I work at a Bob Evans resturant, which for those of you not informed is a country-style food emporium. Lotsa old people, and we get many after church every Sunday.
However, the tracts people leave on tables are kind of aggravating me. If I was weak-willed enough to decide to change from my religion to a new one by just reading a piece of paper, shouldn’t I be in a cult by now? If you want to whitness because it is part of your religion, go ahead. But do it in your own words, not by leaving a piece of paper. There seem to be an amazing amount of these things left.
One of the things that set me off happened about a week ago. I was bussing a table and saw a ten folded on the table. It was obviously counterfeit from looking at it up close, but I didn’t pick it up. I fully experienced the stupidity of it when the server grabbed it, opened it, and saw it was a tract. She is a Christian, and I love her to pieces. She was OK with it, and thanked the people who left it.
I got to look at it later. It said something like “You won’t be diappointed with Christ!” If I was a server and recieved something like that, I would feel pretty shitty. I felt kind of bad for the girl until she explained that she was fine with it.
What does this tell me? These people felt that they could win more converts by tricking people and decieving them. That is so underhanded and mean. I hope God talks with them about it later. They also bought what seemed like counterfeit money, giving money to the people who made the presses. This thing was the exact same size, and was folded in half like a normal bill is folded in thirds. Isn’t that illegal, or at least immoral?
I have nothing against people who want to whitness. But speak the word, don’t try and spread it by tricking people.
There was thread a long time ago (can’t find it; it was a loong time ago and I forgot the thread title) about fundamentalists trying to spread their religion, and they did it by obtaining a fire truck and driving it with the siren on at 5 in the morning (probably illegal) and sticking pamphlets into peoples’ mailboxes (definitely illegal.)
Not the best way to convince people to join your cause.
Heh. Speaking as a Hardcore Militant Atheist, I’d like to get my hands on some of those “Fake Money Jesus Tracts”–they should make excellent recruiting tools for the Secular Humanist Conspiracy.
(I’m not sure if they’re close enough to real money that they actually cross the line into illegality, though.)
Let me get this straight. In a restaurant in which the servers depend on tips for a significant part of their income, these assholes left something that was designed to look like a good tip, but was in fact worthless. If that isn’t illegal, it has to be one of the lowest things you can do without breaking the law.
How exactly is that supposed to win people over? “Hmm, so these Christians I just served made me think I was getting ten bucks to put towards next term’s textbooks (or the rent, or my kids’ school clothes, or new shoes, or whatever) while in fact they were giving me a worthless piece of paper inviting me to join their religion. Sign me up! I want to be just like them!” :rolleyes:
How about a real ten with a note folded up inside? That might actually get some positive attention from somebody who’s busting her ass for under minimum wage.
in northern ireland the only people you get are the mad free presbyterians in belfast who bang tambourines and ask if you know jesus. they also hand out tracts outside nightclubs denouncing alcohol as the “devil’s vomit”. also they use to hang out outside the family planning clinic and protest (i don’t know why, it’s ireland, abortion is illegal) and stand outside (there are only 2) gay clubs in belfast with “save ulster from sodomy” signs. so they are basically discounted as complete loopers and ignored.
in the south you occasionally get the odd nun with a collecting tin, but that’s that.
and jehovah’s witnesses, mormons and hare krishnas are all very polite and will go away if you ask them to…or tell them you’re jewish.
i don’t know, i always thought that you were supposed to witness by good works and calm demeanour? it’s a lot less annoying.
and if you shall know them by their fruits…counterfeit $10 don’t say a lot.
So, in addition to having all the best tunes, the Devil vomits alcohol, does he? I might have to consider switching sides… (Unless it’s the sort of alcohol you get in nightclubs; overpriced cocktails and designer lagers and the like - ugh!)
As to the OP: this is a cheap trick, and a nasty one. I am not a fan of cheap and nasty religion. Especially when it’s (nominally) my religion.
For the record, it looked EXACTLY like a ten, until you looked at the paper it was printed on. It was less wide than a ten, but in all respects looked like a real one. It was even as tall.
Most Christians are a fine lot with me, and are nice. It’s the ones like those people who thought that making people feel bad will win them over.
flodnak, I like your idea a lot more. What better way to spread the message than by charity and giving?
If I were the manager of that restaurant, I would approach the people next time, and tell them that if they did that again, they would not be welcomed back.
They’re willing to give words, but not where it hurts…
Oh MAN, that is such a story for CUstomer’s Suck!
Well, if you’re looking for a tract in the style of Chick to pass out BACK to these people, take a look at http://spacemoose.com/strips/antlers2.jpg . (The required warning: a little on the risque side)
I’ve seen that fake money tract too. The server who got it was livid when she opened it up. They had left little or no tip with it, naturally. I kind of wish I had saved all the tracts I’ve gotten while waiting tables. I’d have an interesting collection. Yeah, nothing like getting a crappy tip and being told I’m going to hell to make my night.
Fortunately, in my three year pizza delivery career, I never once received a Jesus tract in lieu of a tip. Then again, it was back in fundamentalist Catholic Buffalo, and if there’s anything that Catholics are not, it’s Bible-thumpin’.
To my co-workers who were unlucky enough to get a pamphlet enscribed with the likes of “Here’s a tip – turn to the love of Jesus or be cast into the pool of eternal hellfire!”, their standard response was “thanks for caring, but Jesus doesn’t may my tuition/rent.”
Who? I assume he means “psychics”. At least we can rest assured that the tracts won’t get there, given the spelling atrocities.
And the day they ran out of toilet paper in the office bathroom, they thanked you very much.
No, this is a way of royally pissing off a lot of people, and getting yourself "block sender"ed.
“Hey, Cindy, you ever hear of this ‘Jesus’ guy? Me neither, but there’s a little book about him in this loser’s phone bill!”
Is it just me, or does anyone else think this guy needs to re-think his business model? “We only give out free pens. People ask how we make money. The answer? Volume.”
Unless they use the auto-feeder, that is, in which case they have a badly-rendered drawing of Satan in the middle of every single page of 50 copies of the quarterly report.
When people are at their most desperate!
This stuff is seriously sad.
I never saw the Money Tract during my tour at Cracker Barrel, but my GF said that she saw one or two tracts impersonating a $5. Pissed her off royally.
