Spreading the faith does not mean forcing the faith

As people of faith, we must spread our beliefs to the world around us. We are meant to do this in several ways, such as discussing the Bible with our children and doing good work in our community. There are many other ways to spread the faith as well, but one way that we must avoid is forcing it on others.

A core value of the Catholic faith and Christianity as a whole is free will. God gave us the gift of free will to choose our paths in life. It is from free will that no acts of kindness or wrongdoing occur.

It is from free choice that we can forgive or be forgiven. This is important to remember as we spread the faith. Just as we have chosen to believe, people are equally able to choose not to.

That is their decision, and although we might disagree with it, we must honor it. For the most part, people who do not believe have their reasons. Rather than attack and condemn them, we must support and grow with them.

Their reasons for a lack of faith can be discussed if the individual is comfortable with that. A dialogue like this can both strengthen your faith and allow them to see things in a new light possibly.

The goal is not to convert but to support them on their faith journey by respecting their feelings toward faith. Instead of condemning others, we should act as Jesus did and help them heal. We are all sinners, and if the worst thing you have ever done is question God, then you are not so bad after all.

Let us find new ways to spread the faith while honoring and respecting the free will of others, and perhaps we will all see that whether you believe or not, you are still a child of God.