Ok story time.

This morning I was walking through my home city, quite contentedly, not thinking about anything in particular, when suddenly a guy yells at me that I'm going to hell. I'm not sure why. Granted, I probably am going to hell, if such a place exists, but he didn't know that. For all he knew I whent to church every week, said my prayers twice a day, gave 90% of my income to charity and obeyed the Bible to the letter. Nevertheless he assumed I was going to hell, and so was everyone around me from what I heard.

Obviously not all street preachers are so extreme. Last week I was given a small leaflet on why I should repent and beg God for mercy in case I "die in my sins" in the next five minutes. Less intrusive than the first gentleman, obviously, but still a little presumptious about my personal life.

Needless to say I was not converted and have no intention of begging God for mercy. I don't think many of the people around me were either. On the whole I think I would have had a more enjoyable day had I not been yelled at, although the little leaflet gave me a degree of entertainment on the train as I whent through the logical contradictions. I actually considered making up some atheist ones and handing them out at the same time as the christians.

This thread is NOT about religion. That has been done to death and tends to be exclusively christian which the preachers are not. You get Islamic ones and I'm sure some from other religions too. You can assume either that God exists, or he doesn't in your answer, I really don't care.

Nor is this thread designed to imply that all religious people preach on the street. I have seen about half a dozen people do it in the last five years and I've certainly seen more religious people than that who don't.

The questions I ask on this thread are:

1. What is the point of preaching to people on the street; can it not be confined to the church, temple, synagogue or mosque where the congregation care?

2. Should they do it?

3. Is it necessary for them to assume that everyone but them are sinners?

4. Has anyone here ever been converted by someone yelling at them on the street? Do you know anyone who has?

Please do not take offense at this. I have no intention of attacking religion or its methods of convertion. I just want to know why some people feel the need to force it upon me.

Fromt he perspective of these people, what they are doing is trying to save you from eternal damnation. Most of these sorts of people never think about if they might be wrong, so to their eyes you are a person that needs saving.

I find the best response to these people is to say "No thanks, I've got a pentagram tatooed to my ass" or something else like that, just to give them a nudge.

You need to think of it in terms of marketing. He's trying to sell you religion, and usually the best way to do that is to tell someone that they're going to burn in Hell unless they give the guy some attention.

i find it a refreshing change from all the ipod zombies and sweary morons on the street


i enjoy seeing mad people shouting rubbish to bewildered passers by

Quote from Prospect

You need to think of it in terms of marketing. He's trying to sell you religion, and usually the best way to do that is to tell someone that they're going to burn in Hell unless they give the guy some attention.

I disagree. I have never seen, nor heard of anyone having ever been converted by these people. The way to win people to your religion is with reasoned arguments and logic. The leaflet people came closer but the leaflets themselves are bullshiting. The one I got last week said that it was an "undeniable truth" that the reason people die is that Adam ate the apple in Genesis. I could go on for pages about ways in which I could deny this, even before I came to the arguments supporting my denial.

The way in which you convert people is either by telling them what is true and proving that it is true, or indoctrinating them since birth.

1. What is the point of preaching to people on the street; can it not be confined to the church, temple, synagogue or mosque where the congregation care?
Preaching may be the only way to actually convert people. Atheists will most likely not go to church to be converted, so they need to be converted before they do so.

2. Should they do it?
Depends, I don't mind the ones that hand out leaflets and have a quiet chat; they're no more different than the shampoo sales people you see, but any more than that and I disagree.

3. Is it necessary for them to assume that everyone but them are sinners?
Not necessary, though that may be what they believe. It's just another marketing ploy. They should not go shouting it about though!

4. Has anyone here ever been converted by someone yelling at them on the street? Do you know anyone who has?
I once heard an atheist shout "prove it!". From that day I was converted.


I don't mind street preachers as long as they keep themselves to themselves until someone willing to participate arrived. And I have never seen a street preacher in my life - I don't think there are any in the UK.

I just had a thought, imagine if the world's religions advertised themselves on TV, like selling a product?

Just a thought, not saying they should or do. Just provoking imagination.

Imagine religions selling themselves on the sides of buses... oh wait, that already happened.

Quote from Fluxinator

Imagine religions selling themselves on the sides of buses... oh wait, that already happened.

For the record, that was a satire of an Atheist campaign.

I have nothing against preachers, hell, they're interesting.

@Flux:
Haha, oh wait, that's right. I actually forgot.

@Chim: No, the atheist bus campaign was a response to a campaign of signs saying "Islam Means Peace"

And if you're talking about the Christian campaign, that wasn't a parody, it was a response.

Not only that, but they sounded desperate.

"There definitely is a God; so join the Christian Party and enjoy your life"

At least the atheists made signs from the standpoint of agnosticism.

Quote from Chimaera

For the record, that was a satire of an Atheist campaign.

I think you got that the wrong way round. The atheist one was a satire of the religious campaign on London buses.

[edit]
damn ninja'd

In Britain we had a different campaign.

Flux, the "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying" campaign sparked the religious "God is everywhere, so stop worrying and start looking for him" one.

what are you talking about? Get back on topic please.

Quote from zed

The way to win people to your religion is with reasoned arguments and logic.

Yeah, religion is crammed with those. If it's your weak spot, try selling people your product with it. :')

Quote from Ash

I just had a thought, imagine if the world's religions advertised themselves on TV, like selling a product?

Just a thought, not saying they should or do. Just provoking imagination.

they do i think its mormons