When I routinely rode the early-morning, downtown-bound No. 2, a common wake-up call came from a young woman who began her mornings blasting the gospel station through her headphones and babbling in tongues for all to hear. It is not uncommon to find young, white-shirted, skinny-tied, and yes, shirt-pocket pencil-holder accessorized men of the Mormon faith on the bus sharing their Good News to anyone who will listen (I will credit them with leaving you alone if you express that desire). Various religious tracts can be found among the garbage strewn over the bus floor: pamphlets giving instruction on how to be "saved," discarded Watchtower magazines and other Jehovah's Witnesses brochures, and occasionally, a luridly drawn, graphic parable from Chick Publications (a lucky find for me; I collect them).
Anecdotally, among that ever-diminishing of commuters who read ACTUAL BOOKS, magazines or newspapers as they ride, I'd say from my observations The Bible is the No. 1 go-to tome, followed closely by books by Joel Osteen, Deepak Chopra, and like that....
Personally, I will read Buddhist-related books on the bus, recite the 37 Practices of the Bodhisattva quietly under my breath, chant mantras, also quietly, under my breath, and meditate as we roll through the city. Especially on days I expect might be stressful.
I have no problem with any of this really--well, the speaking in tongues I could do without unless performed by the Talking Heads--as long as it doesn't disturb other passengers. However, I DO have a problem with a religiously obsessed zealots of any faith using display spaces on public transit to push their particular brand of superstition.
By that, I mean these:
These crudely drawn, Sharpie-scrawled Christian exhortations began appearing on buses a couple of years ago. I've seen about five different ones in all, but I have never seen the culprit. I rode the Livingston Avenue No. 1 bus quite a bit last spring, and would sometimes see larger versions of these posted on utility poles around Alum Creek Drive and the Driving Park neighborhood.
I suspect the artist is the elderly man who sometimes can be seen on crack-of-dawn missions ambling about at the corner of Hamilton Road and East Main Street, wildly waving a large, sloppily lettered poster that commands drivers to "honk for Jesus."
A few months ago, a friend of mine who regularly rides the No. 2 DID spot the divinely inspired Sharpie Artist slipping his latest creation into the Plexiglass. My friend, who like me is a fervent supporter of the freedom of religion as well as freedom FROM religion, chided the guy, informing him that religious displays are not legal on a public conveyance. The man didn't say anything, but put the poster back in his bag.
While some readers might think my friend's reaction harsh--and hard-core believers would accuse him of religious persecution--I agreed with his action. In a time when the constitutionally built wall separating church and state is being breached daily by extremist Christians taking control of our government and institutions, it is inherent that we defend those rights on all fronts, including the rolling stock of COTA.
After all, the dystopia portrayed in The Handmaid's Tale may be closer than we might want to believe.
Under His eye....
No comments:
Post a Comment