Separation of Church and Club (Christians are like spam emailers?)

thepolypost.com ^

[Arpege92]

You were right....I was rude too! I just re-read my posts and I was just as rude as you were. I apologize.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Apology accepted and offered. I never meant to imply that you were spineless. It was a comment on people in general.

And I hope I did not imply that you have to like people trying to convert you. You don't. I sometimes find it amusing but then I freely admit that my tastes in entertainment are a bit off the wall.

[Arpege92]

I bet your entertainment interests aren't as off the wall as mine....you go first though.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Well, I have been known to describe to some self proclaimed neo-pagan exactly what a wicker man was for the pleasure of watching them turn green.

:Hangs head: You know I wouldn't have done it if they hadn't of kept on pestering me. 'Tain't nice to make people sick in bookstores. The books might get ruined.

[Arpege92]

LOL During a lunch break back when I was in the 7th grade, I made a good friend of mine spit chocolate milk out of her nose....then she ended up getting sick. I was telling these stupid jokes, and she kept telling me to stop....well, I didn't. She wasn't mad at me, but she always got up and left if I started telling jokes.

[Old Professer]

Hmmm.

[Melas]

I agreed with the author up until the point where he wanted to enact a policy to change the situation. No policy change is necessary.

Personally, I find the stealth and subterfuge used by the Campus Crusade in this instance, deplorable. But tolerating it is the price you pay for free speech.

[Melas]

Bill, did you purposely leave out the intent and purpose of the barbeque, as well as the fact that it's at a church? If so, yeah, you're a jerk for doing so. Dishonesty sucks, no matter who's being dishonest, christian or not.

Only know if you were intentionally trying to decieve the invited as to the nature of the bbq, so it's up to your individual conscience.

[freebilly]

I always tell people that the BBQ is after the service. If that makes me a jerk, great.

ps, I'll invite you to our next church barbecue if you'd like. If you want to come after the service, that's fine with me. If you want to go to the local mosque before coming and eating pork ribs, that's fine with me, too.

pps, I've been called worse by some of the finest people in Sonoma County. You think calling me a jerk bothers me?

[Melas]

Ah, unlike the other guy I'm talking to, you're telling people that the BBQ is at a church. Huge difference there. You're being honest, he's not. It's that cut and dried.

[freebilly]

Personally, I feel there's no integrity if you don't tell people that up front. People end up feeling deceived.

[freebilly]

I'm thinking about why a person would use subterfuge as a way of having a meaningful conversation about anything. I can only conclude that most people have difficulty confronting issues head on and believe (wrongly) that if they approach others covertly it will somehow be better.

I think it boils down to fear of rejection. Most people hate to have others tell them "No". I can almost guarantee that 90% of people, both Christians and non-Christians, are afraid that if they share something valuable and significant to them that it will be rejected. For most people, when you say "no" to their beliefs they see it as a personal rejection. It isn't true, but the belief is there.

I've been in sales for a long time. I make my living by going from "no" to "no" until I get a "yes". I'm amazed at how few people are willing to do what I do. I've trained people for sales positions who quit after a day or two because they couldn't stand the rejection....