Severe Rant Warning! I need to blow off steam!

[Dodger67]

If you are sensitive about matters relating to religion please stop reading now.
(You have been warned!)


I am severly pissed off and spitting mad about an incident this morning in the local supermarket.
:arrgh::arrgh::arrgh::arrgh::arrgh:
If I had a cat and wasn't paralysed it would have been kicked by now.


I went to the supermarket to get just a handfull of items - I should be outta there in 10 minutes. Was I ever so wrong!

The checkout queues were backed up all the way to the petfood shelves.... So my mood had already taken a bit of a dive.
So there I am with a basket of stuff on my lap waiting my turn - I'm chatting to some friends all around me. (Its a small town so everyone knows everyone.)

I'm minding my own business when a stranger approaches me and suddenly bursts out into LOUD!!!, agonised, prayer.
At 11am on a Sunday he's most likely just come from church and is fully charged with whatever it is he gets there...
I dunno how many millions of angels are commanded by this nutcase to descend from on high right this instant and free this poor cripple of his burden, cast away his sins so that he can arise from the terrible prison of this wheelchair!

So there I am - with this fucking god-botherer making a huge scene with dozens of people who know me (some also freshly from church).

Ex(fucking)scuse me!!! But who the hell does this asshole think he is to be making a public freakshow event out of me???
What should I do - punch his lights out, call the shop manager to make him leave, or just sit there and bear it?

Well I could see many of my friends and aquiantances cringeing in embarrasment on my behalf so I just sat it out.

Don't these damn god-botherers know their scriptures? There is a time and a place for everything.
(Book of Proverbs by Solomon the Wise, Son of David, King of Israel.)
:arrgh::arrgh::arrgh::arrgh::arrgh:

[Sheena51985]

first off Dodger, I am a Christian and you, by no means, offended me..

with that said, although I am a Christian, I don't put up with people pushing their beliefs on me and I also dont do it to others as well..to each their own, ya know?? there IS a time and place for everything..and that certainly wasnt it!! Who gave that person the right to do what they did?? they may have thought they were doing you a favor, but tall they did was embarrass you..I'm sorry that person felt the need to do what they did..some people can be so dang ignorant sometimes!!

~Sheena

[LisaJoy]

Dodger --

I'm a Christian, too, and you did not offend me. But the grocery store crusader does offend me! People like that give Christians everywhere a bad name and do great harm to the Gospel of Christ.

I had an experience once (not nearly as bad) at church. A visitor (who I'd never met and have never seen since) came up to me and said "I'm praying for your healing." And I said, "Thank you, but I am not sick," and went on my way. Of course, that wouldn't have worked for you because your experience was so much more -- well, egregious. Most of the people around you in line, including Christians, were probably completely mortified and speechless.

The best response I can think of (if he would listen to you) would be to tell him in no uncertain terms that he has no right to publicly humiliate you AND that he and others like him have completely turned you off to their faith. Hopefully THAT message would wake him up. (Unfortunately, though, people like that have not matured much in their faith and so tend to lack in the area of thoughtful self-reflection.) Maybe a letter to the editor of your local newspaper?

If I ever witness anything like that, I hope I would have the courage to rebuke that person as a fellow Christian.

I am very sorry that happened.

Lisa

[angel]

Dodger,

I have had things very similar to this happen to me before and it PISSES ME OFF more than anything else one could do or say to me. I used to just live with stuff like this happening but as i get older no more. They have NO RIGHT to come up to me and pray for me or embarass me in public. If they feel so burdned to pray for me do it to yourself!!! Last time it happened some guy asked me if he could pray with me i flat out said NO. He said but i feel the need to pray with you. I told him agian I SAID NO! If someone ever comes up to me and attempts what they did to you I will just straight out tell them to kiss off. I don't blame you for being mad that would set me off into a rage!!!

Angel

[Mustang Sal]

Blimey Dodger, how DARE he do that to you?! I'm actually shocked at some people's behaviour, I really am. Now wonder you were angry - i'd be bloody furious.

I'm not religious (well, agnostic actually) but I respect others' beliefs - whatever sails your ship, so to speak. But this man was just plain ignorant, regardless of faith. I think religion is such a personal thing, so for him to try to force it on you in such a humiliating public way is just not on. How you managed to retain your composure I don't know - well done. I may have been tempted to rearrange his feet with my wheels...

[eng188]

I'm conflicted. I am an atheist: I believe in no god, no heaven, no reincarnation, and no reunification with our dead Aunt Cloyce once all is said and done on Earth. I am also disabled with spina bifida; I use crutches to move around. So, of course I have been victim of those sorts of people many many times before.

I am, however, also an American, a man who was born in a country that prides itself on free speech. I feel it is my American duty to defend those I disagree with, and their right to speak. Where this right ends, I do not know. If someone says "God Bless You" to me, I say, "Thank you, my good friend". If someone engages me in conversation about religion, it depends on my mood. I may join the conversation, but I may just pick up the nearby People magazine and read, tuning them out. If someone follows me down the block, for any reason, be it religious or otherwise, that's when I consider dialing a nine and two ones. It's just plain discomforting being followed, and it's illegal in certain instances, too. But it happens. We're disabled, and can't be trusted by certain people.

As far as Christians looking over us, I don't take it too seriously anymore; some Christians are merely using us to get good with their pastor on Sunday morning. Too bad they need to ruin it for good Christians. It's somehow good in certain circles to be shallow.

Also, I just happen to be too firm in my religious beliefs for anyone else to have any impact on them. Therefore, certain Christians (and others including some atheists) just kind of make me laugh. If I pay too much heed, I get a headache.

If I sense that someone is going to buy my groceries, that's when I put my foot down. Even if I lose grip of the newspaper dispenser, and someone then buys a paper for me after I walk away, I will throw away that paper, and try again. I am not a charity.

I have no advice. This just touched quite a chord. I suspect we'd agree on certain things, and disagree on others.

:sign0023: :signs116:

[ollieholmes]

You are rightly annoyed. People should not do that. I am not religious myself but i have no problem with people who are. My problem comes when people try and enforce their religious beliefs on you.

[dahliafaolan]

Oh Dodger, I don't blame you for being pissed off. I had a similar experience when I was about 8 or 9. My mom was sick or something so she sent me to the grocery store with my attendant. My attendant went down the next aisle without me noticing (I was probably ogling over the candy aisle or something) and a person came up to me. I didn't think too much of it at the time. I was used of people coming up to me and asking me questions about my disability. Well the person didn't even introduce themselves to me before they knelt down in front of me and started praying to God that I would be released from my affliction. Being 8 or 9, I didn't quite know what was going on. I just knew that I felt extremely uncomfortable by the attention. Thankfully, my attendant realized that I hadn't followed and rescued me. But when I got home and looked up the word affliction, I was so furious that my mom had to calm me down. Unfortunately, I never saw the person again so I couldn't give them a piece of mind. Now if anyone asks to pray for me in public, I politely tell them that they can pray for me at home all they like.

[Gymp]

I've never had that actually happen to me,if it did I'd probably start acting like a stark raving lunatic to get them off my back.

Gymp

[Barb]

Oh My! It never, ever ceases to amaze me how STUPID people can be!!!! What an IDIOT! You have spina bifida because you sinned??? Seriously, at 8 weeks in utero, what could have been your sin???? God, people are such dumb butts sometimes!