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Philosophy/religion

Join our Philosophy forum to discuss religion and spirituality.

Do you feel it is important to share your views on faith or atheism?

999 replies

gingerdodger · 04/07/2014 15:03

This is a genuine question, I am not asking to promote a faith vs atheism debate as we have plenty of those.

My question is whether people feel that it is part of their faith to share those beliefs with others? How far do you take this and how do you approach it? Similarly for those who are atheist, do you feel it is important to share your opinions and in what ways do you do this?

I know some faith groups see this as absaloutely fundamental to their faith whilst others are more relaxed. I also see that those who do not believe in God(s) also often wish to share their opinions widely. It interests me to think about what this achieves in terms of sharing opinions, understanding of each other etc.

From my point of view I strive to be open about my faith, I like to listen to other's perspectives as this makes me think (providing they are listening, I tend to bow out when it starts to feel adversarial and not inquisitorial). I don't feel compelled to actively knock on doors (metaphorically or otherwise) to share my faith but rather subscribe to the view that I hope my approach to life and openness about faith allows me to discuss my faith openly and honestly. I do believe actions speak louder than words and the best form of 'preaching' is to live Christian values of love (not saying I am good at this).

OP posts:
BigDorrit · 16/07/2014 15:18

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capsium · 16/07/2014 15:18

I've not made it up...It has existed for thousands of years before me.

BigDorrit · 16/07/2014 15:19

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capsium · 16/07/2014 15:19

Why would you bother with a key if you've already decided there are no biscuits?

BigDorrit · 16/07/2014 15:20

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BigDorrit · 16/07/2014 15:21

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BigDorrit · 16/07/2014 15:58

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capsium · 16/07/2014 16:11

BigDorrit The decision you need to make first of all, when considering the cupboard, is whether it is worth looking for the key.

Some people would give up just on finding the cupboard is locked...

BigDorrit · 16/07/2014 16:13

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capsium · 16/07/2014 16:19

BigDorrit Ah, but that at least spurs them onto finding out more. It gives them hope. I prefer this to giving up.

capsium · 16/07/2014 16:21

And if we are indeed talking about 'spiritual biscuits'. (my original analogy on the other thread concerned physical ones) they would not be confined by a cupboard.

BigDorrit · 16/07/2014 16:22

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capsium · 16/07/2014 16:24

They tried that with the Tower of Babel.

combust22 · 16/07/2014 16:29

Need a brick wall dorrit?

BigDorrit · 16/07/2014 16:31

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capsium · 16/07/2014 16:47

You poor thing, have you hurt your head?

BigDorrit · 16/07/2014 17:00

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capsium · 16/07/2014 17:22

It seems to have affected you though, otherwise you wouldn't have mentioned it.

ChocolateWombat · 16/07/2014 17:36

I think Christians are called to share their faith. This can mean many things. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the way to God 'I am the way, the truth and the light, no one comes to the Father except through me' John 3.16 and Matthews gospel finishes with the order to 'Go into the world and make disciples of all men....'

I believe that as Christians we have been offered a fantastic gift of salvation. It is a gift offered to all,mwhich needs to be received to get the benefit of it. People usually receive it by being told/shown it is on offer. Otherwise they simply don't know.

So sharing faith involves loving people, showing them the difference Jesus has made in our lives....and sometimes talking about it too. Personally I find that living the faith is the starting point. Jesus by his very nature is hugely attractive to people. If as Christians, weshow even a bit of that,MIT is attractive too. And people want to know why....they ask....then there is a chance to talk. So I see that there is a time to talk about Jesus, and I think we are called on to be able to give an answer/explanation for the hope that we have (it is in the Bible,mbut I can't recall where at the moment)
As someone up thread said, Christians know they have been given an amazing gift. It is available to all and God wants everyone to have it....so I think we are called on to help others know about it, meaning it ISNT purely a personal thing. There are many ways to share faith, and this usually isn't in what some people see as a predatory way, but being genuinely loving,rather than seeking something from it. At some point however I think Christians are called on to share in words too. We should pray for opportunities to do this....I still thank God that someone many years ago spoke to me and planned the Gospel. Without them, I may have never known about Jesus or. It known until much later.

livelablove · 16/07/2014 17:37

Haha I skipped to the end of this thread and it has gone a bit weird!

BigDorrit · 16/07/2014 17:41

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livelablove · 16/07/2014 17:41

I don't share my faith in real life, but I like chatting about these matters on MN.

capsium · 16/07/2014 19:13

BigDorrit Biscuit

sunnyspot · 16/07/2014 22:04

Lovely post ChocolateWombat

LovingSummer · 16/07/2014 22:08

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