Tricking People to God
During the first week of my freshman year at college, I noticed a newspaper of campus called “The Rampage.” My university’s mascot was the Ram, so I figured that it must be the campus newspaper. It certainly looked like the campus newspaper. The front page had a typical story which one would expect to find on the front page of a campus newspaper. The sad fact is that this was not the campus newspaper, it was a trick.
A few weeks ago, a woman came to my door wanting to give me a pamphlet about depression. The front page of the pamphlet said, “Depression” in large letters. It looked interesting enough and she wasn’t asking me for any money or anything. So I said thank you and as I opened up the pamphlet, she ran off as quickly as she could. The sad fact is that it wasn’t really a pamphlet about depression, it was a trick.
As you might have guessed, both the newspaper and the depression pamphlet were really Christian propaganda designed to trick people into picking it up. These are not isolated examples either. I could list several similar examples and I am sure some of you will post some of yours in the comment section.
Do Christians really believe that their message is so weak that they actually have to trick people into hearing it? It certainly seems that way.
Many Christian groups and churches use this type of bait and switch technique to get people into religion. It just seems so dishonest. Isn’t there a Ten Commandment about baring false witness or something? I think that if you have to trick someone into believing something that should be your first clue that maybe what you are pushing is bullshit; I just saying.
Filed under: Preaching, Religion, Religious Manipulation, discussion
Staks, your tenacity is inspiring. As long as you keep writing ‘em, I’ll keep reading ‘em!
“depression pamphlet ” i’ve had almost the exact same thing happen at my home…if they have to resort to these types of things then they have no message at all, really, but i always have one for them… “No Thanks”
Have you ever seen those Christian tracts that look like cash? Talk about tricks! I’ve seen someone leave it instead of a tip for their restaurant server before. Made me steam out the ears.
Yeah, the cash-looking pamphlets was I believe Ray Comfort’s idea. He’s all about using tricks.
“Do Christians really believe that their message is so weak that they actually have to trick people into hearing it?”
Actually I beleive the converse may be true. Many Christians beleive that Liberals and the like have so poisoned the well of public opinion against Christianity that they must resort to these tactics in order to get past the preconditioned Atheist bias. The Christian soldier believes that all the have to do is expose someone to the awe inspiring story of a dead Jewish carpenter saving humanity from the sins of a rib woman who allowed herself and tempted by a talking snake, and BAM!!- instant salvation, hence the tactics.
I got the Depression pamphlet in the mail..that’s real JUNK MAIL
I got one about the water crisis. It started off good but then went into its religious nonsense and stated that the real problem was that we just weren’t praying hard enough and how we wouldn’t have to worry about such things in heaven. I was tempted to chase the woman down the street. Someone on our side should come up with a pamphlet we could easily print up and give to the door knockers and street preachers and such.
I am thinking about making a few of those actually. In the meantime, there are some atheist pamphlets available. My brother put a list together right here on Dangerous Talk:
Pamphlets & Tracts
Yup, it would be a good idea to keep just a few on your person…that way, if someone hands you a pamphlet you can do a little pamphlet exchanging…what’s good for the goose and all that…:)