I was on a plane sitting next to an old lady who pulled out her Bible and tried to get me to pray with her. When I told her I didn't pray she then spent the next 30 minutes trying to convert me. I, at first, tried to talk with her but ended up having to put my ear phones on to ignore her.
Anyone else run into this and how do you handle it?
It's perfectly reasonable to explain to the person that what they're doing is harassment and they need to stop.
If they persist, it is then reasonable to report them to whatever law enforcement representatives available. On a plane? Report them to the flight attendant.
No one willing to do anything? Turn the tables on them and start pointing out ALL the fallacies connected to their beliefs and their book.
I'd say to her...
"If I was a Muslim, would you appreciate me trying to convert you to Islam?"
I asked that very question. She said she would try to convert me then also
Yes...I hope I remember this next time it happens to me.
@lucasbrown83
In this case civil conversation has become useless. I would have calmly and politely gone into threat mode and said something along the lines of..
"Please stop! I consider your proselytising to be harassment. If you don't stop, you will force me to call a flight attendant and I will ask for you to be removed from your seat".
Let them have a shock. Show them you mean business.
Yep. Yesterday at work.......sigh. I stated my belief and then listened to her every 'the lord' and 'the church' she had to offer me after that. Poor thing. I felt sorry for her. She was actually going through a rough time and 'the lord' was how she coped with it. Their everywhere!!!!!!
You are kind.
If someone asks, I will state my position, then tell them I have no interest in ANYTHING they have to say as I have heard it all before and reject it.
@IAmLove Honestly, my kindness is much dependent on the person and my mood lol. But I could see that she needed her god crutch so who am I to take that away? Now if she had been a little more aggressive in her conversion, kind would not have been a word I would have used to describe my reaction.
@patchoullijulie Kindness is good.
i had a young man sitting next to me on a plane say: What do you know about the Mormon. church? i could tell he was about to start telling me so i firmly said enough! This answer plus my tone of voice was enough to discourage him.
In a way, I feel a kind of mothering kindness to these young men.
They most likely grew up in a very sheltered way, without much exposure to the real world and then are suddenly thrust into it. I also understand they can only have contact with family in the event of the death of an immediate family member.
But...they are such annoying little twit shits.
I would put on a highly hostile expression, and tell someone - in my most menacing stage voice (and I've got some good ones!), that if they don't stop, or immediately change the subject, I will let my inner demon surface and put a death spell on them !
I start talking in a very broken English with a very heavy French accent then proceed to repeat their words back to them with the best warped profanity I can find during the moment. "wat do yoo mean Madamme, the playn is jwerking off? I don't underrrr sstane?"
"Ich verstehe nicht!"
jawol mein commandant
Things that I've used successfully to shut down tenacious thumpers: "Sorry, I don't DO Jesus", "It's against my religious beliefs to support religion" (this one leaves them baffled). "I practice the more traditional way, from before Christians stole it (usually in reference holidays). The key is to be very smiley and friendly, and sometime I'll just pretend I have no idea what they're talking about- this is great for introducing the concept that their beliefs are not the universal default.
On the few occasions that i fly, I bring my MP3 player with me. Funny, when my earbuds are in, no one bothers me.
I think I would try to spontaneously combust, but I would only be able to do that once.
Seriously, I’m not sure because I’m generally polite as the dickens, but I think I’d politely say that I have no religious faith, and tell them there was nothing they could say that would be meaningful to me.
I’ve had experiences where people accept this and walk away, and others have gotten a little cranky.
Ask the flight attendant for a para and jump out. lol Serious answers, ask if you can be moved, or try converting her to athiesm!
EDIT: Damnit, people already beat me to the point. Oh well..
The first request that she not continue with the subject would be polite but blunt.
Things could then rapidly escalate.
When it's relevant, I can still pull out the Southern accent. "Ma'am, Ah was raised to believe that discussin' religion with anyone outside a church is rude. So, Ah jes don't do it. Evah!"