They’re trying to do so because they consider you part of the congregation, and want everyone to contribute. That’s very common in a church group. You joined, so you’re part of the group, ergo, they think it would be perfectly reasonable for you to contribute as well.
Quite honestly, I don’t think you’re trying to learn. The main purpose of a church is to celebrate their belief system. I don’t think they’d mind someone challenging their beliefs a bit, but of course they’re going to promote them to you so strongly-- that’s the whole point. A church isn’t a debate club.
I’m in Toastmasters, and your post made me giggle SO much:
"The local Toastmasters group I joined is highly interested in public speaking. They make speeches and talk about public speaking throughout the whole meeting. They invited me out for drinks after the meeting once, and would you believe they just kept right on talking about public speaking?
I try to tell that it isn’t important to improve your speaking skills, but they just argue with me.
They even try to show how the communication and leadership skills they’ve learned there have helped them in everyday situations. I ask them to prove that it was actually things they learned at Toastmasters specifically that helped, but it just becomes a circular argument.
Really nice people and most of the principles of what they go by are fine with me but they can be very rigid and stubborn in their notion that communication skills are important, especially when I’m challenging their arguments.
I don’t want to overly annoy them but I think I have annoyed them with my constant bickering against their arguments.
How does a person who doesn’t think public speaking skills are important deal with those freaks who attend Toastmasters meetings?"
Say what? I’ve started eating them in cold weather, if cooked properly I find that they can be quite tasty.
Ehhhhhhhh, OK. Point taken.:o
As far as religious people go, if I do hang round with religious people I don’t talk about religion. If that’s their only topic of conversation, I’m gone.
Politics, sports, family, TV series, the latest movies, school options…
The biggest differences between lunch at my parish and one anywhere else is the catering (potluck vs paid), and Grace chanted loud enough to ensure that even if God isn’t wearing His aids He’ll hear it.
I usually change the subject & move on. When people ask me “what my kids will be raised to be,” I usually deliberately misunderstand them and say that I hope they’ll be good people and strong contributors to whatever community in which they choose to live. If pressed, I let them know that half my family is Jewish, half is Christian and I married a man who was raised Hindu. I’m now agnostic and my husband is an atheist, so I’ll make sure they’re as informed as possible and let them make their own choices.
People are remarkably pushy when it comes to children and religion.
In the Sunday School group which I attend at my church, we also have a fantasy football league, many of the members are also active in a community theater group, and most of us are nerds of various stripes. Several of us even talk about Dungeons & Dragons while in the confines of a Christian church!
Have you, at any point in your life, been involved in a church organization? It seems like you have not because otherwise you would know that fundraising is what they do. It is how the church exists. You join, you participate, you contribute.
It’s like you’re walking in to a store and asking them to convince you to buy their product, but oh by the way I’m never going to buy it. In fact I’m incredibly happy without it.
