Is Forced Faith Really Faith At All?

The word forced according to Dictionary.com means:

1. enforced or compulsory as in forced labor.

2. strained, unnatural, or affected as in a forced smile.

3. subjected to force. (to: power, strength, intensity or energy)

4. required by circumstances; emergency as in a forced landing of an airplane.

    This question to me is one of great importance. Mostly, for those who are not aware of how they approach another in regards to faith.

   It is important to understand what it means to force one's view, belief, faith, etc. onto a person. If faith is attempted to be forced, will the said agenda - getting them to see things your way or embrace your truth - truly be accepted?

A few definitions of faith according to Dictionary.com are:

1. confidence or trust in a person or thing as in faith in another's ability.

2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion as in the firm faith of the Pilgrims.

4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc. as to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

5. a system of religious belief: ex) the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.

    Let's take number 2. If faith is belief without proof then what good is it going to do for anyone to try to force what they believe to be true on someone else? There are many ways in which one may try to force. Using ultimatums are a form of force. Using scare tactics are a form of force. Using, "You better believe or else." is a form of force masked as manipulation.

    When using these things to get our point across, what are we really doing?

    I choose to put my faith in a Creator of love. If I speak and teach this and yet display anger when another doesn't agree, are others going to take my message seriously? Probably not. Why? Because, most of us respond better to show rather than tell. They will be watching actions.

    I have such a high level of respect for certain religions or denominations of certain religions. Why? Due to the fact that the members that I have encountered have been very respectful to me. They simply ask if they can share with me. If I say no, they say thank you and have a good day.

    The reason this is so important is because the door has now been opened and I can choose to walk through it or not. That way if I do walk through it my openness will be genuine and not faked.

    Remember this if nothing else from this article. Those that choose to use force to get others to accept their truth run the risk of the person resenting what you're offering as well as you. They also run the risk of having a bunch of confused, faking, miserable folks following them.

   The truth is that most people have something that they believe in strongly. Who are we to impose our views in a forceful way?

   If you believe in Jesus, follow his example and walk out your message with love. He wasn't forceful. He showed the power he possessed and people believed. He walked and talked with care and people clung to him.

   If you are of the Muslim faith, simply walk out what you believe to be true. Life is an individual journey.

   No matter what faith you are, ask yourself this. Because you truly believe what you believe and you have been taught that all your life, how would you feel if someone just walked up to you and made you feel like if you didn't change your faith, you would be punished. If they spit on all you've ever known to be true, how would that go over with you? Now, after you think about that, think about changing the way you approach another.

   They are simply saying, "Let me choose".