Jesus in the span of a cigarette Date Tuesday, April 23, 2024 - 01:51 AM PST Topic Icky People Let me begin by reminding everyone of my stance on religion: I have the UTMOST respect for people beliefs and ways of life...granted, that is, that they respect mine as well. I don't like being reminded that I'm going to hell as they don't like being reminded that they worship the greatest black magician in the history of man. Anyhoo, here's what happened. There is a janitor at the mall I work at named John. John is a lovely man, very friendly, happy with his job, and kind to everyone. He also, on his days off, comes to the mall in solid color wild suits with a matching fedora. I'm talking solid powder pink, solid purple, solid canary yellow, baby blue, with bible in hand, and stands outside the Bon Marche preaching gospel like a rabid southern holy roller. Well, if nobody minds him that's fine with me as I never go to that end of the mall, so if nobody complains and I'm not subject to it big whoop. The most I heard of his "gospel" was when I asked him how his day was, and he'd reply "the lord has blessed me with a BEAUTIFUL day ma'am, BEAUTIFUL day in His eyes, yes he did. That bright blue sky up there is His LOVE ma'am, VERY BLESSED". I always thought it was nice he was so happy with everything in his life. Usually he didn't turn his religious fervor on me, which was great. But he did turn it on me, during a much needed cigarette break. It was the anniversary of the terrorist attack last September 11th. Shortly after the attacks last year, he began in on it, how Islam was a religion of hate, that they don't worship the REAL god, that they all hate us and god will have his vengeance. Usually I don't bother him over his little "blessed" outbursts, but I wasn't going to let him fly with this one. I told him flat out "no, you're wrong." He looked BAFFLED "Why no ma'am, I'm NOT!" "Islam isn't a religion of hate, it's a beautiful religion that focus' on charity, prayer, service to your neighbors. They worship the SAME god as you, just differently." "NO MA'AM! They worship ALLAH, not God" I took a deep breath and explained that ALLAH is their language's word for god. That until he's read the Koran, he's no right to talk about it, and that the terrorists were merely using God's name to achieve their own agenda, JUST LIKE NEARLY EVERY MAJOR RELIGION IN HISTORY, JUST LIKE HIM. I then excused myself and left it at that. *sigh* Now to the issue that sparked this post. I was out on another cigarette break after spending all day without one so I could finish up a hellish merchandising task. It was the anniversary of the attack, and John was again in rare form. He was POSSESSED. It was like my turn to be the snowball in hell for 15 goddamned minutes. He was going on how there was NO mention of Mohammed before the bible (because Islam and Christianity came from the roots of Judaism! I interjected desperately) and how it's not about them it's about HIM (i.e.: Christianity's God) and how they're all faulty and shall be punished because they refuse to see the way and the light our lord Jesus Christ amen! It's not about history, he raved, it's about HIS story, HIS story and HIS coming and the LORD ALMIGHTY and they attacked the country because they HATE US and because they don't believe in the REAL ONE TRUE KING, because there IS only ONE TRUE KING he reminded me, blah blah blah blah. I tried SEVERAL TIMES to tactfully change the subject, to derail his heavenly tantrum, TO EASE MY SUFFERING...but alas to no avail. He had stopped sweeping. He had stopped replacing garbage bags. He was gaining looks of concern from people entering and exiting the doorways. He was putting me on the verge of a satanic fit the likes of which mankind has never seen nor will ever see again. I wanted to jump from my seat and fling my cigarette and scream! Scream that he was ignorant, scream that he was preposterous, scream that if he had the slightest clue as to what the world was really about and the things his own religion have done to the world that he's CONVENIENTLY forgotten would CRUSH him, scream that I DON'T FUCKING CARE! Luckily another mall employee came out mid "sermon" and John busied himself long enough to catch some scurrying trash on the ground. I had escaped, barely, the other employee giving me a look of "what the fuck was going on?" I bid them goodbye and RAN inside. IS there a tactful way to get OUT of these situations?! I tried SEVERAL times to rebuff his words or change the subject, and all in vain. It sent him into a more frenzied fervor, a more crazy line of religious ranting. I have never in my life been so TRAPPED!!!! (Hence the urge to explode and be done with him once and for all). I always liked john because he was kind, but my respect for him and tolerance for him is GONE. I fear next time I'll be unable to control myself. The man is goddamned LUCKY I'm not the type to fling my beliefs around and hurt feelings and deflate egos at random. Next time he won't be so goddamned lucky. Do I just get up and walk away in mid sentence? Do I simply tell him to shut the fuck up? Do I talk to a supervisor about him? Do I fight fire with fire and argue him to the bitter end? Do I shoot him? Got any ideas so I won't end up in jail? I'd be real thankful and stuff. This article comes from Shmeng http://www.shmeng.com/ The URL for this story is: http://www.shmeng.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=399