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The ethics of proselytizing
Q: Is there a problem with proselytism overseas by U.S. religious groups? Isn't sharing one's faith part of religious freedom? When does it cross the line into manipulation and coercion?
Far from being a threat to religious freedom, proselytism is one more expression of it. In fact, in countries in which proselytizing is illegal, people are literally dying for the right to share their beliefs with others.
We should be far more concerned about those nations in which one is barred from sharing their beliefs than we are about individuals who may annoy us with their overly enthusiastic religious salesmanship. In the end, those who want to convert us are hardly worth being upset about - either they are right, in which case they are doing us a favor, or they are wrong, in which case who cares?!
The real is issue is not whether or not proselytizing is appropriate. Why should people who love a particular tradition not have the freedom to share it with others? It would actually be odd for many of them not to do so. And for some, sharing one's faith is a religious obligation no different from prayer or acts of charity. So constraining their ability to "share the word" turns out, not to protect religious freedom, but to degrade it.
The issue is not whether proselytizing is appropriate, but how it can be done so that it nurtures the same religious freedom for others as it does for those doing the proselytizing. And that come down to two words: salvation and love.
If those proselytizing are doing so because they are convinced that only by joining them can others gain salvation, we have a serious problem. That's not simply a theological issue. As I said, if they are correct, they are doing us a favor in terms of the next life, if there is one. The problem proselytizing based on the belief that one is sharing the only true faith creates in this world is very concrete.
The track record of any group which believes that theirs is the only path to salvation is always bad, at least if they ever get any power. Once people believe that others' souls are already lost, it's a short jump to destroying their bodies if they remain steadfast in their disbelief. And that's where the love comes in.
Since all evangelical traditions claim that converting others is an act of love which witnesses the truth of their tradition, they should ask if those they are proselytizing experience their actions as loving. If they do not, then they will have found the limits of what they ought to be doing. Anything more and they are no longer educating or witnessing, but propagandizing and harassing.
The ethics of proselytizing make demands on both those being proselytized and those doing the proselytizing. Those being proselytized must accept that sharing ideas, including those about faith which we do not share, is a fundamental expression of the freedoms which we cherish.
Those doing the proselytizing must keep their eyes on their audience and be more concerned about the responses of those whom they fail to convert than those who "see the light". The lives of the latter will be taken care of in heaven, but the lives of the former become a living hell when they fail to do so. If that isn't the definition of crossing the line, then nothing is.
By
Brad Hirschfield
|
March 1, 2010; 2:32 PM ET
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Posted by: FarnazMansouri | March 4, 2010 7:03 PM
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"Far from being a threat to religious freedom, proselytism is one more expression of it. "
Full support, Mr. Hirschfeld.
I've seen this topic cropping up a lot lately. Seems to be the new Leftist boogeyman.
Posted by: ZZim | March 4, 2010 1:59 PM
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"In the end, those who want to convert us are hardly worth being upset about - either they are right, in which case they are doing us a favor, or they are wrong, in which case who cares?!"
This is true for those of us who are educated and able to discriminate between what we will accept and what we won't. However, when you're talking about selling religious belief to poor, possibly uneducated people in countries or regions without a "recognizable" religious tradition, "Who cares?" is no longer a useful fallback position.
When people understand what they are rejecting, they can maintain their resolution and refuse to be coerced. People who don't have that understanding are far more likely to give up their own familiar system of ethics and values because they cannot withstand the determination of others to change them.
Posted by: haveaheart | March 3, 2010 4:18 PM
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Proselytizing is only OK if other Americans are not paying for it through taxes or through fraudulent tax exemptions for "Churches" that use their saved money to finance influencing elections or political issues.
Posted by: coloradodog | March 3, 2010 8:53 AM
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PROSELYTIZATION is a manifestation of the SUPREMACIST foundation of Christianity & Islam.
No one else has this serious flaw that Christians and Muslims have in their "religions" or spiritual systems. Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Zoroastrians, Jews, Wiccans, Animists, etc.. are all trying to make themselves better, not trying to undermine others.
Conversion has caused some of the biggest problems in third world countries.
The "charity" and "kind deeds" are insincere and deceptive actions, and therefore, are acts of evil.
Muslims & Christians don't seem to get the basics of goodness and spirituality. Pretending to be good while having and ulterior motive fools no one and is an act of evil. This can lead to crusades and suicide terrorism.
REMEMBER: Almost all religious conflicts in the world involve Muslims or Christians on one side or both.
Sneakiness, deception, conversion, undermining other cultures, etc... is offensive and nonspiritual.
You really feel the urge to do charity? Go to the inner city in America and help those in need. Look in your own family and help those who are depressed or drunk or angry.
Stop going to 3rd world countries and causing problems & hurting others.
Posted by: clearthinking1 | March 2, 2010 7:30 PM
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We Jews, Rabbi, are not much into "witnessing," "confessing," etc. Justice is the J word.
Proseltyzers are invariable repugnant to me and to every other J and Muslim I know.
I vote we Js start doing as the Ms do. Simply tell people stories about our religion. It's quiet, unobtrusive, and very productive. (You would be surprised.)
Why, you ask? Do Js not eschew proseltyzing? Do we not rather leave the issue of religion to each individual conscience? If a person wishes to convert,of course we embrace her.
But that is not the point. In NUMBERS, there is strength. There is no reason on earth why we should not undertake an M-style spreading of the religion. Many, many Jews, especially younger ones, feel precisely this way.
In the meantime, proseltyzers are not welcome either where I live or where I work, thank Non.