A few family issues - Page 3

Hello Doctor Helvetica! I think we spoke on the IRC... (and you still rock!)
But this is a very difficult issue ( ), especially since it involves somebody you presumably care dearly about, your sister.
I don't think you should turn her into an ideological battleground, but rather try to talk to your aunt and uncle, her guardians. You need not convince them that their beliefs are faulty or that they are too extreme... but you might want to ask them to consider the long-term social well-being of the girl they also love.

You are one of the most eloquent people whom I've ever had the pleasure of making a cyber-acquaintance, so i don't think I'll feed you any lines, but here are some points to consider.
1.) Tolerance through ideological compromise. Muslims, like atheists, are not "possessed" by demons, but rather just "misguided." You can give the example of a child who is raised in an atheist family, or raised in a muslim family... the child doesn't know any better, and shouldn't be faulted purely for the absence of exposure to "christ." And so long as they remain benevolently oblivious to the glory of Christ, they should still be respected as God's children.
As an atheist, I know this is *probably* (:p) not what you believe (nor is it what I believe, for that matter) but I think using their mindset you can let them see the benefits of letting their little girl at least "accept" other belief systems.
2.) An argument of pragmatism. At some level all religions agree that "God helps those who help themselves." If your sister is able to gain a scientific/rational worldview (even alongside a Christian belief system) she is much more likely to succeed in future endeavors. As an example, she may believe in Divine Creation, but you should explain to her guardians that the academic necessity of at least understanding the scientific mechanism of (if not believing in the theory of) evolution. When she hits high school/college you can open her eyes to reality
3.) Be a quiet role model. I think that the fact that aunt/uncle don't seem to have a problem with your spending time with your sister indicates at least a partial willingness to compromise. They, for example, at least believe that family (in some capacity) trumps religion. Thus, if you are unable to persuade moderation, don't despair and don't get angry. Simply by being a (nonchristian) role model, you are inherently teaching her tolerance, and (hopefully) empathy. From that, in time, an all else follows.

Sorry if none of that helped I literally do not know and have never spent any appreciable time with the type of evangelists your aunt/uncle seem to be. Even the most devout among my acquaintances are reasonable people. I never shy away from civil discourse on religion, and in all of my discussions on the subject, it appears that belief is tempered with rationality; thus I may be underestimating the recalcitrance of your aunt/uncle's intolerant beliefs.

Good luck, anyhow. I hope you're able to prevent your sister from becoming one of those fundamentalist zombies.

Oh snap... I took too long to write this post. So umm tl;dr Incontrol > Idra