"Unfortunately, it doesn't speak well for the poster that he has such a crabbed, blinkered, cynical view of human nature as to describe normal kindness as a "violation". I'm sorry he had such a wretched childhood."

This is a really uneccesarry descent into irrational and unfounded personal attack on this thread. Again!

Anyway as to "crabbed, cynical views" of intentionally cynical evangelical Christian methods of evangelism (as opposed to normal non-cultish human behaviour) and those who should not be allowed to indulge such underhand methods with the vulnerable, here's that quote referred to below, offering practical guidance on how to go about converting mentally vulnerable people, by getting close to them and pretending to be their friend:

"Rev. Cory Kloth, writing about "Methods of Evangelism" for Meshereth Magazine:

    [E]vangelism takes place through personal relationship. ... Every relationship that God puts us in should be geared toward sharing the gospel. ... Let me give an example of how this works in extended relationships: when I was in seminary, working as a chemist while going to school, I had a co-worker who had experienced severe emotional trauma in his life. I met him and found out quickly that he loved NASCAR. Now, I could care less about NASCAR, but I became fluent in the subject so that avenues of communication would be open (avenues that I would then use to share the Gospel over time). I was in constant prayer for this fellow, praying specifically that God would convert him before I finished seminary, and He was gracious enough to do so. This example is just one of many ways how we can "become all things to all men." "

Evangelical Christians (unlike most faiths) are expected to convert. And yes, I'm cynical. They target the vulnerable, the depressed, the lonely and the elderly as easy pickings. I've seen it happen with people who are mentally ill, in hospital after a drugs overdose when a boyfriend left them for example. Who after receiving visits while they are in a weak state of mine, come out 'saved'.

And for the record (again), I myself am not rabidly anti-religion or anti-Christianity. I find much of both interest, inspiration and beauty in say, the writings of Christian Mystics and Saints (as well as the Tantras and Vedas, the poetry of Rumi, the Gnostic Gospels etc.) including works like 'The Cloud of Unknowing', or Meister Eckharts 'Treatises and Sermons', or 'In Imitation of Christ' by Thomas a Kempis, or Bunyans 'The Pilgrims Progress', 'Revelations of Divine Love' by Julian of Norwich and on it goes... And I will take a wild random guess, that the "blind, rabidly anti-religion" poster with the tragic childhood, is no doubt better studied in classic literature of similar kind, than most blind dogmatic evangelical types would ever wish to be.

PS Richard Bridge, I think you've got a fan club forming here... ;-)