Amendment to My Autoethnography

My first experiences with RL evangelicalism really softened my skepticism of the practices. I don't mean the general ones where Jehovah's Witnesses came to my door, or when I dated a Catholic girl who would try in vain to make me pray with her etc... but when a relative stranger grabbed my hand and asked me if I knew Christ.

I used to be a fairly regular hitch-hiker, and after spending hours thumbing in vain, I'd find myself very grateful to whomever might pick me up. Almost invariably the driver would fit one of three profiles: ex-hippie who used to hitch back in the day, a depressed sad-sack, who will complain about the misery of their lives until they drop me off (I think these people pick up hitch-hikers with the secret hope that we will do them in), and evangelical Christians. Where I used to roam, the latter made up more than 75% of my benefactors. I would always get the spiel.
There is something about a hitch-hiker that implies being lost (although as any good hitcher knows... not all who wander are lost). To an evangelical Christian, picking these people up helps someone in need and gives them an opportunity to discover the love of Christ. Generally they start with, "do you know Jesus." Then perhaps ask me to pray with them, or offer to say a prayer to help get my life "back on track." Grateful and wanting the ride to go smooth and long, I am as affable as possible. I lie. I try to change the subject. I clasp their hands, close my eyes and mouth something.

While I was exploring the Cyebrsaint's guide to online evangelism, I couldn't help but recall the attempts that were made on me in RL. Further I wonder if people online ever "fake it." There might not be a powerful motivation, like 50 miles of road, to encourage such behavior, but in some of the examples I read, the convertee seemed like they just really needed someone to talk to, and might have agreed to anything to keep the conversation rolling along.