Yes.
-
Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:- Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
- Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
- Access to private conversations with other members.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!
What Is Proselytizing?
- Thread starter SalixIncendium
- Start date
History ... it may have seemed to follow a pattern.
dybmh
דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
I'm glad you brought this up. Hopefully the individual(s) who are crying proselytizing are following this thread.
My vote on this: I think the "narrative of an Christian experience" is bogus, I think the individual who posted it is being disingenuous. The narrative never happened, the individual who wrote it is a troll, a poser, nothing more.
Just like all trolls, this individual and others like him should be ignored if they are not breaking the rules.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
In the other thread, the OP did not ever mention his purpose of the topic. Only mentioned, Church, spirits, Lord, laying hands. Are we supposed to be impressed by what he wrote? The proselytizers will start topics outside the forum of their own religion and do this repeatedly, quote passages from their books, use antiquated language perhaps to prove that what they have quoted was written before the time of Zoroaster or Moses. We see it all the time in the forum. Sometimes, change the size, make the quote bold or colour of fonts. The idea is to gain attention. The general forum regulations are to use italics only if you are transliterating something. I have started very few topics and hardly ever in forums other than my own, because proselytization is not my intent. I hope that clarifies something.
Last edited:
A Vestigial Mote
Well-Known Member
I like how you characterized it as "cried 'proselytizing'" - as if there were some enraged outcry. All I did was say I smelled traces of something proselytize-y. My intuition was tingling... spidey sense... something like that. That's all. I don't give a crap if someone proselytizes, honestly. I have always wondered why it is against the rules of the site. I actively enjoy myself when someone attempts to convert me. It's a hilarious, roaring good time. I am not even close to being facetious or joking. I know it may sound like I am doing so... but I simply am not.
If you read the thread title, he stated he was confused and was asking for help in understanding what happened.
I read that new member's post recounting his 'vision'. I honestly was taken aback a bit to hear the first response be an accusation of proselytizing. The guy was sharing a personal experience. How is that proselytizing? I saw no altar call, no appeal to convert, no threats of any kind.
I've had experiences as well, not as this person described, but ones I could share if I chose to. Would that be me trying to make converts? If so, converts to what? I don't adhere to any formalized set of religious beliefs, so it couldn't be to that, since it's undefined. Converts to being open-minded? Well, I hardly would consider that as a religion!
Can't it be that this person trying to make sense out of their experience? Or maybe just sharing what brought them truth and meaning to them, hoping for a discussion? Gosh, when I had my experience when I was 18, I talked with everyone I could about it. But it wasn't to make converts, as it happened long before I joined any religion. I talked about it, because I was trying to find others who might help me make sense of it and give me some direction with it.
There is another word that might fit better than proselytizing in that thread. It's Cynicism: "an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest."
I've had experiences as well, not as this person described, but ones I could share if I chose to. Would that be me trying to make converts? If so, converts to what? I don't adhere to any formalized set of religious beliefs, so it couldn't be to that, since it's undefined. Converts to being open-minded? Well, I hardly would consider that as a religion!
Can't it be that this person trying to make sense out of their experience? Or maybe just sharing what brought them truth and meaning to them, hoping for a discussion? Gosh, when I had my experience when I was 18, I talked with everyone I could about it. But it wasn't to make converts, as it happened long before I joined any religion. I talked about it, because I was trying to find others who might help me make sense of it and give me some direction with it.
There is another word that might fit better than proselytizing in that thread. It's Cynicism: "an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest."
This is a brand new member we know nothing about. Why assume troll? Why assume lack of sincerity?
A Vestigial Mote
Well-Known Member
And yet he had details to beat the band. "I could see the black hairs on his legs." Seemed very much like building toward a "what else could this possibly be about?" moment to me. Always will. Unfortunately that's now the name of the game. As I said before... too many times to the rodeo. I'm probably not likely to apologize for it if that's what this is all about.
It's important to remember that not everyone is wired like you. There are those that are deeply offended by attempts at conversion. I suspect this is primarily why the rule exists.
No one is asking you to.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
I would say it would have to be in terms of context as to what the conversation is steering you towards. The best template to determine whether it's prostlyzation or not would be if it feels like it's an advertisement as opposed to a person just relaying their own personal experience.
A Vestigial Mote
Well-Known Member
Taking "deep offense" offends me. Only slightly though... so it's okay.
A Vestigial Mote
Well-Known Member
Excellent.
Dangit! You edited it before I could reply. I was about to ask, "Deeply?"
Why rule out these possibilities? We get sock puppet accounts and trolls fairly frequently.
There's a difference between "not ruling out the possibility" and "assuming this to be the case."
dybmh
דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
It was based on the story, how it was written, and then how the OP replied to follow-up questions.
YMMV.
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
As Vinayaka said, such attempts are very subtle. Neither I mind proslytizers nor do I ever complain because I give a straight-forward reply. I generally try to be within the rules of the forum. Sure, sometimes, I flip.
The accusation was made before any follow-up questions were even asked.
: to recruit someone to join one's party, institution, or cause
Definition of PROSELYTIZE
any time you attempt to influence or change someone's viewpoint, technically it is proselytizing.