Is stating my opinion about religion forcing my beliefs on you?

I don't know, but I suppose it's when you start to badger the other person.

I have no problem with people having an opinion, even if it doesn't agree with mine. What bothers me is when people think their opinions are facts and anyone who doesn't agree with them is stupid. This is especially irksome when the opinionated person provides no proof.

I wonder what people in Jesus' day thought when he said "I am the way the truth and the life No man can come to the Father but BY ME" To some that would be an "assult" to others it would clear up the confusion. I happened to be asked by a preacher "If you should die tonight where would you go?" I was honest with him and did not try to argue the point. I didn't know where I would go and when he explained that accepting the sacrifice that Jesus made for my sins would allow me to enter heaven when I die. So to me that wasn't an assult on me personally and I am glad to this day he had the courage to ask. He didn't try to "corner" me and that is what makes the difference between a sincere appeal and an assult.

We each can believe as we wish. Because one believes different than I do testifies to freedom of religion and belief. In many countries this is law. We can discuss our differences but never impose them. God made the sun but if one prefers to stay in the shade, it is his choice.

the biggest problem here is that you dont see the words ( in my opinion) anywhere in the statement which comes off as sounding like you are trying to state a fact. when stating anything about religion you have to have the ( in my opinion) part or it can be construed to be an assault. especialy when they are being spoken and can not be avoided.

Some people take such sentences as offensive not because you are imposing your beliefs on them but because you are insulting their beliefs. It can of course be said that you have every right to express your own opinions but not everybody is equally broadminded or know their religion inside out to brush off such statements. Its only when somebody is insecure in belief or knowledge, that they lash out at critisicms.

I think that since religion deals with a person's eternity it is a sensitive subject because the person is going to spend forever in the next world/place so they are very emotional about anything which threatens the afterlife they have pictured for themselves because no one wants to believe that they do not know for sure what it is going to be like because that is just to scary so they find statements that contradict their beliefs very threatening.

I guess it depends on how you stated them. I don't see anything wrong when talking about one's religion. But persuading others to believe that your religion is the only true and ligitimate one, then I guess problem start there. However, it is often the case that once somebody talks about religion or anyhting like that, it sounds as some kind of assault to others because being in one's faith is likely the identity of a paerson and once that identity is being attacked by some revelations then it stings, hence the dispute.

I think it is in the tone and the way it is presented. A statement of opinion is fine, but not when said like you are stupid if you don't agree. When a person persues you non-stop and corners you to inflict their beliefs on you without resect for your boundaries, that would seem like an assault to me. I think stating your opinion in a even tone with respect for the other person then it is just your opinion. BUT, when it is presented loudly and without respect for the other person it is an assault.

I wrote this in another section of myLot, but, with your indulgence, let me again quote James Miller: "True religion Is always mild, propitious, and humble, Plays not the tyrant, plants no faith in blood; Nor bears destruction on her chariot-wheels; But stoops to polish, succor and redress, And builds her grandeur on the public good." Pleasant reflections and happy myLotting!

i dont think it is. in my opinion if i were to approach you and tell you that you were wrong and my was the only way then i can see that as a form of forcing my religion on you. I believe that everyone is entitled to thier own opinion and entitled to voice those opinions. IF you believe my way is wrong ,thats just your opinion. the same if i was to say your way was wrong. we all have our own ways. some people just like to find reasons to fuss about things.

That's a tricky question really. I don' think it's what's being said so much as much as HOW it's being said and to WHOM. I think in terms of discussions those about religion have to be worded very carefully or people just bust a nut over it. Also, written text is taken completely different than person to person conversation. Written text is comprehended by the reader, their personality and there mood at the time they read it. When does it become an assult? I really depends on the writting style of the poster and the personality and mood of the reader. Even in conversation it still is how it is preceived. Some people just have no tollerance for others and what they believe. Others do try to force it on you or shovel it down your throat. Other want you to justify what you think to them. It's pretty ridiculous if you think about it. One person things one thing and the other doesn't, so what, big deal. You don't have to agree with them as much as that person doesn't have to agree with you. It's called an opinion, most people have them.

I don't see those statements as forcing beliefs on me. Some people become very defensive when discussing religion, the same goes with politics. I don't know if it's a matter of insecurity or if it's a matter of the person feeling like they are being challenged in some way. There are always going to be people who only see things in black & white, purely right & wrong with nothing in the middle. Forcing a belief on someone is when you tell someone that what they believe is wrong and that your way is much better. It's fine to have a discussion or even question what they believe. When that discussion reaches a point of "my religion is better than yours", or becomes an attack of some sort on the persons feelings and thoughts, then I think it crosses the line from statement to attack.

I think such things are okay to say, although it's much less controversial to say that YOU believe that, rather than stating it like it's a proven fact. the real problem though is when people say outright, you are wrong, or use terms like "false gods" to describe those honoured in other religions

Some people are very insecure in their faith and have to prosletize at all times to legitimize themselves. The more people that believe as they do the more secure they feel. It is very immature, but if you try to discuss it with them they just get upset and feel that you are attacking them. I just avoid all discussion with these people and try not to hurt them because I know that I cannot help them. Shalom~Adoniah

I don't think statements like those are forcing your beliefs on me in and of themselves, but in certain settings, it could be viewed that way. For instance, if those things were said to people as they were entering a church, that would be inappropriate and disrespectful, because the purpose of saying those things in that place at that time is to either upset people or to convince them that they are wrong. But to simply say them in a place like this, or to say them during a conversation about religious beliefs, isn't necessarily an assault, unless the person saying it is being particularly rude about it. People who believe in God can, in many cases, be very very sensitive about their faith, and view anyone with differing religious views as threatening. Thankfully I am not one of them!

No. I don't mind when someone states their belief. If anything, at least you learn something new, and that your religious viewpoint is not the only one. I do resent when someone preaches at me that I'll burn in hell for not believing in what they do. I once had a strange preacher come to the door of my Mom's house and when I answered the door, he boomed, "Are you going to heaven or hell?" My Mom overheard him and yelled, "Who the hell is that? Tell him to go away!" He hands me a business card with his name and the address of his new church in town. Thinking about it still makes me laugh.

When you try to ram them down someones throat. I choose to believe in what I believe in because it is MY choice and mine alone. I had an experience once at a market. I had be browsing around and came across some paintings that fascinated me. Anyway this man walked up to me and asked what I could see in them. Well the upshot was the paintings were about "lust, theft, adultery etc". He was a Christian and, for the love of God, was trying to force his idealogy onto me. Well, needless to say, I told him to back off and walked away.