Evangelism Options

[yummy_delight]

A good friend of mine and I recently got into a heated debate about evangelism. We're both Christians, but we have very different ideas about evangelism. When my friend started getting really involved in church a few years ago, he also became a rampant evangelist. He believes that by bringing more people into the church he is not only saving them from eternal damnation, but also doing his duty as a Christian. He has often quoted Charles Spurgeon, saying "Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter," essentially stating that you can't truly be Christian without evangelizing non believers.

I, however, don't like the idea of evangelism at all. Although I'm a devout Catholic, I dislike the idea of evangelism because I don't believe that anybody, myself included, has the right to force his or her beliefs on someone else. I think that everybody has a right to be whatever the religion they choose. Perhaps it's because I have a different idea about God than other people. I don't think that God sends honestly good people to Hell just because they don't believe in him. There are such things as Christian people who are hypocritical, paying lip service to God at church on Sundays, and still go about causing harm to other people. In my opinion, these people are less deserving of heaven than the good-hearted people whose only "fault" is that they don't believe in God. I think that my duty as a Christian is to be a good person and have a positive impact on the world, which doesn't necessarily mean that I HAVE to be an evangelist.

I'd just like to know what everyone else's opinion is on this, not merely from a Christian standpoint, but from another religion's or atheist's perspective as well. Do you approve of evangelism? Are you an evangelist? Do you think that evangelism is a necessary requirement for all good Christians?

[splitnightsky]

don't judge me for judging you.
cuz then we get stuck in a huge circle, no?

I am full blown Christian,
but I never liked the whole "go door to door" thing.
but that's not what evangelism is about.

my form of evangelism deals with me living it.
I live how I believe a Christian should live.
I'll tell you I'm a Christian. and I'm always here if you have questions.
that is still evangelism.
you guys are just taking it to the extreme.

no one is ever gonna listen to you
if you beat a Bible over their heads
and tell them they're going to hell.

shoot, I'd ignore them.

but my point is, many of you who are
arguing against this are also using "evangelism"
-just your own kind of evangelism-
I mean, are you not sharing you beliefs?
and I don't mind...
the hardest thing to ever change something about someone
is what they corely believe.
so tell me what you believe.
because I really am fascinated by what some people come up with. :)