Freethought & Rationalism Archive

faust · 10-15-2003, 12:15 PM

Hi all, I'm posting this email from a friend who is looking for advice about how to oppose the vicious street preachers who hang out in "free speech alley" on the Louisiana State University campus. He says:

There're some particularly nasty street preachers at LSU; they come by
every other Tuesday and start screaming in Free Speech Alley. Today they
threw out the usual: piercings, tattoos, drug (ab)use, Catholicism, and
swearing ranked up there with raping and genocide as Things that Get You
Thrown In Hell by Righteous Jesus Himself. The three guys preaching
brought their pre-arranged diatribes as well as Bibles, but they also
brought their 4-year-olds and newborns (all ten of them), their wives,
and big sandwich boards ("JESUS will not be your SAVIOR until he is your
LORD"; lists of who's going to Hell; out-of-context Bible verses). They
don't even attempt to /prove/ their arguments; they just blather on and
on and call it witnessing, despite admitting that 1) they turn away more
than they convert [it's your choice, so your going to Hell isn't a
burden on their souls] and 2) they'll never convert anyone, because some
people don't wanna hear it.

Well, I'm thinking about setting up my own little phrontisterion of
sorts across from them, with big poster boards that basically say:
You're Wrong, Preacher. I don't wanna come across as an arrogant,
know-it-all Bright, but I do want to refute and challenge what he's
saying using solid arguments accepted by atheists, agnostics,
freethinkers, humanists, etc. However, I'm a little unconfident about
confronting trained psychotics on my own, and while I'd gladly do it,
I'd like to hear some of the infidels.org's crowd's take on this. I'm
putting together a flyer: what should I have in it? What points should I
dispute? What resources should I make available? I wanted to put
something to the effect that honest, correctly-interpreted religion and
humanism have tremendous overlap, and can be reconciled regardless of
deities or lack thereof; that while neither side can claim a capital-A
Answer, the kinda folks that frequent infidels.org and similar places
generally have a better grip on things; that we don't need to get up and
scream to feel good about our ideals when we know that we've got a more
reasoned, more germane and all around /better/ approach to life. I have
my own reasons for thinking this way, but I'm not sure I could present
them well, and I'd hate to tarnish the already spotty image of folks
like us with lame sophistry. So do you have any suggestions for anything
I could do? I'd appreciate the input. Thanks for reading.
-- Marc
Baton Rouge, LA

brighid · 10-15-2003, 12:38 PM

Hold up a sign with Mathew 6:5-6 (but you could simply put up Mathew 6:5)

Mat 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Brighid

faust · 10-15-2003, 12:42 PM

I'll reply first.

Marc, this is your first year of college, I'm very familiar with these fellows who hang out by the union, and as you know i'm more militant atheist than you ;f So i've dealt with them too.

Quote:

They don't even attempt to /prove/ their arguments; they just blather on and on and call it witnessing,

They just enjoy condemning people to hellfire. it's orgasmic for them. if they ever actually "saved" someone i have the suspsition they'd be kinda disappointed.

Quote:

but I do want to refute and challenge what he's saying using solid arguments accepted by atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, etc.

Total waste of time. They can tell you are a hellbound spirit of satan sinner, they know b/c you open your mouth.

Quote:

I wanted to put something to the effect that honest, correctly-interpreted religion and humanism have tremendous overlap

This is the most possibly useful thing. Tell them that they and the humanists agree on lots of things, we both want better lives for people for instance. Then watch them self-immolate in anger. They would disagree that the sky is blue, if an atheist is the one saying it.

All in all, i find them good for nothing other than amusement between classes.

If you want to make a difference, find the campus crusade for christ club and talk to them. They're just as intolerant and hateful but they actually listen to you and can be reasoned with (sometimes).

Best thing imho about the preachers is to laugh. That's what everyone else does. They're their own worst advertisement for xianity.

FlimFlamMan · 10-15-2003, 12:52 PM

The one thing these guys hate(actually most people) is not to be taken seriously. They don't mind being ignored, the love to be hated. But if you laugh at them and refuse to take them seriously that really drives them nuts.

Viti · 10-15-2003, 01:07 PM

These people were everywhere when I was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. We went and posed for pictures next to them like they were some weird animal at the zoo. They hated that.

Oh, and this seems to be a Secular Activism issue rather than a personal one, so I am moving the thread

OnlyMyself · 10-15-2003, 01:23 PM

We have them here at Michigan State as well. They will get right in your face and start pointing out your "sins" and condemming you to hell. Flat out ignoring them seems to bother them the most. I once told them "Good, my hands are freezing, I'd love to warm them up a bit!" That really got them going! LOL

clark · 10-15-2003, 02:00 PM

Campus street preachers can be great entertainment. Anyone ever come across Brother Jed and Sister Cindy? I don't know if they're still around, but they were classic. Cindy would yell "Sinner!" at any women wearing pants or shorts. Jed would introduce himself and begin to shake your hand and would pull it away and ask "do you masturbate?" before shaking your hand. They were dead serious in their ministry, yet they've provided many a college student with hours of entertainment. I mean, you can't write comedy that funny. I saw them on TV once, on the Sally Jesse Rafael show. They were so obnoxious on TV that Sally said they were the first guests she would never welcome back under any circumstances.

Anyway, having fun with campus street preachers is almost a rite of passage. At the University of Georgia, they used to sell a T-Shirt with the "10 Things One Must do at UGA". One item on the list was "Heckle the preachers at Tate" (Tate was the student center).

Anyway, typical street preachers are so far off mainstream and are completely insulated from logic. Attempts to dialogue and debate are almost always futile. Regard them as entertainment as I think they do more of a service to nonreligion than religion.

THOUGHTfully Yours,
Clark

Rusting Car Bumper · 10-15-2003, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by faust
Preacher. I don't wanna come across as an arrogant,
know-it-all Bright,

Then why use the almost universally hated term... Bright?

DC

Doctor X · 10-15-2003, 05:15 PM

Yes, please understand that "bright" is a very pretentious and obnoxious term no gentleman would use.

--J.D.

simian · 10-15-2003, 05:43 PM

Quote:

There're some particularly nasty street preachers at LSU; they come by every other Tuesday and start screaming in Free Speech Alley. Today they threw out the usual: piercings, tattoos, drug (ab)use, Catholicism, and swearing ranked up there with raping and genocide as Things that Get You Thrown In Hell by Righteous Jesus Himself.

Hee, hee, hee. You are in LA, yes. Isn't LA predominantly Catholic? Even if it is not, talk to some of the parishes in the area. I am sure they would love to confront this "anti-Catholic bigotry".

Simian

10-15-2003, 12:15 PM	#1
faust Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: baton rouge, la Posts: 539	Battling street preachers on LSU campus, advice needed Hi all, I'm posting this email from a friend who is looking for advice about how to oppose the vicious street preachers who hang out in "free speech alley" on the Louisiana State University campus. He says: There're some particularly nasty street preachers at LSU; they come by every other Tuesday and start screaming in Free Speech Alley. Today they threw out the usual: piercings, tattoos, drug (ab)use, Catholicism, and swearing ranked up there with raping and genocide as Things that Get You Thrown In Hell by Righteous Jesus Himself. The three guys preaching brought their pre-arranged diatribes as well as Bibles, but they also brought their 4-year-olds and newborns (all ten of them), their wives, and big sandwich boards ("JESUS will not be your SAVIOR until he is your LORD"; lists of who's going to Hell; out-of-context Bible verses). They don't even attempt to /prove/ their arguments; they just blather on and on and call it witnessing, despite admitting that 1) they turn away more than they convert [it's your choice, so your going to Hell isn't a burden on their souls] and 2) they'll never convert anyone, because some people don't wanna hear it. Well, I'm thinking about setting up my own little phrontisterion of sorts across from them, with big poster boards that basically say: You're Wrong, Preacher. I don't wanna come across as an arrogant, know-it-all Bright, but I do want to refute and challenge what he's saying using solid arguments accepted by atheists, agnostics, freethinkers, humanists, etc. However, I'm a little unconfident about confronting trained psychotics on my own, and while I'd gladly do it, I'd like to hear some of the infidels.org's crowd's take on this. I'm putting together a flyer: what should I have in it? What points should I dispute? What resources should I make available? I wanted to put something to the effect that honest, correctly-interpreted religion and humanism have tremendous overlap, and can be reconciled regardless of deities or lack thereof; that while neither side can claim a capital-A Answer, the kinda folks that frequent infidels.org and similar places generally have a better grip on things; that we don't need to get up and scream to feel good about our ideals when we know that we've got a more reasoned, more germane and all around /better/ approach to life. I have my own reasons for thinking this way, but I'm not sure I could present them well, and I'd hate to tarnish the already spotty image of folks like us with lame sophistry. So do you have any suggestions for anything I could do? I'd appreciate the input. Thanks for reading. -- Marc Baton Rouge, LA

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10-15-2003, 12:38 PM	#2
brighid Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: somewhere in the known Universe Posts: 6,993	Hold up a sign with Mathew 6:5-6 (but you could simply put up Mathew 6:5) Mat 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. Mat 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Brighid

10-15-2003, 12:52 PM	#4
FlimFlamMan Regular Member Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Holland MI USA Posts: 136	The one thing these guys hate(actually most people) is not to be taken seriously. They don't mind being ignored, the love to be hated. But if you laugh at them and refuse to take them seriously that really drives them nuts.

10-15-2003, 01:07 PM	#5
Viti Contributor Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Down South Posts: 12,879	These people were everywhere when I was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. We went and posed for pictures next to them like they were some weird animal at the zoo. They hated that. Oh, and this seems to be a Secular Activism issue rather than a personal one, so I am moving the thread

10-15-2003, 01:23 PM	#6
OnlyMyself Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 62	We have them here at Michigan State as well. They will get right in your face and start pointing out your "sins" and condemming you to hell. Flat out ignoring them seems to bother them the most. I once told them "Good, my hands are freezing, I'd love to warm them up a bit!" That really got them going! LOL

10-15-2003, 02:00 PM	#7
clark Beloved Deceased Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Sin City, NV, USA Posts: 3,715	Campus street preachers can be great entertainment. Anyone ever come across Brother Jed and Sister Cindy? I don't know if they're still around, but they were classic. Cindy would yell "Sinner!" at any women wearing pants or shorts. Jed would introduce himself and begin to shake your hand and would pull it away and ask "do you masturbate?" before shaking your hand. They were dead serious in their ministry, yet they've provided many a college student with hours of entertainment. I mean, you can't write comedy that funny. I saw them on TV once, on the Sally Jesse Rafael show. They were so obnoxious on TV that Sally said they were the first guests she would never welcome back under any circumstances. Anyway, having fun with campus street preachers is almost a rite of passage. At the University of Georgia, they used to sell a T-Shirt with the "10 Things One Must do at UGA". One item on the list was "Heckle the preachers at Tate" (Tate was the student center). Anyway, typical street preachers are so far off mainstream and are completely insulated from logic. Attempts to dialogue and debate are almost always futile. Regard them as entertainment as I think they do more of a service to nonreligion than religion. THOUGHTfully Yours, Clark

10-15-2003, 05:15 PM	#9
Doctor X Banned Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: USA Posts: 3,794	Yes, please understand that "bright" is a very pretentious and obnoxious term no gentleman would use. --J.D.

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