Leave me alone!

eoin5

You can expect the Mormons to come knocking on your door or the born agains to proclaim to you all about their "being saved" on grafton street but I got hastled on my way to work this morning. Its a busy main road (straffan road, maynooth) with housing estates either side and I often get asked for directions on it so when a normal looking woman stopped me this morning thats what I expected, but no, she shoved something with Bible written on it under my nose. I was very close to giving her an earful. I'm actually beginning to think it would have been the right thing to do...

Galvasean

If you lived in Florida you would not be outside your rights to shoot her.
just sayin'

Zillah

Galvasean wrote: »

If you lived in Florida you would not be outside your rights to shoot her.
just sayin'

I suspect this may not be true.

Now, it is the US so I can't be sure...

Hivemind187

Eoin5 - I would have man.

So much for the "We dont force religion down your throat - sure thats a myth made up by the aggressive secularists!"

JimiTime

Hivemind187 wrote: »

Eoin5 - I would have man.

So much for the "We dont force religion down your throat - sure thats a myth made up by the aggressive secularists!"

I'd hardly call someone approaching you to talk about God as 'forcing religion down your throat'. I'm sure a polite, 'I'm really not interested' would suffice, so whats the problem? If they're aggressive, then you have an issue. I was always approached by Muslims on the Kilburn high road. They were always pleasent. If i didn't want to talk, I just said, not today, end of. I really don't see the big deal.

Red Hand

eoin5 wrote: »

You can expect the Mormons to come knocking on your door or the born agains to proclaim to you all about their "being saved" on grafton street but I got hastled on my way to work this morning. Its a busy main road (straffan road, maynooth) with housing estates either side and I often get asked for directions on it so when a normal looking woman stopped me this morning thats what I expected, but no, she shoved something with Bible written on it under my nose. I was very close to giving her an earful. I'm actually beginning to think it would have been the right thing to do...

Eoin, is Jesus in your life? Do you live in a spiritual vaccum, Eoin? Eoin, you seem to be unhappy and something seems to be troubling you and I think it is the lack of God in your life.


Please, Eoin...please come on over here-> http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=333

Fanny Cradock

So someone approached you on the street! Why that's 20 seconds you'll never get back. Tell me, If faith isn't a virtue, what is it?

Stercus Accidit

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

So someone approached you on the street! Why that's 20 seconds you'll never get back. Tell me, If faith isn't a virtue, what is it?

Adult comfort blanket

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

an unneccesary crutch?

eoin5

I know she is probably a nice person and thinks she is trying to help me but I've never been asked for anything but directions on that road and I've been walking up and down it for the past 6 years. Its a new place where I have to put on my wary cap . I dont want to fend off hallucinating wellwishers everywhere I go!

Faith (in the context of religion): Belief that does not rest on logical proof.

Zillah

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

Tell me, If faith isn't a virtue, what is it?

Faith is the brother of insanity. Sure he's better dressed and knows people in high places, but the family resemblance is there.


What do you think it is?

Fanny Cradock

My goodness, your 'wary cap'! Do you think that roaming gangs of Christians bent on conversions are going to corner you on that particular street? If the worst thing that happened to you all day was an this, a apparently well intentioned woman bothering you for a few moments, then it was a good day.

As a side note,everyone, even the non-religious, has some manner of faith in their lives, yourself included. This undermines your quip. Maybe you should clarify that you are talking about religious faith in your sig.

Zillah

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

As a side note,everyone, even the non-religious, has some manner of faith in their lives, yourself included.

Explain this ludicrous comment.

Bearing in mind that it is a ludicrous comment and that I'll be tearing your response apart.

Fanny Cradock

Zillah wrote: »

Faith is the brother of insanity. Sure he's better dressed and knows people in high places, but the family resemblance is there.

The brother of insanity, eh!

Fair enough

Fanny Cradock

Zillah wrote: »

Explain this ludicrous comment.

Bearing in mind that it is a ludicrous comment and that I'll be tearing your response apart.

Sadly for you Zillah, making aggressive demands in nasty little post on the internet doesn't guarantee that your wish will be granted. Given that it is very unlikely that you would consider anything that I say, at least beyond whatever it takes you to deliver an impudent rebuttal, there remains little point in explaining anything to you. However, if you sincerely believe that you have never experienced faith in your life - and I've pointedly specified that this doesn't necessarily mean religious faith - then who am I to change your mind!

Toodles :pac:

eoin5

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

My goodness, your 'wary cap'! Do you think that roaming gangs of Christians bent on conversions are going to corner you on that particular street? If the worst thing that happened to you all day was an this, a apparently well intentioned woman bothering you for a few moments, then it was a good day.

As a side note,everyone, even the non-religious, has some manner of faith in their lives, yourself included. This undermines your quip. Maybe you should clarify that you are talking about religious faith in your sig.

Ah youre probably right, I was just being narky, I always am in the mornings. Theres so many people who get such a hard time because of religion that I should be happy to only suffer the odd annoyance.

Yes its religious faith I'm impling in my sig.

Fanny Cradock

Well at least the morning are considerably more bearable of late!

gramlab

Had a guy and his daughter call last weekend with some magazine about capitalism. Saw the bible in his hand and politely said thanks but I wasn't interested. The two of them stared at me for a few seconds and began to ask about god in my life.

Door was promptly shut (I had said no!)

I live out in the sticks - even I find it hard to get to my house, so they were either lost, very dedicated or extremely desperate.

Hivemind187

JimiTime wrote: »

I'd hardly call someone approaching you to talk about God as 'forcing religion down your throat'. I'm sure a polite, 'I'm really not interested' would suffice, so whats the problem? If they're aggressive, then you have an issue. I was always approached by Muslims on the Kilburn high road. They were always pleasent. If i didn't want to talk, I just said, not today, end of. I really don't see the big deal.

Well whoop-de-doo you encountered some religious types that werent frothing uncontrollably at the mouth - you should feel special to have been witness to such a rare occurrence.

The rest of us on the other hand have to put up with zealots interfering in our lives at almost every level (and dont bother with the "prove that" - it's been done, over and over) and there is absolutely nothing - anywhere - that demands we be polite about how insipidly irritating it is. Being approached and challenged when you are minding your own business (rather than coming o a forum and actively seeking controversy) is being subjected to aggressive marketing full stop. they dont have to wave their arms around and demand your soul in a bucket or whatever it is you people want in order to qualify as aggressive.

All atheists and secularists had to do to qualify was exist according to our former Taoiseach.

Dades

This type of story makes me so angry. I hear stories of people being approached on the street and having other people's belief shoved down their throat...

I just need to know - why does it never happen to me?! EVER!

That said I probably wouldn't engage unless a gentle 'no thanks' didn't deter them.

Dave!

I have also never been approached by an evangelical before. Maybe I don't look as receptive as Hivemind and the OP!

JimiTime

Hivemind187 wrote: »

Well whoop-de-doo you encountered some religious types that werent frothing uncontrollably at the mouth - you should feel special to have been witness to such a rare occurrence.

The rest of us on the other hand have to put up with zealots interfering in our lives at almost every level (and dont bother with the "prove that" - it's been done, over and over) and there is absolutely nothing - anywhere - that demands we be polite about how insipidly irritating it is. Being approached and challenged when you are minding your own business (rather than coming o a forum and actively seeking controversy) is being subjected to aggressive marketing full stop. they dont have to wave their arms around and demand your soul in a bucket or whatever it is you people want in order to qualify as aggressive.

All atheists and secularists had to do to qualify was exist according to our former Taoiseach.

And you're quite within your rights to tell them all to f-off and be angry etc. I just think its a complete over-reaction thats all. If you feel that blowing your top and getting worked up is an appropriate response, fair enough i suppose. I just think it'd be easier 'on you' to just say not interested and keep walking. But hey, whatever floats yer boat.

CCCP^

Somebody approach you on the street? THEN you sing this -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbH04pY7alA

CerebralCortex

JimiTime wrote: »

And you're quite within your rights to tell them all to f-off and be angry etc. I just think its a complete over-reaction thats all. If you feel that blowing your top and getting worked up is an appropriate response, fair enough i suppose. I just think it'd be easier 'on you' to just say not interested and keep walking. But hey, whatever floats yer boat.

In that case though no one learns.

robindch

DaveMcG wrote: »

I have also never been approached by an evangelical before.

Lucky you -- I've been approached so many times that it's a standing joke here in the office. Must be the t-shirts I wear or something.

Tim Robbins

robindch wrote: »

Lucky you -- I've been approached so many times that it's a standing joke here in the office. Must be the t-shirts I wear or something.

I remember going through a phase of arguing with them in town. Speakers corner in London is a much better place to do it though, but you'd want a sense of humour. This peopel don't understand logic, but then again according to some posters here, either do I :-)

JimiTime

CerebralCortex wrote: »

In that case though no one learns.

And who learns when the person approached goes off on one? All it does is make the preacher more fervant in their ministry, feel persecuted etc. If its about learning, then a conversation is the appropriate response no? Certainly not getting p!ssed off anyway.

Tomk1

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

My goodness, your 'wary cap'! Do you think that roaming gangs of Christians bent on conversions are going to corner you on that particular street? If the worst thing that happened to you all day was an this, a apparently well intentioned woman bothering you for a few moments, then it was a good day.

As a side note,everyone, even the non-religious, has some manner of faith in their lives, yourself included. This undermines your quip. Maybe you should clarify that you are talking about religious faith in your sig.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVf-cRTijco

And its worse than this, I've seen my neighbour (who is very good natured) 20 minutes trying to get rid of an Islamic Preacher/convertor, but he was trying to be polite to tell him to get lost. on and on and on "why do you judge us blah blah blah, Islam is peace, blah blah"

If someone wants to go to a church and get religionised ok, but stop the harassment, between people begging, for your money and now for your soul&wallet, should we be allowed to carry a baseball bat and a hugh sign "Warning approach at your own peril".

I thought religion was to make people happy, not anger them. Mybe if I carry some charity cards for cancer and if approched, I ask them for money, as thier god isn't helping:)

CerebralCortex

JimiTime wrote: »

And who learns when the person approached goes off on one? All it does is make the preacher more fervant in their ministry, feel persecuted etc. If its about learning, then a conversation is the appropriate response no? Certainly not getting p!ssed off anyway.

Your right. I guess I'm being wantonly aggressive.

robindch

Tomk1 wrote: »

I thought religion was to make people happy

No, religion exists for no other purpose than to propagate itself. It's a sufficiently, not to say magnificently, flexible institutional and social framework which permits its various stakeholders to do whatever they want, while providing that warm sense of infallible justification -- whether you're up front driving the church, or down the back paying for it.

aggresso

My approach to evangelists, if I have time, is to be as exactly polite to them as they are to me and attempt to evangelise them to my point of view as aggressively as they try to do it with me.

If there's a newbie sidekick about, the conversation ends quite quickly. If not, it's amusingly unpredictable what can happen.

Zombrex

Dades wrote: »

This type of story makes me so angry. I hear stories of people being approached on the street and having other people's belief shoved down their throat...

I just need to know - why does it never happen to me?! EVER!

That said I probably wouldn't engage unless a gentle 'no thanks' didn't deter them.

LOL ... was thinking the same thing a few weeks ago. I was walking passed the hotties in Temple Bar who want out fliers for strip clubs around Dublin. I saw them and was thinking "Oh, man this is going to be embarrassing", so I braced myself as I walked up, ready to smile and say "No thank you", but they just ignored me and gave a flier to the guy behind me.

For a second I was thinking "WTF, what do I not look cool enough to be in your fecking club!!"

As Wilde said, the only thing worse than being talking about is not being talked about.

Zombrex

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ2O3_zFA88

"Can you feel the love of christ!"
"I feels like poop"



(girl is hot btw)

JimiTime

robindch wrote: »

No, religion exists for no other purpose than to propagate itself. It's a sufficiently, not to say magnificently, flexible institutional and social framework which permits its various stakeholders to do whatever they want, while providing that warm sense of infallible justification -- whether you're up front driving the church, or down the back paying for it.

Although I don't like religion, I'm told by folk around these parts that I am part of one. Non-denominational christian is probably the best title if one must put me in a box. Anyway.

Your view above, which is quite definitive, does not apply to me. So either I'm not part of religion, or your definitive point in wrong. So in your opinion, which is it? Or did you mean 'some' religion?

CerebralCortex

You don't like religion but you're a christian? My brain hurts.

eoin5

CerebralCortex wrote: »

You don't like religion but you're a christian? My brain hurts.

A theist who is also an anti-theist is very possible. Its like a smoker who hates ciggies but cant quit.

Zombrex

JimiTime wrote: »

Although I don't like religion, I'm told by folk around these parts that I am part of one.

Following the Bible is a religion. It is a set of structured beliefs and doctrine that are designed to shape and organise the moral, social and ethical beliefs of its followers. And to top that off it is based around a supernatural authority. You don't have to be a follower of the later Christian denominations to be a member of a religion. Jesus and his disciples were a religion.

Zombrex

eoin5 wrote: »

A theist who is also an anti-theist is very possible. Its like a smoker who hates ciggies but cant quit.

I don't think that is quite what Jimi means.

I imagine he means he does not like the organisations that have grown up in the 2000 years since the formation of the Christian religion, and prefers to stick to just the Bible, and does not feel the need to join one of those denominations or churches.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

damn you martin luther

Akrasia

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

So someone approached you on the street! Why that's 20 seconds you'll never get back. Tell me, If faith isn't a virtue, what is it?

faith is nowhere near a virtue. A virtue is something positive.

Believing something without any evidence and despite all the evidence to the contrary is pretty silly imo, especially when you take it to the extremes of having faith in 'creationism' or that Noahs ark was real.

Wicknight

Wicknight wrote: »

but they just ignored me and gave a flier to the guy behind me.

For a second I was thinking "WTF, what do I not look cool enough to be in your fecking club!!"

Take it as a compliment - they don't think you need to go to a strip club, you're too cool.

Now that I think of it they give me fliers all the time.

Galvasean

Zillah wrote: »

I suspect this may not be true.

Now, it is the US so I can't be sure...

Apparently its something to do with 'invasion of personal space', which is quite open t interpretation so I may be mistaken.

Hivemind187

Galvasean wrote: »

Apparently its something to do with 'invasion of personal space', which is quite open t interpretation so I may be mistaken.

Different interpretations of "assault". I think Texas has a particular policy on this (but then they can carry guns on their person provided they arent concealed).

Doctor DooM

I've gotten approached multiple times by some christian music group performance thing in the city, because I can be often seen stomping through Dublin with a bass strapped to my back.


They can be quite persistant.

Overheal

Galvasean wrote: »

If you lived in Florida you would not be outside your rights to shoot her.
just sayin'

..............no.

Lockstep

Can't say it really bothers me being approached by people of any religious faith.

Usually it's grand, a quick "no thanks" sees them off.


Although what annoys me is when someone finds out my personal views and attempts to "take me on" so to speak.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Whenever they stop me I always "ha ha, I'm going to give this douche an earful, they're going to know everything they believe in is horsesh*t" then they keep talking about theri stuff so enthusiastically I feel bad & say I'll consider it....

StormWarrior

Me and my friends are always accosted by Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. I like talking to them but my friends don't. Some friends of mine who were black metallers constantly had Jehovah's Witnesses calling at their door. They always said they weren't interested but the Jovos kept coming back. Finally, in desperation, they hatched a plan. When the Jovo's next called, they put on their most satanic-looking black metal attire, opened the door and invited the Jovos in. They didn't ask them to sit so the Jovos started preaching standing up. As they did, my friends got out a peice of chalk and drew a pentagram around them, mumbling mumbo jumbo all the while. Strangely enough, they never called back after that.

Another friend of mine who lived on a farm had just killed a chicken and was wearing an apron covered in blood and carrying a huge knife when the doorbell rang. As he went to answer it he noticed that his pet cat was inside and so he picked it up to put it out. He was in a bad mood that day and opened the door, covered in blood, with a cat in one hand and a knife in the other and yelled, "What do you want?" The preacher at the door threw her pamphlets at him and legged it!

Someone else I know was always having Mormons knocking and got tired of it. One day when she heard the doorbell ring, she looked out and saw it was them. She wrapped a big black sheet around herself like a burkha, opened the door and yelled up the stairs, "Osama, the infidels are here again! Would you come and sort them out?" She never saw them again!

aggresso

kickoutthejams wrote: »

Can't say it really bothers me being approached by people of any religious faith.

Usually it's grand, a quick "no thanks" sees them off.


Although what annoys me is when someone finds out my personal views and attempts to "take me on" so to speak.

I love it when people find out my personal views and attempt to take me on.

If I'm in a hurry I'll tend say no thanks (usually regretfully) but if I'm not very busy, I do like a bit of a conversation. Sometimes I even learn something from it. When it comes to conversations with religious believers in a spirit of fair play and sauce for the goose and gander, etc. I do enjoy trying to do exactly what they're trying to do to me, i.e. evangelise me.

The trick is not to let them keep you on the back foot. Be assertive. Don't argue against their view. Argue in favour of your view. The effect can be disconcerting on your conversation partners, but doesn't generally receive a hostile reception (though some affect hurt feelings at their religious sensitivities being offended).

It provides a little much needed amusement and generally prevents a second visit.

Zillah

StormWarrior wrote: »

Me and my friends are always accosted by Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. I like talking to them but my friends don't. Some friends of mine who were black metallers constantly had Jehovah's Witnesses calling at their door. They always said they weren't interested but the Jovos kept coming back. Finally, in desperation, they hatched a plan. When the Jovo's next called, they put on their most satanic-looking black metal attire, opened the door and invited the Jovos in. They didn't ask them to sit so the Jovos started preaching standing up. As they did, my friends got out a peice of chalk and drew a pentagram around them, mumbling mumbo jumbo all the while. Strangely enough, they never called back after that.

Another friend of mine who lived on a farm had just killed a chicken and was wearing an apron covered in blood and carrying a huge knife when the doorbell rang. As he went to answer it he noticed that his pet cat was inside and so he picked it up to put it out. He was in a bad mood that day and opened the door, covered in blood, with a cat in one hand and a knife in the other and yelled, "What do you want?" The preacher at the door threw her pamphlets at him and legged it!

Someone else I know was always having Mormons knocking and got tired of it. One day when she heard the doorbell ring, she looked out and saw it was them. She wrapped a big black sheet around herself like a burkha, opened the door and yelled up the stairs, "Osama, the infidels are here again! Would you come and sort them out?" She never saw them again!

I hope this isn't all lies.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

damn you zillah, can't you just have faith?!