A question for Atheists on R&S regarding evangelism:?

I'm not out to convert anyone. I'm just providing perspective. That you're here tells me you either crave it, or want to give it.

To me, the cost of providing perspective is that you must listen to someone else's perspective.

I don't even mind when you evangelize (like I said, hearing you do that is the cost of doing business). What I DO mind is when you tell me that I'm lost, or that my life is incomplete without your god.

If you want to me take you seriously, I expect you to acknowledge that many people can and do live very fulfilling and wonderful lives as atheists.

In return, I'll never tell you that I think you are crazy or stupid because of your beliefs.

I don't try to convert anybody.

I also don't mind that you express your beliefs. However, I do demand that you respect my right to turn you down and live without your religious influences. When I close my door on somebody who's come to "save my soul" it's because I've heard what you guys have to say a million times, I've judged it to be false and I'm not going to waste my time on the same old re-hashed arguments. I have a life to live.

I do demand that you respect our secular government, and keep your beliefs out of our government and schools. The government does not oppress you when it refuses to place your religion on a pedastal. The schools are not killing the faith of children by forcing them to have faith by individual choice, instead of by school mandate. Educators are not being closed-minded when ideas that did not come from the scientific method are not being taught in science classrooms. Nobody is damaging the "moral fiber" of the nation by allowing two people who love each other to be entitled to the same rights and priveleges as other couples who love each other.

And so on, and so forth.

We are all free to worship and preach as we please. All I'm asking is that you don't violate my, or anybody else's, freedom to do neither. Preach all you want, but until you can put up some definiteily proof, don't be upset if I'm living my life differently from you.

I don't.

We dislike it, because evangelism often utilizes poor conversion tactics, and sometimes even lies, misinformation, assumptions, harrassment, etc. And it often involves the evangelist either knowingly or unknowingly being patronizing and condescending.

I also dislike it when the evangelism involves the attempt to indoctrinate children or legislating your beliefs in laws or putting them into politics/government/education/etc.

It isn't "genuine love" or "genuine care" it's "you must think as I do".

The real question is, what is the real reason why you feel that everyone in the world must think and believe as you do? Threats of hell aside, what is the reason? Is it because you think that those who don't think as you do are immoral? Are living empty meaningless lives? Are unhappy? Those are some of the reasons I've seen - all false and all extremely patronizing/condescending. You say that evangelism is a loving act and an act of caring - how so? How is forcing your beliefs on someone else in the attempt to get them to agree with you a loving act? How is bothering someone who doesn't want to be bothered a loving act?

Set aside the cliches about "someone standing in front of a car" or "standing on train tracks" and trying to draw a parallel to your personal beliefs about hell. If I envision a non existant distaster and spend my life harassing and trying to warn people about it and it never happens, I'm no hero.

Edit: As I said, I don't do that. In fact, if you really wanted to you could go back to former questions that I've answered about "what should I believe" and see that not once have I ever pushed anyone towards atheism. I always respond that it is a personal decision that one makes for themself, and they should question, research, and think on their own and come to their own decision. I also do not call anybody stupid based on their beliefs.

You still did not respond. How is evangelism a loving/caring act?

I'm agnostic. I do not see so much atheists "evangelizing" christians as simply trying to get through to them that they do not believe in their "god" and therefore do not need to be "saved". I have no problem with a "christian" that states that this is what they believe and leaves it there. It is when they tell me I must believe it too, that is a lack of respect for my belief. So I will explain to you, politely, that there is no proof for the existence of (any) "god(s)", christian or otherwise.

Since I do attend a christian church and strive to follow the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46, I am "saved" anyhow, no "god" necessary. So there is no need to "evanglize" me, thank you.

Blessings on your Journey!

"I see a lot of atheists who harbor deep resentments toward Christians who evangelize. "

Actually, I've a deep resentment to people who accost me in the streets or worse, who come to my home in my private time to bother me with their nonsense.

I have no issue with open discussion and exposition of viewpoints on an an open forum designed for that very purpose. In many ways, yours is a fallacious argument. But to answer your question: I don't. I'm here mainly for entertainment and the occasional learning moment, and because grownups with imaginary friends are inherently fascinating, and a little scary.

I don't try to convert, I simply present my beliefs in a logical way. I could really care less if I converted a person from a theist religion to Atheism, that's not my job. And truly I see more theists trying to convert Atheists to their religions, under the guise that we are sinners.

It's not possible that we're trying to liberate people from the imprisonment of stone age myths? That we want people to live productive, meaningful lives without having to look over their shoulder to see if some psycho divinity was going to burn them alive for breaking some mindless law? We want to help you become a better, happier person.. you just can't see it.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

You evangelize spreading silly irrational beliefs.Don't deluded yourself into thinking its out of love.We evangelize spreading knowledge and rational thinking.This will be the true salvation of mankind.

You evangelise because you have been told to.

It is an inherent part of your culture.

I have not been told to and it is not an inherent part of my culture.

Where I come from evangelising Christians are regarded as crazy and/or embarrassing. Luckily there aren`t that many, apart from a few Americans that hound us in Oxford as we go about our day to day business.

It might work for you in the USA, but it really does not go down well in my country.

It isn't so much trying to convert you. Xtians tend to want to legislate their bronze aged mythology into law. Thus it behooves a reasonable person to make sure othesr see how ridiculus the proposition is and not fall into that intellectually dishonest way of thinking.. That's all.