To get shirty with the next Christian who offers to pray for me on the street.

[Spero]

This has now happened twice within the past three months. On the first occasion it was a lone man, and just now two young men together.

They both commented that they noted I was 'struggling' to walk and could they pray to Jesus for me? On both occasions I have replied chirpily that I am a life member of the BHA but if Jesus can grow me a new leg, they've got a convert.

So is this a 'thing' now? Is there a Christian sect that encourages this activity? This has only ever happened in the last few months. And would I be unreasonable to tell the next lot to fuck off? Because I think if I wanted someone to pray for me (unlikely) I would ask them, not just hope I would get stopped on the street as I go about my own business....

Have to say I do like most Mormons. I will always remember the 2 American lads I got taking to years ago, so polite and surprisingly not pushy.
I saw them the next day - it was 9/11. One of them had family in NY. DH went out to let them know - they wouldn't come in but they borrowed his phone to call someone at their church to pick them up. They blessed him for his kindness despite him telling them the previous day very firmly that he didn't believe.
We didn't see them again here, I hope they were ok.

Should have said - he didn't mind, he thought they were rather sweet

Mormons getting some great press. I am not sure I have ever met a Mormon.

It was Abigail Witchalls who was stabbed.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabbing_of_Abigail_Witchalls

It's great that she has had another baby and is able to talk again. But to thank God for that does seem odd to me, when surely He could just have prevented her from being attacked in the first place.

I had a colleague who offered to pray for me once when I had a sore foot, we were sort of friends but she was a creationist type born again Christian and I'm a very lapsed Catholic so our views on religion are quite different! Anyway, I thought it wouldn't hurt and I didn't want to laugh in her face upset her by saying no so she said a little prayer and that was that until I had an ear infection. We were in the car and she said can I pray for you for your ear infection, so I kind of smiled and said er OK when she told me the reason I had the ear infection was because I had evil spirits in me! . I told her as politely as could, I had no evil spirits thank you very much and she could save her prayers for someone else. Turns out it wasn't evil spirits but a cold which cleared up about a week later. Phew!

I feel like I should be apologising for my fellow-Christians here, but actually I just want to hunt them down and yell GET OFF MY TEAM in their faces.

There are a few people in my church who would be into this sort of thing. I wish I could describe what I think is going on in their heads, but I can't! In general, they are well meaning people who think everyone's life would be better with God in it, but by heck they've got a cack-handed way of going about things sometimes.

The Mormons I've met always come across as awfully nice boys, but I do worry for them, so far from home. I tend to fix them with a beady eye and say things like 'but are you all right? do they* look after you properly?', until they back off from the woman trying to be their mother.

There have been stories about young mormon missionaries being very badly treated when they're over here.

*I'm not entirely sure who 'they' are in this context.

I have no faith and I'm happy about that.

But I understand people like Phantom and Freezerbird and my long-ago friend Chris.

They have faith and they want to share it in an unobtrusive and helpful way.

I'm happy to share that because people like that don't want to force their beliefs on me. They just want to share help and happiness.

Just like atm people want to canvass me about the general election.

I can say: 'Thanks, but no thanks.'

I hate MN threads that contain posts about sky fairies and imaginary friends which are invariably about Christianity.

I don't believe. To me, when you're dead, that's it.

But unless someone is being offensive, I'll live and let live.

Igneococcus, your atheist DH, by offering the Mormons towels, was ironically acting in a more religious manner than many of the really 'religious' pious people I know evil aunt I hate religious hypocrites.

That was a compliment to kind DH by the way, not an encouragement to take up religion!

And would I be unreasonable to tell the next lot to fuck off?

No, YANBU.

Ask them if they've heard of the sin of spiritual pride. It's what they're committing, self-righteous patronising little buggers.

re the towels to a Mormon - the only Christian writer who has ever made sense to me was C.S. Lewis. I love the bit in the Narnia books where it is explained that anyone who does an evil deed in Aslan's name, isn't doing it for him but the evil Bird Headed God instead.

It probably is the hypocrisy of most religious types that is so irksome.

Yes, I am all for live and let live. But I can safely say that no atheist has ever stopped me on the street and said - you look like you're struggling! Shall we pity/patronise you?

Yep, they do it behind my back, which is how I like it.

Once you have stopped me in the street and offered me your god, without any kind of checks as to whether this is an intervention I would welcome, you have rather crossed over the Rubicon of Live and Let Live and I think I am entitled to engage with you.

I told dp off for not offering them a cup of tea raskolnikov he doesn't drink hot drinks and it never entered his mind. They were really very wet, when one of them bend forward to take a book out of his bag water came gushing out of his coat hood. I know Mormons don't do caffeine but I have a good collection of herbal teas and there would have been hot chocolate too.

I take part in adaptive sport and the group is supported by volunteers (mostly able-bodied) the majority of whom are religious. Recently I paid my yearly subscription. It's ridiculously cheap and works out less than £1/week for the season. There's also the option to pay even less if your only income is benefits which in previous years there hasn't been.
I gave the person collection subs the full amount only to have her tell me that finances are tight for the group but I can have it back because she feels bad taking money from "someone like you" and anyway god will provide what they need.

I was fuming and refused to take the money back.

Could you ask them to pray that "someone offers to walk the dog for me today" then look expectantly?

hahaha Zebra, your story reminds me of the old joke about the religious man on the roof of his house as the flood waters grow ever higher. Along comes another man in a boat who offers to rescue him 'no thanks!' he replies 'God will save me!'.

The waters rise higher and he drowns. When he gets to Heaven he castigates God for not saving him, a Righteous Man. God says 'who do you think sent the bloody boat'?

But at least these religious types are DOING something.

yes, next time this happens if I am with the dogs I will cry 'how marvellous! Jesus has answered my prayers. Quick half an hour round the field will do it' then hand them leads and poo bags and decamp to nearby cafe.

Ask them if they can quote Matthew 6:5 for you.

Google is my friend.

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites
are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and
in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

I shall shout this at them as I incite my chihuahua to bite their ankles.

What really annoys me, is that by believing if they pray hard enough and believe enough, God will do what they want him to do.

How 'manipulative' is that?

They're actually think God is at their beck and call.

I had one ask me recently if I'd confessed my sins. I said, smiling sweetly, that if he could find me a priest with enough life left then I'd get right on it. He didn't find me as amusing as I found myself though and at a guess I'd say his thoughts bordered more on the murderous than the Christian!

I would ask them why they think you need praying for and do they not know that God made us in his own image.
It does seem very egotistical of them to think that their prayers should be heard over yours.