Sharing the gospel

In the LDS world there is a lot of pressure to share the gospel with our non believer friends. Often times leadership puts such a pressure on it's members to share the gospel with everyone that those who don't share the gospel feel deficient in some ways. That's nonsense, of course-there is a time and place to share the gospel and there is a time and place to keep your mouth shut. 

When members say you should proselytize at work, I cringe. Not only is this a foolish idea, it could get you fired. Sharing your faith at work can be a good thing, but it can also lead to disaster. First off-it's work, you should certainly not do anything against your faith, but not everyone is there to be saved. Some people just want to go to work, go home, and be left alone while doing so. You have no right whatsoever to lecture them about your religion. While I'm not one to talk about "offending people" not everyone feels the same. They might have a thinner skin than us and one phone call to HR after you share the Book of Mormon with them and your outta there. 

Sharing the faith with your friends is also very risky. Mom did say that you shouldn't talk about religion and politics. I don't personally believe that obviously-I talk about politics and religion all the time with my friends-but again, not everyone has the same kind of relationships as I do. That's not an insult or a claim that my relationships are deeper or better-it's just that they are different. You can be wonderful friends with someone for years and not talk about religion. In fact, sometimes it's a good thing to not talk about religion with friends because you might damage the friendship. 

If you want to share the gospel, be a good example. Be open with your own faith-let everyone know that you are LDS-and let them come to you with questions. There are so many misconceptions about our faith that most will come to you because they'll know you are LDS. If you pushy, sanctimonious or obnoxious that'll just reinforce negative stereotypes of us..