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THE QUESTION
Proselytizing overseas: Religious freedom or coercion?
What is the real 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?
Go here for more information on this issue.
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on March 1, 2010 12:57 PM
FROM THE PANEL
The fine line between hypocrisy and reform
The dividing line between hypocrisy and reform is drawn by silence. If you silently go along with what is wrong -- however you define wrong -- then you are verging on hypocrisy. If you speak out, you are inciting reform. And attracting hostility at the same time
Posted by Deepak Chopra, on March 16, 2010 9:58 PM
What does "proselytize" really mean?
People do need to be converted to better ways of behaving towards one another. My own religion has taught me a great deal about the spirit of selfless service to support, not impose, the growth of freedom of thought throughout the world, and I sincerely believe that most U.S. religious groups are equally well motivated in their efforts.
Posted by Phil Davis, on March 5, 2010 5:00 PM
A bully in nanny's clothing
Freedom of religion includes the ability to argue for the truth and even necessity of your beliefs. If you are right, it is a moral necessity to tell your friends they are ruining their chances at true happiness. If you are wrong, then expressing your beliefs is a good way to test them.
Posted by John Mark Reynolds, on March 5, 2010 3:42 PM
The evil of proselytizing
Gandhi said: "The day you stop talking about how good your religion is and start living it then everyone will come willingly to join you." I think this is the crux of the problem here.
Posted by Arun Gandhi, on March 4, 2010 2:35 PM
Missionaries: the good, the bad, and the ugly
I am a strong supporter of freedom of religion. Most proselytizers are not. They want the freedom to coerce vulnerable and gullible individuals into converting, and they can justify many nefarious methods to accomplish their goal.
Posted by Ramdas Lamb, on March 4, 2010 3:41 AM
America as a missionary society
If America were an empire, we would be interested in extending our territory; but since we are interested only in extending our ideas and advancing their interests, we are a missionary society.
Posted by Willis E. Elliott, on March 3, 2010 2:03 PM
The 'problem' of proselytism
"Proselytism" is officially recognized by the international covenants as part and parcel of one's freedom of conscience or belief--it is the freedom to share the essence of one's identity. Today, however, "proselytism" and "sharing" have quite different connotations.
Posted by Chris Seiple, on March 3, 2010 8:30 AM
The violence of conversion
The violence of conversion is very real. The religious conversion is too often a conversion to intolerance. A convert is asked to repudiate his sangha (community), reject the customs and traditions of his family passed down for generations, and refuse to attend religious ceremonies that are the very basis of daily life in much of the world.
Posted by Aseem Shukla, on March 3, 2010 12:59 AM
Too many 'i's' in proselytizing
God is Love; that is what we are all taught. Proselytizing does not transmit a feeling of love; it creates an atmosphere of tension based on religious competition.
Posted by Susan K. Smith, on March 2, 2010 8:47 PM
The fine line between persuasion and manipulation
A current example of the problem with proselytizing is the situation in Uganda, where a bill is pending in the Parliament -- in part due to the activism and influence of American evangelicals -- to punish people convicted of homosexuality with death or, as a concession to international uproar, life imprisonment.
Posted by Janet Edwards, on March 2, 2010 6:37 PM
Religious expression: a fundamental right
Everyone is and should be entitled to speak his or her mind on religious matters, and everyone else has the right to listen, or not, as they choose. Because of the central importance of these rights, no man or government is justified in interfering with them.
Posted by Michael Otterson, on March 2, 2010 11:19 AM
Evangelism and ethics are inseparable
Christianity is a religion of evangelism. Christians have a divine imperative to share their faith in word and deed. Christianity is also a religion of ethics. Christians have a divine imperative to share their faith with integrity and transparency. Unfortunately, some Christians and Christian organizations follow the former and ignore the latter.
Posted by Robert Parham, on March 2, 2010 8:44 AM
Less talking about God, more listening to God
Proselytizing, as a shared experience of listening and sharing, is the way we all advance in Truth. The greatest advances in science and society have been collaborative. Can we seek together to know Truth - each of us sharing our own insights, our own necessarily partial grasp of that which is inherently Transcendent and Unknowable fully?
Posted by Max Carter, on March 2, 2010 1:41 AM
Proselytism is a dangerous religious idea
Proselytizing in a globalizing world shakes the foundations of security that religion offers and it has a profoundly unsettling effect. Since increased anxiety often manifests itself in aggression and even violence, religious proselytizing is an ever more dangerous religious idea, and a bad one at that.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on March 1, 2010 8:51 PM
How to win friends and influence people
I do empathize with religious groups whose mission is to convert everyone in the world, since I happen to think the world would be a far better place if everyone "saw the light" of secular humanism. The issue is how to go about achieving your goals. Whether religious or secular, I believe the best form of proselytizing is to lead by example.
Posted by Herb Silverman, on March 1, 2010 6:18 PM
The ethics of proselytizing
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.
Posted by Brad Hirschfield, on March 1, 2010 2:32 PM
My god's better than your god
Believers and non-believers alike have been blessed abundantly and ought to join in gratitude for those blessings, not in competition to prove that my god's better than your god.
Posted by Jack Moline, on March 1, 2010 1:47 PM
Proselytize away, just not on my tax nickel
Of course there is a problem with American religious groups proselytizing overseas--not because they don't have a perfect right to proclaim their faith from every rooftop and minaret, but because many of these organizations have long received U.S. government funding for their charitable works.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on March 1, 2010 1:43 PM
Save & Share:
cecil4: We have something close to religious freedom in the United States, but many countries do not. Religious groups should abide by the laws of w...
kert1: I would have to say this question is one of the more bizarre questions posted. How could one justify limiting any religions ability to spre...
timmy2: People should be aloud to share their faith and religion or philosophy wherever and whenever they want. Open exchange of ideas is integral t...
