Rolling my eyes at these witnessing stories

[lilah]

tomorrowsforefathers.com/gracenotes/?p=6048

This is the blog written by Sarah Mally the author of "before you meet your prince charming (spoiler alert, 5 year later and she still hasn't met him) and her sister Grace. They have a small family (just three siblings) so they don't have a lot of SAHD related chores, so they fill up the rest of their time by accosting random strangers and witnessing them. Don't you just love how they always get people in thier stories to agree with them? Even the atheist evolution believing guy couldn't win an argument against princess charming! Of course I'm sure they never tell us about the times when people tell them to piss off, present a cogent argument about why they aren't a christian.

Oh and of course the reason why your mom got her hand caught in the door is because of evil forces trying to block you from witnessing to people, and not an accident caused by carelessness.

[Squeaky]

That last one with the "evolutionists" screams FAKE to me, in part because it reads so much like a tract. She points out that they weren't there to see evolution, and they start doubting it! Sam doesn't know the first thing about tenets of Christianity!

Also, I like how Naomi drops out of the conversation after one sentence.

[Lainey]

Is it bad that while I was reading that post, my mind wandered to, er, "submitting to my headship," if you catch my drift? ;) *ahem*

Then my mood was ruined by the dumb crap about evolution. Why creationism (Disclaimer: YEC, "evolution never happened"-type creationism) gets to me as much as it does, I don't know. It's just so stupid!

[lilah]

That last one with the "evolutionists" screams FAKE to me, in part because it reads so much like a tract. She points out that they weren't there to see evolution, and they start doubting it! Sam doesn't know the first thing about tenets of Christianity!

Also, I like how Naomi drops out of the conversation after one sentence.

Good point. I bet in reality Sam started used scientific evidence to support his theories, except that they also that flew right over a SODRT graduate's grasp of science.

[bananacat]

They probably found some conservative-moderate Christians, which of course don't count as Real True Christians, and then felt smug about converting them when they admitted that they believe in Jesus, even though they probably already believed. And plenty of mainstream Christians accept evolution, and plenty of them are ambivalent about it. They probably met a mainline Protestant who was ambivalent about it but never really thought about it too deeply so it was easy to "convert" them.

Honestly, Evangelicals truly underestimate just how many U.S.-Americans are Christian. I was sucked into a Christian club in high school, and even though 90% of the students were Christian, everyone else in the club thought the vast majority of them were atheists and it was our duty to convert them. So the most common "witnessing" happened like this:

RTC: Hi, would you like to come to church with me on Sunday and learn about Jesus?

Just Plain Christian: Thanks for the offer, but I already know about Jesus and I will be busy on Sunday going to my own church.

[debrand]

Last Saturday, Sarah, my mom and I went to this park to witness. As Sarah was turning off the engine my mom let out a blood curdling scream (believe me, when my mom screams it’s really loud!). As the automatic window closed, it had caught my mom’s fingers in between the window and the top of the door. Sarah quickly rolled the window down again, and we looked at mom’s fingers. They had black indention lines where they had been caught, but Mom said she was okay. Sarah and I were pretty startled ourselves after that loud scream, and Sarah and my mom went home to get ice.

I stayed at the park thinking, This has never happened before, and when does it happen? Right when we arrive at a park to witness. But often enemy attack means something good is about to happen. And that was certainly true this day.

:twisted:

Sometimes people make the devil sound more powerful than god. Although if he can roll the window on your fingers, couldn't he just wreck the car?

[Deleted02]

:twisted:

Sometimes peiple make the devil sound more powerful than god. Although if he can roll the window on your fingers, couldn't he just wreck the car?

If it was Satan I'm sure the fingers would've come off.

[notsocommon]

I think I would have lots of fun messing with people's heads if they ever tried this crap on me when I was just going on about my day.

[Childless]

I'm sorry, but these people are idiots. Sometimes an accident is just an accident, not some nefarious plan by Satan. And they wonder why no one takes them seriously.

My guess is that a majority of their day consists of people telling them to buzz off, people snarking on them, or people simply ignoring them when they try and witness. Myself? I'd probably say, "I'm not bothering you. Why are you bothering me?" and walk away. They aren't worth wasting my time on.

[FundiesInMyFamily]

My son is disabled and VERY friendly. He loves talkin to everyone. We get prothesitised (sp?) all the time and it drives me nutty.... they will run up to him and say "god bless you, child!" Sometimes they will put their hands on him or take his hand and say a little prayer.

Now he's very cute, very charming, and very engaging, and I don't mind at all when he chats up strangers waiting in line at the supermarket, but it drives me crazy when they feel sorry for him or pity him and feel they must pray for him.

[lilah]

RTC: Hi, would you like to come to church with me on Sunday and learn about Jesus?

Just Plain Christian: Thanks for the offer, but I already know about Jesus and I will be busy on Sunday going to my own church.

Yeah Christians never really know what to do with me when I tell them I'm Jewish. The Mormons and Jehovah's witnesses stay on script (I guess they might be excited to have a genuine non christian on their hands?) but the evangelicals kind of try and deviate and talk about how Jesus was a Jew too and all that. Or tell me I should come to bible study so they can share their views.

[babs]

And since when is a porcupine considered an "exotic" animal? Seriously? I mean, granted, a person from a city most likely hasn't seen one up close and personal, but I hardly consider them exotic.

[camdendayton]

Ugh, the park thing really bothers me as it reminds me of all the times in college I would try to sit and eat my lunch in peace and quiet in a park only to have someone come up to me and ask me to come to their church or bible study. I always wanted to say just because I'm sitting alone doesn't mean I'm so desperate for "fellowship" I will come to your crap! I was lucky to get an hour a day to myself at that time and that was all I wanted. If anything it made me resent Christians.

[browngrl]

I think I have been written up in some kind of fundie witnessing black book. We used to get a steady stream of earnest folk trying to convert us. People "witnessing" irritates me quite a bit and let me just say the fundies were met with a wall o' snark- perhaps too much snark - because now they never bother me. They just seem to slowly back away. WINNING!

[debrand]

I think that there is a type of evangelical who really doesn't understand the concept of boundaries. Rules don't apply to them because they have the truth.

The Malleys would get their souls fumigated if one nonChristian tried their tactics against them.

I posted this on a thread that didn't get much attention but it applies to this situation. This is from the same blog

At the beginning of the day Dan told us he knew there was going to be spiritual warfare and it was likely they would try to think of a way to stop him from bringing his animals. He was right. First the Navaho Indian booth across the aisle kept complaining to the authorities saying they were offended by the animals. Somehow linked to their superstitious beliefs. But thankfully all we had to do was move the alligator to the other side of the booth and then we were okay.

Next NEA called the city animal official to inspect, but the whole inspection turned out in our favor. Satan cannot thwart what God has planned.

They wanted their beliefs treated gently while they were handing out creationism material to teachers but they don't want to treat other religions with sensitivity.

This is what angers me about the Malleys and people like them, they want their believes treated gently and with respect. If they tell you that you are wrong and need their faith, you're supposed to be polite with your response. But they don't extend the same graciousness that they expect for themselves to others.

[watchdog]

I'm currently reading The Unlikely Disciple by Kevin Roose and just read the part about him tagging along with a group of Liberty students to Daytona Beach during spring break to "witness." As a Christian, I was embarrassed for them. What was so ridiculous about it (among other things) was that some of them actually seemed to believe the more they were rejected the better. This meant they were more "despised and persecuted" and "suffering for the sake of the gospel," and therefore, I guess, better Christians. :roll:

[emmiedahl]

I seriously doubt that they got all these positive responses, or that they were able to outlogic anyone at the park (porcupine included). They are probably trying to make themselves look better by not posting the truth about an epic fail on the evangelism front.

As for the fingers, that is simple human stupidity. Don't put your fingers in a window while it is being rolled up. Satan has better things to do than worry about you at the park making a fool of yourself--if anything, he probably wholeheartedly supports it.

[Vex]

Ever noticed how in fundie blogs they write about being well-received and outsmarting people and their silly science? When they write about opposition they face, it's never like "I debated someone who claimed to be an atheist and an evolutionist. He made some very well-structured points and was respectful of my beliefs, and in the end we parted with him knowing a little more about God's word. I'm praying that the small spark of God's love I showed him today will ignite into passion for the Lord in time."

If they DO write about a negative experience, they always claim to behave like model Christians and the person who spat/cursed/tried to intimidate them was just an ignorant atheist who they triumph over.

I know some bloggers like to go on ad nausem about the horrible, rude non-Christians they encounter daily (like the preacher's wife), but most of them seem to think they're winning debates and souls left, right and center.

In my experience, the people witnessing are the ones who get out-argued, flustered and loud. I'm studying human evolution and I'm an atheist, but I'm always polite. If they're rude to me I just walk away into a store or somewhere where they're not allowed to follow me. I certainly wouldn't get in a debate because I fully believe that if you argue with an idiot they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

...Maybe that's why they win all their debates?

[Kitten]

They wanted their beliefs treated gently while they were handing out creationism material to teachers but they don't want to treat other religions with sensitivity.

Ah, but you forget -- THERE ARE NO OTHER RELIGIONS. Only heathens. Who must be converted. Therefore, no niggly sensitivity issues to worry about.