Re: Should Street Preaching be Banned in the USA?

[JonathanG]

Two people in a row from Texas commented above, who can even understand what you are gabbling about.

An interesting tactic.  Instead of addressing their points, claim that you can't understand them. Isn't that akin to sticking your fingers in your ears and going "la la la la"?

[JonathanG]

They both are unworldly. They say they travelled around, but they admit they have never encountered a street preacher. This means they don't go into cities very thoroughly. They are just some buggers who are maybe rich Texans or live in isolationist communities. I dont know what to really say about them.

The real point is that my life is not available for Texans to contend with. If they want to make their own republic, let them. I am myself and not going to change. Let Texans deal with themselves.

I'm confused.  If someone is from Texas, their comments are immediately dismissible simply because they are from Texas?  If I tried to make the same points as they were, would you deign to respond to me?

[JonathanG]

You didn't make their comments.

Okay, if I agree with their comments, will you respond then?  Do you want me to actually type them out, or will you stop acting like a child and answer the question?  Specifically Thumpalumpacus's point about your freedom to criticize religion being above their freedom to prosthelytize.

[JonathanG]

Oh, you mean how I am never allowed to say anything against religion, but Christians are allowed to run around like crazy. If I even so much as say I am sick of Christianity, I get jumped on from every direction.  

I keep my mouth shut and am never allowed to criticise Christians, but they are allowed to run around lobbying in Washington DC, and finally preaching not one block from my apartment in a very aggressive manner.

You're never allowed to say anything against religion?  Who stops you?

You are allowed to lobby in DC and preach one block from your apartment as well.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with you that they shouldn't be allowed to physically interfere with you or others, but that's not a freedom of speech matter.  It's certainly not a religious matter.  Just because they annoy or offend you doesn't mean they shouldn't be allowed to preach.

[JonathanG]

Do you agree that I could use freedom of speech to stand in a public square with a sign that says "fuck you" and hurl insults at every person that walks past? Make fun of someone's weight, hair cut, all kinds of stuff. Protected by Freedom of Speech?

Yes.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Two people in a row from Texas commented above, who can even understand what you are gabbling about. I am only glad I dont live in Texas. There are some places in the South that I find interesting like North Carolina, Kentucky, or Tennessee, but down in the deep south like Texas and Alabama or Georgia, forget that shit.  Cormac McCarthy is from Tennessee, so at least that have that, and I can sort of get into like the novel 'Suttree', but down in Texas and Alabama its negativity land. They dont want you to do anything.

Except that I lived in Asia for five years, Europe for one, and California for two decades.

I'm sure you have a talking point addressing that sort of widespread experience, right?  Or, even better, you've lived abroad and know how to deal with diversity?

Oh, sorry -- ignore that last gibe, you're clearly out of your depth on that score.

[stromboli]

Hey, it is what it is. If I slapped the stupid out of every christian that deserved it I'd have 2 broken hands and they would still be stupid. Let em' preach, think of it as a mental exercise finding new ways to make fun of them.

[Thumpalumpacus]

I lived comfortably in Istanbul Turkey for 9 months. I lived in a squat in Berlin Germany for 1 year. I spent 3 months in Uzbekistan.  I can name you Metro stations in Tashkent off the top of my head.

But I guess since I am intolerant of American Christians, I probably cant deal with diversity overseas? I fail to see the connection to my feeling for American Christianity and my ability to live abroad. Is Christianity the root of all diversity? What the fuck is Christianity? Its just some provincial bullshit from the USA.

In fact, I got along very good with Muslims in Turkey, because they too hated Christians!  

Actually, my point was about your inability to address people as people, rather than your living spaces.

The fact that you lump people together based on their addresses marks you as indelibly as a racist who judges people based on other irrelevant data, namely, skin color.  Address does not connote outlook, as anyone with half-a-brain would know.

Perhaps you should understand that you too have filters and prejudices.

Two people in a row from Texas commented above, who can even understand what you are gabbling about.

An interesting tactic.  Instead of addressing their points, claim that you can't understand them. Isn't that akin to sticking your fingers in your ears and going "la la la la"?

Not really. These guys just want to ride me, because I admitted to vandalising a boyscout building when I was a teenager, and because I admitted to in real life spitting on a street preacher and pressing his nose to get him to back off. Though I did these things, I am not generally violent, and I have no real response to give to these billybob types down south, even if they are bourgeois, I don't like conversing with Texans. There is no response to give to them. They both are unworldly. They say they travelled around, but they admit they have never encountered a street preacher. This means they don't go into cities very thoroughly. They are just some buggers who are maybe rich Texans or live in isolationist communities. I dont know what to really say about them.

The real point is that my life is not available for Texans to contend with. If they want to make their own republic, let them. I am myself and not going to change. Let Texans deal with themselves. Any wrong I have done I have paid for already. If I vandalised a boyscout building when I was 15 years old, I already went to court for it and paid my fines. Texans dont get to judge me or say anything about it. I am not in a community with Texans. I do not live in Texas or visit that state.

Texans are some good ol boys, yeehaa.

I'd tell you not to be a stereotyping cunt, but it's really too late for that.

You don't know me, you don't know anything but your stereotypes, and you're clearly not bold enough to question your received notions of people, which means you're really unworthy of any attention, other than the occasional "gofckyrslfkthxbai".

Let me know when you have an interesting thought.

[JonathanG]

What If I stood with a sign that said "Fuck Christianity!" and yelled insults to Christians who walked by? I have found that people do not tolerate anti-Christian sentiments. Its interesting actually. That there is a limit. I used to be in the green party, and I only sort of half jokingly mentioned anti-Christian sentiments, and they really didn't like it. I find it strange the respect people give to Christians, as if they are special.

I consider the strange deference to Christianity as bi-partisan, some sort of vaguely politica/social chess move.

I don't see your point.  What if you stood with a sign that said "Fuck Christianity!"?  EVERYONE is given this "special" treatment to say whatever the hell they want, that's what freedom of speech is.    Just because you personally would feel uncomfortable doing it doesn't mean it never happens.

[JonathanG]

Fine, I will test this tomorrow. I am making the sign tonight. I'll stand in the center square where I live with a sign that says "To Hell with Christians".

What are you going to test?  I'm still unclear about what you meant by

What If I stood with a sign that said "Fuck Christianity!"

[Thumpalumpacus]

Fine, I will test this tomorrow. I am making the sign tonight. I'll stand in the center square where I live with a sign that says "To Hell with Christians".

poidh

[JonathanG]

Imagine that I will actually do it and depend upon it.

So you want us to believe you did it....on faith? :)

[Shiranu]

Listen Texan, I dont live in the south. I am a Yankee. We Yanks do whatever we want. In Texas you are cowardly, but up north we are crazy. Imagine that I will actually do it and depend upon it.

I will go right up to a conservative and spit in his face, understand? You in Texas have less freedom. you doubt me because you have no freedom in the deep south to do crazy things. That's why you lost the civil war. You lack ruthlessness.

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[Brian37]

Freedom of speech protects street preachers in the USA. People use Freedom of Speech and right to assembly to protest causes they believe in. Generally they do not protest everyday in every city, aside from Washington D.C., which may have more protests than normal cities. However, street preachers like to preach regularly on every main street.  Only occasionally the women in black or someone protesting GMO foods from Monsanto might stage a protest.

They are generally not nice people and they have nothing real to protest, no special cause. Mostly, they disrupt pedestrian traffic and commerce. I know personally of a restaurant that was shut down from street preachers protesting a neighbouring Planned Parenthood office. Note also that Planned Parenthood was not the only office in the building, and by standing in front of it with disgusting signs of aborted foetuses, they were disrupting a neighbouring restaurant and all other office workers.

Since they disrupt commerce in busy streets, it could be a very real plan to ban them from busy streets and give them some other venue of protest, like allowing street preachers only to protest in front of a city hall.  It is an abuse of Freedom of Speech and should be curtailed.


Street Preaching was recently banned on Bourbon Street in New Orleans because it disrupts pedestrian activity and business, as well as infringing on other people's rights to religion who may not be a Christian.

Don't speak for me. I hate that my fellow species have imaginary friends. But to think on a planet of 7 billion you can get people to stop selling superstition anywhere is absurd. Put the shoe on the other foot. Believers don't like the fact we don't believe. Would you like them making laws that attempt to silence you?

The law being broken is COMMON LAW, not the message. If you are violating noise laws, safety laws, disturbing the peace, or impeding the motion of others, that is the law broken, and would apply even if you were selling magazines or vacuums. Their message being bullshit is not the crime.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Fine, I will test this tomorrow. I am making the sign tonight. I'll stand in the center square where I live with a sign that says "To Hell with Christians".

poidh

Pics or it didnt happen?

Listen Texan, I dont live in the south. I am a Yankee. We Yanks do whatever we want. In Texas you  are cowardly, but up north we are crazy. Imagine that I will actually do it and depend upon it.

I would not live in the south for that reason. I would get locked up by the police immediately.

I will go right up to a conservative and spit in his face, understand? You in Texas have less freedom. you doubt me because you have no freedom in the deep south to do crazy things. That's why you lost the civil war. You lack ruthlessness.

lol, I'm not refighting the Civil War, kid ... you are.

Anyway, I want to see pictures of these roaming groups of street-preachers stopping traffic and impeding the economic life of a city.  Quit deflecting, and give me some evidence.

No pictures? No credibility.