trying to convert me on a trans-con
 

Flying home recently, I ended up sitting next to a guy that, from about the moment we left the gate tried to tell me about the word of Jesus. Nice enough guy, but not really my thing and I tried to politley indicate as much, but he didn't give up.

As soon as we got the okay to use electronic devices, I used a pause in his conversation to get out the noise canceling headphones and fall asleep (I actually was tired). But once we were about the land though, I had to put the headphones away and the conversion started again. And of course, we were put on a ground stop since our gate was occupied for about 10 minutes.

He wasn't damning me to hell for not beleiving the word, but it wasn't very pleasent.

Anyway, how would you all handle the situation? I'm glad I had bought the headphones earlier in the week or else I'm not sure what I would have done for the other 2.5 hours of the trip.

Well, you could start by stopping the guy and asking to see the peer-reviewed source material for his claims. Then tell him that you don't want to hear anything more about it unless he can produce evidence from outside sources that verify his preachings. You could just tell him that you believe organized religions are a tool to keep the weak minded in step, but that would be argumentative.

Sounds like a topic for the Religious Travelers forum. :eek:

How about going into a discussion about how it's fair that the Church of Satan gets tax-exempt status too and how Michael Chertoff looks the part of the High Priest for the Church of Satan?

I generally feign an inability to speak English at that point and conceal myself in a WSJ (This generally confuses them further...). Once airborne, the headphones go on and the outside world is blocked out.

You might as well try to teach card tricks to your dog instead of converting me, as I'm not listening and it ain't gonna work... :D

If all else fails tell him nicely to GO PLAY ON THE WINGS.....

I had something similar happen to me on a KLM Newark-Amsterdam flight a couple years back. I was already miffed because my scheduled 332 was subbed out for a 74M and I had no PTV screen to pass the time. My seatmate was some sort of evangelical missonary donig work in Africa (for which I give him credit), who then proceded to try to evangelize me (and for the record, I'm a progressive-minded Epsicopalian). Did not make for a fun flight.

LOL. Good one.

Can someone post a few sentences in German that get at "I can't speak English." I think "I can't speak English" is "Ich spreche nicht Englisch" but a couple of other sentences would help to reinforce the point.

German because I look more German than Spanish, which I can speak after a fashion.

My cousin who is a chinese descent and a Chatolic, used to say he's a moslem to shut the mormon followers trying to convert him, seeing their looks when my cousin told them he's a moslem is priceless

If you've got the personality for it, you could have some real fun. Tell him that you are deeply religious and that whenever you hear the word Jesus, you automatically start speaking in tongues. Then, ever time he says the word, blurt out a few lines of jibberish.

"You want to save my soul? Too late, sunny/honey. I'm here for your soul!" :D

On one of my flights from SCL to the US, I was seated next to a Chilean employed by a US-based church who could only speak Spanish as far as I could tell. He wanted to try to convert me and as soon as he started going into "the talk", I went from Spanish to Spanglish to showing I was tired to falling asleep. Worked wonders.

I think 'Ich kann nicht Englisch sprechen' is probably a little more realistic, but your phrase should get the point across.

When I have religious types come to my front door most are very respectful and will say thank you and goodbye if I tell them that I'm not interested.

The ones that persist are told, truthfully, that I find their subject matter obscene and if they want to tell me out their religion then I will regale them with stories about my sex life. In fact, wait a minute, I have a magazine to show you!

It never fails!

This is good. I'm ashamed that I didn't think of it myself. BTW, you owe me a Diet Pepsi and a new keyboard. :)

I'd have politely said "I'd rather not discuss religion". If that didn't work, I'd have said, "listen, I really don't want to continue this discussion". If that didn't work, I'd explain the situation to an FA and ask to be re-seated.

I've thought about carrying a bible and starting to read it whenever a seatmate starts with the questions that annoy me such as "so, you go to school in *insert random city that doesn't even really have a college*?" or "were you visiting friends or family?"


I think the best thing to do next to a religious traveler is to pretend you are already saved/baptized/converted to their mindset or a simple and more polite "i'm not interested in discussing religion/"family values" (a rebuttal a mormon used while trying to talk to me at home)/anything else for that matter.

I don't really like discussing politics on planes either.

I think I'd have tried to convert him back into Satanism.

"Join me after this flight. After the nightly coven, we're going to dance the next day around the Maypole like a good pagan." :D

yeah, something like that ;)

Ok, I don't actually know too much about Satanism (I know a little bit more about Wicca), but I'm sure I could have come up with something good :D

If I get pasta in a flight I will have to say a prayer to his noodliness the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
rAmen!



Maybe the person would be more interested in the Invisible Pink Unicorn. We know she is invisible b/c we can't see her, and we have faith that she is pink.

Whenever someone asks me if I have found Jesus I reply in 1 of two ways

1) Why did you lose him?

or

2) I don't need to find him, I know where he works. Just the other day he served me pancakes and coffee at IHOP.

That usually shuts down the conversation quite nicely. :)

I think proselytizing is inherently rude and disrespectful, and would treat this as I would anyone who was rude and disrespectful.

First attempt: "I'm sorry, I'm not at all interested."

Second attempt: "You're crossing the line from merely annoying to actual harassment. I'm afraid that, if you keep this up, I'm going to have call the FA."

Third attempt: "Excuse me, FA, this rude person keeps bothering me. Can you please change his seat?"

I'd also consider smiling pleasantly and saying, "P!ss off!", and then just ignoring the idiot. Fortunately, I've never had to deal with something like this while flying.

Never directly, but sat in front of one once. Thank <insert supreme being of your choice here> for ipods and headphones.

Forget that. I'm all about the purple oyster.

Mike

Here's a few more:

"Ich kann Sie nicht verstehen" - I can't understand you

"Ich habe keine Ahnung wovon Sie reden" - I have no idea what you're talking about

"Es hat keinen Zweck mit mir zu reden, ich verstehe Sie sowieso nicht" - there's no point in talking to me, I can't understand you anyway

It'd be just your luck for the guy to be fluent in German as well though. ;)

the #2 one is pretty damn funny! I never would have thought of that!..

Once it happened to me by some 7th day people.. any how it was two young guys who were extremely cute.. they were going on and on

I finally said "well do cute guys like you go there or even younger than you?" (mind u they probably were not a day over 20)

that pretty much ended the conversation dead in its tracks.

"I'm sorry, I'm beyond salvation."

I've never had the opportunity to use it on a plane, but I have at my front door, as the man (husband?) tried to shove me literature and the woman (wife?) was gasping in disbelief.

Or you can ask in return: "Sorry, I am OK with my religion. But let me ask you, are you in need of a circumcision?"

Slightly OT, I had the honor and pleasure to sit next to the Cardinal from NY on a recent flight from ORD-LGA and we had terrific discussions about many topics, including religion. And although I am not a Catholic, I felt honored to be in his presence.

That's something quite different from proselytizing. I once spent a very enjoyable hour or two at the America West club room in Phoenix, speaking with a Catholic priest who, I suspect, was quite senior (though I didn't ask his position). Our conversation ranged over many subjects, and I count it as one of the most interesting club room visits I've ever had.

I agree 100%, and that is why I pointed out that it was slightly off-topic. I guess I wanted to make the point that there can be great conversations on similar topics/in similar settings as well as what the OP experienced....^

Tell them you're Jewish. ;)

And go on to say you're not interested. Honesty always/usually works.

Are you kidding? That's like putting fresh meat in front of a hungry bear:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...55C0A960958260

Not in my experience. The proselytizers seem to think you would be interested if only you knew. I think I still tend to favor, "P!ss off."

Telling them you are Catholic is much better. Evangelists equate Catholics with Satanists.

Ask him if he'll listen to your talk on Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism, etc.. or mileage runs!

A lot of times those group of people will talk about their beliefs but not hear about yours.

- Pat

That's because they are quite certain that they have personal and intimate knowledge of the only truth, so they are obligated to tell everyone else about it.

"I am a jelly doughnut" should do it.

What's most insulting is they don't even try to get to know you, they just start out with "Have you found Jesus?" or they ask you about your problems, then hit you with "I know the solution for all your ills. His name is Jesus."

Do you mean the Blue Oyster Cult?

Honesty is the Best Policy
 

It is disheartening to go thru two pages of replies to find one (yours) that is sensible and at least has a hope maintaining the dignity of the OP and the person sitting next to him who wishes to "share". Smart-alec responses just don't do that, and they reinforce the (mistaken) idea of the religious zealot that he has the "truth" and must therefore "share" it.

As a matter of self-disclosure, I am a Catholic and as such, I respect people of other religions (or non-religious) who don't want a conversation about God and stuff like that. I also have to respect my fellow Christians, with whom I disagree on this matter BTW, who feel compelled to inflict unwelcome conversions about Jesus on others. (PTravel, I read the NYT link about the Southern Baptists. You have my sympathy, but most Christians are not like that.)

So I would suggest one of two approaches (depending on how much of a conversation the OP desires).

1. (No conversion). I am sorry. I am very tired. I need to (sleep, quietly read my WSJ, listen to my Ipod -- pick one). If that does not work, simply repeat the SAME EXACT THING in a matter-of-fact unemotional way. After, a few repeats even the most dense Christain will get the idea.

2. (With convesation). I am Jewish (or whatever). We don't believe in Jesus because (fill in the blank). Furthermore, I am happy with my faith because (fill-in the blank). I couple of observations here: the aggressive Christian type will let you speak because he has been trained that to convert a person, it is necessary to understand where he is religion-wise. And it is simply polite. Americans are somewhat jaded to the use of religion as a club, but that does not have to be. It have had interesting conversions with Buddhists, Sikhs, and even Jehovah Witnesses while traveling because I am confortable with where I am and therefore, simply can't be put on the defensive. (I understand the OP and many others will always want the "No conversion" option #1. That's OK and even sometimes, I'm too tired to talk or listen also.) Lastly, a person aggressively talking about his religion may very well be insecure in it, and in an open exchange, might find HIMSELF being converted!

I'm sorry, but if someone starts to proselytize I am not, in the least, interested in maintaining their dignity. It is rude and disrespectful and one who does so, particularly in a captive audience context such as an aircraft, deserves no consideration.

I've never been subject to proselyting by a Catholic (and I even attended a Catholic law school). I've always found Catholics to be very respectful of my beliefs. In fact, though in that conversation I mentioned earlier with the priest we discussed religion, it was in a completely academic, non-persuasive context (one of the reasons why I enjoyed my conversation with the good man).

You'll have to explain to me why you believe this particular activity deserves respect. When someone proselytizes, they are saying, in essence, "I am right and you are wrong and I'm going to tell you why." When unsolicited (and it always is), this is absolutely disrespectful of my beliefs which I regard as private and something which I do not have to justify nor want challenged.

I'm well aware of that -- happily so, as this would be a very unpleasant country to live in were it not the case.

I don't like to be put in a situation in which I have to make up lies, particularly when it is the other person who, in my opinion, is the one being rude.

Never. Not ever! My religion is no one's business, regardless of their denomination, even Jews. True story:

I don't know if this still goes on, but in the late 70s, when I was living in New York, the Lubivitchers, one of the Hassidic groups in Brooklyn, used to drive around in an RV decorated with big Jewish Stars and a huge sign on it saying, "Mitzvah-Mobile." ("mitvah" means "blessing" in Hebrew.) They'd park it near busy intersections and scout out people who looked Jewish (that, in itself, opens a whole can of worms). They must have had pretty good "Jew-dar" because they'd always make a beeline straight for me, saying, as they approached, "You Jewish? You Jewish?" I used to say something along the lines of, "My religion is a private matter, I don't discuss it with strangers and I'd appreciate it if you'd respect my beliefs." Without missing a beat, they'd say, "Aha! You're Jewish! Come with us!", and grab my arms and, literally, drag me into the Mitzvah Mobile, where they'd have me put on tefillin and say the daily prayer (about a 3 minute undertaking). Then they'd let me go, with my pockets stuffed with literature on various programs they had to bring Jews like me back into the fold. After this happened a couple of times, when they'd run up to me, saying, "You Jewish?", I'd just say, "No!"

My people have a heritage of being persecuted for our beliefs. I won't speak for anyone else, but I am not willing to discuss my beliefs with strangers (friends is another story).

I've had fascinating conversations about religion with all sorts of people, as well, both here in the U.S. and in other countries. The difference, however, is that none of these people with whom I conversed were trying to convert me. They were only interested in my own interest. I'm thinking of a time in India when our guide mentioned that he was Hindu. I began asking him questions (specifically about Ganesha, the elephant-headed god) and he asked if I'd like to visit a Hindu temple (not a tourist site, but the temple where he worshipped). My wife and I were thrilled to do so, and our guide was thrilled to take us. We've had similar wonderful experiences with priests and nuns in Italian cathedrals, Buddhist monks throughout Asia and even a Chinese imam at a mosque in China. These kinds of encounters are wonderful and are one of the reasons I love travel. And none of this was proselytizing -- all these wonderful people were sharing information at our request, not attempting to convince us to abandon our core beliefs and understanding of the universe. There's a world of difference.

It's got nothing to do with my being tired -- I don't want my time wasted by rude people.

I have no interest in converting anyone to my philosophy. I believe in mutual respect -- if your beliefs bring you meaning, purpose and fulfillment, I celebrate your good fortune, as I hope you would celebrate mine. I wouldn't, however, presume to lecture someone, particularly a stranger, on God's will and I find one who would extremely disrespectful. Discourtesy begets discourtesy. You, of course, are most courteous, so rather than quoting it, I'll simply reference my earlier posts with respect to my belief about the best way to deal with a proselytizer.

I am in agreement with PTravel (as I often am). I may be interested in a discussion of religious topics if they come up the the course of an otherwise pleasant conversation, but I have no interest at all in being proselytized or in starting a conversation by being asked about my beliefs. I haven't been proselytized many times on planes, but I try to reply with something like "I'd rather not discuss that; shall we talk about something else?", repeated as necessary. On a couple of occasions when that request was repeatedly ignored, I've felt that any entitlement to civility had been used up, and replied with something on the order of "Look, I'm just not interested in your preposterous superstition. Please leave me alone," and not made any more eye contact or responded to any further attempts at conversation at all.