Preach Smarter, Not Harder

[pt_tangles]

I came across this yesterday while looking for some goddess statuary last night, and I have to say that reading it makes me a little sick:

"Willow the Wiccan

Willow's worldview is called Wicca ... Willow was attracted to Wicca because of the strong connection she felt with the world around her and in particular with nature. Willow is generally tolerant of other religions, but she does not welcome anyone trying to 'convert' her.

[snip]

Things to Remember

• Stress your personal relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ and what impact that has on your daily life.
• Whether Willow knows it or not, she is in the grips of Satan, so like Sid the Satanist, be sure and cover your relationship and conversations with her in a ton of prayer."

http://www.dare2share.org/wiccans

I am all for helping other religions understand Wicca and Paganism, but using that information to make a better 'soul-catching brigade' seems more than just a little sinister to me.

The reason we don't like being preached to is because we don't WANT your religion, TYVM. I am happy that it makes you happy. My way makes me happy. Is it really so hard to leave it at that?

Grrr.

--Phae

Comments

[gessatrude.livejournal.com]

Ugh. How, sad for them.

[sonicwylde.livejournal.com]

um what the hell was that? they ODed on buffy or somethign

[elf]

Oh, but they are compelled to try to convert people. Their religion commands them. And of course, we're supposed to make special allowances for their religion, even though they don't make the same allowances for ours.

I enjoy proselytutes. They're an opportunity to spread the Strange News, and convert another Discordian!

They feel safe preaching at Wiccans, because Wiccans don't generally preach back. When they do, they tend to be young & inexperienced and not very good at theology, and allow the Christian to set the terms of the debate. (Like, they'll argue whether or not the bible is provable, instead of saying, "here's my holy book. Why is yours better than mine? Mine is better 'cos it's newer; it supersedes the bible just like the New Testament supersedes the old!")

It's a cute website. Fascinating how they utterly ignore any hint of polytheism... even "Hari the Hindu"'s beliefs are described as mainly a belief in reincarnation (Christian proselytutes are obsessed with afterlife beliefs), and mentions something like henotheism.

Most Christian "witnessing" falls apart if you say, "well, I believe there's probably a Jehovah who made Adam & Eve (but not all humans), and Jesus was his son incarnate, just like Hercules was Zeus' son incarnate, and JHVH is just one of hundreds of gods. Can you prove all these other gods people worship and have relationships with don't exist?"

[dbmyrrha.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I probably wouldn't spend too much time with anyone who spent our conversation-time "stressing [their] personal relationship with the father through Jesus Christ"

It might be interesting to discuss with such a person the role of Jesus as a Lightbringer figure, and then mention that, of course, the original Lightbringer was called "Lucifer," and, hey, how interesting is that?

[vicki-sine.livejournal.com]

Christians can't help themselves. They truly "believe" in hell and therefore in there worldview witnessing is the ultimate kindness.

They see evryone who is nottheir personal brand of Christian as a drowning man in need of salvation.

Death is an unknown. Since they have no concept of visualization, imagination, or communication outside of a physical body, the idea of being disembodied is terribly frightening. Their dreams are full of uncontrollable nightmares. So they fear being lost in that dreamworld in death.

Their firm and steadfast belief in heaven and their person psychopomp Jesus and his angels gives them hope of surviving death. The alternative is oblivion or worse burning fires of eternal damnation, if they cross some almost impossible line of moral behaviour. Which is why they religiously attend their churches to stay in their concept of a state of grace and pay money to the ministers who con them into thinking they can pay their way into this heaven.

What a sad way to live.
My general response to the door to door religion salesman is

"no thanks I have a religion" and a closed door.

[droops.livejournal.com]

Willow needs to drop-kick them in the nuts.

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

Sorry--I'm still giggling about "Sid the Satanist".....