Evangelizing the "Nones"

[Karen107]

I don’t know many atheists or nones who have this motive. Instead, most I know have often set out with the opposite goal in mind–to believe. I have a friend who was studying to be a priest but then during the study, became an atheist.
Many have come to religion as a blank slate and just were not convinced by the information out there.

. Your priest scenario doesn’t consider how many study to be a priest and don’t lose faith… And how many priests give up their ‘lives’ in service to God… Priests and other religious vocational are pretty powerful testimonials to faith And Gods existence…

 

[Karen107]

Again, I don’t think this motive is accurate IMO. I think many universities try to present the facts without any bias and let the students decide for themselves, unlike a religious institution which will naturally teach their faith as the right one.

I’ve gone to lectures given by Dale Martin, a prof of Religious Studies at Yale and also, by Bart Ehrman, prof at U of North Carolina. Martin is a Christian, Ehrman is agnostic…but they give identical information about Jesus and Christianity and the bible and present it the same way–neither insisting to the students either way which side is credible and which is not.

.

Do you really believe a class on religion which is presented as neutral really helps a person find their faith? With no prayer, no retreats, no witnessing, no Mass.?. It’s like studying about a foreign country. One can never fully learn about it until they actually visit there and experience it for themselves and even then there’s much more to learn.

 

[Mike_from_NJ]

Just 9 days ago I had some evangelizers come to my door, so this has been something I’ve been mulling over recently as to good and bad ways to evangelize. Now many Catholics doing the New Evangelization won’t necessarily be going door-to-door, and the folks who came to my door weren’t Catholic but instead from the nearby Calvary Church; so it’s not apples to apples but more like apples to apple pie

First, the folks that came by last week had bags of groceries in case anybody they came across was in need. Even though I wasn’t in such need, I definitely appreciated that they were providing charity and not just a message. It’s like what powerofk said, “Work with faith and love.” and puzzledtoo, “Behavior is believable.”

Second, they were forthright in that they were there to talk about their religion (When one of them has a shirt emblazened with, “Jesus says…” the message is clear ). I remember more than a few times back in college (some cough 20+ years ago) where I’d be out and about and someone would strike up a conversation then only after several minutes it then became clear the point was not to be friendly but to get me to join the church of somethingorother.

Third, to evangelize it’s not necessary to know every last detail about the Bible and your faith. When I asked some questions that the first evangelizing team had trouble with, one of them called over a second team that was in another part of my apartment complex. Now obviously for people not going door-to-door it’s a little different. I’d guess if you’re evangelizing someone and they ask a question you don’t know the answer to the best thing would be to say something like, “I’ll have to look into that.” then get back with an answer. There’s nothing wrong with admitting a gap in knowledge.

Fourth, while knowing the faith and Bible isn’t necessary it helps to have an idea why “nones” might have certain issues. Handy, well-thought-out, and honest responses should be at the ready. The people I spoke to seemed unprepared to respond to question about biblical contradictions and about certain unpleasant stories in the Bible.

Fifth, above all respect the person that you’re speaking to. I always say that there are reasonable people who believe and those who don’t. As others in the thread, never assume that the other person either hasn’t researched your faith or hasn’t declined in following your faith after an honest study of it. The people who came to my door left a very bad taste in my mouth when the head evangelizer said he was leaving because I “had hardened my heart against God.”

In short, people can discuss faith matters openly and politely but it’s not like in the movies where a few sentences in and the “none” breaks down newly converted.

 

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

People I know who start to have faith in Christ have discovered a relationship with a living Jesus, Father and Holy Ghost.

People who were vaguely religious but had a problem marriage or something like that, and found themselves able to (mutually) put that right have had a toned down version of the same thing.

The less manipulative the situation, the better the results.

The less intent to “produce” results, the more genuine the results.

Many an avowed “atheist” is not without genuineness, some prominent counter-examples notwithstanding.

Dramatic about-turns like “seminarian turns atheist” are a gift because impure beliefs (probably of a young person) have been rejected.

I’m in my 60s and have mulled this fascinating subject over, based on my sharp observations, life long.

 

[pensmama87]

Honestly, the best way to evangelize is through everyday actions. Pray, pray, and pray some more. Obviously, there are many different reasons for unbelief. And a core reason is due to the actions of the believers. In fact, one of the main drivers for unbelief is the actions of the believers not matching the preaching of the believers.

Work with faith and love. Be authentic! And if someone asks why you are how you are, then tell them, “My love for Jesus commands me to obey Him. And His command is to love each and every other human being as I love myself. If you have any questions about what I believe or why, please ask, and I’ll do my best to answer them. If I can’t answer the question right away, I’ll tell you. And if you ever feel like you want to come with me to Mass one day, just tell me. I’ll be happy to bring you along.” And leave it at that. You’ve opened the door, but it’s up to them to walk through.

As a millenial who grew up a “none,” yes, exactly this.

(Though I will admit there is a LOT of ignorance about religion in general…I was well-educated and had a diverse group of friends but could tell you very little about what they believed or didn’t believe. I also didn’t know that I didn’t know, if that makes sense.)

 

[Padres1969]

More and more people in the United States and around the globe are turning away from God in general and Christ in particular. When asked what their religion is when filling out a form they check the box labeled “none” - hence the name “Nones”.

What can be done to evangelize them? Especially this so-called “millennial” generation? To them, the thought of God or religion isn’t given a fraction of a second’s thought. I think SOMETHING needs to be done so that the Faith is passed on, they can share in the glory of Heaven, and they eventually don’t turn against devout religious people even more than they already are.

I see alot of debate here about Catholic vs. Protestant beliefs (and vice-versa on Protestant web forums), but I honestly think that ALL Christians are ignoring the fire-breathing dragon in the corner - apathy. How do we engage those who just don’t care?

I think the “NONES” and how to deal with them is the greatest issue facing Christians of all stripes today.

Any thoughts?

Honestly I’m not sure what can be done other than living and practicing a good Christian life and using yourself as an example. Anything more active is likely to simply engender the opposite response you’re looking for. I mean I know for me, my wife is a “none.” She was raised a-religious and despite going to Catholic university has very little interest in religion. It’s just not part of her life experience nor something she really feels she needs as part of it. However I’ve found that my own example has more impact on her own feeling toward religion than anything I could have done actively. She occasionally accompanies me to mass, she’s fine with our daughter being baptized, etc… simply by virtue of my own actions within my own religious experience. It’s not huge steps obviously, but it’s something.

 

[Cheiron]

Tip #1: don’t go into a conversation with this assumption. A lot of us have actually given this a lot of thought, and it doesn’t make a would-be evangelist look very good in our eyes if they condescend to us by acting like we’re either ignorant or apathetic. A good example of this is a friend of mine who majored in Biblical studies. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard people tell him that he “just needs to read the Bible” when they learn he’s an atheist.

Exactly this. According to a 2010 Pew Religious Knowledge Survey, atheists knew more about religion than any other group. Here is the source: pewforum.org/2010/09/28/u-s-religious-knowledge-survey/

So I agree with tip #1 from KnowtheSilence. Tip #2 is to use language that the religious Nones understand. Christian apologists asked me to “let Jesus into your heart” and to develop a “personal relationship with Him.” Every Christian on this forum probably knows what’s being said there, but to me it sounded incomprehensible. Don’t forget to adapt your vocabulary to your audience.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

To many people the Christian narrative just seems like another myth lacking logical coherence. Hopefully they still seek some higher meaning and purpose and perhaps different understanding of God. But without a personal experience of the love of God in their lives, something that can be interpreted as a personal encounter with God, it is all just an intellectual puzzle. It doesn’t touch the heart. That is where we come in. And I think Jesus on the road to Emmaus gives us a good example. He plays stupid. “What things?” But for their benefit, to engage them where they are, asking them questions and letting them tell of their expereince, journey and struggles. And their hearts “burn within them”.

 

[PRmerger]

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard people tell him that he “just needs to read the Bible” when they learn he’s an atheist.

I never tell atheists that they will be able to convert to a belief in God by reading the Bible.

That’s nonsense.

In fact, when one reads the Bible without the lens of the Faith which gave us this Bible, it’s often a recipe for disaster.

 

[PRmerger]

Exactly this. According to a 2010 Pew Religious Knowledge Survey, atheists knew more about religion than any other group.

Reminds me of a parallel by Francis Bacon:

“A little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion”

 

[rfournier103]

My apologies for not coming back sooner - been pretty busy. :hammering:

Some very good comments here.

 

[Padres1969]

I never tell atheists that they will be able to convert to a belief in God by reading the Bible.

That’s nonsense.

In fact, when one reads the Bible without the lens of the Faith which gave us this Bible, it’s often a recipe for disaster.

Indeed. Read the bible without faith and it becomes nothing but a book that’s not particularly consistent or even comprehensible in some respects. The Old Testament in particular just becomes something akin to the Epic of Gilgamesh…

 

[KnowtheSilence]

I never tell atheists that they will be able to convert to a belief in God by reading the Bible.

That’s nonsense.

In fact, when one reads the Bible without the lens of the Faith which gave us this Bible, it’s often a recipe for disaster.

Fair enough. You probably also wouldn’t anonymously place a bunch of Chick tracts around somebody’s place of work. Different people have different ideas as to how to evangelize.