To Christianity, specifically. Not aliens this time, just humans.
Given the large preponderance of nonbelievers on the boards I’m interested in seeing your reactions if someone were to ask you “…Have you been saved? Have you embraced the word of the Lord?” I’ve heard the argument that someone attempting to convert you is in fact a high complement - if you believed with heart and soul that unless someone was a Christian they would burn forever, attempting to convert them is a great mercy. It’s also directly mandated in scripture.
Although on the other hand there are good reasons we think nonbelief is the way to go…Assume that the person attempting to convert you is a stranger to you and is going about it in a polite manner (no fire and brimstone).
I’m using the mad-o-meter, 5 is as livid as you can get, 1 is slight irritation.
I answered 5. I worked building school buses for 5 years and had ‘holy rollers’ that worked there as well. Every. Single. Bus. Every. Single. Day. ‘Praise the lord!’, etc…
Then, during this same time, my sister met her wonderful jesus freak husband and THEY start preaching. All the time.
I still run into people on occasion and even my dad is starting to send me a bunch of religious shit in email. Drives me fuckin insane!
I voted Low Miff, but I really don’t know since I don’t recall it ever happening. Maybe I’m just lucky, but I don’t think anyone has ever tried. One guy asked me if I “went to church” or some such thing. I said no, and he let it drop.
My nominal religion, Judaism, doesn’t seek converts, so right off the bat I feel proselytizing is just tacky. If someone asks me “are you saved” I’m only like irked to level 1, but if the continue past my reply (“I’m Jewish”) I’m up to level 3 pretty rapidly. I can’t imagine getting mad as a lorry though. That’s just too much effort.
How polite? If I say “No, I’m not interested”, do they immediately let it drop, or continue? If they immediately let it drop, then zero. If they continue, start at a two, and increase by 1 for each time they don’t stop talking when I say “No”.
I don’t know the nuances of bonkers (because here it seems to be exclusively used for the “insane or wacky” meaning of “mad”) or narky (which I don’t recall hearing before this thread), but I answered 2 because it would be worse than a light miff. Like Muldoon or Hello, if it progressed beyond my polite refusal, then it would be worse. It would also be worse if it happened more than say twice a year or so.
Though I’d never used the word before, I had to go with narked. That’s a high enough level of annoyance that I have a, “No proselytizing,” sign on my porch that’s visible from the street. Until that went up it seemed like the Jehova’s Witnesses were coming every other weekend.
I put bonkers. I’d be madder, but I’ve learned just to let it go and not let it affect me. But when you try to convert me, you are questioning my judgement and considering I am not worthy enough or smart enough to even make a religious decision on my own. And you are thinking your religion is in any way better than mine. And there’s some cultural baggage, too. Christians have been coming to the heathen Indians for a long time, telling us they know what’s good for us.
I went for “Lightly bonkers” because it depends on the person, how well I know them, when and how they asked, whether I was with someone else at the time etc etc. In general I try to politely deflect these people because frankly I don’t want to get into a conversation that will result in both of us being angry and/or unhappy, but catch me at the wrong time and I’ll bite your head off.
Depends how they do it. Usually they are nice and seem to have good intentions, so it doesn’t really bother me. I get tired of hearing it from my mom though, annoyed hearing it from exes who are actually complete assholes and should be worrying about their own souls, and I was a little annoyed when my old landlord tried it, just because that’s so unprofessional. But usually, whatever.
Polite to the point of not threatening you with eternal damnation, although once again since there is a firm belief that if you don’t convert you will roast with Satan and his goblins forever they will act accordingly. They won’t harass you if you walk away or slam the door, however. Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.
As in the OP, the proselytiser is a stranger to you. I’m thinking of the knock on the door, or more common for me being stopped in the street.
I always take it as a challenge and am disappointed to see the Watchtowers left at the door when I wasn’t there to answer.
We were having a garage sale and two people from the Baptist church down the street from us tried to give my (Catholic) SO a pamphlet. He’s normally the more affable and friendly type so I was surprised to see him refuse to take the pamphlet and repeating twice that neither of us are interested.
I’d need your definition of the word proselytize. I don’t think I do, but I don’t think that includes telling people about your religion, only directly trying to convert them–a tactic I don’t believe works in the long term. Relationships are how you do it.
And my abysmal attitude I’ve shown here at times is why I don’t even go as far as I would in real life. If I hadn’t already revealed my religion elsewhere, I’d avoid mentioning it altogether.
Not counting the JWs (who are rather nice and polite and don’t actually press their agenda apart from the leaflets), the last time I was asked was a elderly couple we were chatting to at the airport while waiting for a plane. They casually dropped it at the end of the conversation in an “of COURSE you’re a Christian, right?” sort of way. Since I have been to church on many occasions I managed to craft a response that was technically true (“I do attend church”) while implying that I was a believer (which I am not). They went away happy but, more importantly, they went away. Airports make me grumpy.
On the other hand, the earnest young man who cornered me in a cafe got his ass handed to him.
For me I think it’s all about intent; just having a friendly chat with no other motive I don’t think that would count. If the intent is to one day have the other party in your dialogue convert to your religion, I’d count that.
Just like with any other salesmen, if they can accept my ‘no’ the first time then I’m not bothered. It’s the pushy salesmen who want to argue and refuse to leave me alone that make me mad as a hornet. I don’t care if they are selling used car, magazines or the true word of the one and only God.
Yesterday a guy came to my door selling windows. He wouldn’t go away when I told him I’m wasn’t interested. He kept looking for excuses why I was wrong and why I really needed his products or, failing that, some other product or service. Proselytisers are exactly like that, except they delude themselves into thinking they aren’t selling anything and that they are doing you a favor so they are even harder to get rid of.
I’m delighted. I do the same thing to them that I do to anyone selling anything door-to-door: I try to sell them something they don’t want.
“PRAISE be to nothing, because God is just a superstition! Have you considered that Jesus Christ might NOT be your Lord and Savior? Let me get you a pamphlet…”
I find it mildly annoying, since I’m already a Christian, and don’t need converting, but I do respect the idea- I pretty much agree with Penn Jillette’s take on it: