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How do street preachers make you feel?

21%

You have a choice!
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I ran into one randomly. At first I thought she was asking for directions, but then it turned out what she was holding that I thought was a map was actually a picture of heaven and she asked me if I wanted to live there.

I live in the city, so two thoughts came to my head:
1) Is this a scam? Is there someone behind me stealing my wallet out of my purse?
2) Maybe she is serious about heaven. Thanks, I'll think about it. *smile* It's really nice but I'm really in a hurry so can you give me a card and if I'm interested I'll call you?
 

Fluffywolf

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I ran into one randomly. At first I thought she was asking for directions, but then it turned out what she was holding that I thought was a map was actually a picture of heaven and she asked me if I wanted to live there.

I live in the city, so two thoughts came to my head:
1) Is this a scam? Is there someone behind me stealing my wallet out of my purse?
2) Maybe she is serious about heaven. Thanks, I'll think about it. *smile* It's really nice but I'm really in a hurry so can you give me a card and if I'm interested I'll call you?

What comes to mind for me is:

"No, I'm sorry, I can't afford it up there, the cost is just too high."

:happy2:
 

Qlip

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This is interesting, how can it be for the best if its energy going into doing something the wrong way and they're wrong?

Is it for the best that they are ineffective do you mean?

Yes. :)
 

Typh0n

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There aerent any where I live and I dont even know what they are?
 

Such Irony

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I'm not particularly bothered by them unless they try to invade your personal space or time. I mostly just ignore them or laugh a little on the inside as I walk past them. I figure everyone has a freedom of speech.
 

Bamboo

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When I was younger, I recall seeing a man on the Metro carrying a 7 foot tall foam cross covered in red colored tattered rags with bold print reading: REPENT. It was quite theatrical.

Mostly people ignored him but I felt curious so I approached and asked him what it meant.

He told me I was very brave. Well, I suppose most people don't want to talk to him because he looked crazy and it was kind of brave in a way, but mostly I was a dumb teenager who didn't know I shouldn't waste my time.

I asked him again, so what does it mean?

He told me I should go watch Passion of the Christ to find out.



Overall, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but what struck me was that here he had someone right in front of him asking "what is your message?" and he couldn't really give me anything. I mean I was like...easy target, big bold letters printed on my head "preach at me" and this guy had nothing but some vague movie recommendation. It made me doubt if he really even had a sense what he was doing or why he was doing it.

Otherwise, I mostly ignore them.

Once, I was approached by someone on the sidewalk who shoved a pamphlet in my face and said "You look like someone who cares about the environment, sir" and stepped in my path. I nearly told him "I think the state of Vermont should be turned into a giant Wal-Mart parking lot, go piss off" but I restrained myself.
 

Thalassa

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I smile when I see them. I have Fi in a prominent position so I am okay with other people peacefully expressing their values. I find the ones in North Hollywood entertaining when I used to go by that area a lot, I don't know why, but I even feel a sense of affection for them, as long as they aren't up in anyone's face.

A sane street preacher will stay in their own area and only engage or argue with people who engage with them first, aside from the Bible readings or preaching.

Oh I've also engaged with Hare Krishnas in Venice Beach, they tend to be very understated and will give you free books and invite you to free vegetarian dinners.

I even gave Mormon missionaries knocking on my door in Las Vegas a fair shake in my early 20s, but they became so persistent then I started to feel like they were stalking me after like the third or fourth visit, and when my ex and I had "tried out" their church (I was VERY open minded when I was 23).
 

Thalassa

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Are there a lot of street preachers in your part of the world and how do you feel when you encounter one or a group of them?

I feel a range of emotions between annoyance to anger, its mild annoyance if they seem to be preaching in vague or general ways, quote obscure sources to make even more obscure points which even the schooled are going to wonder about to anger if I think they are doling out a well rationalised sectarianism.

In all cases I'm generally struck about how different they are from their inspiration, in people skills, presentation skills or public speaking alone and on the other hand in their appeal or persuasiveness, they are all exlcusionary rather than inclusionary which bothers me a lot and their good news doesnt seem like good news at all.

I passed one today and the guy made me want to rush into a book shop and bring him out James Hogg's Confessions of a Justified Sinner or Erasmus and Luther's Discourse on Free Will because they were obviously very ignorant of either of them, the guy seemed smart enough too.

Which leads me to another thing about them which annoys me, although this is not restricted to street preachers by any stretch and includes any soap box speaker, when someone is smart enough to have acquired some learning, to be able to regurgitate it, but either arent interested in a more complete learning which could undermine the little knowledge they have already acquired.

Why does this make you so angry when you so openly express your own religious opinions on the forum? Is it because you dislike what you see as a very personal and charismatic interpretation of Christianity, so as a Catholic it offends your sensibilities of what a Christian is?
 

Thalassa

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.. but are we counting Westboro pickets and the like? Those are bad news. I have family members in the Patriot Guard who show up to act as a buffer between lunatic crowd and vet funerals. (Surprisingly, these family members are not rednecks.)

Yes, okay, that makes me angry.

I don't think of those people as street preachers though. I see them as a throng of evil-doers.

That's what I mean by sane street preachers staying in their own space and not engaging anyone who doesn't engage them first. People who yell nasty things to gays or college students is just harassment.

That isn't peaceful.
 
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