MAKES ME WANNA HOLLA:"Spreading the Word of God or Just Plain Littering?"

[TheChosen1]

TweetBefore I piss off any of the born again Christians or religious extremenists, let me explain that I currently and have always believed in God and all that he's taught us as his children. I believe that there is a Heaven and Hell just as there is an Earth. But I don't believe in forcing others to read or believe what I believe by leaving pamphlets around in a public building or on public transportation.

I work for the state transit system in California. The major duty of my position is fueling the buses so that they can return to the streets and pick up waiting passengers at the bus stops around the assigned area. Part of that procedure is vacuuming the buses as it is being fueled. Basically, a large vacuum is attached to the front entrance of the buses and I would enter the rear entrance with a blow wand which is used to blow all of the debris to the front of the buses. Hence, causing it to go into the vacuum and get shredded into hundreds of pieces before being transferred into a recycling storage container.

Over the weekend, I entered a bus and proceeded to "blow out" the debris. Throughout the entire rear of the bus, on the floor, on every seat, and in back of side facing seats were these pamphlets that had biblical verses and stories in them. I couldn't believe it. Christian crap littered all through the rear of the bus by someone who's obviously ignorant to the fact that they committed a crime and may have been videotaped in the process. If they only knew the enjoyment that I had to blow it all to the front door and watch them all get vacuumed into the shredder.

Am I being rude by calling it "Christian Crap"? Maybe. But face it, when we want someone to know or learn something that we know or believe, it's best that we tell them with our own mouth, right? When you leave such items on public transportation, restaurants, on the shelves of stores and groceries, IT'S LITTERING and it's a crime. In the state of California, it's a huge fine. I think in Louisiana, it's a $250 fine. Maybe more. Is $250 worth forcing others to read your beliefs?

[gymdiva]

TweetI have one better...we get christian conventions near our restaurant and normally it's fine but it never fails that at least one table will leave a pamphlet as a tip...yeah thanks, I'll be sure to mail this to the power company...

[TheChosen1]

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I have one better...we get christian conventions near our restaurant and normally it's fine but it never fails that at least one table will leave a pamphlet as a tip...yeah thanks, I'll be sure to mail this to the power company...

That's just plain stupid and cheap. Gymdiva, you or a few of you guys (you and co-workers) should ask the manager to confront the groups or the leader of the group beforehand and explain to them that tips are part of your income. Although a pamphlet is nice, it doesn't constitute gratuity and won't pay your bills.

[kite]

TweetUnfortunately these people forget that you don't win hearts and minds my forcefeeding. So many of these types of Christians end up turning people away and causing resentment.

[jipped genes]

Tweeti grew up as a ministers son and saw it from both sides. as an adult i see how people could think they are doing "God's work" but in reality no one is gonna pick up a piece of paper off the floor and be saved.

it just dosnt happen. they are littering and IMO should be fined.

[snickers1]

Tweeti agree witht eh part they should not be left on tables or all over public places like busses in this case... i do understand they are trying to do gods work but imo if they strike up a conversation with someone and actaully hand a track or pamphlet to that person i don't see a problem with that...

[a-bomb83]

Tweeti grew up hardcore baptist and for the first 17-18 years of my life, i was gung ho about church and what not....well, since then, i've kinda fallen off the wagon. don't get me wrong, i still have my beliefs, i'm just not as crazy about it like i was. got a lil story for you about verbal littering.

i got off work at my serving job at the restaurant saturday night and go next door to the gas station to get some gas. well, i walk in to pay for it and i hear this customer talking to the guy at the counter (who is VERY black, i mean, from a differnt country black, so he doesn't speak english well at all) well this customer is just ranting and raving about how the lord has changed his life and every morning he wakes up feeling great that the lord has blessed him blah blah blah. well, i get up to the cashier and i avoid eye contact with the rambling christian. well i hear the rc confront another guy that comes in (customer) and he's like "can i have 10 seconds to tell you how the lord jesus christ has changed my life" well, the guy complies and the rc comences to his preaching. so i get out the car to pump my gas and i see him getting into his car with his wife and almost wipe my brow in relief that he didn't come up to me....well, i spoke too soon. he was getting into his car, almost shut is door even, then he gets out (apparently saying to his wife "i gotta go preach to this one last guy at the pump"...that guy is me) well he comes up and is like "hey man, you got the time. my watch says 10:25" so i said "yeah, that sounds about right." then he said "can i have 10 seconds to tell you how...." and i cut him off saying "i heard you in there, i was brought up that way, you're preaching to the choir brother" so he said "well thats a good way to live" i was like "yeah yeah" got in my car and drove off.

i hate that shit, people do NOT want to be preached to.

also, gymdiva, if i got one of those things as a tip, i would confront those people. now, if i get a shitty tip, i just ***** about it and keep on truckin, but if i were to get that instead of a tip....uh uh, no way. i'm going to say something to those people.

[TheChosen1]

TweetWhile we were eating dinner yesterday, I had a talk with my lady about this subject. Prior to posting this thread here and on several other boards, I posted it on a blog at MySpace first. So after I told my lady all that I'd written and told her that it had ticked me off to find all of that crap on the seat of the bus, she "sugar coated" the issue. Granted, she's not a born again Christian but she always seem to see things more positive than I do. But be that as it may, we discussed the issue and I was able to present matters that still proved how wrong it is to leave such material lying around on public transportation and in public places.

She explained to me, "Doesn't Johovia Witnesses come to your house on weekends to preach what they've learned from the Bible?" I replied, "That may be. But at least they are giving me the opportunity to politely say that I'm not interested or rudely shut the door in their faces." So to prove my point, I picked up the salt shaker and sat it on her dinner plate, to which she removed it. I told her, "Do you see what I just did? Without any additional force of my own, I forced you to hold that salt shaker in your hand. That's exactly what those pamphlets are placed on bus seats for. The litterers are expecting and maybe assuming that when someone proceed to be seated, they will grab the pamphlet and begin reading it. And that's forcing their belief on others rather than talking to the individuals eye to eye."

[supasaiyan99]

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i agree witht eh part they should not be left on tables or all over public places like busses in this case... i do understand they are trying to do gods work but imo if they strike up a conversation with someone and actaully hand a track or pamphlet to that person i don't see a problem with that...

Yeah passing out pamphlets is no problem, but leaving it there is totoally uncalled for. Extremists just don't have common sense!

[angryoldman]

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I think in Louisiana, it's a $250 fine. Maybe more. Is $250 worth forcing others to read your beliefs?

No it's not worth it! Considering less than 10% of people in Louisiana can read or carry an intelligent conversation.

[gymdiva]

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also, gymdiva, if i got one of those things as a tip, i would confront those people. now, if i get a shitty tip, i just ***** about it and keep on truckin, but if i were to get that instead of a tip....uh uh, no way. i'm going to say something to those people.

unfortunately I would be fired if I did so...

[snickers1]

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Yeah passing out pamphlets is no problem, but leaving it there is totoally uncalled for. Extremists just don't have common sense!

yep ...gotta love religion being force fed down your throat...

[TheChosen1]

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No it's not worth it! Considering less than 10% of people in Louisiana can read or carry an intelligent conversation.

Damn AOM, first you dogged my ladies hometown and now you're dogging mine. That's it, bro.

Meet me in the trail....IT'S GOING DOWN!!! LOL

[Lily]

TweetWell, no matter what the literature was, they did litter...that's it, end of story.

[angryoldman]

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Damn AOM, first you dogged my ladies hometown and now you're dogging mine. That's it, bro.

Meet me in the trail....IT'S GOING DOWN!!! LOL

Obviously you're not in the 90% that can't read. But my concern is why it took you 10 hours to respond? Did it take that long for you to comprehend it?
And I am not meeting any Southerner "In the trail". Next thing you know, I'm being held down and sodomized, and the next morning you're calling me "pookie bear". No thanks pally.