I remember a time before people like this had a voice. Maybe the world was better off before broadband and youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvVAV09-dQ8

I've actually met people like this. I live in fairly secular New England and I was literally accosted by a pastor in the street that told me that I was going to go to hell because I didn't share his beliefs. Do people like this exist in Europe or elsewhere, or is this an American phenomenon?

My experience has involves the exact opposite party. I've never experienced someone of any faith trying to push their beliefs on me, but I have to put up with anti-religion people almost every day.

I'd bet that Europeans are more religous than we think they are, and Americans are more secular than they think they are.

Not uniquely American at all. World history is full of examples of such people.

quote:

Originally posted by ImMoreBetter:
My experience has involves the exact opposite party. I've never experienced someone of any faith trying to push their beliefs on me, but I have to put up with anti-religion people almost every day.

I don't have "faith," but I don't attempt to push my beliefs on anyone.

I suppose I should elaborate on my last statement.

I live in a fairly rural area. Over this past year, I've been dealing with an illness that makes sleep difficult (at best.) As such, I've taken to late night bike rides and walks as a means to kill time waiting for the day to begin.

One night I was out walking along a public road near my home. A car pulled up next to me, the window rolled down, and the man inside demanded to know my identity and what I was doing. I told him that I lived in the area and couldn't sleep, so I had decided to take a walk. This wasn't good enough for him. He again demanded to know my address and identity "or else."

At that point I excused myself and told him that I was sorry for bothering him (on a public road, no less) and that I'd be headed home. He then decided to call the police.

Long story short, the cops showed up, determined that I was absolutely no threat, and left. The man apologized and explained that he was a pastor and that he was concerned by my presence because of "the way the world is," and then made the implication that I might've have been some sort of Muslim terrorist hell-bent on attacking rural New England simply because I was on a road after the sun had set.

He went on to explain to me that I was sick because I didn't accept Jesus and that I "didn't have to go to hell" if I changed that. I politely listened to his evangelizing for about 10 minutes before excusing myself and walking home.

It was utterly surreal. Christianity is not foreign to me--I went to Catholic school as a child for six years. New England is just secular and I'd literally never been sermonized by somebody in the street. Furthermore, I found the whole exchange hypocritical--one of the tenets of Christianity is to not judge your fellow man, yet this "man of the cloth" saw me walking along the street and automatically assumed that I was some sort of criminal.

I fully support anyone's right to believe in whatever they'd like, but when they start attempting to force their beliefs on others while making value judgments about them, that's where I think their rights end. And I think that video demonstrates that sort of mentality pretty well.

quote:

Originally posted by berg417448:
Not uniquely American at all. World history is full of examples of such people.

Well, I meant in a contemporary respect. I've never traveled to Europe, but my impression of it is that it's extremely secular and that behavior like that would be frowned upon (rather than encouraged as it is here.)

Obviously certain places are more extreme, but I know that we have a lot of Euros here.

Why is that so disturbing... It is a kid sharing her faith.. nothing more... they went about it all wrong... but the Indian girl thought for herself and said C-Ya.. which is her prerogative.. Adults who talk like Christians but act far from it.. they are more alarming to me...

quote:

Originally posted by Bearcat99:
Why is that so disturbing... It is a kid sharing her faith.. nothing more... they went about it all wrong...

And that is why I find it disturbing.

If you have faith, great. I support that because it's your prerogative to do so. But to tell somebody that they're "wrong" and that they're going to be tortured for all eternity because they happened to be raised in a different culture? That's wrong. Especially when you can't even identity the continent that the culture you're damning is from.

quote:

Adults who talk like Christians but act far from it.. they are more alarming to me...

I agree, but what do you think that these kids will grow up to be? Clearly they're learning from the very people that you're concerned about.

It's one thing to share your beliefs with another person. It's another thing entirely to judge them while being utterly ignorant of everything that they believe in.

Imagine that somebody saw your interest in WW2 and decided that you were clearly a supporter of genocide, racism, and mass killing. Obviously anybody familiar with you could attest that is far from the truth, but it's really not all that far removed from making value judgments about another person based upon what they do or do not believe while not understanding it.

I'm really not sure why I posted this. I think mostly to get the European viewpoint on this sort of thing. When I see things like this happen... it genuinely bothers me. People should make an effort to understand other cultures before judging them.

quote:

Originally posted by GoToAway:
I remember a time before people like this had a voice. Maybe the world was better off before broadband and youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvVAV09-dQ8

I've actually met people like this. I live in fairly secular New England and I was literally accosted by a pastor in the street that told me that I was going to go to hell because I didn't share his beliefs. Do people like this exist in Europe or elsewhere, or is this an American phenomenon?

Poe's Law

I had to register, but YouLoveMolly posted on the RichardDawkins forums, it's a joke...

People will believe the worst of people for the most narrow-minded reasons...

I mean, that was the 14 year old girl equivalent of Keith Olbermann. Except he's serious.

To me the video looks like it was staged and the girls were only acting.


But there's one religious brainwasher I know of who is a serious nutcase. This Rev Phelps guy from the Westboro Baptist church:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd0dtyr3ifw

quote:

He went on to explain to me that I was sick because I didn't accept Jesus and that I "didn't have to go to hell" if I changed that. I politely listened to his evangelizing for about 10 minutes before excusing myself and walking home.

Sounds like just one anecdote about one crazy guy rather than a sign that all religion is bankrupt. You would have had just as much a right to tell him to shut up and leave you alone as he had to lecture you.

quote:

Originally posted by GoToAway:

quote:

Originally posted by berg417448:
Not uniquely American at all. World history is full of examples of such people.

Well, I meant in a contemporary respect. I've never traveled to Europe, but my impression of it is that it's extremely secular and that behavior like that would be frowned upon (rather than encouraged as it is here.)

Obviously certain places are more extreme, but I know that we have a lot of Euros here.

I doubt Europe is that much more secular. But in general, exceptions proving the rule, religion is more of a private thing here and not pushed out into the public, especially not into politics or the scientific community. 2000 years of religion based wars, witches and scientists burning, fraud, corruption and hypocrisis took care of that.

quote:

Originally posted by GoToAway:
Do people like this exist in Europe or elsewhere, or is this an American phenomenon?

teenage girls , who cant conversate with a logical train of thought , are only found in your country ?

are you kidding me ?

Cajun seems on the mark here, it reeks of the Poe.

I have to say as someone who is a complete non-believer, and if I'm honest quite hostile to much of religion/s, I have a certain respect for evangelicals. At least they put their money where their mouth is.
What I find more disturbing is (and I've met a few) those who fully believe that I'm going to suffer an eternity of torture for the crime of non-belief but think that is right and proper and take a certain pleasure in it. At least an honest evangelical wants to change that and 'save' me, even if I think they are misguided.

quote:

Originally posted by Gammelpreusse:
I doubt Europe is that much more secular. But in general, exceptions proving the rule, religion is more of a private thing here and not pushed out into the public, especially not into politics or the scientific community. 2000 years of religion based wars, witches and scientists burning, fraud, corruption and hypocrisis took care of that.

True yet the churches, especially the Catholic church can't quite let go yet on the political level it seems.

Interesting Link on Vatican-State relations