How do you respond to negative/ignorant people?

[vassal]

After many years of struggling with the question, I finally stopped giving a rip. The vast majority of the time, when I feel compelled to reveal my spirituality, even the most obnoxious Bible-belter hasn't actually planned out how they would respond to such an unlikely event, and usually just freezes. Often, there's the faint sound of a paradigm shifting without a clutch.

Them: "What church do you go to?"

Me: "Actually, I'm a new-age crystal waver."

Them: "....uh..."

When ignorance does occur, I again don't have the energy to give a rip. Usually I just agree and amplify.

Them: "Don't you want to go to heaven?"

Me: "Can't smoke, can't drink, can't toke, can't have lots of sex, can't listen to cool music, have to learn the harp? Naa, I'll pass."

Them: "You should worry about eternal damnation!"

Me: "Really? Ok. ....[concerned look]... There, I worried about it."

The advantage I have which allows this is I'm not a small man, and I don't work in an environment where my bosses care about anything other than how fast I can stack boxes. YMMV.

Bahahaaha. Yes. I like to throw gasoline on the fire. It's time wasting to teach. Why not have fun?

[SpiritTalker]

Yesterday there were a pair of evangelical types at my door, asking if I "wanted a better relationship with god." Several snarky retorts passed through my thoughts, which I resisted & replied that I had a very good relationship with deity and thanked them for their concern. From the surprised looks on their faces, they weren't expecting cheerful politeness. I wished them a happy day and said bye. If I'd given in to my knee jerk desire to wipe their faces in it (hissss) I'd have put myself in a foul mood. Instead, I was smiling as I went back to the book I was reading. Their expressions were priceless.

[Firedrake]

Bahahaaha. Yes. I like to throw gasoline on the fire. It's time wasting to teach. Why not have fun?

To be fair, sometimes it is, sometimes it ain't, but you can usually tell by how they ask the question. Lots of people aren't interested in information, just shaming and evangelism.

I went through my 20s believing it was my duty to educate the world. That didn't get me much more than a lot of hurt feelings and high blood pressure.

[moonraingirl]

Haha so funny to read this guys!

I'm even sorry a bit that we don't have evangelists here. It might be fun to meet țhem

In the past, JW's used to knock on the door but since town council has forbidden that, they stand in the street and offer their literature. And im definitely not a type who would actively start a conflict with someone who just silently stands there and doesn't bother me personally.

[Blusnayl]

I tend to experience more difficulties with SJWs than evangelicals.

[Newbiewitch94]

I'm kind of glad I don't get people preaching the bible coming around at easter or Christmas anymore or I'd probably end up doing something I regret. That reminds me one of the last times I went into the city center there was this street preacher preaching saying science is wrong and so are us "new agers", as he was going around talking to random people I almost dared him mentally to speak to me as I'd not only challenge his views but give him a few home truths about his religion. (Normally very respectful when it comes to others beliefs but when your in the street preaching and disrespecting others you need to be knocked down a few pegs).

[nightshroud]

me: ignore them and walk off

because feeding their egos only escalates it so much more

[MsMollimizz]

I use to wear a pentagram all the time...
Now I have Hekate's Wheel around my neck which is not
as recognizable.
I use to love it when the "witnesses" came calling !
I told them I was Pagan and when they tried to convert
I would ask them(my favorite-to shut them up!) if they
could tell me where Cain and Able's wives came from ?
There are so many discrepancies in the bible...
If Adam and Eve were the first(they forgot about Lilith!)
humans on this planet they couldn't come up with an
answer. They quit coming !
Dealing with those at work...another story.
If I was not afraid of loosing my job because someone
was vindictive...I'd say Pagan.
If there was a chance I could not trust lips flapping and
getting back to the boss...Spiritual is the best bet, safe
too. Then quickly change the subject
Gentle Light
MsMollimizz

[Danmagnamius]

If people don't like what you do that's their problem, I don't care about those that care not about me! Be true to yourself and be yourself and people will like the real you, if you are fake you will meet fake people! The best advice I could give you is tread the water I ask people if they are spiritual depending on their response will depend if I go further with that person!

[planewalker]

Having a great love of comparative religion I've actually read the Bible twice. Most of the Bible thumpers I've run into haven't managed to do it once or if they have they have very selective memories. My mom is a Southern Baptist. She figured that dragging me to church would drive that paganism out of my head. That kind of back-fired because I then decided that to make a truly informed choice I had better study up on every religion I could find information about. She was Frankenstein and I was the religious monster she created. I will politely discuss religion with anyone who is polite. With the people who find it necessary to come to my door and tell me if I don't do religion exactly as they tell me to I will most definitely burn in the hottest flames of the infernal regions. They are here to save poor, ignorant, benighted me. Well, I figure if their deity has been nice enough to supply me with a chance to have this much fun I should avail myself of it. I enthusiastically invite them in for coffee. This puts them off their guard and leaves them open to the Biblical thumping of their young lives. Usually in the area I live in this means Mormons. We just don't seem to get SDA's. Now I let them start into their sales pitch. I then very innocently ask if their "testament" negates the Bible in any way. They, of course, say it only adds to a fuller understanding of the wonderous works of God. I then ask them to be so kind and read the Ten Commandments. They are right about now thinking along the lines of "He just wants to make sure the comfortable things he's been raised on are still the same. WE'VE GOT HIM." Then they get to THOU SHALL NOT KILL. The fun begins. I ask how they got such an awful translation of the Bible. They then proceed to tell me how they have the approved version, usually King James version. Then I ask who in the world would be stupid enough to do that. Send them out proselytizing and even worse betting their immortal souls on such shoddy translation work. I then educate them that the version they think so highly of has been translated from Hebrew to Aramaic to Greek to Latin to French To English and that translation to English was done in the mid 1600's. Thou shall not kill is actually Thou shall not Murder. If they really read it, how do they explain Jericho. "Given to the Lord - every man, women, child and animal put to the sword except for Rahab who helped the Hebrew spies. We then have the unpleasantness with the Philistines not to mention the fighting just to get to the Promised Land. And, by the way, did they notice that Moses was really an Egyptian. Moses was an Egyptian name meaning "son of". He was most likely the Pharaoh Akhenaten's 1/2 brother. Akhenaten was born Amanhotep IV. He was the first monotheist. He ruled from 1352 to 1336 BCE. He shut down the temples, moved the capitol from Thebes to Tell el-Amarna and allowed the worship of only the Aten. In this royal shake up, Moses took the Hebrews, picked up a ready made army from the Hyksos, who were at loose ends in the Sinai, and started the trek to the Promised Land. This by the way does away with the archaeology timing problems at Jericho. The next Pharaoh was Tut-ankh-amon , the boy king Tut. He was having enough trouble with the priests making a come-back and he wasn't interested in chasing his Uncle and friends. I then let them in on the fact that there are 538 commandments and by the way do they believe in treating their slaves as the Bible tells them they should. By then they are looking at the door and formulating plans to escape gracefully. I'm not cruel. I tell them to come back anytime they are better prepared to debate the subject intelligently. After doing like things to other young "missionaries", I was given a great compliment. They attacked with an elder of the church. I couldn't help myself. I toyed with him for a couple of hours. It was fricken great. It was the most fun I'd ever had sitting down. When I'm in the hospital I always have them write down Druid(reformed). That always gets me to the top of the Chaplains appointment book. I tell them that I do it on purpose to get their attention. We usually then have a nice discussion of religion both ancient and modern. If pressed for an answer I tell them that reformed Druids may worship shrubbery as well as trees. I'm an optimist. I feel that everyone should be given a chance to expand their religious outlook. I stay polite but I stand my ground on my outlook on religion, major emphasis on freedom there of..

[Shekinah]

The Christian antagonists have little evidence to substantiate their belief system and are easily pinned to the wall in comparative conversation. When encountering a bible thumper intent on saving my soul (shame on me the devil makes me do it) I enjoy watching them squirm as I present elements of their own beliefs that defy science and common sense contrasted with the Pagan way of life that "shuts out their heaven with a dome more vast". Once they stumble they usually shut up.

[planewalker]

Sounds like you have a good time watching the more I open my mouth the more I close my mind syndrome that is so noticeable in a large proportion of Mormons and "Born Agains".

[Shekinah]

The Abrahamic religions (Judeo-Christianity and Islam) are a tragedy of divine proportions hard wiring brains at a young age so they be conditioned to not question their faith or even explore other avenues of thought. If they were not so obnoxious and immutable to change I would surely feel sorrow and compassion for them. They are oblivious to being lost souls. I suspect their domain might even encode to reside in personal genetic memory infecting unfortunate offspring or be residual programing in a next life experience.

[planewalker]

I think if it still had anything to do with the divine it would be much different. It's just a godly good idea that was corrupted by the issues and devious machinations of humanity. I can hear the first thing said by a divine being when they manifest -"You did WHAT with my wonderful idea?"

[Granite]

Thanks again for sharing your opinions/experiences everyone
When I first posted this it was mostly from nervousness about my new job and the people who I didn't know yet but I'm very lucky to have some very open minded coworkers so far. I carry a bag of herbs and salt on my belt loop or my purse daily and got some weird looks/questions but just expressed that its for "positive energy" they poked fun at me but left it at that. I wear a pentacle under my shirt but its fallen out a few times and no one has said anything to me but I'm sure they noticed..don't know if thats good or bad but I'm happy i didn't have to explain anything at least