I'll Bible Study You!

I was born and raised in Northern California, and only moved to Southern California to go to school in the 90's. So I am definitely more aware of the vast differences between Northern and Southern California. Especially when it comes to personal interactions and making friends in general, as Northern California people are far less guarded and much more friendly. It is a lot easier to approach people and to start up a conversation, and not have the person you are talking to think you are trying to sell them drugs or God forbid-Rape them! Which sadly is the way I feel sometimes when I am talking to people here, compared to back in my home town. So when I initially moved to Southern California I was still behaving and reacting as if I was living in Northern California, by talking to strangers and being open to meeting and getting to know new people. Which quickly proved to be somewhat detrimental to my personal sense of well being. Especially on campus with specific regards to the numerous religious freaks who try to get you to come or trick you into coming to bible study with them! Or even worse giving you an impromptu sermon right then and there in the open!


This annoying event actually happened to me quite a lot while I was still attending CSUN and it really continues to piss me off to this day. Especially since I still see them on campus when I am there for research or use of their library. For there I would be sitting contently by myself, reading a book or having a nice peaceful lunch on campus in the nice warm California weather, when all of a sudden I would be approached by some religious zealot...Actually make that "zealots" since they always worked in pairs-which really does speak volumes about their motives and method of approaching people. The religious zealot initially plays the whole situation off as just some random person innocently striking up a conversation with another random person purely for the sake of being friendly. But the whole while everything they have done and said is only to see if they can lure you into coming to bible study with them and/or talking about the lord ad nauseum. It is one of the most annoying things that has ever happened to me on a regular basis on campus and it's also insulting as hell! For One they have no idea if the person they are approaching is actually religious or not to begin with, and their means of approach or attack as it were is so painfully obvious! After the first couple of times it happened to me, I really started to pay more attention and to be on guard as it were which is sad. As such I can usually spot them way before they can even get near me. For they always works in pairs and you can actually see them planning on who they will approach ahead of time, standing there pointing at people and debating which person at first sight seems the more likely candidate to be "saved" by them!


And what's worse is that it doesn't just stop there. There are also a bunch of religious nuts who stake out bus stops and hand out religious propaganda there as well, in English and Spanish. Which tells me that what all these religious people really have is an agenda! For they are always targeting bus stops and bus stop patrons. Thinking that the people who take the bus are the types of people who need religious saving, as if taking the bus means you are a sinner or weaker willed than the rest of the populace. Which is darn right insulting as well as infuriating! For I, or anyone else for that matter should be able to sit or stand quietly, read our book or be left alone with our thoughts, and not be molested by religious fanatics every couple of minutes. I mean I do not go into any of their homes, where they hang out, or to their school and talk to them about evolution. So they damn well shouldn't come and bother me with what I believe to be nonsense in my own time, in my own personal space!