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 Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 8:34 am
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:01 pm
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| Woman of Christ Wrote: |
Sadly,
My younger brother is an athiest. So is my half brother and it's possible that my friend is too. D: Just a couple years ago, I've tried talking to my younger brother about the Lord and he didn't want to listen to anything I said and revealed to me of his atheism.
So I'm wondering guilders, how do you guys personally get those who simply don't want to hear it to listen to you? |
Hi...I stumbled across this guild and this thread quite by accident, but as a Pagan who constantly has people trying to get me to convert, I couldn't help but want to give my three cents as to why your brother might have shut down like that. Hope that's alright. I recognize this is a Christian guild and I don't want to be rude by bopping in here, just thought I could possibly give you some insight.
I have a tendency to shut down when people start going down the whole why-aren't-you-a-Christian-don't-you-know-Jesus-loves-you road with me. This is because being Pagan, I have a lot of people who really aren't interested in anything more than harassing me about what I believe. Telling me it's stupid or accusing me of participating in things that have absolutely nothing to do with my religion whatsoever. I've probably been told I'm a horrible hell-bound person far more times than I've been told that the Christian God loves and cares about me.They call me ignorant, but I've read their bible extensively and feel like I understand it better than they do. I think what irritates me is that often I feel like these people are railing on me without any provoking on my end, and without really understanding what it is that I believe.
I understand not all Christians are like that, but I've met many who are. Your brother might have experienced this or have non-Christian friends who have and that might be the reason he doesn't want to listen to you about it. I'm not going to tell you to try and change his mind because I'm not sure that's right, but at the same time I'm not going to tell you not to tell him about your God, because I understand that just sort of goes with the Christian territory. What I would say is if you wanna talk to him about it, just try not to be judgmental, try to understand things from his perspective and not be too pushy. At least he might understand that not all Christian fit the stereotypes, anymore than all Pagans or Atheists fit theirs.
That's all I really had to say. I hope it was alright that I said it.
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Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:53 pm
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Thank you for sharing your story and advice with us... Placing myself in your shoes I understand your feelings of people being forceful and insulting and how you would feel like jabbing your fingers in your ears and going, "Na, na, na, na! I'm not listening!" Truly, this act is not what the Bible teaches for us to be, and sadly Christians do not always follow what the Bible tells them to do or be since we have this human dilemma called sinning. Christians, just like every other individual, are hypocritical beings, much to Jesus' disapproval. He, Himself, had warned for us to not be hypocrites. Funny how the stereotypical Christian is mortifyingly judgmental, yeah? Here's a link to Yahoo Answers on criticism if you would like to view it: Click Here.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
You can use Bible verses like these to show your opponents how some methods they use are wrong. They can learn to improve themselves, and it will benefit both parties. I must admit that I am also a hypocrite, for that is human nature and not confined to people who sit in pews on Sunday morning. It's actually hard to not judge, but we're working on it. Please excuse us, as we excuse you. Perhaps if you encourage them to read their Bibles (most don't have the patience to...) then they will learn how to act in a gentler way. I really appreciate your post, and you are welcome here anytime, you know? Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read my response, and I hope you have a great day today. ¡Adíos!
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