Pagans: How do you deal with conversion attempts? (moral, Earth)

[Beck63Don]

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm not the least bit interested at this time."

[Isabella Lecour]

To door knockers and pamphlets givers: "Thank you but no thank you."
To button holders and door space invaders: "Get your foot out of the door before I break it." or "Stop following me or you'll be eating your teeth."
To well meaning friends: "Lets get together and talk about religion. I'll bring the soda, you get popcorn?" Most times I never manage to get to share.
To fire and brimstone preachers and street corner screamers: "Get the bleep...off the road. Your being a driving hazard!" Yes I'm not so nice to them.
To well meaning co-workers who can't help themselves: Politely listen if I can, work comes first; and to never comment. Tends to shut down the whole conversation. Religion in the workplace is a bad combo.
To those who do nothing but stare holes in ya: I stare one right back at them and smirk.
To invitations to visit a church that arrives in the mail: Goes right into the trash can.

So, yea. It does depend on how the conversion is attempted.

[Super Universe]

Who do you talk to when you are alone, what provides that voice in your head? Your conscience. Do you think it's just a strange accident of evolution that humans have a conscience while the rest of the animals on the planet don't? Does a lion share food?

Look at a young child and tell me, do you think they have a soul?

Where do you think that everlasting sentient energy (soul) comes from?

[Solon]

" The soul is not born, nor does it die. That self has not come from anywhere, has not become anyone.
Unborn, changeless, primeval, everlasting, that self is not slain when the body is slain."

Katha Upanishad

[Super Universe]

How do you reconcile your belief in an everlasting soul but disbelief in a Creator of the universe?

A census taker once tried to test me.......... FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF.

[Solon]

Originally Posted by Super Universe

How do you reconcile your belief in an everlasting soul but disbelief in a Creator of the universe?

They are quite independent of one another; however that's only my personal feelings, I cannot prove it to be true, and neither can anybody prove their particular stance.

S

[Super Universe]

Prove? No, I don't think so. I was an angry athiest for many years. If God truly existed, I thought, then I hated Him for the religion he forced upon me and the cruel world that He abandoned me to.

Then He gave me a push and I knew instantly that I was wrong. What a difficult journey it has been.

God gets the blame for so many human mistakes.

I'm not trying to convert you, well, that's not completely true, but I would like to find out where you are. You visit this place so I think you are farther along than I was before I got my 'push'.

So if you believe in a soul, what do you think happens to it after death?

[Mike182]

Originally Posted by Jensa

For any of the pagans that inhabit the board.. how do you deal with it when people from other religions (not necessarily Christianity) attempt to convert you to their religion? What do you think the most appropriate response to conversion-attempts is?

Also, do you feel it's appropriate to attempt to convert others to paganism (well, whichever sect you fall under, since paganism isn't techinically a religion)? If not, why?

I haven't had to deal with any direct conversion attempts, though I have had pressure from friends and family to go back to Christianity. Nothing big, and it doesn't bother me too much, since I know they're genuinely concerned with me and not attempting to be a Bible-thumper. (On that note, how do you convince your friends and family you're not misguided or in trouble spiritually?)

I think possibly the worst thing to do is attempt to use whatever holy book they use as their guidelines to make them look like idiots. I've heard of some people BRAGGING about using the Bible/Koran/OT to make door-to-door (ack, I'm having a brain fart. What's the word for people who go door-to-door and ask if you're part of their religion?) look like idiots. That does nothing but breed strife, which is the last thing that needs to be done.

I don't feel conversion attempts are appropriate for pagans. I think we should live as an example, not just try to drag as many people to our side as possible. In my opinion, if the Lord and Lady call them, they'll come, and we don't need to worry about it.

Thoughts? Comments?

an interesting question, i mostly just tell people that i am fine walking the path that i do, but thankyou for their concern

if they push me and push me, i highlight a few of the problems i would have with their religion, and then tell them again that i am fine walking the path that i already do, and no one has pushed past that point, except one poor JW, but thats another story

do i try to convert people to my religion, no, but if people ask about my religion i am always open for talking about it, discussing it etc

my friends and family, well, they all knew i did not have conservative christian beliefs, and after assuring them that paganism is not devil worship or evil, and explaining it abit to them, they have been quite understanding.

i think we should just do as we are called to do, respect nature, respect the god and goddess, and the other various deities etc. i think we (as a general religion) should become more active in campaigning for saving the environment, do our bit to help the planet etc, but these are just my thoughts

blessed be

[Solon]

Originally Posted by Super Universe

Prove? No, I don't think so. I was an angry athiest for many years. If God truly existed, I thought, then I hated Him for the religion he forced upon me and the cruel world that He abandoned me to.

Then He gave me a push and I knew instantly that I was wrong. What a difficult journey it has been.

God gets the blame for so many human mistakes.

I'm not trying to convert you, well, that's not completely true, but I would like to find out where you are. You visit this place so I think you are farther along than I was before I got my 'push'.

So if you believe in a soul, what do you think happens to it after death?

It floats free in the cosmos, unless it's recycled, Hindu style, but eventually it's goal must be Mosksha through Samsara. In other words, never to return to the Earth plain.

S