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.