# Is witnessing a requirement of Christianity? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 15, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171 "2009-09-15T14:17:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/41 "2009-09-17T15:56:50Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Don’t piss off **raindog** , we need him to stick around - he’s our HVAC guy 🙂 hehe. No worry. I ain’t going anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/42 "2009-09-17T16:01:34Z")
> [@raindog](#): > > I agree with **jayjay** ; you don’t have to believe any of this stuff is true. But jeezopete you should be able to report it correctly. That’s the major thing I’m at loggerheads with **monavis** about in this thread. We’re not talking about something subjective like whether _arsenokoites_ means “homosexual”, “pedophile”, “sissy” or “templar voluptuary”. We’re not interpreting anything…we’re looking at the basic plotline of the book called “Acts of the Apostles”, and **monavis** is getting that plotline (NOT something subject to interpretation as to what happens when) completely end-up. Geez…I’m starting to feel like building a campfire and cracking out the graham crackers and marshmallows, **raindog**! Kumbaya! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/43 "2009-09-18T13:08:59Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I’m on your side as far as the “Is it real?” thing, but you’re trying to play both sides on this one. If you’re going to argue from the Bible (as you are doing when you talk about Stephen being martyred and Paul converting), you have to argue from what the Bible actually says…your version of events was garbled, time-shifted and just plain inaccurate from the standpoint of the storyline as written. Whether something happened before or after something else in Acts of the Apostles doesn’t come down to belief, it comes down to “check the book”. And on checking the book, your version of events was wrong. > > No one is saying that you have to believe anything (hell, I’m an atheist/agnostic myself!), we’re just saying that you have to be true to your sources if you’re going to argue from them. The point I a was trying to make is that Jesus WAS dead before Paul had his so called encounter with Jesus.ACTS 7 does say Saul approved of Stephan’s death. Then as he road to Damascus he was blinded by a light from heaven,asking Saul why he was persecuting him and Jesus then was supposed to have said He was Jesus that Saul was persecuting,it was a voice that Saul(Paul) said he heard not a vision of Jesus, the voice he heard told him to go to the house of Judas,then Saul saw a man (Ananias) who told him that Jesus said Saul was chosen by Jesus,when Ananais laid his hands on Saul(Paul) the scales fell from his eyes. Now if that doesn’t just require belief I do not know what does. Jesus was dead when He was said to talk to both Ananias and Saul. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2009, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/44 "2009-09-18T13:24:04Z")
> [@raindog](#): > > IIRC, you told us one that you read the NT through and through 8 times. > > This post, like the last few lack context, [chronological] continuity, and even coherence. > > I agree with **jayjay** ; you don’t have to believe any of this stuff is true. But jeezopete you should be able to report it correctly. If you have read my other posts you would recall that I have said I have read the entire Bible through at least 20 times maybe 24, I read it every day for many years I didn’t memorize any of it. It wasn’t until I realized that a lot of it was contradictory that I began to see how a lot couldn’t have happened. some was when I re-read parts. If you can’t understand me then I am sorry for that, The basic thing is that I was trying to get across is that Jesus was dead before Saul had his Vision and heard voices. That fact remains and is not contradictory. Saul(Paul) never met Jesus when he was alive. Ananias also was supposed to have a voice which he said was Jesus. That is no more believable then An Angel telling Muhammed to write an entire book. ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/45 "2009-09-19T00:24:50Z")
> [@monavis](#): > > If you have read my other posts you would recall that I have said I have read the entire Bible through at least 20 times maybe 24, I read it every day for many years I didn’t memorize any of it. It wasn’t until I realized that a lot of it was contradictory that I began to see how a lot couldn’t have happened. some was when I re-read parts. If you can’t understand me then I am sorry for that, The basic thing is that I was trying to get across is that Jesus was dead before Saul had his Vision and heard voices. That fact remains and is not contradictory. Saul(Paul) never met Jesus when he was alive. Ananias also was supposed to have a voice which he said was Jesus. That is no more believable then An Angel telling Muhammed to write an entire book. 24 times!? Why is that you **consistently** show so **little** working knowledge? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/46 "2009-09-19T00:47:04Z")
Back to OP: As mentioned, it says in the instructions you’re expected to “go unto all nations and preach”. Specifics are kind of loose but from the context it seems clear that includes BOTH by example and by actual active preaching. OTOH there is NOT an instruction to do the preaching in the manner of an obnoxious prick, while it does say in the same book you should avoid exalting yourself as exemplarily righteous. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/47 "2009-09-19T10:24:17Z")
> [@raindog](#): > > 24 times!? > > Why is that you **consistently** show so **little** working knowledge? Perhaps it is your intepretation of what Knowldege is? ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2009, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/48 "2009-09-19T10:40:35Z")
> [@raindog](#): > > 24 times!? > > Why is that you **consistently** show so **little** working knowledge? As a Post script to my last post (answering you) I would like to ask what was incorrect about the post before? If you read your Bible you will see that Paul did approve of Stephan’s death and when I used to go to church I heard many sermons on the fact that Saul(Paul) was converted because he saw the faith that Stephan had, and no, those word are not in the book of Acts that I recall. But it is true that Jesus had died and was said to have returned to heaven before Stephan’s death, so Paul couldn’t possibly have seen Jesus, and since the light blinded him he couldn’t have seen Jesus then. Because a voice told him it was Jesus could well be someone tricking him. He had never met Jesus so he wouldn’t know what he looked like, or know his voice! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/49 "2009-09-20T03:20:45Z")
I think another problem, at least with using mainly words, is that nowadays, how many people HAVEN’T heard about the Bible, and Christianity? It’s not like you’re telling people something they don’t already know about. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/50 "2009-09-20T03:28:09Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I think another problem, at least with using mainly words, is that nowadays, how many people HAVEN’T heard about the Bible, and Christianity? It’s not like you’re telling people something they don’t already know about. But if you don’t match their definition of “saved”, you DON’T know about it. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/51 "2009-09-20T11:35:54Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I think another problem, at least with using mainly words, is that nowadays, how many people HAVEN’T heard about the Bible, and Christianity? It’s not like you’re telling people something they don’t already know about. It is true that most Christians know about the Bible,but many just read the passages they like and interpret it how they want it to be. Many Christians do not read the Bible and go by what they hear in church. That is their right. The Bible is really just the word of humans giving their interpretation of what God says or wants. I see no harm in it as long as they do not try to force their beliefs on others. Some use it for good,some for evil. Christianity is the most divided of all religions because of this. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/52 "2009-09-20T17:41:56Z")
> [@monavis](#): > > Christianity is the most divided of all religions because of this. I really don’t think that’s true. There are wars between Muslims based on points of faith that most of us in the US haven’t even heard of. We are aware of the various Christian denominations because we live with them day in and day out. They’re part of our culture. If you lived in Iraq, India, China or Japan, you’d see how many variants there are on the major religions of those areas. And, conversely, I would be very surprised if the leaders in Iran were saying “Those Evangelicals and Roman Catholics are really out to get us, but I feel like the Lutherans and Methodists can be negotiated with. We still need to send delegations to talk to the Charismatics, Calvinists, Anglicans, Episcopalians…” To people in the rest of the world, we’re all “Christian” just the way, to us, they’re all Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist. There are many divisions… but try getting 3 billion people to agree on anything. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171/53 "2009-09-21T11:12:42Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > I really don’t think that’s true. There are wars between Muslims based on points of faith that most of us in the US haven’t even heard of. We are aware of the various Christian denominations because we live with them day in and day out. They’re part of our culture. If you lived in Iraq, India, China or Japan, you’d see how many variants there are on the major religions of those areas. > > And, conversely, I would be very surprised if the leaders in Iran were saying “Those Evangelicals and Roman Catholics are really out to get us, but I feel like the Lutherans and Methodists can be negotiated with. We still need to send delegations to talk to the Charismatics, Calvinists, Anglicans, Episcopalians…” To people in the rest of the world, we’re all “Christian” just the way, to us, they’re all Muslim, Hindu or Buddhist. > > There are many divisions… but try getting 3 billion people to agree on anything. Yes, many religions have divisions but there are many more Christian divisions than any other faith. There are (last I read) many hundreds of Christian religions. they do agree on some things but not on others and that is why it is divided, there are even divisions in some of the faiths, such as Lutheran, Baptist etc. Some Christians even say Catholics are not Christian, although they use a Book the Catholic and Orthodox decided was God’s word. The Orthodox split with the Catholic church in 1,000. Some Iranians do not want any religion practiced but their own, the do not think that Christians are out to get them, but consider any one not of their religion as being an infidel! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-witnessing-a-requirement-of-christianity/510171.md?page=2)