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YEP. I think it's totally rude to debate religion and politics in public. You never know who you're going to offend and for what reason. I tend to shy away from political conversations mostly because I generally don't keep up to date on politics. I do have opinions and I do align myself with a particular set of ideals, and when people disagree with me, I kind of want to pick them up and shake them. But I'm not a fast enough thinker to defend myself in a political argument, so I mostly end up just biting my tongue.

As far as religion goes, I could probably hold my own in an argument if I tried, but I really prefer not to. I have my understanding of God, and other people have theirs. I'm likely not going to change anyone's mind (again, not the fastest of thinkers), and I certainly don't want anyone turning their attack on me personally because of my particular brand of faith. Friendly discourse I can handle, though, and I don't mind having a polite discussion about faith in public amongst friends. If it comes down to "my God is bigger than your God" boasting, that's when I excuse myself. People who want to think that way will always think that way.

I want to add that the 'gentleness' part of that scripture is probably the hardest part, in those circumstances. If we've got the firmness to not waver in our words, brazenness is an easy thing to fall into.

You know what? I was just reading in Acts, and God made something really clear to me, that in my own zealotry I hadn't thought about. Paul, in chapter 9, is recorded as "speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him." (Acts 9:28-29) However, in the case of a "devout and God-fearing" man named Cornelius, "he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly" (Acts 10:2), but is not recorded as preaching the word. In other words, God was glorified through his actions, even if Cornelius didn't preach in the synagogues or on the streets. His life was his testimony. So, the overarching theme here, or plan to follow, is that God gave us each at least one spiritual gift with the Holy Spirit, by which we are to glorify Him. What that means, practically, is that those with the gift of teaching, myself being one, praise God, are to teach, and God will be glorified. Others have the gift of service, of prophecy (which also entails preaching), of giving, of hospitality, and so forth. The key is to follow God, and the Holy Spirit's prompting, to do what God has given for us to do, and, other than that, to do everything to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).

It's rude to discuss politics and religion in public? I must have seriously missed that memo.

I'll admit that I'm not much for current politics. I hardly keep up with who's running what these days. I do enjoy discussing politics in a broader, more philosophical sense, though. Like discussing capitalism vs. socialism, or the few political issues I do care about. Same goes for religion/philosophy/morality. I really enjoy hearing what other people think and their reasons for thinking it, even if I disagree with it. I like to attempt to challenge others, and I like others to challenge me. There's some topics that I'm not really willing to debate, but they're pretty few and far between. And just because I won't debate it doesn't mean I won't talk about it.

I'm happy to discuss my beliefs and opinions with almost anybody. I mean, I'm relatively secure in my beliefs and if I discover that something I believe can't withstand a certain amount of scrutiny, sometimes I'll re-think it. That doesn't mean I'll automatically change my mind if I discover that I can't defend or justify my opinion to someone, but I think it certainly merits taking a second look at it, and either thinking on it more and concluding that I do in fact stand by my opinion but now said opinion is backed by much more thought and logic/fact/research/whatever, and sometimes I'll realise that I may not have thought an opinion through completely, and perhaps it doesn't hold the water I once thought it did.

Why is it that some of you think it's rude to discuss such things? I mean, I guess I can kind of understand not wanting to discuss certain thing; I know that justifying my faith to some people is just impossible, because my faith and my reasons for standing by it are deeply personal (or at least some of it is). Not wanting to talk about certain things is fine. Not everyone is going to want to talk about everything, not everyone is the same. But what's rude about discussing politics or philosophy provided the discussion itself is civil? Isn't...you know, actual rudeness sort of a requisite for something being rude?

It's always good to lead by example, but you can engage in a religious discussion without getting all stereotypically Bible-thumpy. I mean, I think we can all agree that I might be one of the least Bible-thumpy Christians...I don't know, ever? lol And I know plenty of people don't see that as a good thing, but, I've found that it does make me very approachable.

A lot of people are surprised to find out I'm Christian for...well, various reasons, but defying people's expectations seems to make people more willing to listen to what I have to say. I mean, I have trouble relating to plenty of Christians, so that in itself gives me something in common with a lot of people who lack religious faith I guess.

Also, I'm not really out to convert people, I just like sharing how my faith has positively affected my life, and people seem to respond to that.

I don't know, all kinds of people seem to feel comfortable talking to me about all kinds of things. I've had people tell me their entire life story without ever learning their first name. I guess I'm non-threatening or something? It's weird, though. It happens to me everywhere. I don't mind. I just really enjoy talking to people, I suppose. I've never really thought of myself as a "people person," but I guess I am. I like meeting new people and listening to what they have to say, and I'm usually pretty comfortable talking to people so long as they're the ones to initiate the conversation. I do sometimes get worried that I talk too much to the point where it's annoying. I worry about that even online. I can get pretty long-winded as I'm sure most of you have noticed. I just have a lot to say most of the time, and sometimes I get kind of obsessed with making sure that people understand what I'm saying, which usually just leads to me over-elaborating and thinking up three or four separate analogies to get across a single point. That much of the time probably doesn't even need one analogy.

English is my second language, so even though I'm quite confident of my language skills, I still worry that I'll be somehow misunderstood. I used to have a pretty strong accent and people DID sometimes have trouble understanding me in English, but my accent is pretty light now, but I still worry about being misunderstood.

Seriously, I'm asking this as an honest question: why do so many of you think it's rude to discuss politics and religion in public? Is it just a desire to avoid conflict? How can you witness to others if you're not even willing to openly talk about what you believe?

I understand that nobody likes conflict or confrontation, but sometimes it's just unavoidable. If defending your faith and maybe even putting people on the road to salvation isn't worth ruffling a few feathers, then what is?

Leading by example is great, but unless you're willing to open up some dialogue, most people will probably just assume that you're a nice person. Not that it's a bad thing to be seen as a nice person, but...well, the odds of turning someone onto Jesus just by being nice and doing the right thing without ever mentioning your walk with Christ are...not very high.

I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be mean or critical, I just find it sort of baffling that an unwillingness to speak publicly about one's faith is so....common. And I'm not normally one to pull out scripture, but aren't we called on to spread the Word of God and not flinch away from doing so just because it might create an uncomfortable social situation? I mean, people used to gladly die defending their faith, and now we balk at talking about our beliefs just because it might create an awkward situation? I'm confused.

You're probably right. It just seems so strange to me that a person's core belief system is something that would be inappropriate to speak of in polite conversation. I mean, sure, things can get heated, but so long as everyone involved is at least a little mature, ultimately the worst way it usually ends is just with an amicable "Let's agree to disagree, and I'm happy that what you believe gives you the fulfilment you seek."

For whatever reason, most people tend to not realise I'm Christian unless I tell them. I'm not really sure why; the only answer I get is "You just don't seem like the type." But people say the same thing when they learn I'm a recovering drug addict, or about loads of the "crazy" things I've done or been through, so I have no clue what "type" I seem to be at first impression. I probably don't want to know, haha.