Proselytizing?

One of the bad words in our society today is ‘proselytize’. If there’s any complaint that’s regularly leveled against missionaries, it’s that they’re accused of proselytizing. I’ve had reason to think about this one lately, so I want to jot down a few thoughts here.

In case you’re not familiar with the word, the dictionary definition is ‘to try to convert somebody to a religious faith or political doctrine’ (Encarta). The line of thinking often goes that religion has been the cause of so many wars and so much hatred in human history, that it’s time to have a little respect for each another instead of sneaking around trying to ‘steal’ converts from one religion to another.

I think there are some legitimate problems with this line of thinking, but there are also some very good points. Many people recognize the problem with coercion, manipulation, brainwashing, and conversion by force. The word ‘proselytize’ often brings up images of these things. Generally speaking, both Christians and non-Christians would agree that these things are wrong and dangerous. There are certainly types of proselytizing that are not desirable.

But sometimes this movement against so-called proselytizing goes to dangerous extremes. For example, it runs the danger of separating ‘religion’ from other types of knowledge. In other words, whatever we don’t want to debate, let’s just call it religion. ‘Oh, he thinks that just because of his religious beliefs’ or ‘Keep your personal opinions out of the public forum’. Who exactly decides what ideas are ‘religious’? This is a dangerous line of thinking where the elite in society feel they can shut down discussion on topics they don’t want to discuss.

True respect of religion means that you consider it worthy of debate. If you have no respect for a religion, you will simply dismiss it. If you feel it’s worthy of discussion, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing.

Tolerance should mean being willing to listen to other opinions. True respect of your beliefs doesn’t mean that I write them off before I understand them, and it also doesn’t mean that I affirm them without understanding them.

Violence is not a result of an open marketplace of ideas. It’s more often when ideas are suppressed that people become violent. When we all share our ideas freely and with respect, we are all better off.

So instead of just throwing an opinion out because it’s a so-called ‘religious’ belief, why not listen and see if you can learn something. Are there valid reasons for holding this opinion? There are advantages to living in a society with many different points of view and cultures, as we in Canada do. As Christians, this type of a society can keep us from going to illogical extremes. I don’t mean we should try to follow society instead of God, what I do mean is that we often add our own little ideas to God’s Word, and living in a society that challenges us can help us evaluate what we believe and see if it really is Scriptural or just an opinion.

Let’s be wary of religious manipulation. However, let’s also show true respect to one another, be willing to discuss ideas openly, and not use the word ‘religion’ to automatically turn down our hearing aids.