Proselytizing really bothers me. Religious "witnessing" kind of does too. These 2 things have always bothered me because I've always felt that one's religious/spiritual beliefs and faith are so very personal and come from somewhere deep inside us, and that no one should think they should try to convince people to believe whatever they think is the right thing to believe.
The reason I'm bothered about it right now is that I have a couple Facebook friends who use that social network to do their witnessing, and have even gone so far as saying they pity the "unsaved".
I have zero problems with people believing what they believe. I might not completely agree, might even think it's stupid, but I would never say so, would never make someone feel bad for what they believe (or don't believe, as the case may be). I do believe in God. I have always known, my whole life, that there is a God, guardian angels, Jesus, the Holy Spirit. No one told me to believe this. My parents didn't have me Baptized and we didn't go to church during my entire childhood. One birthday I told my mom I wanted a necklace with a cross pendant. She was surprised and asked me why. I told her I didn't really know, except that I liked what it represented...ultimate love and sacrifice. And she got me one. This is what I'm talking about when I say faith comes from somewhere inside us. I just know that I'm a spiritual being connected to something more. I could get into the finer points of what I do and don't believe, or everything I'm just not sure about, but all that doesn't really matter.
What I have a problem with is people who feel the need to constantly throw their beliefs in other people's faces. And I especially don't appreciate when those people act like they're better than everyone else because of what they believe. A couple of the Facebook statuses I've seen say "there's hope for all the lost" and "how the unsaved make it thru this world is beyond me". Excuse me?? WHO ARE YOU to pass judgements like that!? AND, why do you think it's appropriate to spout off these things on Facebook of all places? Facebook is great for keeping up connections with people, but it's really just a silly social networking site. I don't think it's for trying to convert the masses. Facebook is not a pulpit! I understand that it's a place where we can share bits and pieces of ourselves, boast about our accomplishments and stay informed on a myriad of things. I myself have mentioned God and asked for prayers on Facebook. But that's where I stop. Asking for prayers when you're struggling with something is totally benign. The majority of people in the world do believe in the power of prayer, so you're probably not going to offend by putting that out there.
But to come out and say you think people are "lost" or "unsaved" because they don't believe what you do is rude and judgemental! I remember when my friend Emily was dying some of our mutual friends were worried about where she was going after she died because she didn't accept Jesus as her personal saviour. They actually believed that this amazing, couragous, beautiful soul could go to Hell. That boggles my mind! I don't believe that good people go to Hell simply because they weren't pious while alive. That's not what the God I believe in is about. We can't possibly know for sure what happens when we die so we simply can't say! Some people spend way too much time worrying about the way others are living their lives, when they really should only be worrying about how to live THEIR best lives, and just loving their neighbors. It's in the Ten Commandments, for crying out loud!
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
~Mahatma Gandhi
(Now there's some food for thought!)
Oy vey. :-) Being able to blog out my thoughts and feelings is a true indulgence. I really appreciate the 3 people I know read my posts for indulging me - Thank You!
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