Originally Posted by BrendaChenowyth
Thank you. The fact that you are the exception to the rule is the reason I generally keep my faith to myself, and when religion comes up, I am the one sitting back like
yeah, discussions about religion can get rather heated sometimes, but I try to look at it from others' points of view. I asked a very close friend once, "Are you scared of me going to Hell?" (mind you, I'm not scared, I just wondered what he thought.) His response, "yes, I'm terrified" So, I suppose I can see why someone who cares about me would want to save me from that fate. Although I disagree about my fate and am completely comfortable with my beliefs, I figure you can't blame a guy for trying, right?
I think that when others say, "I'll pray for you", if I take issue with that or just poohpooh it by saying "Oh, I don't believe in God", then I miss the intent of the message. The message is "I want good for you", so I just say "thank you".
If someone is overzealous, or even confrontational, there is always a way out by practicing skillful conversational exits. I know what I believe and I'm not interested in being saved, nor am I interested in trying to persuade others to think the way I think. I do actually love a good respectful debate about religion or lack there of, but I find that is rare. When I have experienced it, all parties have come away with newfound respect for each other and our vastly different beliefs.