself. And I’m constantly bewieldered by the use of these type of tactics.

9

Maybe, but my cynical side says she’s just begging for a sermon. Nonetheless, it might be helpful to find out just where they stand.

And that’s exactly what I fear – they tell mom that they won’t do it again, and it’s not their policy to try to convert kids, and then they’ll just send someone else in the church to do it again, or as you said, try a different way of doing it.

I would be bewildered, but I’ve been outwitted by them so many times that I have to keep reminding myself day after day that not all Christians are like that.

10

http://www.mola.org/pandora/meryn.html#REDEEMED

I loce Meryn’s music, and this song makes me laugh. Every time. It’s just so appropriate for this thread…

Enjoy…

Elly

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(yes, the song is meant to be pure sarcasm/satire…)

12

I agree with those who think you should talk to Trish and the pastor of the church. Enticing minors to go to church by claiming a “no pressure” environment, then cornering them to confront them about their religious beliefs is inappropriate at the very least. When you do talk to them, make it clear that they are not to speak to your children for any reason again, and that further attempts at contact will be considered harrassment and will be dealt with accordingly. These aren’t fundies on a street corner, they’re fundies trying to initiate personal contact. That’s the line, and they crossed it.

At least, that’s what my parents did. My family lived in a largely Jewish community near a small, independent church. A few members of the church took it upon themselves to visit homes with mezuzot on the doorposts and preach the gospel. My parents told these people they were not welcome to invade their homes, but each time they did so, the church members’ visits seemed to increase. My mother finally (as only she could) called the pastor of the church and spoke to him. He told her that the church stood behind its membership in their efforts. He further assured her that these people were acting alone, and were not part of any official church program or mission. She told him in no uncertain terms that none of his church members were to step on her property again; that she would call the police and report them for trespassing if they did. Problem solved. :slight_smile:

(Note: I don’t advocate that you get the police involved, unless you have to. It’s just that my mother was sick of shooing these people off her front porch on a near-daily basis, and trespassing was the only way she had to make the problem stop.)

Robin

13

Get all your anger out here. Then talk calmly and rationally to the bitch and her pastor explaining that it appears you will have to forbid your child to participate if anything like that happens again.

Gauge theri reactions to decide whether or not to allow your child to participate further.

or

burn the fucking church down

14

I’d say give the pastor a chance before you write him off as being just as small-minded as Trish. Talk to him about Trish; he might be just as offended as you are, and be in a better position to reprimand her. And if he’s just another jackass and starts in with a sermon, well, that’s what God invented doors for. Walk out on the gasbag.

15

What is Baha’i?

Personally, I’d start trying to convert Trish. But that’s just my sick sense of humor.

I hope your daughter is okay. That’s really messed up.

16

Guin:

http://www.bahai.org/

17

To those of you who say “don’t let your daughter go there again”, don’t worry: she wouldn’t go even if I wanted her to!

I must have an equally sick sense of humor, because I thought about inviting her over for a little chat, and dumping some pamphlets on her. In fact, we even have a pamphlet on which the front says “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Light. No one comes to the Father except by Me”. The inside goes on to explain how we (Baha’is) hear the voice of the Spirit of Jesus Christ through the words of Baha’u’llah, the Prophet/Founder of the Baha’i faith.

andros, thanks for posting the link and saving me the trouble!:slight_smile:

18

Norinew, if you do decide to talk to this Trish, I would write down what your daughter told you and take it with you. Show Trish the note, and, in a soft, slow voice, ask if she can show you any example of Christ acting as she had when she traumatized your daughter. I would use the word “traumatized” and again, in a very calm manner, speaking softly, and slowly. Then just sit there without saying a word, for as long as it takes. Trish will make the next move, and begin talking, or rather babbling. The longer you are quietly sitting there, smiling, looking into her eyes, the more she will feel the need to talk to break the uncomfortable position you have placed her in. What ever she offers as evidence, you politely respond with “Yes, but no one was traumatized there”. I would bet you will get at a minimum, 50 to 100 apologies before you get out of there, and Trish, will never again use those tactics.

19

Absolutely they’d listen. The first goal of an individual running a church(The Pastor, not Trish) is to get people in the door, and keep people coming in.

The man’s salary is on the line, and press about indoctrinating children outside the presence and without the permission of their parents is bad press. You talk with the Pastor, the Pastor talks with Trish, and it doesn’t happen again.

That’s why the written statement from norinew’s daughter is so important. That’s what’ll make it seem as creepy as it is. Word of mouth travels fast in the church communities, and a lot of people drift around from church to church. No Pastor wants to risk that. Trust me, the last thing that guy wants to see is her daughter talking to the cub reporter for the nightly news, or an excerpt from her note in the Religion page of the local paper.

If you still have trouble, contact the sanctioning religious authority for that church and forward them the letter.

20

I think you have an obligation to complain. They need to know that people are offended by what they are doing. Maybe they won’t care, but maybe they will. I’d definitely not let my kid go back there and I would tell Trish exactly why. If they try to preach a sermon at you, that’s why you have feet. I wouldn’t not do what needs to be done because I’m afraid they’ll try to preach at me. I can turn my back and walk away like a pro.

Tell them if they try to approach you or your daughter again you will consider it harassment and call the police. Write a letter to the editor (or threaten to) of the local paper. Mention restraining orders.

Or, as suggested, just burn the fucking church down.