Chamblee54

Religion is very personal. When you have a miserable experience with Jesus, it will not go away because of glib expressions of someone else’s beliefs. When you put a sign by the road, you don’t know who is going to see it. You don’t know how they are going to be feeling.
I was driving to dinner one night, when I drove by Briarcliff United Methodist Church. This facility is on a busy road. They have a sign in front, with a message that changes from time to time. This night, I was in a bad mood. I was thinking about people who have humiliated me for Jesus. The sign in front of BUMC said “When was the last time you prayed?”
The concept of prayer is collateral damage in my struggle with Jesus. As I became alienated from Jesus, the idea of a person talking to G-d seems selfish and self aggrandizing. There is something about having an angry bully for Jesus snarling “I’m going to pray for you brother” that makes the concept of prayer repulsive. Prayer should not be a weapon in an argument.
There is another thing to consider here. Pushy Jesus worshipers assume that they have the right to grill you about a sensitive personal issue. The idea of saying this to passing motorists is incredibly disrespectful. It is none of your business if I pray.
I looked up BUMC on the internet when I got home. They have a modern website. The top tab on the menu said “Prayer Requests.” This is probably for people who are facing a crisis, and want someone to pray for them. Maybe you can leave a prayer non-request. Ask them to respect discomfort with their religion, and don’t put offensive messages by the roadside.
Further down on the website is an email address (church@briarcliffumc.com.) While not expecting a miracle, I decided to send them an email. Here is the text of that message.
You have a message board in front of your church. The message when I went by was “When was the last time you prayed?” I was offended by this message.
I have had a tough time with religion. I have been humiliated many, many times because of Jesus. I have heard about your scheme for life after death thousands of times, and simply do not agree with it. An intrusive roadway sign is not going to change my mind.
My belief is that my opinions about G-d, the bible, Jesus, and life after death, are none of your business. If I trust you enough to discuss these matters, then we can have a discussion. Having a rude sign by the road side is not going to enable me to trust you.
Even though it is none of your business, I am going to answer your question. Even though I was talking to G-d, and not to you, I am going to repeat what I said. “G-d please help these people to have respect for their neighbor, and take that awful sign down”.