Day of Monologue Is Weeks Away March 22, 2012

Day of Monologue Is Weeks Away

By Hemant Mehta
March 22, 2012

Focus on the Family is promoting the Day of Dialogue (a.k.a. The day to tell gay kids they’re going to hell if they don’t accept Jesus in their lives) by asking students to hand out these cards:

Because every conversation begins with this look:

Does anyone actually think the Christians who participate in this event want to have a conversation? Not a chance. They want to preach and convert. They have no desire to hear your arguments against their beliefs.

Can someone just photoshop these cards (PDF) and make them Day of Monologue cards? People could print them out. Then, if someone hands you the JesusCard, you have something to give them back.

(Cartoon via Jesus and Mo)

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  • Anonymous

    Who would want a god that cares about their sexuality? That means someone’s watching you all the time. A little privacy, please!

  • Anonymous

    Their page called “Responding to Challenges” has got to be the most condescending and patronizing thing I have ever read. 

  • This article, if accurate, would be interesting to bring to the day of dialogue.

    http://www.christianity-revealed.com/cr/files/whensamesexmarriagewasachristianrite.html 

  • Matt Dixoncarter

    Let’s make our own dialog cards.

    “I am giving you this as a reminder that God is your imaginary friend and not mine….”

  • lala

    Hi I think you should review this book:  religion for atheists by alain de botton.
    Eventhough I have left the church a few years ago I think there are still some structures in the church that could easily be adopted by modern society and do a ton of good. 

  • Nankay

    “And he created everyone of us, male and female, so we could enjoy an intimate relationship with Him”

    Uuuuummmm…No, thanks. I’m married and I really don’t swing that way. (
    Who knew Jesus did??!)

  • Day of Monologue indeed. Every sentence on that card is an “I” statement. Any interest in me as a unique individual instead of a point on a conversion scorecard is completely absent.

    You’ll stand up for me if I’m being teased, bullied or harmed for any reason? How about if your fellow Christian is beating the crap out of me because I’m an atheist?  Will you jump in and fight him off? Forgive me if I decide I’d better defend myself and not rely on you.

  • Sam

    I sort of want to make a bunch of cards that say “I THINK YOUR DUMB” in response to this sort of crap.

    And that’s not a typo.

  • Ray

    Handing these cards out is a form of bullying. I hope the administration comes down hard on anyone who does it.

  • I am giving you this card because I’d like to know if you honestly want to have a dialogue with me or just want to pontificate on your own beliefs? Are you truly going to listen to what I have to say or are going to roll right over it to get back to your sermonizing? If you are open to a dialogue, are you also open to a dialogue about your beliefs? About why I should consider them valid? About why my sexuality should matter to you at all? Are you open to a dialogue about why you chose to believe things as opposed to learn about things and know things to the best of your ability? Are you open to a discussion about homosexuality that can point to any objective evidence, anything at all, beyond variations of “the Bible says so”? Are you? Really? OK then, let’s talk.

  • Anonymous

    “Christian Fundamentalism: The doctrine that there is
    an absolutely powerful, infinitely knowledgeable, universe spanning
    entity that is deeply and personally concerned about my sex life” – Andrew Lias

    Jesus cares about my sexuality? That’s creepy. Mind your own damn business, Jesus!

  • Julien

    I think the gay kids and supporters who happen to be Christian should be handing these same cards, exactly as written, to the kids that try to preach to them on the Day of Monologue.  Look at it from that perspective, and the message totally works – “he loves every person regardless of their sexuality”, “I will stand up for those around me being bullied”, “God cares about every student in this school, even [an asshole like] you”, “He designed the best plan for our sexuality [so obviously he’s okay with me being gay since he designed everything]”

  • Here’s a Photoshopped version that tells a bit more truth than Focus on the Family intended…

    http://www.drzach.net/downloads/2012-dom-conversation-cards.pdf

  • You, sir, are a god.

    Posting this separately…

  •  Lol I thought the same thing. Apparently God is bisexual…he created both male and female to have an intimate relationship with Him because I suppose He likes to shake things up sometimes.

  • Carla

    Wow. The part that doesn’t say “God doesn’t really like you the way you are,” implies that Christians are the ones being persecuted…. Unbelievable. 

  • Carla

    Now, now. That’s not putting it politely or lovingly.

  • Craig Hansen

    Well done.  You may not be a god, but at least you’re funny.

  • Guest

     See, I was thinking about what would happen if anyone handed a Christian one of these cards. I came to the conclusion that they would use it as proof that they’re the ones being persecuted and discriminated against, act like a martyr, and reassure themselves that the fact that everyone seems to hate them just means that they’re on the right track.

    I still think it’s a good idea, since it’d show support for gay rights and opposition to Christian fundamentalism. But, like all opposition, it’ll be taken as a sign of persecution, because fundamentalists can’t tell the difference.

  • Anonymous

    Brian Shipman

    I see most people are jumping off on the word dialogue here.
    It is legitimate to question whether an actual dialogue will take place at this
    event given the nature of the invitation. As a few of you have pointed out the
    personal pronoun “I” appears five different times on the invite card for Day of
    Dialogue. This is why I found it humorous that Mr. Mehta has fittingly renamed
    it Day of Monologue. The timing could not be better for my classmates and I as
    we are currently discussing the exact differences between dialogue and
    monologue using a 1997 journal article from Carl Botan.

    Botan was prescribing a switch in public relations strategies from
    monologic to dialogic. In doing so he borrowed from Georg Johannesen when
    describing monologic communication as a person seeking to command, coerce,
    manipulate, conquer, dazzle, deceive, or exploit the other. When defining
    dialogic communication Botan characterized it as both parties having genuine
    concern for the other side. Now I believe focus on the family organizers have
    genuine concern for the students they’ll be preaching to at the upcoming event.  But given the nature of the invite card I have to wonder if they understand the difference between delivering a monologue and engaging in a dialogue.
    Brian Shipman
    Drury University

  • Annie

    Yes.  I thought the first couple of sentences on the card made god sound like a creepy stalker.  A little privacy, indeed!

  •  I was right there with you up to this part: “Now I believe focus on the family organizers have genuine concern for the students they’ll be preaching to at the upcoming event. ”

    No, they have concern that the dirty little homosexual kids will turn their precious little Christ warriors into tolerant human beings.  This organization is not concerned in the slightest about gay students, it’s insulting that you even would say so.  This is a PR move and a chance for them to have their kids preach at other kids while in school.  “Oh, look at how accepting and loving we are!  We just want to help these poor kids!”  when what they really mean is, “We need to reprogram these broken kids, maybe they’ll listen if we pour some sugar on our bigotry.”

    A spoonful of sugar is not enough to cover up the patronizing, ignorant tone of that card.  I hope every gay student that gets handed one hands it back and says, “I think you need to read this more than I do.”

  • Heepsprow

    No, condescending is exactly the word I would choose after reading that drivel.

  • This God guy sounds creepy. I’m getting a restraining order against him, as a precautionary measure.