So I'm walking to work and right outside 30th Street station, this guy is talking to people or handing something out. I'm not paying much attention. But then I hear the words "God" and "saved" and immediately I spun around and approached this fellow. He was handing out flyers for a Christian "family" radio program. Anyway, the point of my story is he asks me if I know God. I said, "Yes, I think I have an idea what God is all about." The man proceeds to tell me that we are born as children of the Devil, and this is the Devil's kingdom. I said, "Well, I like to tell people that God loves them instead of making them fear God." He says, "Miss, have you heard the term predestination?" I say, "Yes, but if we are indeed pre-destined to be saved, then why not tell people that it is only their faith that will save them, and that God loves them, and if they are predestined to believe in God, then why worry about scaring the crap out of them?" He asks me, "Ma'am, what do you do for a living?" (which, btw, has NOTHING to do with God's love for you.) I tell him of my involvement with the church, and he tells me that the church is a devil-led organization, and where he worships, it is not a denomination, and they do not call themselves a church. I wondered, but did not ask out loud, "Oh, you call it for what it properly is then, a cult?" Well, you can imagine where the conversation went from there. I said, "God bless you in your journey." The man proceeded with some sort of rhetoric that had been taught to him word for word, and was obviously incapable of engaging in any sort of intelligent debate or conversation. And I realized that yes: many people out there call themselves Christians, while actually using tactics that fascists might use. But I still have hope. I try to focus on the positive change I'm trying to make because I can never possibly combat all of the ignorance of many so called religious people out there. PEACE be with you , MollyBloom
That sounds sort of like the Potter's House churches. I had some friends who used to attend one, and my group of friends did a play about Crystal Meth there as well. but yeah, I can see some of the attributes that used to be in my friends when you described the way he described his church. I think they got out of it though... In conclusion, good post Molly. I really enjoy reading the ones you make...
There are not enough of these types to make even a statistical portion of the Christian Church overall. As always - the crazy minority always shouts the loudest or tries to garner the most attention. Otherwise dont take them to seriously or give them unrealistic respect and power by treating them as if they represent some signifigant Christian movement. By the sounds of it this guy was right crazy and not even a Christian in any orthodox or classical sense of the word.
You're a better person than I am, I wouldn't have even wasted my time talking to him. But it's good that you stick to the positive. After all, THAT, if anything, is what God must be all about.
How does this approach differ from your every day evangelist/born again/bible basher christian?? No diff in my book.
Kris, have you honestly ever come across some atheist standing on the streetcorner preaching atheism? Or handing out copies of "origin of species"?
Mr.Ree was talking about Originally Posted by MollyBloom The man proceeded with some sort of rhetoric that had been taught to him word for word, and was obviously incapable of engaging in any sort of intelligent debate or conversation. And I realized that yes: many people out there call themselves Christians, while actually using tactics that fascists might use. MollyBloom
I have. Many, many times. I remember a man at the mall handing out papers that basically rambled on about how religion is evil and religious people are either bad people or stupid people. I've had more people try to push Atheism on me than Christianity. Assholes are assholes no matter what philosophy they're pushing.
New York, L.A. and maybe Washington DC are all weird like that. NOWHERE else will you find Atheists evangelizing. At least I never have in all the places I've been and people I've seen. Finding an evangelical atheist is like trying to find a needle in a stack of Christians.
Thank you, that was my point. By and large it's a very rare phenomenon for atheists to preach atheism on a streetcorner. I've never seen it, but I've seen many christians doing it in just my small little suburb.
That tells me that its not seen as valuable or important to those who hold the belief of Atheism. Or They dont feel the need to inform others.
Atheism has no policy in place which encourages or requires adherents to spread the word. They may feel very strongly about their position, but also feel others can make up their own mind, without ever hearing their opinion. In my experience, atheists are often as adamant that their view is certainly correct, as theists can be. They do not evangelize, though, as it is not a priority for them to convert others. It is of no concern to most atheists whether others believe in God.
That's not in any way true. I've seen it in red states ass well. It's not at all rare. And what do you call what you do here, when you spam the board with anti-christian posts? Face it- you are an evangelizing Athiest asshole. Congratulations.
You obviously haven't traveled. At all. And even if they didn't, so what? They preach it everywhere else. Athiesm may have no policy to push their opinions on others, but Atheists theirselves still push their opinions on people just as much as Christians. Frankly, I don't care what philosophy it is, just stop pushing it on me.