SPQR
30th October 2006, 12:01 PM
Here's an interesting story and just one more first for me while at college.
It was the middle of the second week I was here. That morning on my way to breakfast, its about a two minute walk from my dorm to the dining hall, I was approached by a man passing out bibles. It was about 7:30 in the morning. He asked me if I would like one and I answered with a firm but polite, "No, thank you." In addition to the guy that approached me, there was another man from the same organization working the other side of the street; the street that divides our campus roughly in half. Its not a main street and is never busy, its just for students coming and going in cars and the bus that services our campus.
Anyway, on my way back to my dorm from my first class, it was now about 10a.m., I was approached by the bible guy on the opposite side of the street from my dorm; the second guy I mentioned in the first paragraph. This got me thinking about what I would be passing out if I were so inclined. I decided passing out literature was too presumptuous so I made myself a sign. On a piece of cardboard roughly the size of a wall calender, I wrote with the biggest Sharpie I could find, "Think before you read." Iplaced my sign in my backpack and walked passed the two previously mentioned bible guys to where the campus bookstore, the dining hall, and bus stop empty out. In other words, a high traffic area. Not to my surprise there were two new bible guys already there.
It was now about 10:45 in the morning. I took out my sign from my backpack and held it in front of me so that it could be read easily. I stood there and did not say anything. Whenever anyone asked me what my sign meant I said, " I'm simply advocating thinking." I got many more smiles from passing students than I thought I would. I even received two "thank you"s and a couple of "thumbs up."
I had been standing there for about fifteen minutes when a woman who had been taking pictures of the bible guys passing out bibles came over and started talking to me. She began with asking, "So what exactly does that sign mean?"
"I'm just advocating thinking," I said.
"You know," she said, "I usually think after I read."
"That's good too," I said. "You should always be thinking."
"Wouldn't a better sign be, 'think before, while, and after you read'?" she asked. I was beginning to understand what she was getting at.
"I didn't have enough room," I remarked. Both she and I sort of laughed. I could tell she was getting frustrated.
"Is there any reason you're demonstrating on this particular day?" she asked.
"No reason," I said, "Its just such I beautiful day out I couldn't help but be outside."
"Oh, okay," she said. I could tell she wanted to tear my sign away from me and rip it to pieces. This sort of banter continued for about another 10 minutes until she walked away and continued to take pictures. Then, at about 11: 10, I remember because I planned to go to lunch at about 11:30, the same woman comes over to me and says, "You know the great thing about God? ("here we go," I thought) God is so great that he's willing to forgive you even when you spit in his face."
"Wow!" I thought. I would've liked to say something witty like, "and which god would that be"? but I didn't. I was so surprised at her statement that I all could manage was to snort with laughter and say, "Oh really. You think I'm spitting in God's face?"
"Yes, I think you are," she said.
"Is your god against thinking?" I asked.
"No its just," she stammered, "its just that I think you're being very disrespectful toward the bible. You're not fooling anyone be saying you're just, 'advocating thinking.'"
"Oh, okay," I said and she walked away. I was stunned. I never would have thought that the first time I demonstrated in such a way would provoke such a reaction. I hung around for about another 20 minutes just make it clear to that lady that she didn't scare me away. Luckily, by the time I had planned to go to lunch rolled around, the bible people were packing up and leaving too.
So ended my first foray into demonstrating against fundies. I hope many more opportunities present themselves to do so.
Side-note: The woman with whom I had the conversation turned out to be the photographer for this organization, Bibles for America. She took a picture of me holding my sign. maybe I'll end up in some fundi newsletter. :D
It was the middle of the second week I was here. That morning on my way to breakfast, its about a two minute walk from my dorm to the dining hall, I was approached by a man passing out bibles. It was about 7:30 in the morning. He asked me if I would like one and I answered with a firm but polite, "No, thank you." In addition to the guy that approached me, there was another man from the same organization working the other side of the street; the street that divides our campus roughly in half. Its not a main street and is never busy, its just for students coming and going in cars and the bus that services our campus.
Anyway, on my way back to my dorm from my first class, it was now about 10a.m., I was approached by the bible guy on the opposite side of the street from my dorm; the second guy I mentioned in the first paragraph. This got me thinking about what I would be passing out if I were so inclined. I decided passing out literature was too presumptuous so I made myself a sign. On a piece of cardboard roughly the size of a wall calender, I wrote with the biggest Sharpie I could find, "Think before you read." Iplaced my sign in my backpack and walked passed the two previously mentioned bible guys to where the campus bookstore, the dining hall, and bus stop empty out. In other words, a high traffic area. Not to my surprise there were two new bible guys already there.
It was now about 10:45 in the morning. I took out my sign from my backpack and held it in front of me so that it could be read easily. I stood there and did not say anything. Whenever anyone asked me what my sign meant I said, " I'm simply advocating thinking." I got many more smiles from passing students than I thought I would. I even received two "thank you"s and a couple of "thumbs up."
I had been standing there for about fifteen minutes when a woman who had been taking pictures of the bible guys passing out bibles came over and started talking to me. She began with asking, "So what exactly does that sign mean?"
"I'm just advocating thinking," I said.
"You know," she said, "I usually think after I read."
"That's good too," I said. "You should always be thinking."
"Wouldn't a better sign be, 'think before, while, and after you read'?" she asked. I was beginning to understand what she was getting at.
"I didn't have enough room," I remarked. Both she and I sort of laughed. I could tell she was getting frustrated.
"Is there any reason you're demonstrating on this particular day?" she asked.
"No reason," I said, "Its just such I beautiful day out I couldn't help but be outside."
"Oh, okay," she said. I could tell she wanted to tear my sign away from me and rip it to pieces. This sort of banter continued for about another 10 minutes until she walked away and continued to take pictures. Then, at about 11: 10, I remember because I planned to go to lunch at about 11:30, the same woman comes over to me and says, "You know the great thing about God? ("here we go," I thought) God is so great that he's willing to forgive you even when you spit in his face."
"Wow!" I thought. I would've liked to say something witty like, "and which god would that be"? but I didn't. I was so surprised at her statement that I all could manage was to snort with laughter and say, "Oh really. You think I'm spitting in God's face?"
"Yes, I think you are," she said.
"Is your god against thinking?" I asked.
"No its just," she stammered, "its just that I think you're being very disrespectful toward the bible. You're not fooling anyone be saying you're just, 'advocating thinking.'"
"Oh, okay," I said and she walked away. I was stunned. I never would have thought that the first time I demonstrated in such a way would provoke such a reaction. I hung around for about another 20 minutes just make it clear to that lady that she didn't scare me away. Luckily, by the time I had planned to go to lunch rolled around, the bible people were packing up and leaving too.
So ended my first foray into demonstrating against fundies. I hope many more opportunities present themselves to do so.
Side-note: The woman with whom I had the conversation turned out to be the photographer for this organization, Bibles for America. She took a picture of me holding my sign. maybe I'll end up in some fundi newsletter. :D