How are religious folk able to tell that I’m not? I’m quiet, and not in any way conspicuously heathenistic. I’m always careful not to reveal my atheism. Still, many people, even strangers, always know to witness to me. One Muslim in my dorm was even convinced that I was demon possesed and worshiped the devil. So I geniunely want to know, how you proselytizers determine who to approach?
They look for quiet people that are obviously trying not to look heathenistic. When in doubt they will try the old ploy of accusing the person of being possessed by demons or worshipping the devil. It works 80% of the time. 
I think that if you get far enough out on the religious-zealotry spectrum, it is almost guarenteed that anyone around you is believing something heretical (at least as far as the zealot is concerned). So, it isn’t just the atheists who get hit. The mainstream religious types are feeling it too.
Why do you care? If someone wants to rant at you about how you should believe that thier religon is the only way to go just tell them that you have your own personal beliefs. If they don’t accept that just point them to the door and tell them never to bother you with the religous issue again.
And why do you feel the need to hide your atheist beliefs? Your OP sounds like you feel guilty for beliving what you do. Please don’t feel that way.
Some religious folk have a need to make atheists feel guilty and unworthy to prove that they are somehow better. The arguement they use is that you cannot be a moral and productive person unless you believe in the God they believe in. That is a bunch of BS. More people have been killed in the name of God than all the wars put together. If you aren’t sure of that just look at the Middle East. Or 9-11.
Most religious folk are good people. The ones that try to convert everyone to their belief system are the ones to watch. Especially those who think violence is an acceptable tool.
Slee
If it makes you feel any better, pb, solemn-looking young men used to come up to me every week or so at the local coffee shop and try to tell me all about Jesus–and both of my grandfathers were ministers. They did this only when I was sitting alone, and I think that’s the kicker–if you sit alone a good chunk at the time (reading or studying or contemplating silence or whatever), you’re going to get more than your share of evangelicals. After all, who wants to browbeat more than one person at a time?
This is assuming, of course, that you’re not demonically possessed. If you start vomiting split pea soup, we can worry.
Cheers,
In all seriousness, isn’t the general strategy to approach everyone? After all, in the opinion of a proselytizer, everyone needs to hear the good news.
(Oh, and as far as how I spot an unbeliever–I don’t. I’ve never been any good at picking them out of a crowd. For years I knew an old gentleman in his nineties and believed that he was an ultra-right religious conservative, and it was only much later that I learned that he was in fact a card-carrying atheist, and had been since he was a teenager.)
Cheers,
My friend was once aggressively witnessed to *in the prayer chapel at a Christian university[/]. I don’t know what the other person thought he was doing there. He told the guy, “I tell people this stuff!”
I guess the guy had some wild impression he was supposed to go boldly forth and preach to the converted or something.
Unbelievers have red eyes that glow in the dark. They have a shifty look, and if they touch a bible it burns their fingers. You can spot one on Sunday mornings, they’re the ones having naked mass pagan orgies instead of sitting in church.
How common is this “witnessing” in the US? (I barely know what the term means.) Here in Australia, I’ve never had anyone - friends and certainly not complete strangers - take an interest in convert me to their particular faith.
So these strangers actually come up to you and try to save your soul? Sounds exciting! Or annoying, I guess.
NO - IT’S JUST ANNOYING especially on a college campus or at least that’s my impression from being on one. Sometimes when I am feeling like a particularly vile heathen, I have told some them that I wanted to be delivered from homosexuality and them coming up to me at that moment must be a sign - Boy does that ever get some of their juices flowing. 
What if I just ate split pea soup before hurling it?
Keep in mind that not all of us who fit this description are unbelievers.
Complete strangers have come up to me and tried to save my soul in Ireland and New Zealand, so it’s not an exclusively American phenomenon. (For the record, I don’t think I look particularly heathenistic either – they probably pick on me because I look like I won’t tell them to piss off.)
I think they get a commission on souls saved or something…after all, how often does proselytizing work at converting someone’s beliefs?
I have no problem with how you worship. Just don’t tell me the way I do it is wrong. God (and Goddess) are too big to fit in one religion.
Hm. One summer, I got at least ten people trying to convert me to Christianity. One old lady on the subway was especially persistent. Repeating “No, thank you. Give the flyer to someone else. I AM a Christian. In fact, I’m a youth leader at my local church.” didn’t work. I assume that my eyes were glowing red. Or maybe I was wearing too much black or something. I’m almost sure that I wasn’t vomiting pea soup. 
Oh, and for the record- I ask people. That’s how I tell. And I would never dream of accosting random strangers on the streetcorners- it’s impolite and annoying. And I only ask them after I’ve known them for a while.
How does one distinguish an unbeliever? It depends on the particular form of unbelief that they’re not believing in…
I would agree, except 27 years ago I came to this area to start a new business. While I was finding my way around I noticed these young men wearing white shirts riding bikes. Someone told me they were mormons and I thought “what a waste of time, since there are so many churches already in Tupelo.” Soon afterwards I heard that they were meeting in homes, later they built a small church. Later they built on to that small church and now they have built a much larger church. My point is that those young men had to have reached someone with their proselytizing and from there it snowballed.
I remember when a new church started up around here. Persistent blokes. Pretty nice, too. Thought I was trying to prove something when I offered them a glass of water.
It was about 85 degrees out, plus humidity, and they were wearing formal clothes. Jesus to Pete, I was just being polite.
Note: saying “We’re Catholic” doesn’t get them to leave you alone. Things that work better:
1.) My name’s Glorianna, Mistress of Darkness. And you are?
2.) ::horribly annoyed tone:: If I say the prayer, will you go away and leave me alone?