A GUIDE TO
MISSIONARY TACTICS
Edited by John Stone
This guide is intended to teach you about the
tactics used by missionary groups and cults
The
tactics of missionaries and missionary groups may vary, but there are some basic
guidelines to keep in mind that will be helpful in dealing with them.
Some
missionaries attempt to develop a rapport with their subject without divulging
their own religious affiliation. If you are not sure about the religious
identity of the stranger who begins talking to you about religion, ask him
directly if he is a believer in Jesus. Be suspicious of an indirect answer.
Don't
be deceived by any outward signs of love and caring. Missionaries are taught to
make their targets feel more comfortable by making the speaker seem to be
genuinely loving and caring. Missionaries are coached by their superiors to not
to arouse suspicion.
When
talking to a person about religion, a missionary may attempt to elicit as many
"I don't know" responses as possible, in order to establish his
superiority in matters of religion. Don't allow yourself to be intimidated!
Remember,
the missionary has studied for the sole purpose of leading you [the
heathen/unbeliever] to Christianity. Keep in mind that he is not speaking to
you to exchange ideas, but rather to lead you away from your beliefs to his. If
you want to learn more about the OT or Original Text (Hebrew Bible), do so from
someone who doesn't have hidden motives. Therefore, feel free to simply end the
conversation and walk away.
However,
some of you may want to listen to their arguments and then learn the honest
[Hebrew source] response, to be better prepared for future encounters. The
following pointers should give you a basic idea of what to look for.
The
missionary may tell you that he (or a Christian friend or acquaintance) was
once a non-believer or a member of another faith in which he had a solid bible
education, a traditional family life, etc. This is almost always a lie, so
don't let him fool you. The hidden message that he is attempting to convey is
that he came to believe in Jesus after knowing and overcoming all of the Hebrew
Bible objections, and therefore, why should you bother to check it out?
He
may drop certain catchy phrases or talk about the details of his
"traditional" upbringing, all designed to lend more credence to his
story. In fact, his "memory" is often the result of careful coaching.
Usually,
all that is necessary to expose this type of hoax is to ask him about various
small details of Hebrew/bible life that any
Jewish child would know, and see how he responds. In almost all cases,
he will begin to hedge about the extent of his "background" and
"Jewish knowledge." Unfortunately, most people are themselves not
knowledgeable enough to be able to expose this type of deception.
In
the same vein, the missionary might tell you that he knows the objections to
his arguments, and will then proceed to show how such objectives are
ill-founded. Don't expect to hear the real Hebrew Bible/Original Text response
from such a source.
Don't
be taken in by the "good cop - bad cop" routine. This routine
involves a "bad cop" who threatens the subject, and a "good
cop" who protects him from the "bad cop". The subject is so
grateful to the "good cop", and so worried about losing the good-will
of his protector, that he invariably shows his appreciation by telling the "good
cop" what he wants to hear. In similar fashion, the "good"
Christian talks about how much he loves mankind, Jews,
At
the outset, the missionary will talk about his belief that Jesus is the
messiah. Many people don't find out until later, often after they have joined
the missionary’s Christian group, that their fundamental belief is that Jesus
is G-D. Any talk about "the messiah" or "son of G-D" is
merely a cover for that belief, basic to both fundamentalist Christianity and
unaffiliated Christians. However, since such a concept is repugnant anyone who
knows the truth of Torah and the Hebrew Bible. This most basic belief of
Christianity is glossed over as much as possible when missionaries talk to
non-Christians such as Jews.
Don't
be impressed by the claim that Christians have 50, or 100, or 300 "proofs
from the Hebrew Bible" that they are correct in their claims about Jesus.
As proof after proof is shown to be meaningless, the missionary will hide behind
his numbers, as if to say: "Well, we have so many more proofs, what's the
difference if you can disprove some of them". He will attempt to
"split the difference" with you: "Well, even if half our proofs
prove nothing, we still have another 25 or 50, or 150". Remember, all of
their proofs can be shown to be untenable. Keep in mind that a faulty point is
not worth 50% of a good point, or 25%, or 10%. It is worthless. The simple
mathematics are: 50 x 0 = 0, 100 x 0 = 0, 300 x 0 = 0.
Very often, the reasoning used by
Christian missionaries is circular. That is, the "proof" only points
to Jesus if you believe in him in the first place, and therefore is no proof at
all.
Let
us take as an example the words of Isaiah 11:2; "And the spirit of the L-rd will rest upon him (the messiah), the
spirit of wisdom and understanding... .” This verse refers to the messiah,
but it does not identify him. The followers of Jesus chose to attribute this
verse to him, and it subsequently became one of the "proof-texts" to
support the claims of Christianity.
One
way to test such verses is as follows: Pick a figure that neither you nor the
missionary believes to be the messiah. (It can be George Washington, Reverend
Moon, or your great- grandfather.) Then see if the "messianic
prophecy" would point to the figure in the eyes of anyone who believed him
to be the messiah. If it can be used that way, the verse obviously proves
nothing.
Be
aware of the problem of mistranslation. A person who is not familiar with
Hebrew (or with the Hebrew text of the Bible) can be lead to accept a
mistranslation of the Bible which puts a Christian "twist or spin" on
a verse that never had such a meaning in the original. If you can't check it
out yourself, talk to a reliable person who can. Remember, it is no coincidence
that the Jews, who are generally much better versed in the original Hebrew
Bible, never have any serious problems refuting Christian missionary arguments.
Often
a verse will be quoted to you that has been taken entirely out of context. When
the entire chapter that contains that verse is read, it becomes clear that: 1)
that the verse is not a messianic prophecy, and/or 2) the prophecy could not
possibly refer to Jesus.
If
you need advice concerning a problem of this sort, get in touch with people who
are familiar with the tactics being used and who know how to deal with them.
ORIGINAL SOURCE:
JEWS FOR JUDAISM: http://www.jewsforjudaism.org/web/faq/general-tactics.html