ANSWERS: 14
  • From what I have seen on Answerbag (some) religious believers have an overwhelming urge to save us all - personally I would rather be left alone with my total unacceptance of their God!
  • Imagine you believed that everyone who believes differently than you will be tormented in an afterlife. Wouldn't you be humane and try your best to 'save' them?
  • The same is true of atheists, agnostics and believers in whatever. It is really no business of mine other than I am allowed to talk about what I believe. I can debate it but a lot of people would interpret that as proselytizing. They are wrong! Ultimately what you believe is your business but the problem is with all sides of the argument.
  • I am Muslim and it doesn't matter to me what people choose to believe. Not all the people are going to agree on one thing all of the time. The thing that annoys me is when some people attack other people beliefs, especially when they know nothing about the beliefs. Great question! Salaam
    • pugwashjw65
      To show that a particular religion is not being obedient to its claimed holy book is not attacking but simply stating facts... e.g. for Catholics... (Exodus 20:4, 5) ?You must not make for yourself a carved image or a form like anything that is in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 You must not bow down to them nor be enticed to serve them, for I, Jehovah your God, am a God who requires exclusive devotion, bringing punishment for the error of fathers upon sons, upon the third generation and upon the fourth generation of those who hate me, The whole religion is based on statuary...so are they being obedient?
  • Im a pagan each to their own but dont like preachers no one can convert me i dont want to be converted lol. So what if some one is atheist live and let live.
  • Because that means less people going to church and giving the church money....It all comes down to the almighty dollar.
  • I think there are a couple of reasons why it matters to some..the primary one being that they are filled with joy and want to share that joy with others. You get a 5-lb box of delicious candy and you want to share it with others so you offer it. Now, with chocolate, you don't cram it down people's throats..you just offer. With some people cramming their particular religion down the throats of "non-believers" is considered to be their job..promulgating "the faith". Additonally, there is a certain fear among some..those whose beiefs are not strong..that the "non-believer" may rub off on them and cause them to lose their faith. Happy Thursday! :)
  • Some religious people are well-intentioned and they genuinely want to save others from something that they perceive as a real danger, the flames of hell. Others try to proselytize because they themselves are insecure. Because atheists don't conform to their belief system, it makes these insecure Christians question the rightness of their beliefs.
  • People, no matter what they believe, tend to get uncomfortable when they feel surrounded by people who believe differently than them. Some people won't admit it, but it's true.
  • Because there are two distinct personality types in this world... People who want to save everyone and people who don't care either way unless it concerns themselves or theirs. Helpful... isn't always helpful when one is dealing with the other. Nor is helpful, always implied as a good thing. People hide behind their pretense and bullshit and do... TO get. (Jehova's wittnesses for one example) So at least one is honest...
  • It is no skin off our noses. You may disbelieve if you wish. Here is the thing though: believing in God is a beautiful gift. It is a joyful thing, full of love. I know you can't understand this if you don't believe there is a God, but if you ever find Him, you'll understand. Once you encounter Him, you'll know He is real, but you won't encounter Him as long as you don't. Why? Because He is a gentleman: if you tell Him to stay out, He does. So until you ask, you'll never get proof that He is there. God told us to go out and disciple unbelievers. It is our duty. It is not a duty a true believer takes on as drudgery, it is a gift we want to share. We are not bound to stick around and pester you. Those who do haven't read the whole bible. Jesus clearly told the disciples to go out and stay in a town to preach if they were made welcome. If they weren't, they were to shake the dust of that town off their sandals in protest against that town and leave. I take that seriously. If someone on here doesn't want to hear what I say, I figuratively shake the dust off my sandals and leave. I'm not going to force them to belief. I'm not going to stay where I'm not wanted. I'm not going to argue with them. If they chose not to accept God's gift to them, that is their choice. I'm sorry about it, because they don't know what they are missing, but I'm clean. I've done my duty.
  • A lot of snakeoil salesman would rather not have to put up with comments from those who have purchased their products and discovered it to be worthless.
  • 6-20-2017 Most people of the sort you describe have not learned the religion they claim to believe, and they are still trying to lock in a healthy belief on their own part. The church tells them to do that by "witnessing", but they haven't witnessed anything and are not natural born peddlers. But they have found some friends in the church, so they bravely try to do whatever they see everybody else in the church doing. Of course that leads to some rather wacky behavior. In the 19th century a large number of itinerant preachers developed a new style of preaching called "hell fire and brim stone". It was very entertaining, only loosely based on scriptures, and pastors didn't even try to compete. Eventually an entire generation of people grew up with no idea what they were supposed to believe. That led to what we now call "faith of our fathers", or "that old time religion", and churches don't bother to teach doctrines because the minister has not studied the bible. (But you can be sure he has studied his denomination's interpretations of the bible.)
  • When it comes time for Armageddon, only those who have been properly obedient to what Jesus taught will survive. (Matthew 28:19, 20) Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.

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