Volunteering abroad is stupid

[fhdz]

OTOH, if she's just there to help out because it's the good religious thing to do or whatever, and not to try and convince the people of Mali to be Baptists, not a big deal.

Yes, I'm sure trying to convert people wasn't on her agenda at all.

SHe would not be a very good Christian if conversion was not on her agenda.

That is the problem with evangelical religions (which is most of them). Tolerance for other religions is logically unsound in the context of a monotheistic god who is going to punish non-believers.

I think it is fair to ask evangelists that they not be annoying about their efforts, but you can't really ask them not to evangelize.

It's an annoyance regardless of how nicely they go about it.

"Hi there, would you like to learn more about Jesus Christ"

"No thank you."

"Okay then, have a nice day!"

Doesn't seem very annoying to me...

It is, though.

It's a sliding scale of annoyance - it begins at the very mild side ("You stopped me in the street to talk about Jesus? Uh...I'm on my way down the street because I'm going somewhere.") and moves progressively down the slider the more in-your-face they become.

Just because being stopped in the street is annoying doesn't mean it can't occur, but the fact that it can occur doesn't make it non-annoying.

[Barrister]

Hey F - do you get annoyed if someone stops you on the street to ask for directions?

[fhdz]

Hey F - do you get annoyed if someone stops you on the street to ask for directions?

No, because directions are real.

EDIT: That's a flippant answer, but the fact is that there is a material difference between asking directions/the time and wanting to engage me in a proselytizing religious conversation.

[Admiral Yi]

Hey F - do you get annoyed if someone stops you on the street to ask for directions?

Or the time.

[crazy canuck]

Hey F - do you get annoyed if someone stops you on the street to ask for directions?

Hey BB do you think being stopped in the street because by someone who is lost is the same thing as being stopped in the street by someone trying to convert you to another religion?

[fhdz]

Hey F - do you get annoyed if someone stops you on the street to ask for directions?

Or the time.

Nope, I do not mind a bit when people ask me the time, unless it's a lead-in question for asking me if I have money for them or if I have Jesus in my heart.

[Malthus]

OTOH, if she's just there to help out because it's the good religious thing to do or whatever, and not to try and convince the people of Mali to be Baptists, not a big deal.

Yes, I'm sure trying to convert people wasn't on her agenda at all.

SHe would not be a very good Christian if conversion was not on her agenda.

That is the problem with evangelical religions (which is most of them). Tolerance for other religions is logically unsound in the context of a monotheistic god who is going to punish non-believers.

It's a question of tactics.

I once asked a sincere Christian whom I admired (a mother of a friend of mine) why she did *not* try to prosthelytize. Her answer was that expressly preaching *at* people just irritated them and people mostly did it for their *own* benefit, not to help others become Christian - it's a form of spiritual egotism; "look how committed I am". Very rarely does someone genuinely become Christian because some guy askes them in the street.

Much better, she said, was to live and act the way a Christian ought to live and act - if you do it right, you will inspire by example.

I admired her answer, though to be frank, I was never particularly tempted to become Christian even though I found her an admirable person.

[mongers]

Hey F - do you get annoyed if someone stops you on the street to ask for directions?

Or the time.

Nope, I do not mind a bit when people ask me the time, unless it's a lead-in question for asking me if I have money for them or if I have Jesus in my heart.

I have some tolerance for street encounters up to a point, what annoyance I have is for door-steeping religious characters, as in one sense on their part it's an intentional invasion of my privacy. 

[Barrister]

Hey F - do you get annoyed if someone stops you on the street to ask for directions?

Hey BB do you think being stopped in the street because by someone who is lost is the same thing as being stopped in the street by someone trying to convert you to another religion?

It is though- it's a momentary interruption (unless you consent to it being longer).

Look, I feel annoyed when someone comes up to me and asks me for money.  But the thing is, I don't think I'm justified to feel that way.  The beggar has every right to ask me for loose change.  As long as it isn't long or protracted a quick "do you have any change" isn't putting me out in any way.

Whether it is to get directions, some loose change, or to save your soul, the person making the pitch because it is important to them.  So I don't think it's fair to feel annoyed at that.

[fhdz]

What's so bad about feeling annoyed?

[mongers]

OTOH, if she's just there to help out because it's the good religious thing to do or whatever, and not to try and convince the people of Mali to be Baptists, not a big deal.

Yes, I'm sure trying to convert people wasn't on her agenda at all.

SHe would not be a very good Christian if conversion was not on her agenda.

That is the problem with evangelical religions (which is most of them). Tolerance for other religions is logically unsound in the context of a monotheistic god who is going to punish non-believers.

It's a question of tactics.

I once asked a sincere Christian whom I admired (a mother of a friend of mine) why she did *not* try to prosthelytize. Her answer was that expressly preaching *at* people just irritated them and people mostly did it for their *own* benefit, not to help others become Christian - it's a form of spiritual egotism; "look how committed I am". Very rarely does someone genuinely become Christian because some guy askes them in the street.

Much better, she said, was to live and act the way a Christian ought to live and act - if you do it right, you will inspire by example.

I admired her answer, though to be frank, I was never particularly tempted to become Christian even though I found her an admirable person.

Yes, that's an excellent stance, but the street buttonholer must succeed in a tiny percentage of encounters, my guess would be almost exclusively with vulnerable or troubled people ?

[Eddie Teach]

I'd like to point out that a lot of modern-day evangelizing isn't going up to strangers but just people being super friendly and willing to talk about their faith at the drop of a hat.

[fhdz]

I have some tolerance for street encounters up to a point, what annoyance I have is for door-steeping religious characters, as in one sense on their part it's an intentional invasion of my privacy.

Oh yeah, the ones who come to the door deserve to be sent packing.

If you can't be polite enough to consider a "NO SOLICITATION" sign, how could you possibly be polite enough to engage me fruitfully in a conversation about how I am going to hell?

[Malthus]

Yes, that's an excellent stance, but the street buttonholer must succeed in a tiny percentage of encounters, my guess would be almost exclusively with vulnerable or troubled people ?

They are the PUAs of the spiritual world. 

[Jacob]

I'm with Beeb.  Everyone gets one free line of dialogue before annoyance is justified.

Even ringing your doorbell at 9 AM on a Saturday?