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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Interesting comment about belief becoming identity and I actually believe that’s true for believers AND for non-believers.
My Christian faith is 100% my identity.
I am unapologetically a child of God and a follower of Jesus first and foremost.

I don’t think it’s true that I feel particularly threatened by someone else’s UNbelief, as in it doesn’t shake my own faith to have someone insist that there is no God. But given that a cornerstone of Christian faith is in recognizing that we are called to share his message and love with others in some form or another, I can understand why prior posters are trying to articulate why it would be UNkind (from a Christian friend’s perspective) to make the decision to never share their faith with a friend whom they know has not accepted Christ. It’s like—if you believe that your friend will suffer a terrible death without you sharing a key piece of information that could save them from it—would t you be a truly terrible friend if you chose not to tell them just because it was considered impolite?
I realize that many of you think that’s ridiculous and a fairy tale. But that’s not the point. The point is—if you know your friend is a believer and does not think this is a fairy tale and they really do believe you will not go to heaven unless you are saved, then why aren’t you offended if that Christian friend chooses politeness over what THEY believe is your path to salvation?
I’m just perplexed by that.
If I were a non-Christian and I understood that Christians believe you can only experience salvation through knowing Christ and yet none of my Christian “friends” ever tried even once to share their testimony with me, I would feel hurt. Not because I believed it, but because I knew THEY did but didn’t care enough about me to bother.[/quote]

Ok, I think you need to take a step back. The fact that you are told sharing the “good news” is a cornerstone of your faith is not to save the souls of others, but to save your OWN. As in, eliminate any possibility the people around you might undermine your faith by convincing them to share in the delusion.

And there is also the expectation that people are going to laugh in your face and tell you to bug off. It’s baked in - a feature not a bug.  The ridicule of others is going to make you feel even more entrenched in your beliefs, and cement the feeling that you are part of a special, victimized minority that must stick together and stay steadfast. You will venerate the people who went too far, insulted the wrong people in the wrong place, and paid the price. You will call them saints and martyrs.

What you are doing is selfish and insulting to people. I don’t have my child try to educate yours that he could have 10% more money, more time to play, and a 90% less likely risk of being molested or spiritually abused if he stayed away from church. I wish I could share these things because I hate to see people being scammed, but I learned a long time ago that when people want to believe - whether it’s a religion or an MLM or that a silver spoon millionaire who has stiffed every contractor he came across personally cares about their wellbeing - you just have to let them have it.

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