Keeping a Religious Conversation Open
http://www.faithinreligion.net/articles/7855/1/Keeping-a-Religious-Conversation-Open/Page1.html
Tom Selwick
Tom Selwick has worked as a traveling nurse for the last 16 years. He has worked in many local clinics and the ER and recommends looking into becoming a travel nurse.
Contact Info:
Tom Selwick
TomSelwick09@gmail.com
http://www.ProfessionalNurse.com By Tom Selwick
Published on 07/27/2011
There are many things that you should keep in mind as you talk about religion with your friends. Here are a few of the things you should do to keep the conversation open.
Talking about religion with other people, even best friends, can seem challenging. At times it may even seem like a forbidden topic.
However, if you keep a few things in mind, you can have an open conversation with your friends and acquaintances about religion without offending anyone. Of course, you will want to make sure that you do not forget any of these things as you try to strike up a conversation about religion.
The first thing you will want to do is avoid talking about any preconceived notions that you have of the other's religion like they are fact. There are many rumors and statements that are considered to be true by the general population that are in fact not true at all.
It is important to ask your friend about their religion instead of relying on other things that you have heard about their church. Your friends are much more likely to become offended if you begin a conversation with your previous assumptions.
The second thing you will want to do is that you will want to keep an open mind. Some of the things your friends or acquaintances may say may sound strange to you at first.
Do not be accusatory or condemning of their religion because of what they say. Instead, ask more questions and be inquisitive.
When you find out more about what they have said and what they mean, then it may not sound so strange to you after all. It is important to try to become genuinely interested in why they believe the way they believe and worship the way that they worship.
This will help them to open up and explain more things to you without becoming defensive or offended. Being open minded is a critical step to having an un-offensive conversation about religion.
The third thing you can do to keep the conversation open is to find things that are the same between your religion and theirs. When you find things that are the same, then you will feel more connected and you may have a better understanding of one another.
As you listen to what the other person believes, then you may be surprised by how many similarities there are between your own beliefs and theirs. Try to see how many commonalities you can find between the two beliefs.
The fourth thing you will want to make sure you do is avoid clumping all believers of a particular faith under a certain stereotype. Every church is made up of people and every person practices their beliefs slightly different.
Forgetting this one fact can cause you to make a statement about an entire religion that is not true. This can be quite offensive and it is something that you definitely want to avoid.
Finally, you will want to do much more listening than talking. Try not to talk too much about your own religion or you will seem pushy.
Instead, answer questions when you are asked them about your own faith. As the conversation continues you will be able to share some of what you believe with others.
However, the conversation will shut down if you take it upon yourself to share what you believe. The others will probably become defense.
The best way to keep the conversation open is to ask the others about their own faith. As they see that you are simply curious and not accusatory, they will be more and more willing to share more of what they practice and believe.
As you ask questions remember that you should avoid using generalities and stereotypes. Ask questions about the faith as if you did not have any previous notions about it or as if this was the first time that you have heard about it.
Remember that you need to steer the conversation away from a contest of who is right and wrong. Instead, you will want to keep it open between everyone that is involved, even if they are not familiar with good religious conversation etiquette.
As you keep the conversation open you will be able to learn a lot of different things about various faiths. This can be a great opportunity to learn more about others and what they believe, as well as about your own faith.
You will probably realize a lot of things about the way you believe as you share your beliefs with your friends and acquaintances. Keeping the conversation open about religion can be invaluable in building your friendships, trust, and understanding.
However, if you keep a few things in mind, you can have an open conversation with your friends and acquaintances about religion without offending anyone. Of course, you will want to make sure that you do not forget any of these things as you try to strike up a conversation about religion.
The first thing you will want to do is avoid talking about any preconceived notions that you have of the other's religion like they are fact. There are many rumors and statements that are considered to be true by the general population that are in fact not true at all.
It is important to ask your friend about their religion instead of relying on other things that you have heard about their church. Your friends are much more likely to become offended if you begin a conversation with your previous assumptions.
The second thing you will want to do is that you will want to keep an open mind. Some of the things your friends or acquaintances may say may sound strange to you at first.
Do not be accusatory or condemning of their religion because of what they say. Instead, ask more questions and be inquisitive.
When you find out more about what they have said and what they mean, then it may not sound so strange to you after all. It is important to try to become genuinely interested in why they believe the way they believe and worship the way that they worship.
This will help them to open up and explain more things to you without becoming defensive or offended. Being open minded is a critical step to having an un-offensive conversation about religion.
The third thing you can do to keep the conversation open is to find things that are the same between your religion and theirs. When you find things that are the same, then you will feel more connected and you may have a better understanding of one another.
As you listen to what the other person believes, then you may be surprised by how many similarities there are between your own beliefs and theirs. Try to see how many commonalities you can find between the two beliefs.
The fourth thing you will want to make sure you do is avoid clumping all believers of a particular faith under a certain stereotype. Every church is made up of people and every person practices their beliefs slightly different.
Forgetting this one fact can cause you to make a statement about an entire religion that is not true. This can be quite offensive and it is something that you definitely want to avoid.
Finally, you will want to do much more listening than talking. Try not to talk too much about your own religion or you will seem pushy.
Instead, answer questions when you are asked them about your own faith. As the conversation continues you will be able to share some of what you believe with others.
However, the conversation will shut down if you take it upon yourself to share what you believe. The others will probably become defense.
The best way to keep the conversation open is to ask the others about their own faith. As they see that you are simply curious and not accusatory, they will be more and more willing to share more of what they practice and believe.
As you ask questions remember that you should avoid using generalities and stereotypes. Ask questions about the faith as if you did not have any previous notions about it or as if this was the first time that you have heard about it.
Remember that you need to steer the conversation away from a contest of who is right and wrong. Instead, you will want to keep it open between everyone that is involved, even if they are not familiar with good religious conversation etiquette.
As you keep the conversation open you will be able to learn a lot of different things about various faiths. This can be a great opportunity to learn more about others and what they believe, as well as about your own faith.
You will probably realize a lot of things about the way you believe as you share your beliefs with your friends and acquaintances. Keeping the conversation open about religion can be invaluable in building your friendships, trust, and understanding.