Yeah, I still think about it even though I rarely do it as I once did. There was a time when it was important to me that you believed in the same things that I believed; that you accepted my beliefs as true and put away whatever misguided beliefs you previously had.
The truth is that I still would like to share my faith with you, I'm just not as convinced that it is so important that you accept my beliefs as your own. As a matter of fact, I'm just as interested in hearing what you believe and what motivates you to live the life you've chosen to live.
As we get to know one another, what we truly believe about good and evil, right and wrong, heaven and hell, etc., has a way of showing itself in what we do more than in what we say. Often we find ourselves having to reconcile our beliefs with contradictory actions. That's never good.
I sometimes wonder how long it would take someone just getting to know me to come to the conclusion that I am a Christ follower. It might be an embarrassingly long time.
Maybe I need to be (once again) more open about asking people what they believe in or what guides them through life -- not to say they are right or wrong, but just to get to know them and what motivates them to be the person they are hoping to be.
How do you feel about sharing your beliefs?
Does it make you uncomfortable?
Do you feel like you have to justify or defend your beliefs?
I don't want to make people feel defensive and I don't really feel it is necessary for me to share my faith unless they ask.
What do you think?
Do people know what you believe simply by how you live?
Or do you have to convince them with your words?
Are you open to faith discussions where you are not expected to defend yourself?
Just wondering.
John
Thank you for this wise post. Well worth pondering John. Blessings and Aloha
ReplyDeleteIt depends what you mean by "sharing" beliefs. I would not feel at all comfortable expounding them to a specific person one-on-one, unless that person had actually asked me to do so. That will feel preachy. Since I have a blog, I sometimes discuss my beliefs and values there, and I don't see anything objectionable about that. It's not targeting any particular person. Nobody is being compelled to listen -- it's up to them whether they choose to read it or not.
ReplyDeleteAs for defending beliefs, I suppose I might do that if someone went out of his way to attack them, but I'm not sure even there. I really hate arguments and debates and generally just disengage from them if possible.
I have gotten hate reactions for merely stating that I am an Atheist. Not proslytizing
ReplyDeleteStu,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry about that. I understand the atheist point of view. It is generally very logically thought out.