College Students Carry 10-Pound, 4-Foot Crosses Around Campus

[matcom]

<snip>

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Two college students are lugging 10-pound wooden crosses to and from class and all around campus to demonstrate their faith and get their classmates to ask about Christianity.

"I was afraid of what people would think of me. I was afraid of being made fun of or looked down upon," Napier said. "But it was amazing to see the difference in myself between the moment that I went in and the moment I came out of class. A lot of that fear was kind of stripped away."

The two men live with their families in Alleluia Community, a religious village in this Georgia city.

It was at one of the community's Christian retreats that Ceyssens said he felt compelled to carry the cross everywhere, much to the embarrassment of his 13-year-old brother, who keeps at least 30 feet away when they go to the mall.

http://www.wftv.com/newsofthestrange/3264024/detail.html

[meegbear]

1. I was afraid of being made fun of ....

while living in a religious village. If anything, people are probably upset that they didn't think of it first.

Putzes.

[dedhed]

2. Those poor, delusional fools

It was at one of the community's Christian retreats that Ceyssens said he felt compelled to carry the cross everywhere, much to the embarrassment of his 13-year-old brother, who keeps at least 30 feet away when they go to the mall.

Quick... someone rescue that kid... while there's still time!!

There are just so many insanely funny things in this article...

Professors said the crosses have not been a distraction in the classroom. Ceyssens and Napier have tried hard not to bump anyone by shouldering them like rifles.

Tennnnn-hut!! Uh-right shoulda.... PREACH!!

:bounce:

[Supormom]

17. "shouldering them like rifles"

Good. They'll be ready to join in dubya's war soon.

[arwalden]

19. Onward Christian Soldiers!

[wtmusic]

3. At least they're not afraid to stand up for what they believe in

[On the Road]

4. Wearing a Cross Around Your Neck

was the big thing when I at college. Everything's gotten bigger and more ostentatious these day -- it's all that bling-bling culture. :smoke:

Seriously, I think they way they're doing it is kind of touching and thety seem not to be annoying anyone.

[HEyHEY]

6. "They seem to not be annyoing anyone" - only cause I ain't there

;-)

[HEyHEY]

5. When are these pansies gonna carry a heavy cross like JC?

OOOO ten punds...sheesh!

[GOPisEvil]

7. I wanna see some crowns of thorns on these guys, too.

Oh, can they get some friends to dress as Romans, follow them around and whip them indiscriminantly?

[HEyHEY]

11. Yeah, I think most arts and crafts stores sell "whipping Romans"

:-)

[noonwitch]

8. There was a guy in the city I grew up in that did that all the time

In Grand Rapids, Michigan. I forgot his name, but two of his followers worked with me at the local IHOP. The cross guy would walk around downtown, especially during the yearly outdoor arts festival, carrying his cross, yelling at people about how they were all going to hell, and decrying the corruption of the churches (wrong city for that message). The symbol of the arts festival is an image of the Calder sculpture downtown with the sun. He would tell everyone the Calder/sun symbol was the mark of the beast.

The followers (I hate to use that term, because they wouldn't-they followed Jesus) I worked with were very nice people, but they were people in recovery who had been witnessed to while wasted by the cross guy, they got born again and gave up drugs. They were seriously into the Bible and sometimes I had some very good religious conversations with them. The rejection of the church was scriptural in their opinion, "because Jesus was preaching against organized religion, not encouraging it". They had a fellowship, that had no ties to any denomination. They were good people to talk with, better than your average church-going fundie.

[LoZoccolo]

16. Hey I think I remember that guy.

I used to live in Grand Rapids and would remember seeing someone carrying a cross at Festival. Did you ever hang out on "Festival punk-rock hill"?

[noonwitch]

18. No, I was such a goody-goody as a teen-I was a born-again Young Lifer

I also usually went down there to either work at my family's church booth (not a fundie church, a UCC) or play violin in either the school orchestra or the GRYS/St.Cecilia programs.

The cross guy did leave town at some point, because he kept getting arrested for disorderly conduct or whatever they called it. He wrote a letter to the Grand Rapids Press from Atlanta and referred to it as being "in exile". I took a lot of heat from my family (who's the most liberal, like it's a contest or something) for even knowing these people, but I was doing the Young Life born again thing just to piss my mom and brother off. It worked better than drugs and sex.

Festival is great-I haven't been for a while, and won't be going this year because I have other plans that weekend.

[Loonman]

9. Rookies

Somebody has to follow them around and beat the shit out of them with whips and lashes.

[hlthe2b]

10. Denverites: anyone remember the bloke who drug his 8 ft cross, but....

had it on wheels? LOL I'll never forget having lunch and drinks with a friend seated outside on 16th street mall a few years ago, when what should pass right by, but this guy in "Jesus robes hanging on to this incredibly heavy wooden cross on wheels! Now, you do see most anything there or at Boulder's Pearl Street Mall, but I can honestly say this one got my attention! And, so practical to add the wheels!

[bif]

14. The guy outta have it motorized or get a "rider cross"

That would be pretty cool.

[Misunderestimator]

12. Hey... I guess it's a pretty good workout n/t

[sniffa]

13. retards

i thought the wearing of raiL road spikes on your neckLace was too much... but this!

[THUNDER HANDS]

15. i would soooo

dress like a roman soldier the next day in class. OMG would I do that.
:D