I can’t really speak for any other religion other than Mormonism. My only exposure to someone trying consistently to influence me to become born-again Christian has fallen into the sharing your faith category (e.g. inviting me to bible study, family picnics, etc.) with no sleazy tricks. Although now that I think about it, they baited the hook with their daughter… The article that I cite might be representative of only a fringe element of evangelical Christianity.

The article does, however, reflect the methods that I was trained to use in the Missionary Training Center and while serving in the New York Rochester Mission.

That’s obviously an attempt to justify the means by the end, but it’s often hard to recognize that in the moment. It’s only in hindsight that I can see the problems with my semi-conscious justifications so clearly.

Christians do offer classes on effectively sharing your faith. We have two such classes right now at my church. However, I would say the difference is in perception.

For some Christians it’s difficult for them to share their faith. They know they should, they just don’t know how without coming off as pushy. (Ask Lacey about my idea of sharing my faith when I was at B&T…) That’s why these classes are so popular. For non-Christians, or former Christians, however, this could look a lot like a brain washing class. (I’ve never had anyone refer to non-Christians as recruits, though.) I do sometimes see things that make me think it’s more about the process than anything else. I have friends who could have benefitted from such classes, because their idea of sharing their faith is to take the biggest, heaviest Bible they can find and beat the unsuspecting over the head with it.

I’ve sent a query to Coral Ridge about this seminar and asked for a response. I didn’t find any particular seminar that exactly matched what the author discussed, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t exist.

As for the author’s conjecture that the higher authority that we’re asked to submit to is the pastor and not God; I’d say that’s the farthest thing from the truth in most churches that I’ve attended. Most pastors, save 1 or 2, that I’ve experienced, are not the higher authority. They’re lucky if they even hold a sway in the church. Most churches are set up to be governed by the members, not the pastor. If the pastor gets cross ways of the congregation it’s good bye pastor.

Now, I feel so good having left the Mormon church and religion behind that I’m happy to share that experience. I wish more people could share that experience. Sometimes that leads me to be a bit heavy handed, but I’m trying to hold back, I really am.

I have no problem with classes on how to share your faith as long as they don’t advocate manipulative methods. Learning how to effectively articulate your beliefs is an important part of belonging to a free society’s discourse. Let’s all just agree to lay off on the methods that prey on weaknesses in human nature.

Of course, I just realized that there is a problem with this. Belief systems that have survived through history have probably done so because they take advantage of human nature. Christianity takes advantage of the desire to be loved unconditionally and the fear of death. Socialism takes advantage of the desire to make everything equal and fair. Libertarianism takes advantage of the human desire to be free and unencumbered by forced social obligation. Conservatism takes advantage of our reluctance to rock the boat, especially if we think we’re going in the right direction. So ultimately, even sharing the content of our belief systems may be manipulative at some low level. I think that’s something that we’ll have to live with, otherwise we would shut down all discourse. That’s too high a price to pay.

For my part, Germans were notoriously resistant to the commitment pattern, and I never really had it in me to be super-manipulative.

I remember one time though when Gene R. Cook (my absolute least favorite General Authority- he bothered me even before I left) came to our mission and he taught us all these “new methods” that were, in retrospect, obscenely manipulative. We tried them for a day or two, but then most of us slid back into our normal patterns. Of course, this gave the hyper-righteous another reason to show the rest of us how much more spiritual and faithful they were…

Whatever.

My least favorite General Authority had to be Hartman Rector Jr., author of Already To Harvest. Here’s my Amazon review:

I absolutely hated this book as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was a manipulative bludgeon to bully me into working harder to convert the people around me. It only served to fill me with guilt when I was unable to fulfill its unrealistic expectations. The message that I took away was that either I’m bringing thousands to Christ, or I’m not working hard enough or inspired enough. The author seems to forget that people have freedom to ignore even the most hard working, inspired missionary. For your own sanity, don’t pay attention to this book.

The first standardized missionary lessons were extremely manipulative:

ELDER: I humbly declare to you from the bottom of my heart that Joseph Smith’s testimony is true. It is logical, sensible and scriptural, so it must be true. And I know that you know in your heart that it is true.… When Joseph Smith came out of the grove, who had the true concept of God, Joseph Smith or the ministers of the world?

MR. BRADY: Joseph Smith.

ELDER: Joseph Smith had the true knowledge of God. That being true, it follows that the churches of the world were wrong. To our knowledge, there was not a single church in the year 1820 that taught the true nature of God. Now, Mr. Brady, I notice that you have several small children in your family and I assume that you love them dearly. Is that correct?

MR. BRADY: Of course.

ELDER: Mr. Brady, is it not a serious thing to have your children taught a false doctrine of God?

MR. BRADY: I suppose so, but I have never thought of that before.

[Editor’s note: The elders invite Mr. Brady to bring his children to Sunday School, then continue:]

ELDER: Mr. Brady, how did Joseph Smith get the true knowledge of God? Who appeared to him?

MR. BRADY: God and Jesus Christ.

ELDER: Yes, and when God speaks to men in this manner, they are called what?

MR. BRADY: Prophets.

ELDER: Exactly, and so that would make Joseph Smith a what?

MR. BRADY: A prophet?

ELDER: Yes, Joseph Smith became a great prophet, and I want you to know that I know with all my heart that these things are absolutely true.

(The New Missionary Discussions and the Future of Correlation by John-Charles uffy)

[This is a continuation of a conversation on Fallon's blog, by the way.] The funny thing is that the very reasons that you cite for why I should avoid Reform Judaism (if I were to follow any form of Judaism) are the very reasons that I’m attracted to it instead of Orthodox Judaism. Reform Judaism is willing to look at the Torah and the evidence about the Torah and acknowledge that it isn’t the literal truth or dictated letter by letter from God’s mouth to Moshe’s ear.

Orthodox Judaism resembles many of the aspects of Mormonism which caused me to leave. There is an interesting post on some of those aspects by a former Orthodox Jew. It is possible to be a religious Jew and participate in your heritage without hiding your head in the sand intellectually.

But to each their own. Life is too short to worry about what other people think about what we belief. Follow your conscience.

Elder’s Quorum Secretary, Keei Ward, Hawaii.

Aloha, Bobby.

Jonathan
Human Being