Dealing with Missionaries: Looking Inside Ourselves for Solutions
Recently, I saw a Jew arguing with a missionary. The Jewish woman was upset because she had seen the non-Jewish woman trying to convert some Jews. The argument quickly fell away from anything to do with religion or beliefs. Instead, it became a game of who could be more condescending and insulting to whom. It seemed like each was trying their best to make themselves look good while simultaneously putting the other one down. In the end, nothing was achieved.
You see, when two people believe something very strongly, there is no point in having a debate or an argument because neither will be persuaded the other one is right. This is true of any subject, but religion and politics are two of the top subjects for which this holds true.
If you are discussing or debating something with someone who has an open mind or who is on the fence about an issue, then it is worth continuing because you might change their mind. If there are witnesses who might be convinced, it is worth continuing because you might change their minds. If there is a Jew involved who has moved away from Judaism, it is worth continuing because EVERY Jewish soul is precious and you can never give up on persuading them. However, if you are arguing with someone who does not fall into one of those categories, then it is not a wise use of your time to continue. Instead, it is simply a waste of time and energy that you could be using to do something else.
And of course, if the conversation devolves into an argument without substance, where you are only finding more creative ways to put the other person down, then you won’t achieve anything, no matter who you are trying to convince or why. If you want to debate with a missionary because, for instance, other Jews are watching, you must remain calm and keep a level head. There are rational responses to everything they say and there is no need to get angry at them.
When it comes to missionaries, I think it is a waste of time and energy to be upset and angry with them. If they are on private property that belongs to you, you can ask them to leave and they should leave (or you can call the police) but beyond that, there is no reason to expend energy being upset with them for their proselytizing.
There’s no point in getting upset with the individuals doing it, for two reasons:
1) They are doing it out of love. Even if they are wrong, they are doing it because they truly care about others and want them to find happiness and beauty in the same things they do. At least, we must try to believe this because it is our obligation to work on ourselves to see the good in others even when they do the wrong thing.
2) They are merely instruments of the Satan, the Yetzer Hara, Hashem, whatever you want to call it. Remember the mashal of the dog and the stick. The master holds the stick that beats the dog. The dog barks at and bites at the stick. The dog does not realize it is the master who is doing the beating. These individuals are merely the stick. Instead of barking at THEM, we should ask why Hashem has put them in our path. Why do we deserve this? What can we do about it?
Only then can we address the true issue, which is our own teshuva. We have to ask what we can do. We will never be able to stop all non-Jews from trying to convert Jews; it has been that way since the time of the first Jew, Avraham. When he would not be persuaded away from the path of Hashem, he was thrown into a fire. And millions of Jews have been thrown into fires since then for refusing to change their faith and their beliefs. Nothing will stop the goyim from their anti-Semitism until Moshiach comes.
So instead of concentrating on them, the stick, let us ask the Master why He sends this stick. The answer is very clear straight out in the Torah. Look at the blessings Yaakov & Eisav receive from Yitzchak. When Yaakov (the Jews) are strong in their Torah, then Eisav will be their servant. But we see this is not currently the case, nor has it been since, well, pretty much ever. From the sin of the golden calf to the idolatry throughout the Tanach, we Jews have been rebellious. If we want to break free from the yoke of Eisav, the only way to do so is to be strong in Torah.
So instead of arguing with or putting down others, we Jews have to A) work on ourselves to do as many mitzvot and learn as much Torah as we can and B) we have to work on helping other Jews to do the same. Yes, the does mean rescuing Jews who have been ensnared by those non-Jews who try to pull them away from the path of Judaism. But it also means rescuing Jews who have been pulled away from Judaism by the temptations of the modern world, by bad experiences with other Jews, by any and all possible factors.
But it does not mean attacking the stick. Let us be a light unto the nations! Shana tova!
