A quick note to Christian friends here at DU

[FredStembottom]

I am not a Christian. As such, I have endured 50+ years of spontaneous proselytizing at the hands of a wide variety of the self-elected.

Apparently, my very soul is filthy. And joining your religion is what is needed immediately. Oh, and by the way, I must be careful not to join any of those other, bad versions of Christianity. Just the one that the current evangelizer means for me to join.

And this salesmanship can be done any time, any place and for any length of time. If I give a Christian a lift to the airport I have apparently given permission to have my very personhood condemned along the way. If at home, I've agreed to stop what I am doing to answer the door and patiently listen as to how I must be eternally tortured. I'm that bad. But a full course of lectures (and accompanying donations) at Church of the Strip-Mall will fix me right up.

All this on a man who believes in God - and prays! Quietly, privately.

My point: Dear Christians, you are blessed with such complete and total access to those of us who don't belong to your Church (or church). You enjoy such freedom to politely condemn all the rest of us to damnation.

If, while enjoying DU, you come across some of us who simply have nothing to do with your religion - and as such feel free to not acknowledge the implicit agreement outlined above, don't add yet one more scolding on us - the accusation we are "bashing" you.

We may simply feel that we don't have to listen without answering. We may feel that DU is a place where ALL ideas are debated. We just may talk back. Some of us may even be smart-alecky.

And I bet that not once while reading DU, will your entire Being be condemned.