Does this only happen in the South?

[Echo2002]

Last night I went to a County Fair. As I was waiting for some friends to get off the Ferris wheel a lady comes up to me and starts telling me how Jesus has died for my sins and that Satan was ruler of the earth. She goes on with her message, all the while I'm nodding my head in agreement, because most of what she was saying I agreed with. Then she says if you recite this prayer with me you will have a spot in heaven and you will be saved. I tell her that I'm waiting on someone, so I was kind of in a hurry, she said it would only take a minute. I could tell she was not going to take "no" for an answer so I play along and recite the prayer between my sips of tropical fruit blast from Baskin Robins. The prayer lasts longer than I want and I still don't see any of my friends. Finally the prayer ends and she says "ok, now how are you going to get to Heaven"? I quickly tell her what a lot of Christians around here say, "If I have Jesus in my heart, I will get to heaven". She was satisfied and finally left.

I've been "saved" three times now in my adult life. If this whole Mormon thing doesn't work out I guess I'm covered.

Does this happen anywhere else, where a complete stranger comes up to you in public and thinks you should be "saved"?

[MorningStar]

I had someone come to my doorstep and do that, but I told them I was baptized and didn't need to recite it. They seemed satisfied with that answer.

[applepansy]

In Utah at Conference time we have a lot of strangers with bullhorns and signs telling us we're going to hell as we try to get around them to attend Conference at the Conference Center. LOL

Everyone once in a great while I'll get two JWs on my doorstep who won't take no for an answer.

[Chubbs]

Somewhat similar, while on vacation last month we stopped at a store and a gentleman came up with a pamphlet and handed it to my wife. I generally take them and give a "thanks," I remember what it was like to share what I think/know to be true. But after saying we had to leave he wouldn't take no for an answer.

I then decided to take a look at the pamphlet with him and as friendly as possible, refuted much of what was printed in it. He quickly moved on to the next unsuspecting customer. As mentioned, I try to be friendly but sometimes you have to stand your ground.

[Wingnut]

I actually lost my soul once because I refused to play along. I was on my mission in San Jose, CA. It's a long story, but I was told by a Messianic Jewish prophet who once faith-healed Strom Thurmond's mother that I lost my soul.

I didn't have a shadow and automatic doors stopped opening for me for about a week until we found it. Whew!

[prisonchaplain]

There's a lady at our church that does this at fairs. However, they usually don't accost people...instead they have their Godmobile.

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=4785028060088556&id=3f3279752bd3c27b0e03f68e989e02e5

[annewandering]

We had a couple stop us at a grocery store once. They kept talking about how we WILL be healed if we have faith. Then they wanted to lay hands on my husband. Right there in the parking lot. She wanted to lay her hands on but her husband seemed a little more reserved.

It was disconcerting.

[Echo2002]

I thought about telling her I already belonged to a church then she probably would have asked which one. That happened before and I told them I was from the Church and they proceeded to tell me everything wrong with the church. I didn't feel like dealing with that.

Also, most Christians around here don't believe you need to be baptized, so I doubt that would have made much difference. After all baptism is considered "working" your way to Heaven, so that's a big no, no.

[Echo2002]

We had a couple stop us at a grocery store once. They kept talking about how we WILL be healed if we have faith. Then they wanted to lay hands on my husband. Right there in the parking lot. She wanted to lay her hands on but her husband seemed a little more reserved.

It was disconcerting.

If she said she wanted to lay hands on me I definitely would have said "No".

[annewandering]

If she said she wanted to lay hands on me I definitely would have said "No".

oh we did and practically dragged them with us trying to get to our car and escape. I do understand she was trying to help but no still means no!

[volgadon]

The obvious solution is to say, I can be saved? What a wonderful opportunity. Do you mind waiting here, I won't be long, have a bank to rob, an orphan to beat up, listen to rock music backwards, maybe, just maybe might manage a few more of the Ten Commandments, and then I'll come back to be saved. Won't take more than an hour at most.

[prisonchaplain]

Then again, who should be blamed more, those who have this message that they believe will save lives eternally, and they are a bit too bold, too brash, to aggressive...or those who believe, and yet are too embarrassed to share at all? I know the best answer is somewhere in the middle, but I prefer those who are too excited in their witnessing vs. those who, as the Scripture says, "are ashamed of the gospel." Jesus said he will be ashamed of those who are ashamed.

Edited August 26, 2012 by prisonchaplain

[annewandering]

I agree PC. If that is their intent then they are doing the best they know how. And pretty brave about it too.

[Wingnut]

Then again, who should be blamed more, those who have this message that they believe will lives eternally, and they are a bit too bold, too brash, to aggressive...or those who believe, and yet are too embarrassed to share at all? I know the best answer is somewhere in the middle, but I prefer those who are too excited in their witnessing vs. those who, as the Scripture says, "are ashamed of the gospel." Jesus said he will be ashamed of those who are ashamed.

One thing that is beat into LDS missionaries' heads in the MTC is a line from the Book of Mormon which teaches to "use boldness, but not overbearance."

[pam]

I know I've been blessed more times in one day than I can count. When we used to have a Mississippi account at work, they all ended the call with "Have a blessed day."

[Anddenex]

Yes, this happened at least once a week while on my mission knocking doors. I have said this prayer, assuming it is the same one, more than once.

I am with you, either way, I am "saved". :)

[Anddenex]

I know I've been blessed more times in one day than I can count. When we used to have a Mississippi account at work, they all ended the call with "Have a blessed day."

Where is your laugh button Pam? I am unable to click. Thus, LOL

[pam]

Where is your laugh button Pam? I am unable to click. Thus, LOL

Yeh that's weird. Where is it?

[volgadon]

I know I've been blessed more times in one day than I can count. When we used to have a Mississippi account at work, they all ended the call with "Have a blessed day."

I take a lot of calls from Texas, most of them end that way too!

[Echo2002]

I agree PC, I'm sure this lady meant well. She was very excited to tell me all about Jesus Christ.

I guess I just don't agree with the idea that all you have to do is say you have Jesus in your heart and recite a prayer then your saved. I think it involves making some life changes in some cases and living a Christ-like life. Some people believe that once you "have Jesus in your heart", you can go rob a bank, cheat on your spouse, or murder someone and you will still be "saved", because that spot in heaven is reserved for you. I don't believe Christ died for us so that we can all sin as we please and not repent of those sins and suffer the consequences.

[Echo2002]

I think it's funny when missionaries from Utah or Idaho come out here and they are amazed at all the different churches down here. One sister missionary thought the Baptists were a small group, because she knew of only one church in her town.

Store clerks also sometimes say "have a blessed day".

[skoshmom]

About 2 years ago, I was at work and was pretty sick. It was almost the end of my shift and I was looking forward to going home and going to bed. One of the women I worked with noticed that I was sick and offered to lay her hands on my head to heal me of my sickness. I was rather surprised and didn't want to offend her, but wasn't going to let her lay her hands on my head. At first she wouldn't take no for an answer. I still politely declined and told her that I was going to have my husband give me a blessing when I got home. She said "ok then".

I have always known her to be a religious woman because she always talked about being saved and wasn't shy about expressing her beliefs to anybody anytime of the day or night. To this day, I don't know what faith she belongs to. She expressed how glad she was to be going home, what a rough day it had been, etc. She then shocked me by saying that she had a cooler of beer in her car and was looking forward to having a couple of beers on her drive back home! I immediately thought that she was joking, but realized that no she was not joking. She was going to drink and drive and further replied, that she did this all the time, and thank goodness for her tinted windows so the cops couldn't see insider her car!! I said surely you don't mean what you're saying, and that drinking and driving is a big no no. I asked her if this was something Christ would be pleased with, and then she then looked at me and said "but baby, the license plates on my car say Jesus on them". HUH - really? I thought to myself, because you have the word "Jesus" on your license plate makes it alright to drink and drive?

I will never forget this and am still amazed that as religious as she claims to be, that she didn't think what she was doing was bad - even to just joke about this would have been bad enough, but she wasn't joking about this. In her mind whatever "bad" she did, didn't matter because she loves Jesus and is saved! I came home and told my husband what happened. He's met this person at various company events and knows of her behavior so he realized that I wasn't just making up stories and that she wasn't joking either. Thank goodness about a week later (it happened very quickly) she had requested to transfer to another work location 2 states away.

[Echo2002]

That happens a lot down here, one minute they are professing their love of Christ while the next minute they are breaking one of the 10 Commandments or just not acting very Christ-like in their day to day activities. It's because they truly believe they can break commandments because say they have Christ in their hearts and in their minds they are being saved in their sins.

What I don't understand is how can someone profess to have Christ in their hearts yet break common laws of the land or be hateful to others. If they truly had Christ in their hearts then they wouldn't being doing those things.

Of course I know not every Christian (whatever denomination believes this) is like this, and some do try to live Christ-like lives. I'm sure there are some LDS members who are guilty of this too.

[prisonchaplain]

I agree PC, I'm sure this lady meant well. She was very excited to tell me all about Jesus Christ.

I guess I just don't agree with the idea that all you have to do is say you have Jesus in your heart and recite a prayer then your saved. I think it involves making some life changes in some cases and living a Christ-like life. Some people believe that once you "have Jesus in your heart", you can go rob a bank, cheat on your spouse, or murder someone and you will still be "saved", because that spot in heaven is reserved for you. I don't believe Christ died for us so that we can all sin as we please and not repent of those sins and suffer the consequences.

I'm shocked and appalled! It used to be that one's word and a handshake (or a 'sinners' prayer') meant something.

[Bini]

Then again, who should be blamed more, those who have this message that they believe will save lives eternally, and they are a bit too bold, too brash, to aggressive...or those who believe, and yet are too embarrassed to share at all? I know the best answer is somewhere in the middle, but I prefer those who are too excited in their witnessing vs. those who, as the Scripture says, "are ashamed of the gospel." Jesus said he will be ashamed of those who are ashamed.

This struck me. Would someone please clarify the text in red?

Is feeling insecure, dishonoured or "ashamed" a sin? Why would the Lord shun a lost sheep? If someone is carrying a burden of shame, it seems that this is the very kind of person that the Lord would reach out to and be compassionate towards. I didn't grasp the point, PC made, so that's why I'm asking for someone to enlighten me :)