Nexa wrote:
You've really never had this happen to you?
No. I really honestly have not. I've hung out with hard core punks, wiccans, and a host of alternative lifestyle types in my days. I've had friends who were hard core atheists, and others who were hard core born agains. I've literally *never* had someone make a statement like that, and I don't recall anyone I knew growing up ever relating a story about having it happen to them. And let me tell you. When you've spent as many weekends hotel partying with methheads as I used to, it's not like you somehow don't hear every single story in their lives at least a dozen times. It's pretty unlikely if they had a story about someone accosting them on the street and insisting they were going to go to hell because of what they were wearing, or doing, I'd not have heard it.
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I mean, I know such behavior is clearly going to be more rampant in one local over another, but it's funny to hear from someone who is so incredulous about it. I'm certainly not living in the most fundamentalist area of the country and I've experienced this phenomenon before...once when I was smoking as a kid by some lady on the street, and another time by a man when I was walking with a boyfriend and holding his hand. In the second instance, the man told me that it was only a matter of time before I got pregnant and both my ******* child and I would be sent to hell. Then he handed me a lovely pamphlet regarding the dangers of the coming apocalypse and inviting me to church. I passed.
On Monday or Tuesday of this week, one of my friends who works in a university bookstore was told that God doesn't like her facial piercings but she'd be able to show them off in hell...this coming from a customer as she was ringing in his order. While I don't think it's something one expects on a daily basis, it's really not so shocking that I'd expect anyone to disbelieve it occurs.
Nexa
On Monday or Tuesday of this week, one of my friends who works in a university bookstore was told that God doesn't like her facial piercings but she'd be able to show them off in hell...this coming from a customer as she was ringing in his order. While I don't think it's something one expects on a daily basis, it's really not so shocking that I'd expect anyone to disbelieve it occurs.
Nexa
Apparently, you all live is screwed up parts of the country. Really. Not that California doesn't have it's quirks (it does!). People out west tend to be laid back. Even the fundamentalists. It's not that they care less or have less faith, they just honestly don't feel a need to tell others how to live their lives. If you show up at their doorstep or something, sure. But that's about it. The closest I've ever seen to anyone pushing religion is the occasional Jehovahs Witness folks handing out a tract at the door. And even they are pretty polite and non-confrontational. I'm more pressured by the average kid selling newspaper or magazine subscriptions than I have ever been by them (and it's been years since I've ever seen one anyway).
Um... There was one occasion actually. My best friend's wife is very young looking. Even today, at age 38, she's had people mistake her for her daughters older sister. When she was in her 20s, she looked like she was in her mid teens. She just has a very young looking face. When she was pregnant with her daughter (about 13 years ago now), she was working at Nordstroms. She did once have a woman comment disapprovingly about having gotten herself "in trouble". But it was pretty clear that this wasn't about religion at all, but more of a self-important upper class type looking down her nose at what she thought was a teenager who was pregnant.
That's the closest I can think of any story I've heard from any friend of mine that vaguely smacks of what you're talking about. So yeah. To me, it's very surprising to hear people relate these stories. I suspect it's not just the fundies who are overly uptight where you live though...
Edited, Sep 25th 2009 6:15pm by gbaji
My anecdotal evidence is irrefutable!