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Street Evangelist Saves 300 Souls From Enjoying Park
by The Onion
Satire.
Reposted from:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/street_evangelist_saves_300_souls
SAN FRANCISCO—Open-air preacher "Brother Sam" Hilson rescued more than 300 of God's children from appreciating a cloudless spring day at Golden Gate Park Tuesday by informing them of their sins and the swift approach of Judgment Day.
"Brother Sam" Hilson rescues countless souls each weekend from the grips of a leisurely afternoon.
A former building superintendent, Hilson said he was directly called by God to bring Christianity to San Francisco's unholy cyclists, tai chi practitioners, and dog walkers.
"All of you will burn in hellfire, so sayeth the Lord," Hilson said to a stroller-bound toddler and her picnicking parents.
For nearly five years, his highly personalized, one-on-one style of lay sermonizing has been among the most effective in the city, as virtually all park-goers within Hilson's range of vision are delivered from their conversations or badminton games within minutes.
After telling a novel-reading Berkeley student that there was "no book but the Good Book," Hilson bore witness to a woman strolling by in a sundress.
"Harlot, dare ye bare your shoulders when the Rapture is nigh?" Hilson said.
Many of those who have been singled out by Hilson confirm the attention had a direct impact on their lives.
"It was my first weekday off in a while, so I thought I'd enjoy the nice weather, maybe head down to the waterfront too," said Russ Tiderington, 25, who, according to Hilson, "sashay[ed] [his] hips like a painted Jezebel." "But I decided to go home and catch up on some chores instead."
Hilson's bullhorn, which he often employs to bring recreation-seekers into the light of God's grace and drown out their iPod music, forced one-third to one-half of the souls to spurn the path they had chosen for that afternoon.
At one point, Hilson ministered to a family of Indian-Americans, whom he mistakenly identified as "Muslim demon-worshippers."
His photo-collage display of aborted fetuses, Hitler, Oui magazine centerfolds from the 1980s, and the rock band KISS spared at least 10 others the temptation of the fresh April breeze.
"Someday our jealous and vengeful God will make you regret watching your aerobics sex tapes!" Hilson told a group of kite flyers, who rapidly walked away from him as he strayed momentarily in their direction. "Your kites may reach the sky, but they cannot get you into Heaven! Only Jesus can! Jesus is the One True Kite!"
Though he is not formally recognized by any church, it is estimated that Hilson has reached nearly 75,000 wayward souls on college campuses, at state fairs, and in bus terminals around the Bay Area.
Reposted from:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/street_evangelist_saves_300_souls
SAN FRANCISCO—Open-air preacher "Brother Sam" Hilson rescued more than 300 of God's children from appreciating a cloudless spring day at Golden Gate Park Tuesday by informing them of their sins and the swift approach of Judgment Day.
"Brother Sam" Hilson rescues countless souls each weekend from the grips of a leisurely afternoon.
A former building superintendent, Hilson said he was directly called by God to bring Christianity to San Francisco's unholy cyclists, tai chi practitioners, and dog walkers.
"All of you will burn in hellfire, so sayeth the Lord," Hilson said to a stroller-bound toddler and her picnicking parents.
For nearly five years, his highly personalized, one-on-one style of lay sermonizing has been among the most effective in the city, as virtually all park-goers within Hilson's range of vision are delivered from their conversations or badminton games within minutes.
After telling a novel-reading Berkeley student that there was "no book but the Good Book," Hilson bore witness to a woman strolling by in a sundress.
"Harlot, dare ye bare your shoulders when the Rapture is nigh?" Hilson said.
Many of those who have been singled out by Hilson confirm the attention had a direct impact on their lives.
"It was my first weekday off in a while, so I thought I'd enjoy the nice weather, maybe head down to the waterfront too," said Russ Tiderington, 25, who, according to Hilson, "sashay[ed] [his] hips like a painted Jezebel." "But I decided to go home and catch up on some chores instead."
Hilson's bullhorn, which he often employs to bring recreation-seekers into the light of God's grace and drown out their iPod music, forced one-third to one-half of the souls to spurn the path they had chosen for that afternoon.
At one point, Hilson ministered to a family of Indian-Americans, whom he mistakenly identified as "Muslim demon-worshippers."
His photo-collage display of aborted fetuses, Hitler, Oui magazine centerfolds from the 1980s, and the rock band KISS spared at least 10 others the temptation of the fresh April breeze.
"Someday our jealous and vengeful God will make you regret watching your aerobics sex tapes!" Hilson told a group of kite flyers, who rapidly walked away from him as he strayed momentarily in their direction. "Your kites may reach the sky, but they cannot get you into Heaven! Only Jesus can! Jesus is the One True Kite!"
Though he is not formally recognized by any church, it is estimated that Hilson has reached nearly 75,000 wayward souls on college campuses, at state fairs, and in bus terminals around the Bay Area.
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Posted: Saturday, April 21, 2007 | PermalinkComments 1 - 50 of 55 |
Reload Comments | Back to Top | Page Numbers2. Comment #33759 by CF1 on April 21, 2007 at 4:12 pm
Surely the local city/town/municipality authorities must have something on the books which disallows such brain-dead individulas from disturbing everyone else in the park!?Other Comments by CF1
3. Comment #33760 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on April 21, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Look at this awful stuff posted about Virginia Tech : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9uNtvFSxYMNo comments, no video responses!!!
A few of us co-operated online to make the following response.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_z9WgV5jkQ
If you think it is a good one,
please help to promote it in whatever other fora you frequent.
We should not have to sit idly by, while this juvenile drivel is spouted as truth.
Please remember to rank the video, and comments are also welcome to try and push it up the ladder so that it gets broader attention. Thx:-) All.
Other Comments by briancoughlanworldcitizen
4. Comment #33761 by ScienceBreath on April 21, 2007 at 4:20 pm
CF1, (comment #33759) you may have missed the Satire byline.Other Comments by ScienceBreath
5. Comment #33765 by mjwemdee on April 21, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Well I have to admit, the satire is pretty good (though the real thing is easily found in most cities, and almost beyond satirizing).PEDANT'S CORNER - In fact, I read this rather late at night, with my satire-radar not fully functioning: only when I read that hilarious line 'Harlot, dare ye bare your shoulders...?' did I catch on. Of course, the line SHOULD read: 'Harlot, darest thou bare thy shoulders' - 'ye' being O.E. second person plural.
Other Comments by mjwemdee
6. Comment #33766 by _J_ on April 21, 2007 at 4:50 pm
@ briancoughlanworldcitizen,Well done. You knocked that together pretty damn quick, and it's good, too. Very efficient firefighting.
And, my god (so to speak), did that awful video deserve it! Frustrated at being unable to name hateful, idiotic, offensive god-mongering as the toxic drivel it is, I've tried to flag it as inappropriate (on the basis that it's hate speech, which seemed the closest category). That's probably my days on YouTube numbered (not bad, since I've been registered for, ooh, five minutes now), but worth a shot.
The motion might carry more weight if others seconded it...
Other Comments by _J_
7. Comment #33767 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on April 21, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Good idea. I'll jump in and do it now. Other Comments by briancoughlanworldcitizen
8. Comment #33768 by Russell Blackford on April 21, 2007 at 5:16 pm
I've rated and commented on your video, Brian. Is that your narration? Whoever did it, it's very well done. The voice is so calm and clear.I also looked at, and ranked, the one you were responding to (I ranked it at the "it sucks" or "poor" level, or whatever the lowest level was). However, I'm not in favour of campaigning to take it down if that was what was meant (I'm not familiar with the tagging system, so I may be misunderstanding here). Let the fundies express their misguided views, however disgraceful their opportunism may seem to all of us.
I always feel that the answer to bad speech is better speech, not attempts at suppression. I wouldn't go further than using the ranking system to express my low opinion of the fundie video.
Other Comments by Russell Blackford
9. Comment #33770 by dancingthemantaray on April 21, 2007 at 5:23 pm
I never mind people like this, I find them colourful, crazy street preachers make me grin...Isn't there something comical about the ...and mormons tagged on the end of his sandwich board
Other Comments by dancingthemantaray
10. Comment #33772 by Spinoza on April 21, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Ya know... if a guy like that ever got in my face... and ruined my day out with my family at a park.I'd grab his fuckin' microphone and scream at him instead, like the following:
"No. YOU'RE GOING TO HELL. YOU'RE NOT SAVED. I'M RIGHT. I'VE READ THE BIBLE MORE TIMES THAN YOU. I'VE TAKEN MORE RELIGION CLASSES THAN YOU. I'VE STUDIED AND UNDERSTOOD MORE PHILOSOPHERS AND THEOLOGIANS THAN YOU CAN COUNT. FUCK YOU. GO HOME AND SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LEAVE PEOPLE ALONE YOU MISERABLE PIECE OF SHIT!"
And then I'd break his microphone.
Other Comments by Spinoza
11. Comment #33773 by gav1970 on April 21, 2007 at 5:33 pm
Good response briancoughlanworldcitizen. I've rated it and popped it in my favourites. There are so many fundie rantings on youtube now that you could do a whole series of these. It would be nice to see each one receive the briancoughlanworldcitizen treatment. Other Comments by gav1970
12. Comment #33774 by IanErikSmith on April 21, 2007 at 5:46 pm
While such street preachers can be amusing if one is in the mood for the absurd, what is often more fruitful is watching the response of the passerbys.Zealots of this sort, no less kooky than the satire, are particularly common on university campuses; hotbeds of sin that such places are.
On one such occasion, a preacher had gathered a crowd, and I spoke with a few observers who were particularly upset by the claim that Jews weren't going to Heaven. I asked these individuals, knowing that they were generally secular in their views, if they thought that Jews were going to Heaven. This totally caught them off gaurd and they were speechless given that they did not really believe in Heaven themselves.
I am convinced that one thing that atheists must do is to insist that individuals take religious claims seriously. I think non-religious people often trivialize religious belief so that they can more easily be tolerant of it. Even those claiming to be religious often do not take their own claims seriously.
To take the claims seriously is to reveal how absurd they often are.
Other Comments by IanErikSmith
13. Comment #33776 by maton100 on April 21, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Should have said: "Folks appreciating a godless spring day, until wingnut showed up". Other Comments by maton100
14. Comment #33777 by Satanburiedfossils on April 21, 2007 at 6:08 pm
"Street Evangelist Saves 300 Souls From Enjoying Park"With so many religious loonies running around, it's hard to believe that someone actually took the trouble to make up that story.
--------------------------------------------------
On a more serious note, you might want to read the following excerpt from "What Would You Substitute for the Bible as a Moral Guide?", by the late great Robert G. Ingersoll:
What then is, or can be called, a moral guide? The shortest possible answer is one word: Intelligence.It is often said that truth is stranger than fiction. Here's a little something else from Ingersoll -- you might think of this as real-life satire:
We want the experience of mankind, the true history of the race. We want the history of intellectual development, of the growth of the ethical, of the idea of justice, of conscience, of charity, of self-denial. We want to know the paths and roads that have been traveled by the human mind.
These facts in general, these histories in outline, the results reached, the conclusions formed, the principles evolved, taken together, would form the best conceivable moral guide.
We cannot depend on what are called "inspired books," or the religions of the world. These religions are based on the supernatural, and according to them we are under obligation to worship and obey some supernatural being, or beings. All these religions are inconsistent with intellectual liberty. They are the enemies of thought, of investigation, of mental honesty. They destroy the manliness of man. They promise eternal rewards for belief, for credulity, for what they call faith.
These religions teach the slave virtues. They make inanimate things holy, and falsehoods sacred. They create artificial crimes. To eat meat on Friday, to enjoy yourself on Sunday, to eat on fast-days, to be happy in Lent, to dispute a priest, to ask for evidence, to deny a creed, to express your sincere thought, all these acts are sins, crimes against some god, To give your honest opinion about Jehovah, Mohammed or Christ, is far worse than to maliciously slander your neighbor. To question or doubt miracles is far worse than to deny known facts. Only the obedient, the credulous, the cringers, the kneelers, the meek, the unquestioning, the true believers, are regarded as moral, as virtuous. It is not enough to be honest, generous and useful; not enough to be governed by evidence, by facts. In addition to this, you must believe. These things are the foes of morality. They subvert all natural conceptions of virtue.
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/robert_ingersoll/bible_substitute.html
I have got at home copies of some letters that passed between gentlemen high in the church several hundred years ago and the question was this: "Ought we to cut out the tongues of blasphemers before we burn them?" And they finally decided that they ought to do so, and I will tell you the reason they gave. They said if they were not cut out that while they were being burned, they might by their heresies scandalize the gentlemen who would bring the woodFinally, take a look at this (you can't make this stuff up):
http://www.edwardtbabinski.us/lectures/intellectual_development.html
http://www.randi.org/jr/2006-12/122106wise.html#i1
Other Comments by Satanburiedfossils
15. Comment #33778 by kaiserkriss on April 21, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Spinoza… Thanks for expressing my thoughts quite eloquently. I feel exactly as you; however I probably would have used fewer four letter words, since the poor deluded halfwit probably could not understand them…I'm surprised that the idiot is allowed to make such a nuisance of himself, when usually the boys in blue are quick to point out ones mistakes in the Land of the Free by locking you up for 24 hours..
Brian, let me repeat what others have said, well done, a well reason and thoughtful response to opportunistic, vindictive invective. I will pass the link on to associates of mine
Didn't know Reihard Mey had fans in the English speaking world. I always thought he was only appreciated by us Krauts.
Cheers, JCW
Other Comments by kaiserkriss
16. Comment #33779 by Shuggy on April 21, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Briancoughlandworldcitizen wrote:A few of us co-operated online to make the following response.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_z9WgV5jkQ
It's excellent, but it needs to link from the original. All the "related videos" there seem to have "God" in their titles, but maybe "god" in the keywords would help. Looks like the best reponse to any video would be "[original title] - a response"
(All the ones "related" to this one are about puppies... what is that?)
Other Comments by Shuggy
17. Comment #33780 by ghostbuster on April 21, 2007 at 6:24 pm
If you can't be an obnoxious drunk in a park one shouldn't be allowed to be an obnoxious nut-case either. A homeless person would be escorted off the park bench for loitering or being visually offensive; this guy if infringing on other people's rights IN A PUBLIC PLACE. It would be interesting to see what would happen if a Satanist or Communist started popping off his/her mouth.Other Comments by ghostbuster
18. Comment #33781 by ghostbuster on April 21, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Or God forbid, an atheist.Other Comments by ghostbuster
19. Comment #33783 by tuibguy on April 21, 2007 at 6:41 pm
To many of you, one of things that has always helped me when coming on an outrageous story:Check the byline. In this case, it is most instructive.
Other Comments by tuibguy
20. Comment #33787 by DarwinsPitbull on April 21, 2007 at 7:12 pm
If any one lives near this park in San francisco, you should go there and challenge this guy on his views.Other Comments by DarwinsPitbull
21. Comment #33789 by krogercomplete on April 21, 2007 at 7:36 pm
"If any one lives near this park in San francisco, you should go there and challenge this guy on his views."There is no reasoning with these people. There were two guys that used to come to my college campus a few times each year doing the same thing, but their signs were almost billboard sized (they had ten foot long polls strapped into harnesses around their wastes) and had many more categories of hell-goers (jews, "dikes on bikes," etc.). People got mad and confronted the two guys, but it only made them shout louder. They thrived on the confrontation.
Other Comments by krogercomplete
22. Comment #33791 by dsijdavis on April 21, 2007 at 7:52 pm
'tuibguy' has good advice. I read this article earlier at its original location, looked at some of the other articles (the 'Body of Christ Workout' was particularly good), and laughed myself silly.Pretty funny.
Other Comments by dsijdavis
23. Comment #33793 by Russell Blackford on April 21, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Back on topic, from my earlier post, everyone here does know what The Onion is, right? Just checking.Other Comments by Russell Blackford
24. Comment #33795 by krogercomplete on April 21, 2007 at 8:09 pm
"Back on topic, from my earlier post, everyone here does know what The Onion is, right? Just checking."These people are real as they come, they are all over the place, and they say stuff that is far more offensive than the made up sound bites in the article.
Other Comments by krogercomplete
25. Comment #33796 by Russell Blackford on April 21, 2007 at 8:59 pm
^That's cool. Like I said, just checking. :)Thankfully, I don't much encounter people like that, though we do have some in Melbourne. There used to be some who loved hanging around the old city post office. I wonder if they're still there; it's not an area I tend to find myself in much these days.
I'm much more worried about the damage inflicted on children in more private locations where they can't avoid the message because it's from parents or from priests who have some kind of mandate from parents. That situation is much harder to deal with than a wingnut religionist ranting in a park, or on a city street.
Other Comments by Russell Blackford
26. Comment #33805 by Kimpatsu on April 22, 2007 at 12:15 am
Did anyone else read the billboard that "Brother Sam" is sporting? It reads (amongst others) that "God denying atheists" are hellbound. So, if God denies us atheists entrance to Heaven, He too is hellbound. Of course, "Brother" Sam may have intended to write "God-denying atheists", which would mean that we atheists are (of course) excluded from Heaven, but that would mean his God-inspired billboard is inaccurate, and God doesn't make mistakes... does She...?:D
Other Comments by Kimpatsu
27. Comment #33808 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on April 22, 2007 at 12:54 am
It's excellent, but it needs to link from the original. All the "related videos" there seem to have "God" in their titles, but maybe "god" in the keywords would help. Looks like the best reponse to any video would be "[original title] - a response"Just discovered this myself, no the rebuttal appears alongside the original, as I've synced up the tags. Still learning:-)
(All the ones "related" to this one are about puppies... what is that?)
Ah yes. That. Long story. We finished this at about 14:00 CET yesterday, but for some reason the video after uploading would not go live. In a fit of conspiracy paranoia, I suspected it was being blocked because of the tags. So I reuploaded with the tag and subject "puppies", reasoning this was so innocous as to slip through the net.
It worked!!! Not sure what the real reasons where, and I've changed the tags back now:-)
Other Comments by briancoughlanworldcitizen
28. Comment #33812 by cagliost on April 22, 2007 at 1:33 am
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Howard_(preacher)http://www.b3ta.com/interview/winnerorsinner/
Other Comments by cagliost
29. Comment #33815 by Ian on April 22, 2007 at 1:50 am
What we should do is print this article up as a flyer and hand it to any street preachers we come across. By the time they have had about ten, they might get the point.Congratulations Brian, on your video response. The fact that these people would invade upon people's grief really shows how sick - and deluded - they are.
Other Comments by Ian
30. Comment #33818 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on April 22, 2007 at 2:19 am
Congratulations Brian, on your video response. The fact that these people would invade upon people's grief really shows how sick - and deluded - they are.Thanks. It's cracking along quite nicely, 1300 views and nearly 90 ratings putting it between 4 and 5 stars. Still a drop in the ocean compared to the 300K views that gasthly trash received, but hey baby steps right?:-) Thanks all!!
Other Comments by briancoughlanworldcitizen
31. Comment #33819 by WTOC on April 22, 2007 at 2:22 am
Hey, folks! The Onion is satirical humor. Entertaining indeed; but not serious journalism.Other Comments by WTOC
32. Comment #33820 by Eureka Step on April 22, 2007 at 2:25 am
Yes it's satire. Bloody good satire.But the sentence "no book but the Good Book" pretty much sums up these loonies close mindedness and tunnel vision.
Other Comments by Eureka Step
33. Comment #33822 by Rtambree on April 22, 2007 at 2:56 am
Streetpreachers.I think atheists could declare victory if the worst extent of religion was a few crazy 'end is neigh' placard holders in parks.
If there were no more religious nutters with political power or in the mainstream media, then a few residual fruitcakes (they'll always be some) will be tolerable.
The Onion has done some good ones over the years.
Here's one I like...
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51849
Other Comments by Rtambree
34. Comment #33823 by dancingthemantaray on April 22, 2007 at 3:10 am
I think our bland, corporate homogenised streets are made more colourful by these guys, hurray for crazy street preachers, it's not like they make any converts or invade countries..Other Comments by dancingthemantaray
35. Comment #33824 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on April 22, 2007 at 3:30 am
The Onion has done some good ones over the years.Here's one I like...
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/51849
That is superb stuff, funny, moving and sad all at once. Brilliant stuff.
Other Comments by briancoughlanworldcitizen
36. Comment #33837 by beeline on April 22, 2007 at 4:37 am
Hmmm. The satire:Oops!
The page or image you requested cannot be found.
is a bit too subtle and complex for me...
Other Comments by beeline
37. Comment #33841 by Vee eL on April 22, 2007 at 5:35 am
Quit a annoying happening in San Francisco.But why put they a still from Benny Hill's show in this article?
Other Comments by Vee eL
38. Comment #33846 by oeditor on April 22, 2007 at 6:22 am
" 1. Comment #33758 by _J_ on April 21, 2007 at 4:07 pmSpot on Onionage, as usual.
Reminds me of the guys I saw at the Edinburgh Festival for a few years running. Maybe it's just my memory, but I recall them as a daunting, haggard and grey bunch, like extras from The Addams Family or Dawn of the Dead, waving banners of doom and shouting - positively shouting - hardline Revelations claptrap at the throngs of festival goers."
I wonder if that was Prof. Andy McIntosh? He was preaching there with the United Beach Missions in at least 2001. Info from Tinshill Church Magazine no 222 (no longer on line).
Brian
Other Comments by oeditor
39. Comment #33850 by MohaMad on April 22, 2007 at 8:00 am
Another great Int'l news from The Onion:http://www.theonion.com/content/node/29057
Other Comments by MohaMad
40. Comment #33855 by scottishgeologist on April 22, 2007 at 8:27 am
Re oeditor's post about the Edinburgh Festival:There was also another group that used to protest, although I am not sure if they went to the Ed Fest. I am talking of course about the late Pastor Jack Glass and his flock.
A bit like a Scottish Ian Paisley, Jack Glass was never far from controversy. You can read about him here:
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=224442004
and
http://news.scotsman.com/obituaries.cfm?id=225132004
Definitely a colourful character, actually sadly missed in a lot of ways, despite his fundie-ism, he never wavered in his faith. He actually "walked the walk", even if it was a flawed path he strode.
Other Comments by scottishgeologist
41. Comment #33860 by _J_ on April 22, 2007 at 9:02 am
@ oeditor - Nice thought, but I think the folks I remember were evangelists with the emphasis less on Creationism and more on Revelationism. Readier with the curses than the blessings.@ scottishgeologist - Now *he* sounds like an entertaining sort of a preacher. I like this quote:
'Speaking recently, he said the tumour was the result of a "personal attack" by Satan. He said: "I had to assume that if my ministry was still useful to God, then this must be an attack by Satan."'
The implied alternative being...
Still, he sounds like far too animated a preacher for my lot (who rather gave the impression of having been reanimated). I think I'd have liked to meet Pastor Glass.
Other Comments by _J_
42. Comment #33862 by Nails on April 22, 2007 at 9:46 am
Though he is not formally recognized by any church, it is estimated that Hilson has reached nearly 75,000 wayward souls on college campuses, at state fairs, and in bus terminals around the Bay Area.
Still not as popular as syphilis in the US then, and about as welcome by the looks of it.
Other Comments by Nails
43. Comment #33871 by JDAM on April 22, 2007 at 10:50 am
Oh good heavens, people...The ONION is a leading American satire magazine. They simply make this stuff up for each issue and much of it is an absolute Hoot...but it's not to be taken seriously or as the actual truth. This guy actually does not exist...(but people like him do and they are grist for the ONION's all-encompassing mill)
Other Comments by JDAM
44. Comment #33875 by yogibear on April 22, 2007 at 11:18 am
There is often a preacher in the downtown pedestrianised area of Belfast, kind of amusing there as you are passing by, probably not as amusing for long periods of time like in this park.Always wanted to do a non theist, humanist presentation with a PA myself in Belfast, have to say i never got the courage.
Would a person doing the atheist presentation in public be allowed to continue as the religous speakers are, hmmmm im not sure.
Other Comments by yogibear
45. Comment #33876 by steveroot on April 22, 2007 at 11:26 am
43. Comment #33871 by JDAM on April 22, 2007 at 10:50 am
Oh good heavens, people...
The ONION is a leading American satire magazine. They simply make this stuff up for each issue and much of it is an absolute Hoot...but it's not to be taken seriously or as the actual truth.
***WHAT??***
I have been seriously misled! :-(
Steve ;-)
Other Comments by steveroot
46. Comment #33879 by NMcC on April 22, 2007 at 12:24 pm
For ****sake get a grip everyone. This magazine is obviously similar to Private Eye in Britain. Imagine getting apoplexy because of something 'reported' in Private Eye? Worse still, imagine Private Eye getting to hear about it - Dawkins would be a laughing stock for having such dopey supporters!Do you all not think it's worthwhile giving a bit of thought to the article you're posting about before storming in and making total fools of yourselves like....er...well...braindead fundamentalists - like 'spinoza' above, for example?
Other Comments by NMcC
47. Comment #33880 by briancoughlanworldcitizen on April 22, 2007 at 12:27 pm
Hey guys, that video did pretty well, we must be closing in on 3000 hits, and 150 comments. The flying monkeys of fundamentalism have descended on the thread however, and I could use some commentary backup.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_z9WgV5jkQ
Other Comments by briancoughlanworldcitizen
48. Comment #33887 by Rtambree on April 22, 2007 at 1:04 pm
47. Comment #33880 by briancoughlanworldcitizWell done on the video yet again, Brian. Good job. I hope Dawkins pins a medal on your chest.
Other Comments by Rtambree
49. Comment #33889 by krogercomplete on April 22, 2007 at 1:14 pm
"For ****sake get a grip everyone. This magazine is obviously similar to Private Eye in Britain. Imagine getting apoplexy because of something 'reported' in Private Eye? Worse still, imagine Private Eye getting to hear about it - Dawkins would be a laughing stock for having such dopey supporters!Do you all not think it's worthwhile giving a bit of thought to the article you're posting about before storming in and making total fools of yourselves like....er...well...braindead fundamentalists - like 'spinoza' above, for example?"
I think most people understand it' satire and the discussion has more to do with the existence of these street preachers in general. They are everywhere and they are exactly like the guy in the article (but more offensive and sometimes with much bigger signs).
Other Comments by krogercomplete
50. Comment #33890 by kaiserkriss on April 22, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Brian... Hey I'm doing my best to help, eibbor7 (my son), one of his friends, and myself (jcnnam)are trying to hold the fundies at bay.What amazes me is how the fundies have totally missed the point of your video, i.e. a response to a vile piece of opportunistic propaganda, and continue to show no respect for the victims of these tradgedies, or their loved ones. How very "Christian" of them
Other Comments by kaiserkriss
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"To enslave a man, then dope him to make him content! Do you call THAT a solace? . . . The honest fact is that the greatest hindrance to the progress of the Negro is that same dope that was shot into him during slavery. . . . The slogan of the Negro devotee is: Take the world but give me Jesus, and the white man strikes an eager bargain with him. . . . Another fact — there are far too many Negro preachers. Religion is the most fruitful medium for exploiting this already exploited group. As I said, the majority of the sharpers, who among the whites would go into other fields, go, in this case, to the ministry."
Joel Augustus Rogers
"Religion is fundamentally opposed to everything I hold in veneration--courage, clear thinking, honesty, fairness, and, above all, love of the truth."
H.L. Mencken
"It may be that brain hardware has co-evolved with the internal virtual worlds that it creates. This can be called hardware-software co-evolution."
Richard Dawkins
"With so many mindbytes to be downloaded, so many mental codons to be replicated, it is no wonder that child brains are gullible, open to almost any suggestion, vulnerable to subversion, easy prey to Moonies, Scientologists and nuns."
Richard Dawkins
"What are all of us but self-reproducing robots? We have been put together by our genes and what we do is roam the world looking for a way to sustain ourselves and ultimately produce another robot child."
Richard Dawkins
Other Recommended Reading
The Future of Life
Edward O. Wilson
The Blank Slate
Steven Pinker
The End of Faith
Sam Harris
Pale Blue Dot
Carl Sagan
Letter to a Christian Nation
Sam Harris
More Books
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"If this book doesn't change the world -- we're all screwed."
-Penn (Penn & Teller)
The God Delusion
by Richard Dawkins
Over 1.5 million copies sold
DVDs
'Voices of Science' DVD
'Break the Science Barrier' DVD
'The Four Horsemen' DVD
'AAI 2007 Conference' DVD
'Root of All Evil? The Original Program' DVD
'Root of All Evil? The Uncut Interviews' DVD
'Growing Up in the Universe' DVD
Books by Richard Dawkins
The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing
by Richard Dawkins
The Ancestor's Tale
by Richard Dawkins
The Selfish Gene
by Richard Dawkins
The Blind Watchmaker
by Richard Dawkins
Unweaving the Rainbow
by Richard Dawkins
1. Comment #33758 by _J_ on April 21, 2007 at 4:07 pm
Reminds me of the guys I saw at the Edinburgh Festival for a few years running. Maybe it's just my memory, but I recall them as a daunting, haggard and grey bunch, like extras from The Addams Family or Dawn of the Dead, waving banners of doom and shouting - positively shouting - hardline Revelations claptrap at the throngs of festival goers.
Sure, they could have been selling their stage act, but they seemed all too joyless for that (and I speak as one who knows the woes of days of endless flyering). It was almost possible to smell the fire and brimstone. How they reasoned that an enormous multicultural collective of diverse and open-minded entertainment enthusiasts was in need of a crack team of doom mongers remains beyond me.
Anyone know if they still show up?
Other Comments by _J_