Evangelism is Sales (and Annoying)

Why is it so frustrating when people start to share their faith with you?

Why is it that it can feel the same as when someone is trying to sell you something.

Hosted by Trevor Poelman

[adamwoodruff]

Seeing relationships as projects is one of the most damaging things that christianity left in my personality.

[karsten]

Last time someone evangelized to me, I said, "No thanks, I'm trying to quit."

You should have seen the look on their face.

[roostergriffin]

There's a hidden agenda behind proselytizers being annoying: It helps to convince the proselytizer that the rest of us are rude and awful people, so that they'll be more likely to stay where they are, and not go off to join some other group.

[ShyyGaladriel]

I was in a parking lot crying for one reason or another and a security guard started proselytizing. I was so offended that a person who was vulnerable was targeted like that.

[jahipalmer]

Once, when I was like 22. I had never had a boyfriend and was still a virgin. I felt pretty sure I would die alone. There was this pretty cute guy I worked with, but I had never talked to him before. One day he saw me in the break room at work and asked me to get milkshakes with him on the weekend. We went out to a local steak and shake on the correct day. I'm excited to be having my first date. The conversation seems to be going pretty fine, but he always seemed to be gearing the conversation in a certain direction and I couldn't really tell where. Our conversation reached a point where we were talking about the super natural and he kep framing his ideas as "I used to see (insert supernatural thing)" or I used to experience (insert super natural thing). Good enough, anyway, eventually the conversation got to the point where he told me about how God showed up and saved him from all of the supernatural stuff. He told me about how when he saw me he somehow knew that I needed to hear his story, that God was telling him that his story was what was needed to return me to God. It was one of the saddest days of my life. I had grown up with a super religious family and was finally turning into my own person only to have this interaction where someone really didn't want anything to do with me, just to convince me to worship a diety that I don't believe in (and even if I did, I wouldn't worship). Booo Evangelism!

[daviddenis]

Back when I WAS a Christian a street preacher stopped me and asked me if I was a Christian. I said yes and he asked me what church I went to. I told him and he proceeded to inform me how terrible my (relatively right-leaning Baptist) church was because the women there dress like sluts and tempt the men to sin. I told him I didn't appreciate that as I was a feminist and he proceeded to tell me that you can't be a Christian AND a feminist and then threw a bunch of sexist Bible verses at me. Looking back, it was around that time that I started my deconstruction journey. When Christians feel the need to convert other Christians because they're not hating women enough, there is something deeply wrong with this picture.

[Nathouuuutheone]

The irony of people seeing the resemblance between sales and evangelism but not recognizing that those resemblances are straight-up manipulation, ulterior motives, relying on people's biases and insecurities, and generally just being a bad, deceitful person.

[darcygilbert]

As a Christian child, I always felt like a used car salesperson when it came to evangelism. Even at a very young age, I knew something was phony. That’s why I didn’t do it! At the time, I thought I was a bad Christian. Now I know I was just a smart and intuitive kid!

[Hippidippimahm]

I love using my evangelical skills to counter-evangelize about the environment. Last time a gentleman tried to hand me a Bible I asked him if it was new and when he said yes, I lectured him about environmentalism and the realities of landfills for 10 minutes straight and instructed him to give out used bibles until he excused himself and walked away 💅🏻✨🤷🏻‍♀️ they taught me well.

[ihugkittens]

Where I grew up (Eastern Europe) church was a man in wizard clothes (the priest) singing in a beautiful hall with icons and candles around. You go in, buy a candle or two and light them next to a saint of your choice. Then you listen to the singing wizard man. It's pretty neat, kinda haunting and melancholic but also really really calming. And that's it, that's the sermon. It's pretty nice. I was baptized an Othodox Christian by the way. And even though I don't believe in God, I liked the rituals, how you sink in that feeling and atmosphere of olden days, you participate in old traditions, it's cool. Now when I was introduced to the american church ways I was shocked - some asshat in a suit shouting at me from a podium about how I should live my life or I'll go to Hell... I think you guys got it all wrong.

[alexj]

Thank the kind person who is showing "genuine" interest in you as a person, and ask him if is willing to help you out with your car repairs so you can get to work, help your wife get to the doctor, help you with a loan of a couple hundred bucks toward your kids school fees. You will pretty quickly find out where their christian love starts and finishes.

[dande]

One of the things that made me question and later leave Mormonism, was serving an LDS mission. As a missionary, I was surprised how much training and effort went into salesmanship techniques. It felt manipulative. We were literally manipulating people into "feeling the spirit", and then using those feelings to sell. I genuinely loved the people I talked to... but it got me in trouble. If they weren't "progressing" we'd drop them. If they needed help outside the Church, it's "not our problem". It was shallow and manipulative. I hated it.

[atan]

"But if there's a god, who's the god creator?" fired it at a street evangelist once and didn't expect him to start floundering as hard as he did, thought he'd be more prepared.

[ellaeadig]

When I was beginning to question Christianity and ultimately move away from it, I said to my Christian friends, "If we knew the person was never ever going to come to Jesus, would we still spend time becoming their friend?" And all of them were floored, because they had never considered being friends with anyone without the end goal of them coming to or staying with Jesus. Every single relationship in their life was a sales transaction.

[thewolfofgallifrey]

Aw, dude, you missed the most obvious joke:
Spongebob: It feels like someone...WANTS TO SELL ME SOMETHING!!

[inugamidalton]

“You need to help them overcome the objections they have to the Christian faith” sounds like something an evil cartoon pastor inventing a mind-control ray would say.

[VisiblyPinkUnicorn]

When an apologist says that "me" is everybody's favourite subject, the only thing that he's pointing out is that his religion is, in fact, pretty self-centered.

[christopherconkright]

You don't hear them say this: Jesus taught, “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men … but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen.”

[natbarmore]

Evangelist: "So, what is causing you problems in your life?"
Me: "well, most of the problems I'm dealing with are cause by Christians trying to push their beliefs on everyone else. I'm really concerned about the anti-abortion laws that lots of states are passing, for example."

[twalrus]

I live on the corner house at the start of the street so I get a lot of religious people starting their "trek" for that day. I once had Jehovahs come to my door and I told them I was on my way out. They gave me a pamphlet and left. The next week the Mormons came to my door. I took their pamphlet and then said "Wait", I grabbed the Jehovah pamphlet and handed it to the Mormons and asked, "Have you ever thought about becoming Jehovah's Witnesses?" They gave me a look of horror and walked away. Then a couple of weeks later the Jehovahs came knocking trying to finish the sale from last time. I handed them the Mormon pamphlet and asked if they would like to becomes members of The Church of Latter Day Saints. They looked horrified and made their excuses to leave quickly. I think there is a big X on my house because I haven't had any Mormons or Jehovahs come to my house in years.