How to respond to aggressive evangelizing

I learned decades ago that I am under no obligation to be polite to someone who is rude. Proselytizing is beyond rude.  Besides, I am sure it pisses Jesus off when it is done in his name.

That was my first thought. 

In reality, I'd just say you have your beliefs, I have mine.

Catholics the world over have a hard time convincing non Catholics that they are Christian. Catholics know they are from the faith Jesus himself established. So as a Catholic I rely on the fact many people know really nothing about the Catholic faith and I say as you did, I'm Catholic. I repeat until the topic shifts.

Anyway now I'm basically atheist while keeping a few Catholic traditions, but I haven't gone there with very religious people. Nothing good can come from it.

"Yes, and he told me to stay far away from you."

or

"I'm a heathen. You should probably stay six paces away in case now is the time God decides to smite me."

Hmm. I'm also British and I agree with gar's reaction, because religion is not a subject for dinner-time conversation in our culture until you really get to know people. (Culture? Is that the right word?) Having said that, I am a Christian so my response would have been "yes, thank you". If he pushed it, I might have started talking about my job as well. Because that's what he was doing. Not appropriate where I live.

Are you expecting your friends to include the pastor in the party again?

🤣😂🤣😂🤣 I love this version

http://instagram.com/p/CNxtb51jx7E

But they're not his "beliefs". They're his "TRUTHS!!!" Black and white thinking. "My interpretation of my favorite book is the ONLY TRUTH!!!"

I know I've told this before, but I'll say it again. He's saving you from the "Invisible Train":

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I think they think they're 'loving' people by proselytizing - even rudely. Here's the analogy I use. This was about parents and LGBTQ children. But substitute 'Christian' for 'parent'...

The parent and child are crossing a railroad track. The parent is behind the child a bit. All of a sudden the parent pushes the child across the tracks to the far side while running back across the tracks to the near side. The child is severely injured by the push/fall after landing on the far side of the tracks. The parent is uninjured having run but not fallen to the near side of the tracks. The parent recrosses the track to the child. The child has a broken arm, cuts, is bleeding profusely, etc.

The child looks at the parent in horror. "Call 911! I'm going to faint. Why did you do that?!?!?!"

The parent looks at the child lovingly. "There was a train coming and I pushed you out of its path - you could have DIED!"

The child weakly moans "There was no train."

The parent whispers "It was invisible."

The invisible train (i.e., THEIR INTERPRETATION OF THEIR FAVORITE HOLY BOOK), that only certain religious people can see. But they act on it as if it's real and the rest of us can be hurt by it. When, in fact, we are only hurt by their actions "protecting us" from the invisible train.

Ah, Christian fellowship. Of course, according to many evangelicals, Catholics aren't Christian, so no reason to be kind I guess.

Ugh, honestly evangelical *anything* drives me insane now, whether it be - Christian, atheist, vegan, MLMer, animal, vegetable, mineral, any of it. Unless I ask because I want to know (and sometimes I do if the person seems reasonable and without agenda), I don’t really want to engage otherwise, lol. Lessons learned. 😅

I am thinking you were set up by your friends, and it was extremely rude of them to let you be ambushed.

I would think it would be fine if, in a conversation, your friends asked if you would like to meet and talk to their pastor, and they should accept a yes or a no as a final answer.

I think you should let your friends know you do not want to talk to their pastor (assuming that you don't).  

That's when some wonderful "men of God" are not spending their time abusing the children/members of the congregation. Google "pastor arrested" or "pastor charged" and "abuse". Quite an eyeful.

How very gracious and christ-like.

i would be taken aback... religion is very personal here and the only people i could imagine being that aggressive to butt into my biz are the guys standing on a street corner waving the bible around and screaming at everyone walking by. or jehovah's witness observers going door-to-door to convince others they need to be saved. 

as a matter of fact, the only time i can recall being asked about my religion outwardly is by new canadians - but when i give a response of "i was not really raised religious" and change the subject, none have pushed any further.  

if someone were to push, i guess i would fall back on "i respect your right to choose your views and beliefs, please respect mine". and then change the subject. or leave. 

that's so weird, if i were your friend, i would be horrified that a member of my clergy was rude to my friend.