@FrancoFran Unfortunately, many don't really have a choice.

Years ago, a friend of a friend was gay and happened to find the Mormon proselytizers attractive, so when they came knocking he reportedly kept encouraging them to come back. During that time, he would tell my friend, about spending some time together: "not today, the Mormons are coming". To the best of my knowledge, no religious conversions took place.

@kmaz I've never had attractive proselytizers come to my house. Last time was a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses around 2017 - pretty frumpy looking, male & female. I live in a gated community. When I answered my Ring my 1st Q was how did you get in here? A: we were invited. Q: by whom? A: (crickets)
I informed them they must have missed that sign on the gate and they were trespassing. If I ever see them again I'll call the Sheriff's dept. They've never come back to my house.

@Wander2023

I had to escape the Jewish religion and not the Christian or other religions or philosophies, and maybe that's part of why I don't care so much about proselytizers at the door. Jews don't proselytize non-Jews though I suppose being proselytized by Christians was generally not regarded as pleasant. Also, in this particular small town near the Mexican border (they sometimes drive door to door instead of walking) having had them come around maybe once every 6 months for the last 20 years, they almost always they seem to be after people who speak primarily Spanish, grew up in the Catholic Church, and who are lonely and vulnerable. They get to my house, learn that I don't speak the language, see the Mezuzah on my door (no scroll, but I think it looks nice) and leave politely. Once in awhile we do get to "I'm an atheist, and I am absolutely not interested", but if we get to that point, there isn't any pushy argument, they just go. It's a small town and the conversation stays neighborly and congenial.

I respect that some people want no part of having anyone proselytize them. In my case Christian proselytizing doesn't bother me as much as it bothers some others (unless I can't stop it readily in which case it then does start to bother me). Other types of proselytizing do bother me (generic God beliefs, some secular philosophy pushiness, some political pushiness, and recently a brief sports argument with a drunk at a bar, because he was trying to tell me that Magic Johnson wasn't all that).

Even apart from all that, I think Jillette's point here is quite incisive and much more rare: If a Christian honestly and truly believes fully what they're saying (that the non-Christians they run into are in danger of losing their immortal soul and being condemned to hell forever) then it's fair to hypothesize a true believer would be very concerned for others, and, unless they hate others very much, they would try to save them. I don't know that Jillette is saying that he enjoys being proselytized, but I do think he at least somewhat liked running into a stranger who sincerely cared about Jillette, (at least cared within the limitations imposed by the stranger's Christian delusions.)

Good point.

Jillette is one of the most consistent, often bold, and sometimes excellent, thinkers I've run into, as to atheism.

Same article.

They get so excited by a few Atheists that suddenly find religion! No articles on the thousands that leave.

@Barnie2years
except that Penn did not find religion.

@Organist1
similar article, but from a different site, 7 years later, and it contains a solid link to the video.

Penn is still an atheist (and he makes that clear toward the end of the video). What part of his overall point did you not understand? I quite liked his point here.

@kmaz I got his point and yes he us still an atheist

@Barnie2years Penn is still an atheist

@kmaz Same article, same video. I do understand it, but I also can't tolerate people "offering me" the word of "The Lord", aka shoving a Bible in my face. That's an intrusion imo. If he tolerates it, or even welcomes it, well, so be it.‍

@kmaz actually I was referring to the article links in the piece. I’m sure Penn is.firm in his disbelief.

@Wander2023
Yes I do think you got the point, and thanks for posting the later article, which itself was a bit more honest in writing up the video, and which contained the link to the video so that we could watch it for ourselves.

I think we are all of the same opinion here. 'Nuff said!

That's my feeling exactly. It would have been nicer, I think, if the guy had offered him a plate of cookies.