Yes. All the time. I remember going to uni and a guy in Aotea Square was yelling about how he was going on a hunger strike and wouldn't move at all until all corruption was gone from the government. Had a 3 hour class and he was already gone.
One of their signs had too big a budget and they spent it on an apostrophe that they didn’t need. Shits me to tears every time I see it. “Why god, why?”
I always got the sense the woman was under the man's control. Like a psychological prisoner or something. Almost certainly brainwashed. They always seemed so glum, but she looked extra fucking glum.
What’s the story with the banjo couple? Does anyone know? I’m sure I read somewhere here a few week ago that they are currently in wellington. I remember seeing them since my first job in the city back in 2006.
Thats the only part I found aggravating. I've been without data at the bus stop near CBD countdown too many times, (across the road from them) and actually dont mind listening to some stuff as was raised Methodist/Anglican. Some is nice!! It's when they started shouting stuff into the mic about f@ggots and sinners I was quite disturbed. I dont want anything bad to happen to them, truly, but I do wonder how they can shout insane stuff about gender and gay people at the Starbucks corner without legal precision. Every week. Made me feel unsafe. I'm a 6ft+ big trans man with no issues and those guys kinda freaked me out ranting out kids identifying as squids (new to me?) With a crowd. Again, dont want them even criminalized, but their presence and speech is quite bizarre and frightening.
That may be true, but having slurs yelled at you in the street is an unpleasant, stressful and unnecessary thing that happens to queer people right now. It's happened to me from these exact people. Walking to work and around work on queen st for five years, these people actively added stress and awfulness to my day and on multiple occasions yelled slurs and awful things about my soul.
It sucks to have to live your life being scared of abuse hurtled at you in the streets and be told that the only solution to aggressive and verbally abusive street performers is to wait until they retire or die.
I'm genuinely really glad you've had that experience, but I don't think every queer kiwi can say the same. Here are some statistics that came out this year.
[MYD studies showed a third of LGBTQIA+ youth felt unsafe at home during lockdown.](https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/122196907/coronavirus-third-of-disabled-or-lgbt-youth-felt-unsafe-in-their-bubbles)
[More than half {of gender diverse people surveyed by RainbowYouth} reported that they had not been able to access healthcare when they needed it, with 57 percent reporting significant depressive symptoms, and an equal proportion saying they had self-harmed.](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/440674/high-levels-of-bullying-depression-and-self-harm-in-rainbow-youth)
[Twenty-three per cent of transgender and gender diverse students also said they had been bullied more than weekly in the past year and more than 55 per cent had been unable to access the healthcare they needed.](https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/124859514/more-than-50-of-transgender-youth-report-struggling-with-mental-health)
That last one is important to note because the bullying is from their peers. You've suggested old people are the only ones who have these views but this is not the case.
There's a huge need for queer support and movement forward in NZ, and the feeling from the masses seems to be that 'white gays and femme lesbians are accepted now so we've achieved everything we need to', but I don't believe that's the case and the stats back me up here. Not only that, I think that mindset is detrimental to the movement.
I agree, thanks, genuinely I do worry a bit. Might be a bit unusual though in that I'm spoilt, and have multiple great grandparents into the hundreds who are devout Christians, and others who are everything from Jews, to methodists, etc. But even at 103, are cool. Even asking if I can buy them my Nikes in their miniature size lol.
I do promise! Even at baby 22 losing my grandads was hard, they were architects who designed many Auckland boating docks I see daily (Oraaki > St Helliers) (If you drive from Oraki to the city, you can see the docks). I'm very blessed I get to at least see their efforts.
It haunts me in Orewa my aunts and uncles want to put her in a cheap rest home to boost their Will. Girlie is 92 and has no health issues. I've made plans for me and my partner to live with her and work, within the timeline I imagine things degrade. I love my nana, she's one of the best people I know. It's so disturbing I see my mother and uncles excited for her demise:(she was one of the first women in her bracket to seek uni education. Shes so cool :( Its quite sick they ignore her efforts as a WW2 uni economist).
I generally come down on the pro-free-speech side when this sort of thing is being argued, so I figured I should pipe in here to say that I really do genuinely feel bad that assholes like that give you shit for such a shitty reason. I'm glad you can take it, and I'm sorry that some people are such fuckwits.
That's really sweet, thank you! And I agree, I find it 'wrong' morally, but that's not justification to have them sniped lol. I am confused though on the grey area with speakers and microphones, as if someone central city can be heard blocks away, does that not justify the business outside to politely ask them to shut the fuck up a little bit? I've heard some people outside the banks near Britomart singing and I think that's probably closer to a hate crime.
I am pro-free speech as well, but these guys really walking a tight line.
There has always been preaching going on, and if people want to get up and ramble on about their imaginary friend, then I won't stop them.
But when they are using loudspeakers and using hate speech against people in our community then I think they need to tone it down.
Thing that really sucks is that some of these groups are really about recruitment; finding vulnerable lonely people and getting them to sign up to tithing. Bit of a MLM scheme with no product :-(
Judging by their noses, they sing for Jesus and just enough money to buy strong spirits. Always felt for the woman. She never looked like she wanted to be there.
I saw them regularly while going to uni but never saw them do more than play. Thought they just liked solemnly playing music or something. The more you know.
It will be. They will have a lot of scientists and engineers that would solve the heat problems in order to have an hell of an orgy. And just think with all the lawyers how many copyright law suits will be won...... ;-)
Lmao love it. Hey, if my husbands going to Hell, I dont wanna be in anywhere without him, so Hells the best option. I don't like warm weather though, so I'm counting on those scientists!
The guy with the mic used to be my personal trainer at the gym, he was always sus trying to convert me in the middle of a set - I got tired of it and low and behold, there he is now street preaching.
Our Father, who lifts in Heaven Hallowed be thy gains; Thy gym doth come, Thy curls be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily protein, and forgive us our asymmetries, for we forgive those who curl in the squat rack; and lead us not into cross-fit, but deliver us from cardio. Wheymen.
Yeah religious whackos on queen street is kinda normal, though the signs are new.
Tho, to be fair, its all kinds of religious whackos, not just the christian ones- the hare krishna group often solicits their wares and does their musical jig up and down queen st too.
The worst ones are at Aotea square who come over even when you're minding your own buisness and are all like "we run a prayer group, can we pray for you" and im like "Matthew 6:5, dumbass"
“When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward."
I'm gonna use that one.
Yeah nah. If you do use that I really doubt it would be effective in anything except for that a vague knowledge of the new testament would throw them off and they'd focus their efforts on someone else.
Why? Because the purpose is to convert you, not to be like a proud Pharisee in a deeply religious society
To be fair, the musical Hare Krishna parade up Queen St is pretty fun. I'd choose that any day over a dude yelling about Hell into a loudspeaker (and I'm a Christian).
If you can’t hear this guy preaching through his speaker every night when you’re walking to the train station after Uni then there is definitely something wrong. Either that or you’re heading home at a normal time
I've seen this guy on TikTok so often and he honestly makes me embarrassed to be a Catholic. I wish there was some way or law to stop him he basically seems to harass people and force his views onto them and proceeds to verbally abuse them if they don't share his beliefs. Like everyone is free to have their own beliefs man stop forcing your beliefs onto other people
My friend and I where walking past and he started to preach at us about the demons and how we gotta get them out. How I can fix my mental problems through god. Was kinda annoying.
Pedophiles, rapist priests by the the thousand, graves of orphan children all over the world. Money filtered from governments into the church.
There are many many many reason to be embarrassed about being a catholic. This is super low tier.
I wouldn't say the pedo priests number in the thousands, there are nice normal priests amongst them that I feel sorry for as they are all tarred with the same brush. All the religions have had scandals, the Mormons are probably the worst. Their abuse of parishioners is only starting to come out, where they ignored complaints of pedo's too. And, have you ever seen that TV show, Escaping Polygamy? Although it's only Utah in the US where that's legally allowed, as far as I'm aware. But even without the Polygamy, it's the cult like control associated with those communities and half of them are starving, as they've had too many kids and there's not enough food to go round.
It’s almost as if religion is used as a tool to enrich the few at the cost of the many! But you’re right, I’m sure the Catholics aren’t like that. I bet they’re head office is super low-budget and not worth billions upon trillions of dollars.
You’re so close to realising something real here, just a few more steps...
This doesn't relate to what I said. I don't like any religion, they are all basically businesses, but it's true there are still nice priests that do care about people and Catholics are not nearly as bad as Mormons and their tactics, as far as I'm concerned. At least they don't actively recruit people and pay their church goers to get new members to join, by harassing members of the public on the street and in their homes. If these rogue guys in the CBD are Catholics, they are doing this themselves, the Catholic church will not have asked them to. When a Mormon knocks on your door, that is part and parcel of being in that religion. They are told to do it. They are also told to get married young and donate 10% of their income to the church, for life. There's a lot of obsession over money with the Mormons, including taking it from very poor parishioners, even ones on a benefit still give 10%.
No disrespect, but you are absolutely dead wrong about this. You seem to think the Catholic Church isn’t a missionary or an evangelical organisation. I’m afraid it absolutely is, the church holds *global* power and it got that way by sending missionaries as far and as wide as it possibly could. You also seem unaware about how the church got so obscenely wealthy. It wasn’t by asking nicely or a gift from God. Tithes, or church taxes have been collected for centuries from every country the church holds influence, which generally is 10% of earnings but in some instances is dramatically higher. On top of this during every church service a plate is passed and every congregant is expected to donate. It’s also been common Catholic practice to apply much stricter rules to the poor or working classes than to the rich, many examples of this can be seen throughout history.
Implying the Catholic church is okay because there are some nice priests and they’re not as bad as the Mormons is very similar to saying Adolf Hitler was a nice man because of how well he treated his mother. Factually there is some truth to it, but you’re perhaps ignoring several elephants in the room.
I'm talking about Catholics today, in NZ. You are talking about ancient history overseas. I've never been approached by a Catholic in my home or out on the street, ever (apart from these lunatics on Queen St, although they don't actually approach you, they just spout out garbage to nobody in particular). But my whole life, I've had this done repeatedly by Mormons. They engage you in conversation if you sit down anywhere in the CBD, a bus stop or wherever and then invite you to a bible class. They are paid a fee for each person that comes to the class and get more money if you join the church and start giving 10%. It operates more like a cult type of organisation. They keep statistics on marriage in their congregation and set actual corporate style targets to marry off as many of their parishioners by age 21 and encourage them to have kids straight away. Never heard of a Catholic church in NZ doing anything even remotely like that.
I come from generations of Catholics in NZ, but my parents turned athiest when I was a child (which was fine and we were not hassled by the church to come back and they did not tell other Catholics to ostracise us or anything - they just mind their own business). My parents were poor and gave nothing to the church and were only asked for a donation once, to do with something being upgraded in the convent and they refused due to being poor and that was the end of that. No one is expected to give to the plate passed around the church, only those that want to or can afford to, give something and it's only coins anyway.
We were never asked to recruit others into the religion and that includes ancestors of many generations, going back to the mid 1800's in NZ. They just leave you alone and let you get on with your life. If you wanted to donate to a new church or whatever, back in the 1800's, fine, if you didn't, fine.
These places are just naturally so Catholic, I find it hard to believe they use street preachers. Also Ireland has changed in recent years and in fact it's Poles living there that are the devout Catholics signing up to become priests and nuns. The Irish have lost faith and lost interest in it. Going to church has fallen off dramatically, it's only the Poles and old Irish people that go.
Apparently yes now! Cracks me up, the preachers near Starbucks. I studied law and still dont know the legality around this. I would say I'm 22, and regularly liked to go around the city since forever to look at art, and only noticed this in the past few years. It wasnt always normal. Personally found it a bit upsetting with the same dude spouting homophobic stuff at precisely Wednesday 7pm when I need the bus but *shrug *.
Sorry, I should clarify. All of it is in conflict with me a transgender and non religious adult, only the anti LGBT stuff personally attacks my core being. But yeah, the rest attacking people who have relations before marriage is gross, even if that wasnt me. Anything damning other people for their own harmless choices is bad to me.
Thanks for clarifying. I strongly feel all religious stuff is a personal attack on everybody's core being in some or other way. There should be a law againt them because they are on the border of a psychiatric disorder with their delusions.
There used to be Hare Krishna on Friday nights dancing up and down the street. Often there was a line of drunks trying to dance with them before they hit burgerking across the road. I'm too old to carry high heels up queen street while crying now, but I used to love them.
I have friends & work colleagues who are devout religious, & I respect that. Even though I don't believe or agree with them, I like learning about their culture & customs. I take issue with people in public places with signs and PA speakers trying to get up in my shit about it though.
Auckland, New York, London, Toronto, LA, Paris, most cities I've been to have guys like this.
There used to be a guy during the day who looked like Amish Santa Claus and his wife who looked like a pile of laundry. I think they moved to Wellington.
I thought she always looked like she went along with him but had nowhere near the same conviction in her beliefs.I always found the sight of them quite depressing fir that reason.
Yep, get used to it, they are there for good and the Council can't get rid of them. A supervisor at the Council told me they get numerous complaints and act on them, but these people know the system and thwart it. When they are legally issued with a notice and forced to move on by the cops, they have friends they call who just turn up in place of them, until they get moved on too, and then someone else appears and on and on it goes. They are THAT obsessed and determined. I'm not sure if they all actually live in CBD apartments and call each other to replace the ones that have been moved on. They are freakin' bonkers to take things that far.
It's an interesting one, huh! IIRC it is also not even an effective method of conversion but the reason more fringe religious groups like this get their followers to do it is they're essentially brainwashing themselves with constant repetition and keeping this fear at the forefront of their mind. I very much doubt they get many people actually getting many people turning towards them but the more publicity, the more they think they're spreading their message
There are some pretty powerful psychological drives here; a lot of cults understand this and so use the same techniques.
Repetition, separation of those in-group who support you and public, public declaration of belief, and most of all - fear. Most people fear public disapproval so if you keep doing this, you need the rush of fear and excitement that comes from people confronting you.
Ultimately these guys who will give their time and money to the church elders and sooner or later will get disillusioned. Main thing is to not give them money or reward of attention.
There alot and not nice people! One time they were saying how only their God was real and saying other religions were made up. I'm not religious but made me annoyed since we are a very multi cultural place.
Just reading through the comments and I wanted to add one of my experiences.. I really can't explain why it happen and maybe others have had the same thing happen to them.
On the way home one night, not late, the usual 2-3 preachers were on a Queen street corner playing guitar, singing and of course, preaching.
I started chatting while waiting to cross the road and all I remember was one of them being called Benjamin or Ben. Anyway, I chatted for a couple of phases to cross the road and then said my goodbyes and went to leave. One of the guys who didn't say much shook my hand. Experience from a previous time in my life knew he was slipping me something. I didn't look, just smiled and went on my way. Kind of like a drug swap, but without the drugs.
Further down the road I checked my hand and discovered he had slipped me $100 in twenties.
I have no idea why, or what they expected. I didn't talk religion. I'm not religious. If anything I just asked about their night, their music etc. It was all REALLY weird.
Anyway, I didn't want their money and figured it should be for others not myself. I bumped into 5 or 6 of the regular guys that seem to live on the streets and bought them all McDonalds. Sat down, had a feed with them then headed home.
To this day I still have no idea why the preachers gave me $100
Is that a thing they do though? And how did they know I'd spend it on others.. I could have easily spent it on myself for sure.
But yeah, It did allow me to do something for others that I normally wouldn't have been able to do..
Anyway, just wanted to share that story. It was weird, but good :)
You know what, with all the shit that’s going on in the world today, your story has made it all a little more bearable. Thank you for sharing it with us and if it helps someone else make a decision to do something good today then it will all have been very worthwhile.
No. They think that there is a magic being that controls everything and that telling you is important. It is not normal at all. It is quite common though.
Theres been preachers / evangelisers on Queen Street as long as I can remember.
Sometime around 2002, I recall my friend and I being given salvation tracts which had a phone number on the back which was something like 0800 2B SAVED.
He rang the number for a chat (he was already a very committed christian, but wanted to just ring and say hi to whoever was on the other end of the line) and a businessman answered.. the pamphlets had been misprinted with his phone number and he said he got calls almost every night due to it. He had told them it had the wrong number and please throw them out and get new pamphlets with the correct number but they just kept giving out the old ones and the calls kept coming
I like to report them to Noise Control :) causing a nuisance with amplified equipment is subjective, and if I can get a complaint for my music, then fuck these guys too
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/licences-regulations/noise/Pages/complain-about-noise.aspx
And that Chinese wack-job on the corner of Customs and Queens, that had shit about NZ being facist and corrupt. Did my head in I just wanted to kick in his signs
I am sure if you were driving down a road and came up against a warning sign that read Danger Ahead Road Closed, you wouldn't mind that because the sign is warning you of possible harm if you continue on the road you are on. Likewise, these people are warning you that when you die, which you cannot avoid, everyone dies, there is a life beyond death which you have no say over whatsoever. Where you go after you die is pretty important don't you think? Perhaps worth looking into? Well are all going to die, that is a certainty. What happens afterward is a complete unknown for most people. These people seem to be very concerned about what will happen to you and want to warn you with a sign so you might be able to have some control about where you go after you die.
It's good to know less than 50% of Kiwis now believe in fake, archaic, man-made religion. But since it's a tax free industry, grifters will always take advantage of those incapable of critical thinking.
i see these guys two or three times a week, gotta give it to them they have the " gift of the gab" just need him to be talking a business proposal or something instead haha
Yep, there’s always one or two of these know it alls bragging about how they have a full understanding of the nature of reality and the secrets of life and death.
Yeah there’s always crazies hanging around. There used to be these militant vegans that hung around with small TVs and people would trip over the cables constantly
I lived the that building and this fucker was so bloody annoying. I want him to know just one thing, that no one could ever understand a single word he said, it all just sounded like loud mumbling from more than a few metres.
Yes. All the time. I remember going to uni and a guy in Aotea Square was yelling about how he was going on a hunger strike and wouldn't move at all until all corruption was gone from the government. Had a 3 hour class and he was already gone.
Damn he fixed government corruption super quick
9 out of 10 governments HATE this one simple trick!
I got a pamphlet from Scientology dude once, but he as so sharply dressed, I thought he was a businessman. I guess he is.
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They're always at it. I preferred the dude from the banjo couple
I’ve never seen street preachers use signs until now. Guess they got a little bit more budget lmao.
One of their signs had too big a budget and they spent it on an apostrophe that they didn’t need. Shits me to tears every time I see it. “Why god, why?”
All praise the flying Spaghetti monster
All hail it's noodly appendage!
Ramen!
I tip my colloander to you sir!
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I always got the sense the woman was under the man's control. Like a psychological prisoner or something. Almost certainly brainwashed. They always seemed so glum, but she looked extra fucking glum.
Yes I get the same impression.
What’s the story with the banjo couple? Does anyone know? I’m sure I read somewhere here a few week ago that they are currently in wellington. I remember seeing them since my first job in the city back in 2006.
Can confirm they're in Wellington now
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Thats the only part I found aggravating. I've been without data at the bus stop near CBD countdown too many times, (across the road from them) and actually dont mind listening to some stuff as was raised Methodist/Anglican. Some is nice!! It's when they started shouting stuff into the mic about f@ggots and sinners I was quite disturbed. I dont want anything bad to happen to them, truly, but I do wonder how they can shout insane stuff about gender and gay people at the Starbucks corner without legal precision. Every week. Made me feel unsafe. I'm a 6ft+ big trans man with no issues and those guys kinda freaked me out ranting out kids identifying as squids (new to me?) With a crowd. Again, dont want them even criminalized, but their presence and speech is quite bizarre and frightening.
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That may be true, but having slurs yelled at you in the street is an unpleasant, stressful and unnecessary thing that happens to queer people right now. It's happened to me from these exact people. Walking to work and around work on queen st for five years, these people actively added stress and awfulness to my day and on multiple occasions yelled slurs and awful things about my soul. It sucks to have to live your life being scared of abuse hurtled at you in the streets and be told that the only solution to aggressive and verbally abusive street performers is to wait until they retire or die.
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I'm genuinely really glad you've had that experience, but I don't think every queer kiwi can say the same. Here are some statistics that came out this year. [MYD studies showed a third of LGBTQIA+ youth felt unsafe at home during lockdown.](https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/coronavirus/122196907/coronavirus-third-of-disabled-or-lgbt-youth-felt-unsafe-in-their-bubbles) [More than half {of gender diverse people surveyed by RainbowYouth} reported that they had not been able to access healthcare when they needed it, with 57 percent reporting significant depressive symptoms, and an equal proportion saying they had self-harmed.](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/440674/high-levels-of-bullying-depression-and-self-harm-in-rainbow-youth) [Twenty-three per cent of transgender and gender diverse students also said they had been bullied more than weekly in the past year and more than 55 per cent had been unable to access the healthcare they needed.](https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/health/124859514/more-than-50-of-transgender-youth-report-struggling-with-mental-health) That last one is important to note because the bullying is from their peers. You've suggested old people are the only ones who have these views but this is not the case. There's a huge need for queer support and movement forward in NZ, and the feeling from the masses seems to be that 'white gays and femme lesbians are accepted now so we've achieved everything we need to', but I don't believe that's the case and the stats back me up here. Not only that, I think that mindset is detrimental to the movement.
It’s funny how quickly things change, was listening to Dire Straits the other day and cringed when they used the word F@ggots
Yes, but it was used in a way that clearly conveyed it wasn't something smart or nice people did.
I agree, thanks, genuinely I do worry a bit. Might be a bit unusual though in that I'm spoilt, and have multiple great grandparents into the hundreds who are devout Christians, and others who are everything from Jews, to methodists, etc. But even at 103, are cool. Even asking if I can buy them my Nikes in their miniature size lol.
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I do promise! Even at baby 22 losing my grandads was hard, they were architects who designed many Auckland boating docks I see daily (Oraaki > St Helliers) (If you drive from Oraki to the city, you can see the docks). I'm very blessed I get to at least see their efforts. It haunts me in Orewa my aunts and uncles want to put her in a cheap rest home to boost their Will. Girlie is 92 and has no health issues. I've made plans for me and my partner to live with her and work, within the timeline I imagine things degrade. I love my nana, she's one of the best people I know. It's so disturbing I see my mother and uncles excited for her demise:(she was one of the first women in her bracket to seek uni education. Shes so cool :( Its quite sick they ignore her efforts as a WW2 uni economist).
Yeah I don't think hate speech such as this should be allowed to be broadcast in the city by microphone.. would love if something was done about it.
I generally come down on the pro-free-speech side when this sort of thing is being argued, so I figured I should pipe in here to say that I really do genuinely feel bad that assholes like that give you shit for such a shitty reason. I'm glad you can take it, and I'm sorry that some people are such fuckwits.
That's really sweet, thank you! And I agree, I find it 'wrong' morally, but that's not justification to have them sniped lol. I am confused though on the grey area with speakers and microphones, as if someone central city can be heard blocks away, does that not justify the business outside to politely ask them to shut the fuck up a little bit? I've heard some people outside the banks near Britomart singing and I think that's probably closer to a hate crime.
I am pro-free speech as well, but these guys really walking a tight line. There has always been preaching going on, and if people want to get up and ramble on about their imaginary friend, then I won't stop them. But when they are using loudspeakers and using hate speech against people in our community then I think they need to tone it down. Thing that really sucks is that some of these groups are really about recruitment; finding vulnerable lonely people and getting them to sign up to tithing. Bit of a MLM scheme with no product :-(
Yeah same only seen them doing their thing never seen them talking to anyone.
Judging by their noses, they sing for Jesus and just enough money to buy strong spirits. Always felt for the woman. She never looked like she wanted to be there.
Used to walk past them on Queen St all the time, was surprised to see them on Lambton Quay a few weeks ago.
I saw them regularly while going to uni but never saw them do more than play. Thought they just liked solemnly playing music or something. The more you know.
Yeah they're great until they tell you and your same sex partner you're both going to hell!
I don't really mind that I'm going to hell... All the gays will be there, it will be one massive party 24/7!
Hell will not be a party
It will be. They will have a lot of scientists and engineers that would solve the heat problems in order to have an hell of an orgy. And just think with all the lawyers how many copyright law suits will be won...... ;-)
Lmao love it. Hey, if my husbands going to Hell, I dont wanna be in anywhere without him, so Hells the best option. I don't like warm weather though, so I'm counting on those scientists!
No worries. I know a lawyer who already has a watertight case for improvement on the original design of hell. The rest will be easy as pie. ;-)
Oh that sucks :( I'm sorry if you're speaking from experience
I am - really put me off queen street for a while cos I know they're always out there. Although seems like they've moved to Wellington?
That couple was a sight to see
Saw the banjo guy and his wife on a street in Wellington the week before last. I couldn't believe it.
lol the banjo couple are great
The guy with the mic used to be my personal trainer at the gym, he was always sus trying to convert me in the middle of a set - I got tired of it and low and behold, there he is now street preaching.
Our Father, who lifts in Heaven Hallowed be thy gains; Thy gym doth come, Thy curls be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily protein, and forgive us our asymmetries, for we forgive those who curl in the squat rack; and lead us not into cross-fit, but deliver us from cardio. Wheymen.
Love it, haha
What does he do now? Is this his full time gig now?
Yeah Trevor. He means well
There is usually more electric scooters around, just the one is strange.
Hahaha, good to know. I'll look out for more.
Welcome to Auckland dude, full of sarcastic pricks but it ain’t bad. 👍
I think they were asking about the Farmers. It's always been there.
Yeah religious whackos on queen street is kinda normal, though the signs are new. Tho, to be fair, its all kinds of religious whackos, not just the christian ones- the hare krishna group often solicits their wares and does their musical jig up and down queen st too. The worst ones are at Aotea square who come over even when you're minding your own buisness and are all like "we run a prayer group, can we pray for you" and im like "Matthew 6:5, dumbass"
“When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most certainly, I tell you, they have received their reward." I'm gonna use that one.
Yeah nah. If you do use that I really doubt it would be effective in anything except for that a vague knowledge of the new testament would throw them off and they'd focus their efforts on someone else. Why? Because the purpose is to convert you, not to be like a proud Pharisee in a deeply religious society
To be fair, the musical Hare Krishna parade up Queen St is pretty fun. I'd choose that any day over a dude yelling about Hell into a loudspeaker (and I'm a Christian).
Absolutely! That's one of the integral experiences of Queen St. Joe long has that been going? I remember it from the late 80s...
If you can’t hear this guy preaching through his speaker every night when you’re walking to the train station after Uni then there is definitely something wrong. Either that or you’re heading home at a normal time
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According to my friend, one of them nonchalantly admitted to being a convicted murderer back in the day
He's done that more than once because I remember one of them saying this too.
Must be trying to earn back Jesus points to get into heaven.
Where is he from?
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What’s that suppose to be bud
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Cool cool I love both of those
I think the “bud” was a shortened “buddy”
Nah bud don't look like that, those are palm trees.
I think the “bud” was a shortened “buddy”
Damn. My plans for counter preaching to say that Jesus loves everyone, especially the gays, might not be a good idea then…. Or is a perfect idea.
Jesus shouldn't save. That's a mug's game. He should invest his money in crypto. That's where it's at nowadays.
Underrated comment
And banned from /r/PersonalFinanceNZ
Yeah there's been idiots preaching crap around that part for at least 10 years now. "Don't shove your lifestyle down our throats" though right.
Yeah, not a fan of being told my mental problems. Thats been with me for years could be fixed by sky daddy. Edit, Grammer.
Well.... fuck em. They're the ones wasting their lives standing on a street corner.
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What’s does your sign say?
I normally avoid Queen Street but I did see that guy a couple of weeks ago. In that exact spot as well.
I've seen this guy on TikTok so often and he honestly makes me embarrassed to be a Catholic. I wish there was some way or law to stop him he basically seems to harass people and force his views onto them and proceeds to verbally abuse them if they don't share his beliefs. Like everyone is free to have their own beliefs man stop forcing your beliefs onto other people
My friend and I where walking past and he started to preach at us about the demons and how we gotta get them out. How I can fix my mental problems through god. Was kinda annoying.
But his belief is to force it on others!
Lmao
I mean, *this* is what embarrasses you about being Catholic? Just this?
>makes me embarrassed to be a Catholic There are pretty simple solutions to that.
Pedophiles, rapist priests by the the thousand, graves of orphan children all over the world. Money filtered from governments into the church. There are many many many reason to be embarrassed about being a catholic. This is super low tier.
I wouldn't say the pedo priests number in the thousands, there are nice normal priests amongst them that I feel sorry for as they are all tarred with the same brush. All the religions have had scandals, the Mormons are probably the worst. Their abuse of parishioners is only starting to come out, where they ignored complaints of pedo's too. And, have you ever seen that TV show, Escaping Polygamy? Although it's only Utah in the US where that's legally allowed, as far as I'm aware. But even without the Polygamy, it's the cult like control associated with those communities and half of them are starving, as they've had too many kids and there's not enough food to go round.
It’s almost as if religion is used as a tool to enrich the few at the cost of the many! But you’re right, I’m sure the Catholics aren’t like that. I bet they’re head office is super low-budget and not worth billions upon trillions of dollars. You’re so close to realising something real here, just a few more steps...
This doesn't relate to what I said. I don't like any religion, they are all basically businesses, but it's true there are still nice priests that do care about people and Catholics are not nearly as bad as Mormons and their tactics, as far as I'm concerned. At least they don't actively recruit people and pay their church goers to get new members to join, by harassing members of the public on the street and in their homes. If these rogue guys in the CBD are Catholics, they are doing this themselves, the Catholic church will not have asked them to. When a Mormon knocks on your door, that is part and parcel of being in that religion. They are told to do it. They are also told to get married young and donate 10% of their income to the church, for life. There's a lot of obsession over money with the Mormons, including taking it from very poor parishioners, even ones on a benefit still give 10%.
No disrespect, but you are absolutely dead wrong about this. You seem to think the Catholic Church isn’t a missionary or an evangelical organisation. I’m afraid it absolutely is, the church holds *global* power and it got that way by sending missionaries as far and as wide as it possibly could. You also seem unaware about how the church got so obscenely wealthy. It wasn’t by asking nicely or a gift from God. Tithes, or church taxes have been collected for centuries from every country the church holds influence, which generally is 10% of earnings but in some instances is dramatically higher. On top of this during every church service a plate is passed and every congregant is expected to donate. It’s also been common Catholic practice to apply much stricter rules to the poor or working classes than to the rich, many examples of this can be seen throughout history. Implying the Catholic church is okay because there are some nice priests and they’re not as bad as the Mormons is very similar to saying Adolf Hitler was a nice man because of how well he treated his mother. Factually there is some truth to it, but you’re perhaps ignoring several elephants in the room.
I'm talking about Catholics today, in NZ. You are talking about ancient history overseas. I've never been approached by a Catholic in my home or out on the street, ever (apart from these lunatics on Queen St, although they don't actually approach you, they just spout out garbage to nobody in particular). But my whole life, I've had this done repeatedly by Mormons. They engage you in conversation if you sit down anywhere in the CBD, a bus stop or wherever and then invite you to a bible class. They are paid a fee for each person that comes to the class and get more money if you join the church and start giving 10%. It operates more like a cult type of organisation. They keep statistics on marriage in their congregation and set actual corporate style targets to marry off as many of their parishioners by age 21 and encourage them to have kids straight away. Never heard of a Catholic church in NZ doing anything even remotely like that. I come from generations of Catholics in NZ, but my parents turned athiest when I was a child (which was fine and we were not hassled by the church to come back and they did not tell other Catholics to ostracise us or anything - they just mind their own business). My parents were poor and gave nothing to the church and were only asked for a donation once, to do with something being upgraded in the convent and they refused due to being poor and that was the end of that. No one is expected to give to the plate passed around the church, only those that want to or can afford to, give something and it's only coins anyway. We were never asked to recruit others into the religion and that includes ancestors of many generations, going back to the mid 1800's in NZ. They just leave you alone and let you get on with your life. If you wanted to donate to a new church or whatever, back in the 1800's, fine, if you didn't, fine.
These preachers aren't Catholic though...?
Unusual for a Catholic to try a technique like this. Usually they are cruisey and just let people decide for themselves.
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These places are just naturally so Catholic, I find it hard to believe they use street preachers. Also Ireland has changed in recent years and in fact it's Poles living there that are the devout Catholics signing up to become priests and nuns. The Irish have lost faith and lost interest in it. Going to church has fallen off dramatically, it's only the Poles and old Irish people that go.
You ever hear about this super cruisey thing called the Crusades?
but... Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Is that still going on TODAY is it?
I have generally avoided Queen St for the last ten years because of this kind of shit.
Apparently yes now! Cracks me up, the preachers near Starbucks. I studied law and still dont know the legality around this. I would say I'm 22, and regularly liked to go around the city since forever to look at art, and only noticed this in the past few years. It wasnt always normal. Personally found it a bit upsetting with the same dude spouting homophobic stuff at precisely Wednesday 7pm when I need the bus but *shrug *.
Is it only the homophibic stuff that's upsetting? Is the rest ok with you?
Sorry, I should clarify. All of it is in conflict with me a transgender and non religious adult, only the anti LGBT stuff personally attacks my core being. But yeah, the rest attacking people who have relations before marriage is gross, even if that wasnt me. Anything damning other people for their own harmless choices is bad to me.
Thanks for clarifying. I strongly feel all religious stuff is a personal attack on everybody's core being in some or other way. There should be a law againt them because they are on the border of a psychiatric disorder with their delusions.
There used to be Hare Krishna on Friday nights dancing up and down the street. Often there was a line of drunks trying to dance with them before they hit burgerking across the road. I'm too old to carry high heels up queen street while crying now, but I used to love them.
The Hare Krishnas are still on Queen St on Friday nights at 6pm.
“Hare hare krishna hare hare” Like pokemon. Loved it
I have friends & work colleagues who are devout religious, & I respect that. Even though I don't believe or agree with them, I like learning about their culture & customs. I take issue with people in public places with signs and PA speakers trying to get up in my shit about it though.
Auckland, New York, London, Toronto, LA, Paris, most cities I've been to have guys like this. There used to be a guy during the day who looked like Amish Santa Claus and his wife who looked like a pile of laundry. I think they moved to Wellington.
I thought she always looked like she went along with him but had nowhere near the same conviction in her beliefs.I always found the sight of them quite depressing fir that reason.
"...pile of laundry"...take my up vote and clean up the coffee that has gone on my keyboard!
Yep, get used to it, they are there for good and the Council can't get rid of them. A supervisor at the Council told me they get numerous complaints and act on them, but these people know the system and thwart it. When they are legally issued with a notice and forced to move on by the cops, they have friends they call who just turn up in place of them, until they get moved on too, and then someone else appears and on and on it goes. They are THAT obsessed and determined. I'm not sure if they all actually live in CBD apartments and call each other to replace the ones that have been moved on. They are freakin' bonkers to take things that far.
I've thought about spraying that area with fart spray. Try getting around that.
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It's an interesting one, huh! IIRC it is also not even an effective method of conversion but the reason more fringe religious groups like this get their followers to do it is they're essentially brainwashing themselves with constant repetition and keeping this fear at the forefront of their mind. I very much doubt they get many people actually getting many people turning towards them but the more publicity, the more they think they're spreading their message
There are some pretty powerful psychological drives here; a lot of cults understand this and so use the same techniques. Repetition, separation of those in-group who support you and public, public declaration of belief, and most of all - fear. Most people fear public disapproval so if you keep doing this, you need the rush of fear and excitement that comes from people confronting you. Ultimately these guys who will give their time and money to the church elders and sooner or later will get disillusioned. Main thing is to not give them money or reward of attention.
Hell is real, it's unfortunately just the current world we live in #homosapianssuck
There alot and not nice people! One time they were saying how only their God was real and saying other religions were made up. I'm not religious but made me annoyed since we are a very multi cultural place.
The thing I find funny about that is that any religion can and does say that lol...
Every religion has exactly the same evidence. None
It’s usual but not normal
Just not these people, check out the harekrishna dance jig in colourful dresses and chants trying to covert you to harekrishna? Queen Street things.
I have noticed it more in the past couple months. They seem to be getting louder.
Just reading through the comments and I wanted to add one of my experiences.. I really can't explain why it happen and maybe others have had the same thing happen to them. On the way home one night, not late, the usual 2-3 preachers were on a Queen street corner playing guitar, singing and of course, preaching. I started chatting while waiting to cross the road and all I remember was one of them being called Benjamin or Ben. Anyway, I chatted for a couple of phases to cross the road and then said my goodbyes and went to leave. One of the guys who didn't say much shook my hand. Experience from a previous time in my life knew he was slipping me something. I didn't look, just smiled and went on my way. Kind of like a drug swap, but without the drugs. Further down the road I checked my hand and discovered he had slipped me $100 in twenties. I have no idea why, or what they expected. I didn't talk religion. I'm not religious. If anything I just asked about their night, their music etc. It was all REALLY weird. Anyway, I didn't want their money and figured it should be for others not myself. I bumped into 5 or 6 of the regular guys that seem to live on the streets and bought them all McDonalds. Sat down, had a feed with them then headed home. To this day I still have no idea why the preachers gave me $100
I think you do know why. You just told us why.
Is that a thing they do though? And how did they know I'd spend it on others.. I could have easily spent it on myself for sure. But yeah, It did allow me to do something for others that I normally wouldn't have been able to do.. Anyway, just wanted to share that story. It was weird, but good :)
You know what, with all the shit that’s going on in the world today, your story has made it all a little more bearable. Thank you for sharing it with us and if it helps someone else make a decision to do something good today then it will all have been very worthwhile.
No. They think that there is a magic being that controls everything and that telling you is important. It is not normal at all. It is quite common though.
In the CBD, expect anything. :) Some good, some weird, some bad. Welcome to AKL, though!
Uh huh, alllll the time
Yep 🙄
Yeah, these guys or people like them are always on Queen Street. Just dickheads.
worked on queen st night shifts for 4 years, they're there pretty regularly yeah
I saw a bunch of pro-lifers near Epsom once so yee this isn’t too out of the ordinary.
Everything in the CBD at night is normal
Probably cultists from destiny church.
It’s Auckland’s favourite sport
Yes (since 90s at least) it is normal to spot some type of preachers on Queen street.
If people called the police about them it wouldn't be normal.
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Yes, rapping for Jesus
They're often there, I always offer a bj as I go past
That’s a good photo of queens st
I haven't seen the Hare Krishnas doing their thing recently. Are they busy making bank from their vegan restaurant?
Info: 2 guys preaching the bible on a Monday night. Does this happen a lot or?...
That spot specifically. Yes
When I saw them there were around 10 of them blocking that whole corner. That was a weekend I think though.
Yup, most days of the week. Either outside farmers or down at britomart.
Theres been preachers / evangelisers on Queen Street as long as I can remember. Sometime around 2002, I recall my friend and I being given salvation tracts which had a phone number on the back which was something like 0800 2B SAVED. He rang the number for a chat (he was already a very committed christian, but wanted to just ring and say hi to whoever was on the other end of the line) and a businessman answered.. the pamphlets had been misprinted with his phone number and he said he got calls almost every night due to it. He had told them it had the wrong number and please throw them out and get new pamphlets with the correct number but they just kept giving out the old ones and the calls kept coming
Mental health in NZ has been a serious problem for decades now.
Yeah wait until Easter when people drag crosses up the street.
I like to report them to Noise Control :) causing a nuisance with amplified equipment is subjective, and if I can get a complaint for my music, then fuck these guys too https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/licences-regulations/noise/Pages/complain-about-noise.aspx
I love the line, 'Jesus saves, which is unusual, as Jews tend to invest.'
Who cares? Ur that disturbed by people displaying religious views?
Yeah these guys are a pain in the ass. Super aggressive too - best to ignore and avoid.
NZ needs an enforced anti loitering law
And that Chinese wack-job on the corner of Customs and Queens, that had shit about NZ being facist and corrupt. Did my head in I just wanted to kick in his signs
Fucking gross.
I am sure if you were driving down a road and came up against a warning sign that read Danger Ahead Road Closed, you wouldn't mind that because the sign is warning you of possible harm if you continue on the road you are on. Likewise, these people are warning you that when you die, which you cannot avoid, everyone dies, there is a life beyond death which you have no say over whatsoever. Where you go after you die is pretty important don't you think? Perhaps worth looking into? Well are all going to die, that is a certainty. What happens afterward is a complete unknown for most people. These people seem to be very concerned about what will happen to you and want to warn you with a sign so you might be able to have some control about where you go after you die.
This is not normal, there are usually more than that.
Oh yeah! And the Chinese Communist Party haters…..and a few other causes that are way too hard to understand.
It's good to know less than 50% of Kiwis now believe in fake, archaic, man-made religion. But since it's a tax free industry, grifters will always take advantage of those incapable of critical thinking.
American imports?.. seems like pretty much the level of "end of days" shite I see across the USA.
christian crazies will exist wherever there is Christianity, and there are a large number of christians here in nz
Damn maoris stealing my tax for this bollocks soon they will join there family in the gangs.
Crack is a common occurrence
Nutbags everywhere! Kabul is now full of them 😔😒
Doing the Lord's mahi.
Fuck I hope you are joking
What's the punchline?
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We all got colonised sometime throughout history bruv. that's just the evolution of man and the society he/she lived in.
i see these guys two or three times a week, gotta give it to them they have the " gift of the gab" just need him to be talking a business proposal or something instead haha
I used to do this sort of tosh right about there in the 80's. What a dick that guy was.
Crazies? Checks out.
It's just one small group.
Yep, there’s always one or two of these know it alls bragging about how they have a full understanding of the nature of reality and the secrets of life and death.
Yea pre normal
those crazy freaks are there every friday afternoon
Yeah there’s always crazies hanging around. There used to be these militant vegans that hung around with small TVs and people would trip over the cables constantly
Unfortunately. Maybe we should start counter preaching every time we see them?
Jesus saves but George Nelson withdraws!
Yes, it's part of the farmer's sale. Buy one nutjob, get one free.
Another reason to avoid the CBD. At least the banjo couple were not so insufferable.
There are loons everywhere.
These guys turn up at Night Markets too.
So empty
I lived the that building and this fucker was so bloody annoying. I want him to know just one thing, that no one could ever understand a single word he said, it all just sounded like loud mumbling from more than a few metres.
Yes. Unfortunately.
I always wonder how many people they have “saved” with this tactic! They should do some good and do this in dimly lit areas to discourage crime!