Most pioneering work is done by mixing in good deeds such as service, spending time with, supplying food, other stuff to others in need with proselytizing the ‘religion.’ The aspect of getting others to think ‘wow these are good people only because of their ‘religion’ and ‘doctrines.’ ‘We can be good people too if we follow that ‘religion’ and ‘doctrines.’ The entire motive/intent is mostly to convert others to that particular ‘religion’ and ‘doctrines.’ To me, it’s just a recruitment effort to try and bring in more $ into sects. Kind of like a subtle ‘wine and dine.’ But most people doing it mean well and think they’re doing good.
There so much good stuff in this. I feel I have personal thoughts and experiences to add to this from my own history.
I know this mentality from personally experience being embedded in these sorts of "outreach" efforts to others. Showing love, was always with this eye towards one's own reward with their Jesus, or religion or what have you. It was never love for love's sake alone. It had the sense of personally, egoic reward attached to it. "I stopped to help you with your car because Jesus loves you." Ahhh!!!. It makes me want to tear my eyes out. No! No! No!
Another part of me, the more adult side of me when it's allowed its reasoning voice to be heard, would try to understand this as a stage of immaturity. They are motivated by egoic concerns, and love and charity and spirituality can be extensions of the ego itself, and quite often are. "If I can get them to love Jesus, or believe in Bahaullah's religion, then I am a good person and I will be rewarded for being good."
It's still egoic facing. A more mature faith is about actually caring, and there is no "Hi, I'm a Bahai, and I want to tell you about God's love found through Bahaullah". A mature faith doesn't need to wear a label. It just loves, with no expectation of recognition, or the promotion of one's religious faith. True faith, true love, just is by the fact of being. When I hear Jesus say, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see God in you," (that is the essence of it) has nothing to do with "so they will become a part of your religion". It knows no bounds, no religion, no group identifications at all. It's all about the individual being lit by God, not about sharing your sales and marketing to them as a "plus sell".
There is no "selling God" necessary. If people see it in someone, they will recognize it, naturally. Of its own, it draws. And it has nothing to do with their prophets, or messiahs, or gurus, or traditions.
It is a struggle for most to learn how to teach about inward conversions without the unnecessary ‘religious doctrine’ aspect of it.
And I think that is the biggest challenge. It's very difficult to understand the relationship between structures of faith, and faith itself and their roles in personal growth, or "inward conversions", as you nicely put that.
The challenge is a developmental one, meaning that it is a necessity to have a structure that stands to support one's faith development, a religious belief system for instance. While it through externalized principles teaches about love, it is not through mimicry alone, or "obeying", which is a key operative word found in legalistic fundamentalist belief structures. Love is an internal awakening from within, which naturally flows out to the world, that "letting your light shine" that Jesus spoke of.
But externalization of "God's will" as a set of beliefs and commandments, does not understand that "God's will be done" is through you, from the insides. Meaning, it requires a transformation to occur internally. That does not ultimate occur through externalizations of these "laws".
Ultimately, religion cannot impart something like this. It has to awaken from the insides. And the danger of an externalized religion, such as ones that have a Messenger as the go between man and God, is that very nature creates this divide in and of itself. "I can never be fully Awakened, only God's chosen Messengers can have that." This places a door on the interior. And that door is completely artificial. It's for the sake of the belief structure itself.
It’s not too difficult to discern one hurting inside and genuinely wanting to change, seeking advice from one who has no interest in changing, while also discerning those who don’t even ‘need’ any changing. Let others be and mind one’s own business when it comes to proselytizing ‘religious doctrines.’ If someone crosses one’s path asking for help or assistance, do one’s best to assist.
I think I'd phrase this as walking humbling through the world, sharing your faith and joy with those who seek, but without it being about selling your religion or your prophet. At that point, it's not about Love anymore. It's about sales and marketing, selling relgion and faith as a product for consumption.
One tastes sweet. The other tastes "off".
A lot of this only effects the innocent, naive, ignorant, weak.... ones who are easy bait to be psychologically molded. Many others... the teachings of others and proselytizing will have zero effects and impacts.
That's the whole insidious nature of peddling a religion in the name of God. Those who are the most vulnerable or typically the ones preyed upon by cults. "Are you afraid of the End Times? We have the answers for you!". or, "Are you confused by all these other religions all claiming to be true? Ours have a prophet direct from God, unlike them!".
You see, this isn't about Love.