I think my “job” is to engage the person and not necessarily the message. I have slammed my front door in the face of door-to-door proselytizers while shouting “buzz off you heretics” (or words to that effect) only to think “well that worked out well” immediately thereafter. I grant you that after I walked across the yard and apologized profusely I was told that I was obviously a reprobate and damned to hell so it didn’t matter.
Of course I wanted to ask what the heck they thought they were doing wandering around bothering people but I was afraid the answer would boil down to “we’re poaching the elect” so I just walked away praying.
I believe we have the truth, or rather the Truth has us and nothing anyone else can write can change that. I can change it by abandoning the truth for pride or self-righteous indignation. This is my personal danger and applies to no one else, it’s a daily struggle and I usually fail.
I understand. I wasn't suggesting that folks “slam the door” in anyone’s face, telling them, “buzz off heretics.”
When the missionaries of various sects, especially the LDS, come to my door, I usually invite them in and offer them a cold drink. And listen. And then make the case why I disagree with them. But I find that we - the missionaries and I - can have civil discussions without denigrating what each of us holds holy. No one refers to the Blessed Sacrament in degrading terms. No one ridicules anyone’s undergarments.
It's true that I haven't converted anyone on the spot, so maybe I'm a failure as a Christian, LOL. But perhaps a seed or two have been planted along the way.
But what I don't do is try to paper over things by saying, “Oh, we just aren't communicating successfully.” In fact, one pair of LDS folks tried to go down this path with me, basically saying, well, you know, perhaps we're talking past each other, maybe we have different frames of reference, we're all praying to the same God, etc.
I told him that I begged to differ. I understood pretty well what the LDS say about the nature of God, and I reject it. The discussion was pointed, but still courteous.
And honest.
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