Leave me alone!

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?!

StormWarrior

Zillah wrote: »

I hope this isn't all lies.

It's true, you are free to steal any of them to use yourself.

AtomicHorror

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

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.

For my day-to-day functioning, I make a leap of faith and assume that the universe exists objectively and is not merely "in my head" as it were. The assumption is unverifiable but I often doubt its veracity anyway. So the one bit of faith I actually have is very weak indeed and might be better defined as an assumption made for the sake of argument. The potential argument being a persistent one with myself which would render me non-functional in the society which may-or-may-not exist outside of my subjective experience.

iUseVi

AtomicHorror wrote: »

For my day-to-day functioning, I make a leap of faith and assume that the universe exists objectively and is not merely "in my head" as it were. The assumption is unverifiable but I often doubt its veracity anyway. So the one bit of faith I actually have is very weak indeed and might be better defined as an assumption made for the sake of argument. The potential argument being a persistent one with myself which would render me non-functional in the society which may-or-may-not exist outside of my subjective experience.

Ah, the joys of philosophising!!:D