silent evangelism

[arethinn]

I'm not really sure what the purpose is of the Christian "vending tables" in the campus centre. By this I mean tables where someone is sitting behind a lot of books and literature, presumably there to hand it out and/or sell it, answer questions and whenever possible, convert someone. Every so often I see Muslims instead, which I can understand. Islam has never been the dominant, mainstream religion in this country, and though I imagine most Americans have heard of it by now, it's probably still something of a mystery to most of them. Someone who wasn't too shy or embarrassed might actually walk up and want to learn something about Islam. But who is going to look at the Christian table and go "what's all this, then? And here I was looking for a religion, too!"

Comments

[metaphorge.livejournal.com]

Part of the obligation that believers in many branches of these faiths feel that they have to their God is that they are supposed to spread the "Word" to others.

Not saying this makes sense....

[arethinn]

I understand that (well, intellectually), but how is this supposed to be an effective means for doing so?

[metaphorge.livejournal.com]

I guess because (to them) their faith makes so much sense that the only way someone could not believe in it is if they hadn't Heard about it, so just handing out literature should do the trick.

[ungarsfragile.livejournal.com]

Funny, and maybe this is a McGill thing, but our table tends to rotate between Christians, Jews, Muslims, and the McGill Pagan Association. Though they also tend to sell food alongside their "free if you're interested" literature (Alternatively: "Come to see this special evangelical guest lecturer we're having").

The christians lean towards krispy kreme donuts, the jews sell chocolate, and the pagans have really good bake sales.

[saizai.livejournal.com]

Also, it's the whole "bearing witness" thing. Being a strong, visible example of someone who Really Believes should make others Really Believe, too.

Akchally, this reminds me of something. Are you (tass) technically part of the "school faculty"? If so, would you like to sponsor a new religious club - an Erisian one? This'd mean basically just signing off on it and theoretically "attending" meetings, though that could be done with a "hello goodbye" as there's no requirement on length.

(After talking to you in person...)

So, yay. Snarky psuedo-religious club. And we could have a "vending table" during lunch, funded with $100 of ICC money. Now think (Fox, suggestions please?)... how exactly could we Mess With Things and/or just be silly on $100? We'd probably have to organize anti-protest protests and such.

And we'd be an official club, which gives us certain protections. Like, say, we'd legally be allowed to do certain things we might not otherwise, 'cause we'd be acting (sorta) with Official Permission. *snarkygrin*

[arethinn]

Being a club advisor: good for my yearly review. Being this club's advisor... ;)

[saizai.livejournal.com]

*giggle*

You could always just gloss it as "a religious club". They needn't know the details. ;-)

[dreamfall.livejournal.com]

You'll appreciate the humor of this:

The year before Om and I split up we went to Salem, MA on Halloween. In costume, I might add. Now bear in mind the WHOLE TOWN of Salem on Halloween is *wall to wall people*, I mean literally seething masses of costumed and uncostumed carousing humanity along with reporters, TV cameras and precisely one metric fuckton of Born-Again Christians out there trying to convert the heathen masses. And out of ALL THIS, guess which female elf of your net.acquaintance got singled out by the only prosletysing Buddhist in creation who of course just happened to be in Salem the same night?

I shit you not.

[forestdweller.livejournal.com]

A prosletysing Buddhist?? O_o

umm. UMMMM. O_o

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.