Fundie encounter

[JesusFightClub]

Well, it's rare we get genuine fundies around here :)

Yesterday I was wandering back from a political meeting that ended up in the pub, at about 8pm. I noticed that all around were men holding up signs with the number of a Bible verse on them but nothing else. I couldn't recall the verse, but it was from John and I was surprised it wasn't John 3:15. So having a wee bit drink taken I wandered over and asked one of the blokes which verse it was.

He told me (out of the ebil NIV no less) and we had a chat. He was American and one of a group of American and English missionaries who had Scottish backgrounds and "the Lord has laid it on our hearts to bring the truth to the people of Scotland".

He tried to lead me in the Sinners' Prayer but I declined. When he asked me what was holding me back I said "I'm a communist, and we are not big into that sort of thing". He did a bit of a double take at that but told me "Jesus can forgive communists too. And when I look at what the bankers do I sometimes think you people have the right idea" :)

We chatted about the Occupy Wall St movement and he told me a bit about his childhood. He then said he would pray for me, and I asked him if he and his pals took prayer requests. He said they certainly did so I asked him if he could stick a wee prayer in for someone who was going to the Bar-L. Seeing his confusion I explained I meant Barlinnie prison.

He did a prayer on the spot which was very nice and touching. He told me him and his mates would pray daily for the guy in question. We shook hands and I.wandered away to catch my bus.

When I got home I told a comrade who was hanging about. He said "When that one gets home he will dine out on that story for months, a communist asking him to pray for someone in the Bar-L. Are you mental?" ;)

I was really impressed by the fundy though, he was nice, respectful, he seemed like someone you would be mates with. He did no hard sell. The most condemning thing he did was me having some booze in a plastic bag, he heard the bottles chink and told me off for buying them...but he was a lot politer than my mum is ;)

He was super Arminian, explaining about how Jesus wants everyone to be saved and he's just waiting for everyone to accept his gift of love. He also said "Jesus loves you right now so much you can't imagine". Didn't get at all into the sin part but during our discussion he said something like "I see you had a religious upbringing. I wonder what turned you away from that." My answer is (in part) "Marxism" but I was feeling his confusion on this point ;)

Anyway, my encounter with a US fundy-lite. I liked him. Not enough to become Christian, but.

[finleeport]

Where did this happened? in what country are you in JesusFightClub? you sound English

[JesusFightClub]

Finleeport, I am Scottish and I live in Scotland :) Born and brought up here, but one of my parents is English so I have some English turns of phrase.

It was just so strange to meet a US missionary to Scotland!

[finleeport]

Finleeport, I am Scottish and I live in Scotland :) Born and brought up here, but one of my parents is English so I have some English turns of phrase.

It was just so strange to meet a US missionary to Scotland!

If you live in Scotland, which is part of the UK (if that sounds right) then what are missionaries doing there? I thought Scotland and the rest of the UK were secular, I heard that rarely anyone in the UK has a religion or even goes to a Church. But I'm not surprised that the missionaries were American, America is full of religious whackos, sorry.

[FuManchu]

If you live in Scotland, which is part of the UK (if that sounds right) then what are missionaries doing there? I thought Scotland and the rest of the UK were secular, I heard that rarely anyone in the UK has a religion or even goes to a Church. But I'm not surprised that the missionaries were American, America is full of religious whackos, sorry.

Perhaps they regard us as poor benighted heathens to be converted!

[JesusFightClub]

Perhaps they regard us as poor benighted heathens to be converted!

That was kind of the impression I got from the guy! The Lord had basically been telling him it was his duty to go to Scotland according to him.

[kunoichi66]

lolsob. As to being secular, I'm a pagan, and I know four different versions of the Lord's Prayer, just from going through our non-denominational school system.

Benighted heathens my arse.

:twisted:

Your encounter is quite unusual though - usually the only people I meet are those gouranga people on Buchanan street....

[WanderingStar]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Reminds me of the time when a bus for this Baptist church--thinking it might be Fundamentalist Baptist--broke down near my house. I went to the gate to watch and see what was going on and these two girls that clearly belonged to the church approached me. I was fully expecting them to light into me for committing so many sins (would they even have a clue which ones I'd committed?), but they were very sweet toward me, started off by asking me what grade I was in and complimenting me on my pets. One of them asked if I'd accepted Jesus as my savior and I proudly told her I'd been saved since I was about seven years old. I also expected her to push further and to try and convince me that I wasn't really saved unless I attended HER church, but to my surprise both girls were very satisfied with my answer and they told me how great it was, and to keep trusting in the Lord. Then they either had to go back to the bus or visit another house.

And these two sweet girls were from the same church that had members that called me and my girl cousins whores behind our backs since we had went there wearing pants and not skirts (the reason my mom and my aunt made us quit going there), dragged my brother off the bus when he wanted to stay on and find the shoe he'd lost, and made my dad's friend take off his Mickey Mouse tie when they were boycotting Disney along with other Baptist churches. Either those girls were genuinely kind and remembered the things about us that Jesus truly cares about, or maybe they hadn't drunk enough Kool-Aid to be fully indoctrinated in their church's beliefs and practices. I'm glad I was nice toward them regardless of what they were thinking.

[debrand]

Of course he was polite. When I was a Christian, we were often told that we were witnesses for Christ. Our behavior could turn someone either toward or away from God so we were pushed to be polite and appear kind. There is a bible verse that says that Christians should always be prepared with a polite answer.

I've tried so many flavors of Christianity that I've become cynical toward all attempts to prostelyze others.

[Swamptribe]

In my experience, fundies of that type are sweet as sugar to your face, as long as they think you are up for conversion. Once they realize you aren't buying what their selling, they can become nasty. Doesn't matter how polite you are to them. I've had it happen to me too many times. The story will be that they saved a communist and some guy going to prison.

Can't tell you how many times I have sat down to have what I thought was an interesting religious conversation with a Christian. suddenly, they are starting in with the 'are you ready to accept Jesus as your personal savior' bit, and I realize they haven't been listening to a word I have said. they were just basically waiting for the set up line.

[FaustianSlip]

I had a little old lady stop me on Bourke St. in Melbourne about an hour before I was heading off to opening services for Yom Kippur trying to score one for Jesus. She was very sweet, so I didn't have the heart to give her a hard time, just said, "Yeah, I'm Jewish, so I'm not likely to convert on Yom Kippur!" She claimed she was Jewish, too; in retrospect, I wish I'd turned the tables and said, "I'm going to Kol Nidre in an hour- you should come! It's not too late to make teshuvah!" Wonder what she would've said....

[JesusFightClub]

In my experience, fundies of that type are sweet as sugar to your face, as long as they think you are up for conversion. Once they realize you aren't buying what their selling, they can become nasty. Doesn't matter how polite you are to them. I've had it happen to me too many times. The story will be that they saved a communist and some guy going to prison.

Can't tell you how many times I have sat down to have what I thought was an interesting religious conversation with a Christian. suddenly, they are starting in with the 'are you ready to accept Jesus as your personal savior' bit, and I realize they haven't been listening to a word I have said. they were just basically waiting for the set up line.

You are, of course, totally right...as evidenced by the fact he kept trying for the Sinners' Prayer! I don't know if he would have been nasty if I stayed longer. But reading the comments today, it's sort of like falling into the pet fundie trap, isn't it?

I was telling a comrade the story today and he said "You're starting to get manic again. This always happens. You stop and chat with folk begging, and now street preachers. You asked the taxi guy if anyone had ever offered to have sex with him instead of paying. You tell random people your arrest stories. None of this is good."

I don't know about this, but reading the comments here, I should not have encouraged the guy?

[Hane]

Well, the Lord has laid it on THIS American's heart to go to Scotland because Scotsmen's voices=instant arousal to me.

[Angri-la]

Well, the Lord has laid it on THIS American's heart to go to Scotland because Scotsmen's voices=instant arousal to me.

The Lord must be very vocal today; I've been commanded to join you. (I, by coincidence, am wearing a Made in Scotland lady's kilt today)!

[kunoichi66]

I don't know about this, but reading the comments here, I should not have encouraged the guy?

I'm thinking you shouldn't have.

I had a Gouranga priest get kind of aggressive with me once. I was pretty upset, because I had a younger friend with me (I had just turned eighteen)