Dang, this is going to absolutely SHRED my reputation as a bit of an ogre when provoked…

No worries.

Really, I just wanted to make the point that it’s Christianity, not Amway. (Hey – that’s kind of catchy! Note to self: future post title. ) I don’t mean to imply I’m lassaiz-faire about sharing my faith – I’m not. I wanted to take the high-pressure-sales factor out of the equation, because no individual Christian can close the deal – only God. So I have to be honest – I refrain from proselytizing for no other reason than that it is completely ineffective. If there was some way I could *make* you – and everyone else – be saved, I would. But no such way exists, and it’s between you and God. My job is not to sell it, it’s to live it.

One nit to pick, and a suggestion – the Shroud of Turin is not in the bible. And I too love to learn about Biblical archeology – here are some shows on the Discovery Channel that I particularly enjoyed, if you didn’t catch them the first time, keep an eye out for the reruns because I think you’d like them also. The History Channel also has a few like that, but I couldn’t find a link.

(Before you ask, we agnostics do NOT begin our prayers with “To Whom It May Concern.”)

I have no problems discussing religious matters per se. In fact, I find certain elements fascinating — tales of Biblical archaeology, for example. I once read a book that gave real-world applications and rationalizations for things stated as matter-of-fact in the Bible. For example, it debunks the Shroud of Turin by pointing out that the figure on it is 5′9″ — and therefore was NOT likely Christ. That was well above average height for Jesus’ time, and one would think that there would be at least one citation in the Bible if he was so remarkably tall — a reference to “looking over people’s heads,” or “towering above the rest,” or even “the tall one.” One can logically infer, then, that Christ was of average height for his time, and several inches shorter than the figure on the Shroud.

It also explains the “moneychangers in the Temple” incident. Jerusalem was the largest city in the Holy Land, and the Holy Land sat astride three continents (Europe, Asia, and Africa) and was the crossroads for three Empires (Roman, Persian, Egyptian). As such, it was a logical place for travelers to change currency to match where they were going. As the Temple was on the highest point (visible from most of the city) and well known to all the locals, it was a logical place for the moneychangers to gather and practice their business. And it was a good business deal for the priests in the Temple to allow them to lease space in the courtyard and in parts of the Temple proper.

No, my hostility is reserved strictly for those who try to push their faith on me. If someone starts preaching to me, I will politely demur. If they fail to take the hint, I will continue to demur in gradually decreasing levels of politeness. On rare occasions it has reached the point where it is obvious they value their “duty” to preach greater than they respect my wishes and beliefs, and at that point I realize I have nothing to gain in continuing to maintain my courtesy in the face of their flagrant disrespect and let loose with some truly harsh and ugly language and behavior.

I have done so very rarely, and haven’t enjoyed it in the least. (Well, that’s not true. It is rather cathartic, and a few times I’ve been insufferably pleased with my creativity.) But it’s never been the run-of-the-mill Christians that have pushed me so far. It’s the “Jesus Freaks,” the die-hard, insufferable evangelicals that have done it. One in particular argued that since I said such things as “Oh, God” and “Jesus Christ” as expletives, I HAD to believe. (I once mentioned this to a Jewish girlfriend who had a fondness for saying JC’s name in frustration. She found it most amusing, and we decided that it was more of a sign of her devotion to Judaism — she felt the need to blaspheme, but respected her own faith enough to go outside of it to properly cuss.)

I’m not one of those God-hating angry athiests. I do not deny His existence, I am just fundamentally incapable of accepting it as a fact. I can not and will not “fake” it for any reason, though — it is just too important a matter. I choose to disbelieve in a God who will accept pronouncements of faith as valid and not see through to my inner doubts and lack of sincerity. I find myself living my life just trying to do the best I can, be the best person I can, and hope that all that will be taken into account in case there is a final reckoning. If, after I die, I find myself face to face with God (or St. Peter or any other representative), I want to be able to look them in the eye (presuming we have eyes) and say “no, I did not worship You and accept You, but I lived my life as best I could, did what I could to help others, and tried to make the world a better place and people’s lives a little better.” And the God I choose to believe may exist will accept that and judge me accordingly.

I meant what I said most literally — “don’t try to convert me.” Don’t avoid the whole subject entirely, don’t tapdance around what is obviously a major factor of your life, but don’t try to push me into embracing it alongside you. It will not work, and it will only alienate me from you — and, possibly, sour my opinion on any faith that inspires such behavior.

My friend Candy understands this. She is indeed an evangelical Christian, but has never preached to me because she KNOWS how poorly that will work. Instead, she casually mentions her Church activities, certain experiences she’s had there, dilemmas she’s experienced and how her faith has helped her resolve them, and so on. Her faith is a major part of her life, and for her to exclude that from our relationship would be crazy.

Hmm… I guess, in a sense, she IS “preaching” to me, but in a subtle and polite manner that doesn’t bother me. She’s smart, and she knows that that approach, if any, will work on me. And I don’t mind in the least.

Wow, I’m long-winded. I might end up plagiarizing a bit from myself for a posting over at Wizbang — I’d hate to let this much verbage not get used over at my own page.

Anyway, since you’d spent far more time discussing a part of my piece than I had in writing it (or even thinking about), I felt I “owed” you an elaboration on what I casually tossed off while getting to my main point. You seemed to find a lot of value in the discussion, and I thought it appropriate if you got a clearer, more focused look into the mind of one particular agnostic. As I said, it’s not the topic that gets to me in the least, it’s that one too-common approach that tends to bring out my worse aspects. And let me repeat my thanks for your polite disagreement with Mac and pro on their well-intentioned but nonetheless irritating comments.

Dang, this is going to absolutely SHRED my reputation as a bit of an ogre when provoked…

J.