To answer your questions, Mags, you'll notice I have a verse in my signature line. It is there for several reasons, one of which is to provide a passage of Scripture that shows a link between our flashlight interests and God. I believe God created everything, and that everything, in some way, leads back to Him. Scripture teaches that the world around us, and the skies above us demonstrate His glory. The scientific properties of light, and man's fascination with it and need for it, provide a rich insight into the nature of God. I include a light-related passage of Scripture in my posts to encourage those who believe as I do, and to provoke interest in spiritual things in those who do not believe as I do. My interest in flashlights does, I hope, provide me with a means and opportunity to share what I believe, or in other words, to be an "evangelizer".
Many people on this forum are "evangelizers". They tell others what they believe about the merits of one flashlight over another, one type of battery over another, one manufacturer over another, etc. Some preach throw, some preach flood. Some preach incandescent, some preach LED. Some preach brightness, some preach run-time. However, when you begin to preach spiritual matters, from whatever perspective, it touches peoples' consciences and that is why things can get heated. That is why you have had some of these responses to your post.
Another reason I have that verse in my sig line is to remind me that there is something much more important than my flashlights (it used to be flashlight – singular – until I began reading this forum, and now it is flashlights – plural /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif). My relationship with and responsibility to Jesus far outweighs any hobby or other interest I might have. The verse is there to remind me to keep my focus on what is most important. I often fail and find myself loving "things" more than I love Him. That leads me to your next concern, should you be an evangelizer? Your mother has expressed that might be your "calling". I would suggest you talk with her more about it. She may be attempting to help you the way the verse in my posts helps me. She may be trying to keep you focused on eternal things (people's souls) rather than on temporary things (people's flashlights). Two hundred years from now, you will not care what kind of flashlight you had. You will care about the opportunities you had to know God and tell others about His love.
You expressed concern that you could never be "religious enough to live that kind of life". I would like to suggest to you that you need to be no more religious to be an evangelizer than to be a teacher, engineer, carpenter, or any other profession. Whatever you do, you will need to develop a love for and a dependence on God. You might ask your dad and mom about the difference between being religious and being spiritual.