To feel angry about religious shouty people in city centre

[AliceKlar]

I can't understand why Christian/Evangelist 'preachers' (They are always in normal clothes so no idea if they are actually preachers or just random believers) are given permission by the council to stand on a busy street in the city centre and yell about being saved and letting Jesus into our lives etc.

I have nothing against anyone believing in whatever they choose, or even Jehovah's Witnesses going door to door, because you can say no and they go away. In the city centre though there's no escape, especially for the people working inside the shops nearby which often have open door policies. It really makes me annoyed for some reason. Does anyone else find this unreasonable? If people want to hear about Jesus and the Christian religion there are churches that will be only too pleased to help.

For years I couldn't see something like maybe an unusual sunset, without stopping and thinking 'maybe this is it, here we go!'

In my city, Primark has become the battle ground. Treacle, that's awful. When I was wee I wasn't sure I would reach adulthood, but that was just because of nuclear war.

This sort of thing makes me feel quite anxious.

I’m all for freedom of speech, but street preachers sound so aggressive and their spiel usually involves discriminatory hate speech against non-believers:

'If you don’t believe as I do, you are going to be punished by a wrathful God!'

I end up feeling slightly violated. I’d rather have a persistent tone deaf busker serenading me any day of the week.

There are many things that annoy me - chuggers (yes, you Dogs Trust), party political stalls (yes, you BNP @ election time), any religious fundamentalists (Yes, you hellfire odd Welsh Baptist offshoot people) - but it's a small price to pay for democracy and freedom of speech.

It's not just the religious nutters, the chuggers and the "just doing a quick survey" crowd are putting people off as well.

The ones that have a pop up stall can't stray too far from it but those armed with some logo'd bib and a clipboard wander all over the place.

I've seen shoppers, sometimes quite elderly, being chased across the road.

It's disgraceful.

Alice- in my town centre, they do!
Well, not Jewish people. I don't think Jewish people proselytise, do they? Theyre the chosen ones, and everyone else is damned, so what would be the point? That would be just rubbing people's faces in it.
Nor Sikhs.

But:
Hare Krishnas
Muslims
Mormons
Scientologists
Christians
They all do.

I feel more pity for anyone who's been duped into religion so YAB(a bit)U.

The shouty bit is annoying but in my city at least, one 'preacher' wasn't allowed to continue to use their megaphone so it wasn't really that noisy.

I don't mind them too much. You just walk past if you're not interested and it's a small price to pay for real freedom of speech. They only make up a tiny fraction of the people making a noise in the street, such as buskers who can't play/sing, chuggers, sellers, builders who call out, and groups of people on a night out who've drunk too much.

I'm with the OP.

I'm unfortunately a magnet for these types regardless where I am in public alone. I listen for a minute because I don't want to be rude and then tell them I have my own personal relationship with my higher power, am quite content, and not looking to change it now or ever. Have a nice day and walk off. Literally, act as if they're asking me to change providers ;-)

SEmyarse every Sunday after church we used to be able to bring our best friends over for tea. We were teenagers and had been reading the bit in the bible about the moon turning to blood or something like that when Jesus comes back. It was the holidays and our friend got to stay over that night, that night also coincided with there being a blood moon.

Suffice to say both me, my sister and my friend crapped ourselves 😂

When I lived in Dalston there was a very shouty Pentecostalist preacher. The local Mum's used to threaten their children that if they misbehaved they'd have to go stand with him.

They just make me smile. I wish I could believe in God, but my logical mind keeps asking why s/he couldn't send along some more appealing representatives if s/he is so marvellous.

I used to work in a shop where a religious shouter would come and stand outside and preach his hate. It was awful; we couldn't get away from it. Every day during the Spring and Summer. Only Winter seemed to deter him.

Nobody should have the right to shout bullshit at people in the street; and force those working nearby to listen to it all.

One in Manchester as well, shouting and preaching, my teenage granddaughter not very impressed with him saying that "women are weak and easily led".

Thankfully we don't have to put up with this in my town.
As a minimum, I think megaphones should be banned, on the grounds of noise pollution. Other than that, I suppose people are allowed to talk.
scaryteacher I think people should be free to practice their religion - in their own homes, in their place of worship, and in their own heads. That way it doesn't interfere with other people who may want nothing to do with your religion.

Also NI but my DM is delightfully non religious (and highly irreverent at times)and used to mutter not too quietly at some shouters in Belfast city centre that no wonder there were so many bomb scares it was probably to shut them up. DF refused to go out with us for years

I tried to have a discussion with them. Bloody hell how aggressive they are
But these aren't mainstream christians. More like holy church of nutters

Another NI person who has witnessed the epidemic that is ranty shouty singing holy joes. It doesn't make me angry just uncomfortable and I certainly quicken my step avoiding eye contact.

I'm glad it's not just me who finds this really unnecessary. For the sake of the people in surrounding shops/offices I think if they're going to be allowed, there should be a half-hour time limit on ranting. If you can't say what you need to say in that time then too bad.

But this is what free speech looks like. My grandad was an open air preacher back in the 1920s. He would not have thought he was doing his job properly if he had not spread the word. You don't preach to the converted....what would be the point ???

I don't think that's what free speech looks like.

but then I'd ban all the crazies taking up pavement space - have your official shop or place of worship where people can go and enquire. The butcher has paid for his shop or whatever. You want a shop, have one.

but the woman who rants outside the Tube at rush hour - OMD a bunch of stressed commuters - she'll get to hell faster than she ever imagined doing that. I don't think it's at all unreasonable to ban the chuggers, golf sale signs and ranting religion sellers at all.

anonymic That's not what free speech looks like. Your grandad was being rude and selfish.

Well I get that they are very annoying. But how far do you take that ? Presumably everyone has some things you think are worth standing up in public and talking about. You would be starting a process by which antivivisectionist protesters could be claimed to be too annoying...or pro farming lobbies....or pro life or pro choice or any other cause. People are allowed the right to express free speech. Not to harass. So if a religious believer crosses the line from talking at you to harassing you you have every right to complain. And that is also as it should be.

Sorry, slightly off-topic, but this has reminded me of en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Green. Does anyone else remember him? I used to work in Oxford Street so, saw him regularly for years.

I honestly have no idea if he was being rude or selfish. I wasn't born...I know he used to stand and preach. Is that actually illegal ? I can't find a statue that says so....but nor do I condone him. Im just saying its not surprising evangelical movements preach. They are evangelist. That's the nature of the beast....