Trying to get someone to conform to your religious beliefs is a non-starter. And nor should you be expected to abide by their customs. However, you always don’t have to be rude about it. One Christian from Virginia keeps a level-head about her beliefs and keeps the practice fairly private. When it comes to respecting other people and their beliefs, she actually goes out of her way to be polite, but also makes it a point to share she never expects others to follow hers.
TikToker El (TikTok/el_offline18) shares “things I will never do to you as a Christian” to show how she engages in religion in respect to others. She first explains she’ll never force somebody she’s hanging out with to go to church. El understands that’s her right to do, but doesn’t expect others, and she certainly wouldn’t ask someone to go with her. To her, letting people “believe what they want to believe” is what’s most important to her.
El continues onto the subject of dinner, stating she wouldn’t have someone “pray at the table” who may not follow Christianity. Her only ask is to not disrespect them during their praying. What she means by that is essentially keep the noise to a minimum. “You don’t even have to pay attention. You can literally scroll on your phone. I don’t care, just be respectful.” And that’s not at all an unreasonable ask.
Continuing on, El shares that she’d never tell someone they’re going to Hell. And that’s a big one, because it’s commonly used as an insult, usually from bad actors. “Genuinely, why would I do that?” El asks, pointing out how it’s particularly weird when it’s said towards people who don’t even believe in Hell.
El says the last thing she would never do as a Christian is “force you to pray with me” or to “wear a cross.” On top of that, she said she’d comply with a loved one’s comfort if they didn’t want to see crosses displayed in her room or anywhere else she goes with them. She explains it as, “If you’re in my space, I’m gonna make sure you’re comfortable.” That includes switching her Christian music to something else.
The big one in El’s video is on the subject of LGBTQIA+ community, ICE, and President Trump. Not only does El continue to support the LGBTQIA+ community, but she’ll also “continue to denounce Donald Trump and ICE.” She says there’s nothing “god-like” about President Trump, and her stance on immigration is: “Jesus was literally an immigrant.”
The reception to El’s philosophy was well-received on TikTok. One commenter shared, “This feels so refreshing to see as someone who doesn’t follow any religion.”
Another claiming to be an atheist said they’d bow their head in pray, “because that’s just respect.” They continued, arguing that respect to them was a given if someone fed him and “let me be part of your community.”
I have to give El props. Wanting their presence to be as welcoming as possible is great, even if she doesn’t have to go that far. Having the space to explore different ways of life, without impeding others, is part of the package in the U.S.
