I remember once when I was much younger waiting for a train in Worcester, and a nice Jewhovah's Witness middle-aged lady asked me if she could try to convert me, and I said something like "if you like, but honestly, I think your time is probably more productively spent elsewhere considering how effectively friends have tried but still failed recently." I wouldn't now.
I'd feel it fair game to invite them in if I _did_ feel like an polite but heated argument, since that's what they're asking for, if I warned them first that they were facing really, really tough material. (I'm sure it's inappropriate to just give up on anyone when you're proselytising, but if you're trying to save as many people as possible, you probably gain very very very few by proselytising at rabbis).
In fact, I'm not that good at arguing with people like that. I think the last time I spoke to unknown proselytisers, the conversation was something like:
THEM: But we DO have overwhelmingly convincing proof of my opinions. On this DVD. It'll only take half an hour to watch. ME: Umm.... I'd really really _like_ to, honest. But I've seen lots and lots and lots of purported proof which is debunked to my satisfaction. So, even though I can't know it's not true, I'm really really sceptical that watching that is going to do any good. I can debunk the things I expect to be in it, and the rebuttals I expect you to make to what I say quickly first if you like. THEM: Oh, but lots of people have tried to debunk our convincing proof, and we weren't convinced by any of them, so I'm sure it's not worth our time to listen to you...
(That was an excessively abstract summary of the situation, of course :))
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Date: 2009-11-24 01:31 am (UTC)I'd feel it fair game to invite them in if I _did_ feel like an polite but heated argument, since that's what they're asking for, if I warned them first that they were facing really, really tough material. (I'm sure it's inappropriate to just give up on anyone when you're proselytising, but if you're trying to save as many people as possible, you probably gain very very very few by proselytising at rabbis).
In fact, I'm not that good at arguing with people like that. I think the last time I spoke to unknown proselytisers, the conversation was something like:
THEM: But we DO have overwhelmingly convincing proof of my opinions. On this DVD. It'll only take half an hour to watch.
ME: Umm.... I'd really really _like_ to, honest. But I've seen lots and lots and lots of purported proof which is debunked to my satisfaction. So, even though I can't know it's not true, I'm really really sceptical that watching that is going to do any good. I can debunk the things I expect to be in it, and the rebuttals I expect you to make to what I say quickly first if you like.
THEM: Oh, but lots of people have tried to debunk our convincing proof, and we weren't convinced by any of them, so I'm sure it's not worth our time to listen to you...
(That was an excessively abstract summary of the situation, of course :))