There's more toolbags thumping bibles, and not enough people reaching out to lift those around them. blergh.

One of the reasons that a ton of my family is felating themselves over Pope Francis is that he is a guy who comes off as genuinely trying to be for lack of a better term, "Christ-Like." The stuff that my old pastor called 'The Hippy Feel-Good stuff people skip over on the way to how to hate gays.' Christ also was explicit in that you will be judged on your actions in his name, then Paul came along and said "nope, faith alone people!"

The problem, not just with religion, is that the loud annoying tools get all the press and attention, meanwhile the dozen people in the back of the room feeding the homeless and running a care shelter cannot get any media because stuff like that does not trigger the outrage mechanic in the human animal. Tumblr ruined feminism, Reddit ruined Men's Rights activists, the militant anti-theists (can also be blamed on Reddit) ruined atheism, the English soccer hooligans helped ruined sports fandom, and a few creepy weirdos ruined cosplay at conventions.

The thing I work on in my head is how can we say "Wow! This is amazing!" and share it with people, but not become the enemy we bemoan?

I try to "share" the gospel message with people... WHO WANT TO LISTEN.

When I do outreach I have a barker who says something like "Hey, want to look through a telescope?" If the person walking by us says no, we say "Ok! Thanks!" and ask the next person. Totally non-pushy, as polite and chipper as can be. You'd be shocked how many people brace for a sell, then have to stop for a second when that sell does not come. Then the people behind them on the walkway go to the scopes to look and the the people who say no will usually stop and at least ask a question or two.