Being AskedTo Not Block A Sidewalk Is Persecution-ComicCon

[formergothardite]

He carries a gun so that he can do what? Shoot the scary unsaved and send them straight to hell. That is just what Jesus did to the people trying to kill Him. Oh wait, no it isn't. Jesus rebuked the followers who tried to do harm to the guards taking Him away and didn't He go out of His way to heal one of the guards who got injured? These people seem to forget the Christ in Christian.

[VodouDoll]

So he can feel big and bad and protect Ray, I guess. They used to banter about it sometimes when they were both on Way of the Master Radio. It was gross. Two small, pathetic men trying to live out their fantasies of being heroic warriors.

[debrand]

onthebox.us/2011/06/michael-came-back.html

In this post, Michale Comes Back, he heckles a group of teenage boys who aren't doing anything to bother him. WHen the boys leave the situation, he calls the largest one a coward for walking away.

any questions. They seemed a little surprised that I called on them. They laughed and murmured among themselves. As they started to walk away, I called out to the one who seemed to be the leader of the group--a large young man wearing a bright blue t-shirt.

"You, in the blue shirt! I'm talking to you!"

He stopped and turned to look at me.

"That's right! You. I'm calling you out. Instead of murmuring to your friends, why don't you come over here and have a conversation with me. I want to hear what you think."

The group laughed and continued to walk away. In a final effort to get them to turn around, I said, "The Bible says that all liars will have their part in the lake of fire. That same verse also says that the cowardly will have the same fate."

That got the group to stop, turn around, and talk amongst themselves for a few seconds. But they eventually continued to walk away.

I preached for a few more minutes, calling those within the sound of my voice to repent and believe the gospel. Then, I stepped down from the box, and walked to where Marissa was sitting.

Within moments, I found myself partially surrounded by the group of young men, led by the one in the blue t-shirt. He said, "You said you wanted to talk to me?" He was several inches taller than me and well-built. I would later learn he was only 16 and played center for the Hoover High School football team.

I extended my hand. "My name's Tony. What's yours?"

"Michael."

Dean, one of my fellow evangelists who was there last night, would later tell me that he thought there was going to be trouble with the group, seeing how they had surrounded me. I must admit, for a moment, I wondered the same thing.

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Yeah, in the post about his "prophetic" preaching on the trolley he remarked unfavorably about the people who just sat there staring at their cellphones. Well of course they did - if you were a little more worldly you'd recognize the standard polite "ignore the nutter, maybe he'll give up" response.

I can't help but wonder what they'd do if someone on the trolley just started reading loudly from whatever material they had on hand. Bonus points if it's either some "slutty" magazine or or a book on science.

For what it's worth we get a variety of campus preachers visiting my town, sometimes with a passel of children in tow. They sit on the main quadrangle and rant at people, sometimes preaching the gospel and sometimes just yelling about how slutty the women students are in their pants and short sleeves. Sometimes they do draw a crowd, but I've never seen it be a friendly one, and that's even considering that self-selecting Christian groups are among the most popular types of clubs on campus (and it's a big heathen secular state school).

[Vex]

I can't help but wonder what they'd do if someone on the trolley just started reading loudly from whatever material they had on hand. Bonus points if it's either some "slutty" magazine or or a book on science.

For what it's worth we get a variety of campus preachers visiting my town, sometimes with a passel of children in tow. They sit on the main quadrangle and rant at people, sometimes preaching the gospel and sometimes just yelling about how slutty the women students are in their pants and short sleeves. Sometimes they do draw a crowd, but I've never seen it be a friendly one, and that's even considering that self-selecting Christian groups are among the most popular types of clubs on campus (and it's a big heathen secular state school).

Having actually DONE this myself (the book was about human evolution), I can say he probably would have started shouting over them, and then tried to follow them off the bus because he's so very concerned about their soul.

[Maggie Mae]

There is a new video up.

Everything about these guys makes me want to ask then why they think being assholes will get their message across.

[Patsy]

Having actually DONE this myself (the book was about human evolution), I can say he probably would have started shouting over them, and then tried to follow them off the bus because he's so very concerned about their soul.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

[lilwriter85]

I have a feeling that Ray and LW are probably starting to take cues from the WBC. They said on the blog that they plan to go back to ComicCon next year and now I can see them showing up to other popular events in the future.

Here are my predictions

Lady Gaga concerts-WBC has protested at those events and recently there was a Christian group handing out tracts at a concert

If the Glee cast goes on tour in 2012-I could Ray and his groupies showing up to a concert to try and preach to the Gleeks

Horror movie festivals/convention

Star Trek conventions

AVN Adult Entertainment Expo conventions

[ChickeyMonkey]

All of the panels at the convention center are included in the badge price, but they are not guaranteed. For the popular ones you may wait several hours and if you get in have to sit through other panels. There is off-site stuff, which is not officially put on by Comic-Con that you may or may not need a badge for, and they may charge for that.

The cost for next year is $150 for a 4-day badge ($175 if you get "Preview Night") or $40 per day for Thurs - Sat and $23 for Sunday. It is actually cheaper to get the 4 days individually, but there is a little hassle picking up the individually badge holders each day. Also, this is the first year preview night has cost more.

Last year preview night (on Wednesday, only available on 4-day badges) sold out at the convention. Then the online ticket system crashed 2-3 times when the badges went on sale.

This year they allotted a certain number of passes per day for pre-sales, and they said half the tickets were held for online sales in the fall.

I waited for 3 1/2 hours to get a badge for next year and was not able to get preview night, that portion of the allotment was gone for that day. By comparison, last year, when the price for this year was $105 with or without preview night I waited about 45 seconds in line to pre-register...

Thank you for explaining it to me.

So, are only the preview nights sold waay in advance, or are all the days sold in advance? Does it mean that there are no available badges for next year unless you buy it off someone or online in the fall? That is crazy. It reminds me of wedding venues that are booked for several years in advance.

[ChickeyMonkey]

I wanted to mention this before, but forgot. At the Del Mar Fair (officially San Diego Fair, but old habits die hard you know), in the area for kiddie rides there was a Bible attraction that was free. I can't remember what it was exactly. Maybe a story about some Bible person? Anyway, I thought of the FJ collective when I saw it. If anyone else went and saw this, maybe they can tell more. It was on the way to where the elephant ride was.

[formergothardite]

I so want these people to come to NC so I can go stare at them. I know that there are other NC Free Jingerians, so we could all get together and just stare. Then they would really feel persecuted.

Have they ever converted anyone by acting this way?

[Olivia]

I'm religious, and street preachers piss me off. I can only imagine how they make the non-religious feel.

Also, crap like this pushes atheist hubby further away from any interest in God as it makes him think all christians except for me have been lobotomized. Totally NOT helpful in regards to his salvation, not that I think fundies like this ACTUALLY care about that as much as they care about being self-indulgent.

[VodouDoll]

Last night I went to a free performance of All's Well That Ends Well at Boston Common. When the play ended around 11pm there was a preacher in the Park Street T stop harrassing people on the Green Line level. He was wearing a sandwich board with lurid illustrations of people in hell and trying to pass out tracts. I'm surprised the MBTA people didn't do anything about it.

[thoughtful]

The Bellowing at the Top of Your Lungs in a Place Where People Are Trying to Live Their Own Lives school of preaching -- just so, so appealing, isn't it? :roll:

Going through the posts and videos left such a strong impression of grown men acting like entitled babies.

And the hugging man seemed odd but harmless to me -- he not only said "God Bless You," but, before that said "I Love You." He struck me as "their kind of people."

And, the sliding-down-the-glasses thing must have happened before that video started, since I didn't see it anywhere in the video -- he keeps his hand up to the phone the whole time.

[thoughtful]

There is a new video up.

Everything about these guys makes me want to ask then why they think being assholes will get their message across.

I love the text in the video:

-Tyranny -

Police tell us that they will physically moves from the Street Corner if we do not go away. Later when we return, they give our spot to the homosexual's.

I copied it carefully -- all caps, punctuation, etc. as in the original!

A later caption spells the name of the borough "Manhatten."

SOTDRT, being in too big a rush to post, or being so deafened by the BELLOWING that they can't hear how language works anymore? Who can tell? :D

[gardenvarietycitizen]

Last night I went to a free performance of All's Well That Ends Well at Boston Common. When the play ended around 11pm there was a preacher in the Park Street T stop harrassing people on the Green Line level. He was wearing a sandwich board with lurid illustrations of people in hell and trying to pass out tracts. I'm surprised the MBTA people didn't do anything about it.

This is kinda making me want to make a tract (or find out if someone else already has the same idea and has made some for sale). A nice tract, simple cartoon, with some science in it, or the basic tenets of some other religion/creation story, or the like.

Then, what, you want to give ME a tract? Okay, but only if you let me give you one back. Oh, you want a one-way message? Well F it.

Around me people leave tracts at the bus stop, just there on the bench. They have links to "area churches" on the back and it's always the tiny fundie crazy ones, never the usual Catholic/Methodist/Lutheran places - and they like to do this outside the Methodist church, in fact. Don't go in there!!! You need real church, or something...

[formergothardite]

The Bellowing at the Top of Your Lungs in a Place Where People Are Trying to Live Their Own Lives school of preaching -- just so, so appealing, isn't it? :roll:

Going through the posts and videos left such a strong impression of grown men acting like entitled babies.

And the hugging man seemed odd but harmless to me -- he not only said "God Bless You," but, before that said "I Love You." He struck me as "their kind of people."

And, the sliding-down-the-glasses thing must have happened before that video started, since I didn't see it anywhere in the video -- he keeps his hand up to the phone the whole time.

I don't think the sliding down the glasses happened because his glasses are not slid down his nose at all in the video. I think they weren't getting the reaction they wanted so they started adding things to make it sound worse.

[VodouDoll]

So Tony calls trash talk at the backs of men walking away, and then when they turn around and come back he gets all scared? What a sad wimp. Don't start what you can't finish.

[thoughtful]

I don't think the sliding down the glasses happened because his glasses are not slid down his nose at all in the video. I think they weren't getting the reaction they wanted so they started adding things to make it sound worse.

I thought of that, and almost wrote it, but didn't want to accuse those calm, thoughtful gentlemen of lying. :lol: :lol: :lol:

[notsocommon]

I so want these people to come to NC so I can go stare at them. I know that there are other NC Free Jingerians, so we could all get together and just stare. Then they would really feel persecuted.

I'd go and stare!

[camdendayton]

I have a feeling that Ray and LW are probably starting to take cues from the WBC. They said on the blog that they plan to go back to ComicCon next year and now I can see them showing up to other popular events in the future.

Here are my predictions

Lady Gaga concerts-WBC has protested at those events and recently there was a Christian group handing out tracts at a concert

If the Glee cast goes on tour in 2012-I could Ray and his groupies showing up to a concert to try and preach to the Gleeks

Horror movie festivals/convention

Star Trek conventions

AVN Adult Entertainment Expo conventions

As it seems that this is only going to become more prolific, I hope more people follow Lisa Lamponelli's example:

Lampanelli recently told TMZ she would donate $1,000 to the Gay Men's Health Crisis organization for every Westboro Baptist Church member that showed up to protest her show in Topeka, Kansas.

She ended up donating $50,000. Article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/2 ... 65291.html

[valsa]

As it seems that this is only going to become more prolific, I hope more people follow Lisa Lamponelli's example:

She ended up donating $50,000. Article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/2 ... 65291.html

As if I didn't already love that bitch enough :clap:

[lilwriter85]

As it seems that this is only going to become more prolific, I hope more people follow Lisa Lamponelli's example:

I'm not really a fan of Lampanelli's comedy but I give her a big thumbs up for the donation.

She ended up donating $50,000. Article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/2 ... 65291.html

[TheJewAmongUs]

Thank you for explaining it to me.

So, are only the preview nights sold waay in advance, or are all the days sold in advance? Does it mean that there are no available badges for next year unless you buy it off someone or online in the fall? That is crazy. It reminds me of wedding venues that are booked for several years in advance.

I *think* they held some 4-day with preview for the sale in the fall. You can still buy passes when they go on sale, they haven't announced the actual dates yet.

The advantage to pre-purchasing used to be that the price for a 4-day ticket went up $5 every year and you got "this year's price" if you pre-purchased. Now the price went up $45 this year ($70 if you got preview night) and the advantage is that last year it sold out so quickly. Previously no one really pre-purchased because it was only $5 and you could still walk up during the convention and buy a ticket. Now it's an insane feeding frenzy and involves a little pre-planning and a lot of luck to get a badge.

Incidentally, I don't think their praying or preaching or whatever it was made any impact. Go ahead and come back next year, everyone will be free to not notice you again...

[knitwit]

Having actually DONE this myself (the book was about human evolution), I can say he probably would have started shouting over them, and then tried to follow them off the bus because he's so very concerned about their soul.

I'm sure it wouldn't help defuse the situation, but I would love to be able to start playing a song through speakers as a firm of resistance. Say, Lady Gaga's "Born This Way".

Actually, if it was on a trolley full of Comic-Con attendees, it could turn into an awesome trolley dance party. ;)