Whether there was a preacher who they simply didn't like, or whether their parents forced them to go to church when they did not want to, or whether it is simply a rebellion against something that makes them uncomfortable - they have had some sort of experience that makes them despise any sort of religion, and sometimes even the people who try to speak to them of it. Rather than seeing the Word for what it is, they see it as a label. The label often takes the form of a certain sect (Roman Catholic, Baptist, Protestant, Lutheran, Seventh Day Adventist, etc). Now, this isn't true, but it is how they perceive it. They do not think you are trying to show them truth or help them, they see you as a recruiter for your religion - much as they might see recruiters for the military.

This is what many people describe with the word "witness" - the public persona that you put on for other people to see. This sentence could be finished in a million different ways. They drink, cheat, cuss - you name it. While most people like to be seen as individuals, they tend to group others into stereotypes. If one person does things wrong, well - so does everyone of that same stereotype! Fortunately, in this case, they're right. We are all human, we all sin. Somehow, however, to those who are not Believers, Christian is synonymous with Perfect. We are not perfect.

Let's just face it - people don't like to be told that they're wrong. They don't like to be told that something they do on a regular basis is a sin. They don't like to feel talked down to - and no matter how gentle one is, when the person they are speaking to feels guilty, they will be talked down to. The possibility that someone was perfect seems impossible to them, but even the vague possibility makes them uncomfortable - like a student being publicly tested by their teacher, who knows much more.