Is there something about my face that just says 'I'm a heathen' more so than others? I always seem to be getting approached by proselytisers, or maybe I'm just to nice to say 'go away I'm trying to study and have heard what you are going to tell me a hundred times before.'
Anyway, this guy comes up to me while I'm on my computer writing a court brief and asks if I will participate in a survey for him. I knew what it was about, I saw them praying before they came over. I don't mind, I'll help out, whatever. The questions weren't overly offensive, though it got a little awkward when they found out I was Buddhist. Most of my answers tended to be along the line of 'whatever works for someone, good for them' type attitude.
He asked me what it takes to get into heaven, and even though I answered 'reincarnation' to an earlier question about life after death, I decided to keep playing along.
I said that, if that ends up being the actual ultimate truth, I would like to think that a truly loving and caring god wouldn't make a kind, compassionate, loving person who lived a good life burn in hell for all eternity because they didn't believe in/find god or heaven in their lives.
But they kept going, 'would you like to hear what the bible says about this?'
Apparently even if you intellectually accept Jesus Christ as the lord savior and son of God, you won't get into heaven unless you have true faith. Where that line is drawn is beyond me. I would like to think that all Christians don't believe that god would condemn someone who was a wonderful person to eternal hellfire just because they weren't Christian. They are all just different paths to the same goal, aren't they? Whatever it takes for someone to become a good person, right? That is how I think of it anyway. Atheism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, or Judaism, whatever brings peace, love, and compassion, right? I tried to get that message across saying that Jesus and Buddhism essentially teach many of the same things, about being a good person and everything. I'm not sure if they accepted that or were offended, but they didn't look offended, so that is a good sign.
Wishful thinking? Never accuse me of not being an optimist :P
At the end of the '4 Laws' booklet (I should have brought it with me, just to try and wrap my head around some of it. I just really didn't understand/didn't want to think they believed that/understood why they are so keen on converting people) there were 2 circles, one represented the 'self' being on the throne, surrounded by chaos and frustration, with Jesus outside of the circle. The second one had Jesus on the throne with no chaos or frustration around. They asked me which represented my life and which I wanted to represent my life.
I said the 3rd circle.
How many people do you think they get to convert by doing this? Proselytising in the guise of a survey. Oh well, maybe it was extra credit for one of his classes or something. Whatever.
Anyway, so that wasted about 20 minutes. Better go finish that brief.
Ha! And I told the girl I was meeting with (to work on an essay) about those guys and she was just like 'Oh! I just can't be bothered with those types of things' It was classic.