Christians to seek converts at mosques' doorsteps

[Fuzz]

Led by a California pastor, a group of Christians will gather outside some Seattle-area mosques today in hopes of winning converts among Muslim worshippers coming to midday prayer.

They will also take their message of salvation to those attending this weekend's Arab Festival at Seattle Center and to the parking lots of shopping centers popular among people from Islamic or Arab cultures.

It's a bold — and some say audacious — gesture, coming at a time when choices over religion have grown increasingly sensitive.

But the way Pastor George Saieg sees it, many Muslims come from countries in which people lack the freedom to choose their own religion. An Arab who grew up in a Christian home in Sudan and attended Muslim schools, Saieg said Islam is a religion that offers its followers no assurance of salvation.

"In some countries, the penalty of leaving Islam is death," he said. "I want people to know that they have freedom in this country to hear about Jesus Christ."

<snip>

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003819538_muslimconvert03m.html


Yeah. That should be a successful venture. I see no problems with this at all. Cookies and punch for everyone!

Superstitious nuts causing problems everywhere.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

1. This is going to end well.

:eyes:

[supernova]

3. Just what I was thinking

Next up on Newsnight:

Riots break out between evangelical christians and Muslims as they enter the mosque for Friday evening prayers.

Film at 11.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

6. "Muslims arrested, evangelicals given Medal of Freedom."

[supernova]

17. I would laugh if this

didn't seem so likely. *sigh*

[Madspirit]

33. Exactly Starbuck!...n/t

[Boojatta]

7. A lot of Muslims say that Jesus has an important position in Islam.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

14. From my understanding of Islam...

I think many prophets, or at least Jesus and Moses, are acknowledged in the Koran in a positive way.

[supernova]

16. Muslims know that, you know that

even I know that, but most provincial fundie xtians DON'T. Hell, they don' t even think it's the same God.

[billyoc]

24. I predict a 20% conversion rate

of xtians to Islam. :rofl:

[Donnachaidh]

2. what would these RUDE obnoxious motherf*ckers do to a Muslim

looking for converts in front of their church? :grr:

[MadMaddie]

5. That's exactly it...

Why don't these people leave others alone....why do they feel that they have to invade everyones, bedroom, religion and business.

Do they want a confrontation on our own soil....this is dangerous...or do they want to rile up the Muslim community? Do they want confrontation on American soil?...

The Muslims should go to their churches and do the same thing...I don't think the Fundi's would like it all.

[Boojatta]

12. Apparently they invaded the Koran too.

[Duppers]

22. REALLY!

My exact thoughts!

Ferchristsake!

On the subject of forcible converts and to set the record straight:
it was the Muslims who first began this 'contest' for versions of god.
Ck. it out: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/conqspain.html
The Christian crusades began after that.
Please do not construe this info as a defense of what the crazy wingers are doing. There is no defense.

[More Than A Feeling]

4. I think I'll go to the doorsteps of their churches and attempt to convert them to Hinduism

for no particular reason.

[Maru Kitteh]

13. Zoroastrianism. You'll have to bring a dictionary, and

maybe one of those magnetic alphabet kits. Make it up as you go along. You do the presentation and I'll provide the music.


Seriously, I'm a practicing Christian, but these people are just being assholes.

[ZombieNixon]

31. Heh...

My dad tried that once with the Mormons who came door to door. :rofl:

[More Than A Feeling]

38. I haven't tried that, but someday...

it's only fair that if they want to try to convert me, I get a fair shot to convert them (to Humanism, not Hinduism. I just said Hinduism because its funnier to try to convert someone to a religion you don't even believe in yourself)

[Maru Kitteh]

8. How rude.

I predict more punches than cookies.

[Left Is Write]

9. Yes. That's a good way to get converts. Accost people while they are exiting...

their own place of worship.

[rucky]

34. Do mosques serve punch & cookies?

didn't think so.

[sarcasmo]

10. Will Fred Phelps be with this group?

[The Vinyl Ripper]

11. Before Orson Scott Card flipped to the dark side..

He used to do a "secular humanist revival" that was incredibly funny and yet incredibly true at the same time.

Card had the old "tent revivalist" schtick down pat.

I'd love to see someone park on the steps of the church this guy comes from and do that.

http://mooreslore.corante.com/archives/2005/06/06/second_secular_humanist_revival_meeting.php

[porphyrian]

15. That's so fucking obnoxious.

How fast would they have the cops there if the shoe were on the other foot? Fucking hypocrites.

[greyl]

18. More likely that intelligent Muslims will convert the idiots,

Some of the biggest misconceptions that many non-Muslims have about Islam have to do with the word "Allah". For various reasons, many people have come to believe that Muslims worship a different God than Christians and Jews. This is totally false, since "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for "God" - and there is only One God. Let there be no doubt - Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus - peace be upon them all. However, it is certainly true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have different concepts of Almighty God. For example, Muslims - like Jews - reject the Christian beliefs of the Trinity and the Divine Incarnation. This, however, doesn't mean that each of these three religions worships a different God - because, as we have already said, there is only One True God. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim to be "Abrahamic Faiths", and all of them are also classified as "monotheistic". However, Islam teaches that other religions have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a pure and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting His true teachings and mixing them with man-made ideas.
more

("more likely" doesn't equal "likely".)

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. Pathetic and rude

[GRLMGC]

20. How obnoxious! nt

[JanMichael]

21. What's so wrong with that?

As an non-theist I could give a shit unless the offended call 911. Until then it's fair game, right? Of course then there are the issues of fear of police which prevent 911 calls and others but this is the grand old US of A and whatever goes good with Boss Hogg is kosher!

[Duppers]

37. you cannot call 911

for people exercising 'free speech'; it's not illegal, just fuckin' offensive.

[Jacobin]

23. Proselytizing Assholes

[piedmont]

25. Big whoop. If you want prospective converts to Christianity, you have to find non-Christians.

As long as the christians don't break any laws, I've got no problem with it. Nor with any Muslims who want to do the same.

[Duppers]

35. do you like assholes in YOUR face?

word.

[Bluebear]

42. One should expect to worship peacefully no matter what your religion (or lack thereof)

This "as long as they don't break laws" certainly doesn't account for good taste and letting people go about as they intend to.

[KG]

26. 'my fairey tale is the REAL fairey tale!'

:eyes:

[Fuzz]

29. That's it exaclty.

:(

[pingzing58]

27. Converts are made by showing others through the example of one's life one's faith.

Handing out tracts and acosting Moslem worshipers at noon prayers won't make converts.

[JI7]

28. aren't most Arabs in the United States Christians ?

[BlooInBloo]

30. Funny - the ONLY time you hear an outcry from christians is when THEY'RE being picked on....

... When they're the ones doing the picking-on, you don't hear a peep out of them. And they wonder why rational people think they're a bunch of fucks.

[DFW]

32. I was once asked

...to contribute to a fund so that some American "Christians" could
go over to India and start trying to convert Indians to Christianity.
I said I would if they contributed an equal amount to have Indians
come over to the USA to convert Christians to Hinduism.

Seemed fair enough, right? But for somoe reason, they were horrified
at my suggestion. I don't understand why. If it was OK for them to go
to a country and tell people they had the wrong religion, why was it bad
for people of that country to come do the same to us?

[Madspirit]

36. This is so offensive and patronizing

I feel fairly sure these Muslims know where they are now and know that christianity is out there. I hate "condescending" more than anything.

Leave people to their own fairy tales. They are quite aware of the predominate fairy tale in this country. It's the one that's actively trying to destroy their country of origin.

Lee

[Beerboy]

39. If the Xtian fundie proselytizers want to risk death,

more power to them. Proselytizing (dawa) is commanded in the Koran. If the unbelievers refuse to submit to Allah, other unpleasantness may ensue, or jihad.
As long as these Xtians aren't threatening the visitors to the mosque, and vice versa, shouldn't they be allowed to do so? I'm sure there'll be a lawsuit soon in any case.

[LostInAnomie]

40. The title should be: "Christians to seek confrontation at mosques' doorsteps"

Their goal is confrontation that they can spin as Islamic hostility.

It will be nice when the whole of man becomes smart enough to reject religion in its entirety.

[Judi Lynn]

41. Colorado's Tancredo announces he wants to bomb the bejesus out of mosques in Iraq.

Meanwhile, back on the ranch, fundies show Muslims they can disrespect their religion right up to the doors of their own religious centers.

Could be their next step will be formed around a salute to Tancredo: lob some grenades into those places, and show the worshippers just who the hell's boss in the good old U.S. of A.

This is seriously degrading, completely disrespectful, crude, seethingly hostile bullying. There is NO good side to it. There is only pompous, deceitful posturing. No, no one has the right to molest people in public places, nor as they seek sanctuary in their chapels, temples, mosques.

If fundies found so much direction and guidance and help from their manner of "religion," why are they paranoid, self-obsessed, self-righteous, emotionally unhinged, hate-filled, murderous losers?