APP下载

无神论者也宣讲

2020-12-23

阅读与作文(英语高中版) 2020年11期
关键词:圣迭戈罗布信仰

And in one of San Diegos biggest parks, you can find Christians, Hari Krishnas, and Muslims, handing out pamphlets, defending their religious views, and looking for converts. Recently a group of atheists has set up camp nearby to proselytize as well.

Stroll through the plaza of Balboa Park and youll pass an assortment of musicians, face painters and religious groups spreading their beliefs. But youll also see a table draped with a large blue banner that says: Relax, Hell Does Not Exist. Approach and youll hear conversations like this.

Kid: If youre an atheist, you dont believe in heaven or hell.

Rob Hudson (San Diego Coalition of Reason): That doesnt even make any sense. Who in their right mind would choose to go to hell?

Kid: No one will go to hell unless you choose not to believe in God.

Thats Rob Hudson talking to some kids who strolled by. He spends every Saturday at the booth and seems to thrive on religious arguments.

Woman: The Bible lines up with everything in history perfectly.

Rob: No, it doesnt.

Woman: Yes.

Rob: I studied history.(to reporter) Its actually kind of fun because instead of just giving the same argument back every single time, you like to mix it up a little bit.

San Diego Coalition of Reason opened this booth to support the atheist community and to evangelize non-belief to religious people. Jim Eliason, one of the Coalition of Reason members, says theyve actually had de-conversions at the booth, but with people already questioning their beliefs.

Jim Eliason: Even if they come up to you beforehand and they tell you very stridently that theyre a believer and theyre a Christian, probably what theyre doing is that theyre trying to see if you can give them any new information.

More often, religious people try to convert the atheists. On a recent Saturday, Valentine Ilin was walking by with four of his kids. Ilin is a Baptist and decided to give the atheists a message. So he led his family in a song.

Ilins: (singing) The precious, precious name of Jesus.

Many religions seek converts, but why would atheists care whether other people believe in God? Debbie Allen, the Coalition of Reason director, says they think the world would be better off with less dogma.

Debbie Allen: I think there are some good tenets within some religions that point people in the right direction, but when youre talking about a faith that is unwilling to change or grow, that this is the right way and there is no other way, those people are at risk of continuing practices that are detrimental to other human beings.

She also hopes the booth will break down stereotypes.

Debbie: Atheists are not necessarily strange or bad, but a lot of people of faith never meet someone that would be out about being an atheist.

Allen says everyone, atheists included, can benefit from meeting people with different beliefs or a lack of belief, and shes happy to have that interaction happen at the atheist booth. San Diego is one of several cities with this kind of atheist outreach, but its only one of a few places with a booth thats open every weekend.

在美国圣迭戈市最大的一个公园里,你可以见到基督教教徒、克里须那教派的信奉者和穆斯林在派发宣传册,捍卫着各自的宗教信仰,并寻找新皈依者。最近,一群无神论者也在附近设营扎寨,劝说人们改宗。

你如果在巴尔博亚公园的空地上漫步,你会从各色人物身边经过,音乐人、脸部彩绘师,还有宣传自身信仰的不同宗教团体。不过,你也会看到这样一张桌子,挂在桌边的大张蓝色横幅上写着:放轻松,地狱并不存在。如果你走近这张桌子,你会听到这样的对话。

小孩:如果你是一名无神论者,你就不会相信有天堂、地狱的存在。

罗布·赫德森(圣迭戈理性联盟):那种说法不合情理。哪個脑子正常的人会选择下地狱呢?

小孩:没有人会下地狱,除非你选择不相信上帝。

刚才是罗布·赫德森与路过的小孩子的对话。他每个周六都会在这个宣传点上度过,关于宗教的争论似乎让他兴奋不已。

女:《圣经》里的事件与所有历史事件完全吻合。

罗布:不对,不是这样的。

女:是的。

罗布:我就是学历史的。(对记者)这种讨论其实很有意思,因为你不是每次都用相同的论点,我更愿意把不同的论点混在一块儿。

圣迭戈理性联盟设立这个宣传点旨在支持无神论者这个群体,并向信教的人进行无信仰的宣传。詹姆·伊莱亚森是这个联盟的成员,他说,确实有人就在他们这个宣传点放弃了自己原来的信仰,不过,那些通常是早已对自己的信仰有所怀疑的人。

吉姆·伊莱亚森:他们可能之前曾经来过,他们曾非常坚决地告诉你他们是坚定的信徒,他们信仰基督教,那他们来这里或许只不过是想看看你能给他们提供什么样的新信息。

更多的时候,信教的人试图让这些无神论者皈依他们的信仰。最近有一个周六,瓦伦丁·耶林与自己的四个孩子路过宣传点。他是一名浸礼会教徒,他决定向这些无神论者传达一个信息。于是,他带着家人一起唱了起来。

耶林和家人:(唱)耶稣,这个非常亲爱的名字。许多宗教都会寻求皈依者,可为什么无神论者要介意他人是否相信上帝的存在呢?戴比·艾伦是这个联盟的负责人,她表示,他们觉得,如果少些教条,这个世界会更美好。

戴比·艾伦:我认为,有些宗教也有一些好的教义,把人们往正确的方向上引导,但如果一种信仰固执地不愿意作出改变或者进一步发展,坚持自己的路就是惟一正确的路,除此之外没有其他选择的话,那么,那些继续参与相关宗教活动的人就可能会对他人造成伤害。

她也希望他们设的这个宣传点能够打破一些人们的偏见。

戴比:无神论者并不一定就是怪人或者坏人,但许多有宗教信仰的人并没有机会认识敢于站出来说自己是无神论者的人。

戴比表示,包括无神论者在内的所有人都可以从与有信仰或无信仰的人打交道的这个过程受益,她很高兴看到在无神论者这个宣传亭的各种互动。在美国,圣迭戈是有这种无神论者外展活动的城市之一,但像这样在每个周末都设立一个宣传点的就为数不多了。

猜你喜欢

圣迭戈罗布信仰
信仰
漫画
罗罗布的狂想曲
罗罗布
罗罗布
罗罗布