Why do many evangelical Christians trying to persuade non-Christians to believe as they do rely on Christian doctrine/scripture as a starting point? Does it make sense to say "well, Jesus said x", etc. when the other person doesn't believe in Jesus?
by 
Anonymous
ANSWERS: 10
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Well, one of the meanings of the word evangelical is: zealous in advocating something, just so you know. (this from the dictionary)
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You make a good point, I've noticed this as well and never really understood it. I guess they try to teach what they know and don't realize that they aren't doing it right.
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We do not know what Jesus said. The Gospels were writtten, acc to scholars, some 50-70 years after his death, AFTER the letters of Paul in the New Testament. No one outside the scholarly community seems to know this, which is the fault of the churches, who should be educating their flocks. We have STORIES about what Jesus said, and there's great wisdom in them, as well as some folly. You have to interpret them appropriately. Next time an evangelical Chrstian talks to you, ask him how he knows. He'll say, "the Bible says so" and you can ask how he can have faith in the book. Is it because the Bible claims it's right? so does the Koran. Claiming one is right doesn't make one right.
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I never use scripture when talking to a non believer. It doesn't make sense. It makes you look like you can't think for yourself. Jesus' words are for the believer to use to grow and learn. The best tool when talking to a non believer is your own words based on what God has taught you.
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They are convinced that Christianity is the truth. So it serves as a frame of reference for them. Some of the more fundamentalist types can be rather close minded and find the idea that others don't believe to be unthinkable. Plus, they (the really evangelical types) want to convert you.
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thats the great question my friend! well i dont believe its their fault.. you see religion behaves almost like a social gene. a meme to those who have cared to research. genes and memes do the same thing.. try to keep themselves alive to play the next round. genes influence an organisms behavior to make it better able to flow with its surrounding,.. while a meme more directly works. it only exists if it influences other people to carry on its tradition... no matter how silly.. i think the next question is.. why are we so susceptible to religion after we have become civilized? thats one that i want to know.. probably a gene that told us that religion is good?
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It only matters to say "Well, Jesus said x" when the point in question is that "The Bible says y" and something Jesus said refutes it. Apart from that, or similar reasons, I don't know, nor does it technically make sense.
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Consider there being 10 auto mechanics, and they were going to explain to you how to work on a certain auto problem. Some might use only words, others might use hand written diagrams and some might even get out their auto manuals to show you exactly what they were talking about. It's simply a matter of how one or the other gets their point across for whatever reason.
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Most evangelicals are indoctrinated into the notion that it's either Jesus, or someone who is opposed to Jesus. They are often very surprised to discover that other folk's religion doesn't often agree with their own.
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This question seems a bit oxymoron. Are you saying that you would ask any expert in their respective field to tell you about their experience in that field, and then disallow them use of their books of reference or studies, to give you an answer? If that is true, then you are only asking their opinion or philosophy of their discipline. Would it not be sagacious to take the time to study the Bible and then possibly you would discern why they feel as passionate about it as they do? Worst case, you could possibly gain enough knowledge about the Bible to intelligently refute their views without being ignorant or oblivious to what the Bible says, causing you to misunderstand the Christian's passion for their faith, as most of the other people have so displayed by the answers in this thread. Indeed, its an exercise in futility to punch holes in someone's belief system when you simply know nothing about their belief system. From the narrow path, One Over 99 Ministries Luke 15:7
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