I went to school the other day, I slept in way too long in that queen sized 110 degrees waterbed to get to my drawing class, this being the third class in a row I missed. Not good. I think I actually did try to make it to class this time, but when I got there, no one was there, they probably went outside to draw or inside to look at slides. I tried half heartedly to look for them, but I didn't feel like drawing anyways. I typed some homework up and fixed some journal entries, went outside and got a bagel and cream cheese and an apple - delicious little things.
Outside of the Fine Arts Building was a man of God, one of those really annoying men of God, who is certain everyone who passes him is going to hell, who makes it very clear of his opinions by yelling out his findings to passing people and holding up HUGE posters with catchy Men Of God sayings on them... you know, a passages from the bible, something against Gays or Abortion, Premarital Sex or whatever else he can think about right after he gets out of his Man Of God Bed and brushes his Man Of God Teeth.
These people are actually somewhat common in Boulder, and in Colorado in general; Colorado Springs is pretty much the Epicenter of the Christian Reich, or whatever they call themselves. This guy was quite the little Nazi, yelled at the crowd demanding attention, telling of half truths and whats wrong with everyone around him and how we can change! Oh how we could just repent.
What was disturbing to me was not what he hated but who he was; what he was supposed to be - a man representing a whole religion. When I was growing up I went to church at least every Sunday, I was an alter server, my father was a youth minister. Church wasn't a chore, it wasn't really something I waited all week for, but it was kind of like a little community, an extended family. Everyone was sort of equal when you stepped in there, everyone ate donuts and coffee after the mass at the reception. I was a member of the church youth group in high school. We used to get together on Sunday nights and have mindless fun. Play Basketball, watch TV, play ping pong, run around the church. Nothing was centered on the fact that "I have to repent! I'm living in Sin! I'm going to Hell! I am wrong and the priest is right in every single case!" It was based on love, the quirky kind, where everyone holds hands and sings camp fire songs.
The guy on the field next to the fine arts building just wanted to hate. He had something inside that wasn't good. Anyone in marketing would tell you that you don't tell the would be buyer (to a religion?) that they're wrong. You tell them how they can get better, but never wrong. This man or god thing, without ever meeting anyone who did pass by, decided that we were wrong, he was right. He waved huge banners depicting dead terminated embryos to get attention. This is not something you do in Boulder. People are very sensitive here. If you want a rumble. There will be a rumble. I pay a riot student fee!
And people did get into fights with this man. Very peculiar fights. The God man would raise a point, a very invalid point, someone would see through to it, raise an exception, God Man would go off in a totally different direction and talk about another, even more invalid point.
Examples? Oh my. I think I was arguing with him about abortion. First off, he's a MAN. He actually asked me if my girlfriend had an abortion because of me. I said "no." Then he asked if I ever had an abortion. I looked at my crotch, then at him and then asked what he thought. He then went on about Hitler (interesting...) and asked if I could have any opinion on the Holocaust, (we're yelling at each other really. We're in a small park on campus) I said it was horrible. He said I couldn't have an opinion on it , fore I was not born yet. Bullshit. I asked them if he was around when Jesus was around. He looked at me, trying to fish something out of his brain, then went off with something else. Then I yelled and screamed at him - cutting him off: "MY BROTHER DRESSED LIKE A NEO NAZI ASSHOLE! I LIVED WITH THAT SHIT WHEN I WAS YOUNG, DON'T TELL ME I DON"T UNDERSTAND!!" and on like that.
People around me were laughing, taking pictures of the guy as if in a side show act. Wondering why he was here, why he cared, why he wasn't working or with his family, where he got the money for the expensive posters. I went inside and did some more work.
I came out again to see him still there, still waving the anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-premarital sex banners, but now a huge crowd had developed. I watched for a while. One women made a sign that read " don't feed the crazy person " in black marker, made on the spot. The Gay Bi Transexual club was the other side. with their own banner, one of peace. The God Guy was yelling away, wanting to know why no one would say anything about his stillborn child poster, the child about to be thrown into a garbage bag. Apparently he had mixed up the taking of a human life with abortion, (I am a guy. I have not gotten anyone pregnant, its hard for me to make an opinion on this matter, womans body - her business) abortion perhaps being used to terminate a life that wouldn't be raised correctly anyways, who came out of an unwanted sexual encounter, or is threatening the life of the mother.
I decided that this guy was bullshit. I walked up and stood right by him. I asked him, I Yelled at him: "Doesn't it say, in your bible, that EVERYONE is living in sin? Do you know why I think your so angry? I think your not really angry at these people, I think you just hate YOURSELF!" Huge waves of applause from the surrounding crowd reflected like an echo in a cave. He was a bit speechless, but true to his character, he thought a bit, looked around and went on another tangent. I decided it wasn't worth it. He can be an asshole, first amendment and all that poppycock.
It's crazy to think that someone would try so hard to force you to believe that his way was THE WAY, that he was correct and you were wrong, even though you had never met. Its almost like he set up the banner depicting abortion to trap people, to use as an example of our damnation. "Respond to this horrific picture or face Hell" was his argument! Forcing someone to believe in something is mind control. Wouldn't it be better to provide a positive example and then let people make their own minds? This guy was almost as worse as TV. Louder anyways. I feel sorry for his followers, where they're going to get lead into. What it will mean to them in the future. Weird day. Anyways,
Outside of the Fine Arts Building was a man of God, one of those really annoying men of God, who is certain everyone who passes him is going to hell, who makes it very clear of his opinions by yelling out his findings to passing people and holding up HUGE posters with catchy Men Of God sayings on them... you know, a passages from the bible, something against Gays or Abortion, Premarital Sex or whatever else he can think about right after he gets out of his Man Of God Bed and brushes his Man Of God Teeth.
