OK...now first of all

[MMAB]

I honestly don't mean to offend anyone, but this is one of the things that really amaze me in people.

Tonight, while enjoying a cigar I thought I'd clean my car's wheels and tires.

So I'm out there finishing up and this guy walks by the end of the driveway. It's dark out and in the dark he looked llike a buddy of mine that lives around the corner.

So I walk to the end of the driveway saying "Hey Jay! Jeez! I haven't seen you in a while". Then I realize I have made a mistake. It's not Jay. But looks alot like him.

He then says hello and explains his name is Mark and he lives around the block on such-and-such street. I introduce myself commenting that we both have the same name. I notice he is wearing a US postal shirt and still has his USPO name tag on. Yep...his name is Marc.

He then goes on telling me how much he and his wife enjoy my front garden. I thank him for the compliment and comment on how well it is doing this year.

Then he pauses and says "What I really wanted to tell you is that Jesus loves you and that God loves you too and that he wants you to know that every day and that with all of the things going on in the world today that he is testing us. He wants you to know that you are important and that he loves you."

Well, out of courtesy I thanked him and acknowledged that yes, we're being tested every day while at the same time looking for something heavy to defend myself with.

All I could think of was, where can I put in "well...thanks....I gotta get going. You take care.", which I did immediately.

Now that's great if this guy is happy with Jesus. But what amazes me is the way these people just hit you with it out of the blue. Makes me REAL nervous.

Must be a born again Christian! (and that is OK)



Drives me up a wall!

[SuperChuck]

I've heard a lot worse from postal workers!

[Bookie]

I hear what you're saying and agree. I posted this on my blog a couple weeks ago. I realize I risk a lot posting this on a board like this so please don't flame me... I'm new 'round these parts. :) Now I'm off to smoke a cigar.

I dislike spam. I wouldn't say that I hate spam because spam is such an insignificant thing to devote such a strong emotion. I won't give the spammers the satisfaction of hating the 2K piece of solicitation that made its way into my junk mail folder (thanks to my spam filters).

Let's think about this issue a little differently for a moment. Consider for a moment that many of the emails classified as spam contain true and viable information. Glancing through my box o' spam, I see emails on subjects such as meeting online singles, winning free stuff, improving my sex life, hair loss remedies, low mortgage rates, and the list goes on.

What if it were all true? In fact, I have no doubt there are companies out there which offer lower mortgage rates, help you find your match, and offer products that increase hair growth. If you elimiate the possibility that these senders of unsolicited email are trying to infect you with a virus or a piece of spyware and if the email takes you to a legitimate web site, what are you left with? You're left with a legitimate piece of advertising. Unwanted? Yes, but still legit.

What we have here, folks, is the electronic equivalent to door-to-door evangelism. How does door-to-door evangelism work? You show up at someone's house unwelcomed and uninvited and, if they answer the door, pitch your product of redemption to them... if you get that far. Most likely, you're cursed at, have the door slammed in your face, and you are impolitely instructed where to reposition the piece of free literature in the unilluminated parts of your body.

Is your product true and viable? Absolutely. But people don't buy it or even consider it when it's forced upon them in that way. Maybe we need to do a little evaluation on how we sell our stuff instead of spamming people with the message of J3Su$ CHR1$T.

Note: Please don't turn off your spam filters and start buying into everything that comes into your inbox. If you do and receive a free iPod, it's mine... I called it.

[Hugh Jorgan]

Were you smokling an El Diablo at the time?

[mithril]

his tact was very off. i'm a christian but i don't talk about it with people unless i know them really well. course i hope i don't offend anyone here either but he sounds like a JW.

[Kayakinboy]

There's a guy that sits on the corner of one of the busy streets in town, and he has pretty much turned into his church. He's got a cross up with a "crown of thorwns" signs saying jesus loves you, yada yada yada. Anyways, my girlfriend looked at me and said, "What a nut!". As we drove by I rolled down my window and yelled Amen, he returned, God bless you son!

IMHO, that man is doing something alot of church-goers couldn't and wouldn't do. That man is showing his faith in ways I could never do. I'm too worried about looking like a loon. I mean, what if that is just an angel, watching out right there. How many people drive by him and feel bad they missed church last Sunday. He's doing the best with what he's got, and he's spreading the word doing it. We need more people like him.

[SuperChuck]

At least he was polite.

My experience with most crazy Christians is telling me why I and those around me are evil.

Shit, I could go for someone telling me God loves me! I'm used to hearing why God hates me! :)

[Diesel Grinch]

I'm a Christian and believe Jesus is my savior.

Born again Christian's just means that you have come back to Jesus. Some are more out spoken then most and while above from Marc about God loving him is true. It sounds like Marc might not be interested in the message at this time and that's fine. People come to the Lord at different times in their life.

As to Christian saying that your Evil SuperChuck is something they shouldn't be doing. As a Christian I'm not suppose to judge others that's the Lord's job. I'm suppose to live my life right and follow the word of God and like everyone else I don't always do such a good job at it. I try to correct my mistakes and do a better job next time. You just have to believe and try to do your best and everything else will fall into place.

[SuperChuck]

As to Christian saying that your Evil SuperChuck is something they shouldn't be doing.

Well, they probably have some precident. I did sell my soul to the devil for sexual favors in college (you think I'm kidding?).

But that being said...
I think Christianity is one of the most beautiful religions out there. It basically boils down to the basic principle of Bill-and-Tedism: "Be Excellent to Each Other"...

Oddly, the thing that really drove me away from it is the focus on Jesus as a diety. I think Jesus was a great guy and I've always lived by his teachings, but I don't think he was a god, I think he was just a great reformer (his story is actually remarkably close to the story of Gautama, the first Buddha). Of course, most Christians don't take so well to being told their saviour is just a faith healer... :)

[PetersCreek]

No offense to good folks of faith but I'm reminded of a bumper sticker...

Lord save me from your followers.

Yep, annoying/creepy/obnoxious people come in all shapes, sizes, colors, creeds, and religions.

[hevyboy]

I don't see how this topic can help the forum.
But i do admire the man who had balls to bring it up!!
GO JESUS

[Corona Gigante]

his tact was very off. i'm a christian but i don't talk about it with people unless i know them really well. course i hope i don't offend anyone here either but he sounds like a JW.

Somehow I got the impression that ol' MMAB lives round my neck of the woods and if that is the case, I'll bet you dollars to Davidoffs his new buddy is a Baptist. Lots of them in Texas. Fine, friendly people most of them but they sure like to "witness."

I didn't realize, before I moved first to America, and then to the South, that the word "Christian" covers a lot of territory. My experience has been that Christians tend to believe a lot of the same things, but those beliefs can be expressed in very different ways.

I have met many, many intelligent, open-minded, tolerant people who identify themselves as Christians. In fact, I would say that some of my best friends are Christians... But in every barrel, there's bound to be a few bad apples. I'm looking at you, Pat Robertson. And then, of course, there are these lovely people. How a religion which puts such emphasis on love and forgiveness could attract people so filled with hate is mystifying.

[cigar no baka]

I'm reminded of my first experience with Mormons. I was 17, taking a leak at work minding my own business, and here comes this guy who occupies the urinal next to mine. Then he asks me if he could witness to me about the Mormon church. While my dick is still in my hand. I tucked it an and ran, washed my hands in the sink in the janitors closet.

Then after I moved to Japan, I got hit up 2-3 times by Mormons who were out proselytizing, knocked on my door, and then when they got over the shock of seeing a fellow gaijin in rural Japan would start in on me. I told them to get their weirdo asses of my porch.

[Neuromancer]

I'm a Christian and believe Jesus is my savior.

Born again Christian's just means that you have come back to Jesus. Some are more out spoken then most and while above from Marc about God loving him is true. It sounds like Marc might not be interested in the message at this time and that's fine. People come to the Lord at different times in their life.

As to Christian saying that your Evil SuperChuck is something they shouldn't be doing. As a Christian I'm not suppose to judge others that's the Lord's job. I'm suppose to live my life right and follow the word of God and like everyone else I don't always do such a good job at it. I try to correct my mistakes and do a better job next time. You just have to believe and try to do your best and everything else will fall into place.

I'm not against born again Christians, however, many of them have a bad habit of telling you that if you don't believe the way they believe, you are going to hell...the problem is that they try to ram what they belive down someone else's throat whether you want to hear them or not...if they'd just practice what they believe, quietly, and not try to force it on so many others, then they'd probably get a lot less bad press than they do now...furthermore, what do you say about a born again Christian invited to a Passover dinner at the home of friends of friends, a Jewish home, then after dinner goes into his proselytizing routine, by handing out pamphlets and audio tapes clandestinly, to the children of his Jewish hosts, trying to convert them...does anyone wonder why all these missionary religions, like the Mormons, and the JW's, get bad press? I mean why can't they just practice what they believe in and leave everyone else to believe as they want to do...

[SuperChuck]

I'm not against born again Christians, however, many of them have a bad habit of telling you that if you don't believe the way they believe, you are going to hell...the problem is that they try to ram what they belive down someone else's throat whether you want to hear them or not...if they'd just practice what they believe, quietly, and not try to force it on so many others, then they'd probably get a lot less bad press than they do now...

There is definitely something to be said about quietly practicing your religion. It's like that kid that tries REALLY hard to be cool, but just plain isn't.

The lack of respect for others amazes me... I mean, promoting your religion is one thing, but smearing another faith is quite another. Maybe if you actually KNOW something about the other faith, it's not quite as bad... At least you could make some informed criticisms of other faiths... But I doubt any religious radicals take the time out to learn about positions other than theirs.

I've studied most of the world's religions to one point or another and for the most part, they're all the same. Some are rediculously similar (Christianity and Buddhism are nearly parallel faiths) while others bring interesting and distinct concepts to the table (Such as Kali, Goddess of Destruction, from Hindu, who actually represents the first step of creation, as nothing can be created without something else being destroyed).

Most religious fanatics/annoyances are proof of saying "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". They hear a sermon, read something they like, and go out into the world, professing everyone is evil because they don't live their lived by this ONE silly rule. When I read something like that, I cross-reference several translations of that passage, look for papers on the subject, and question its historical relevance. For example, historians believe that the entirety of the classic Christmas story is fictionalized to make Jesus comply with prophecies about the Messiah (born of the line of David, branch of Jesse, came "out of Egypt", etc.). Cross that with a book that has been dragged through a number of archaic translations and you really have to do your homework! :)

[thepyrofish]

First off I just want to thank everyone here that this hasn't turned into a flame-fest like it would on many forums. I am christian, but I definately don't try to shove it down peoples throats, I find that obnoxious. I actually had mormons come to my door on Easter Sunday once, and I have never before seen a door to door missionary at a loss for words against a 15 year old (my poor defenceless self at the time). I try to live my life in a christianly way and let my actions speak for me. When a christian composes him(her)self in a manner that befits his(her) faith you can generally tell, and I have been able to talk about God with many non-christians through a conversation THEY started. It's far easier to get someone to take you seriously, even if they don't agree, when you aren't annoying them. Some of the most rewarding conversations I have ever had were with atheists who firmly believed what they did, but were willing to debate with me like an adult without all the personal attacks and insults that so often accompany this type of conversation.

This post has gotten too long, and has nothing to do with cigars.
I'm finished.