evangelism -- new york style

when you think of evangelists, you probably think of some jim bakker-type, standing in the middle of one of those mega-churches with stadium seating in the vicinity of the bible belt. you probably don't think of a suitcase full of flyers and a busy corner of harlem (or washington heights). i didn't either until i started frequenting the place. turns out i can't make my commute to the bronx without running into at least one -- which is more than i ever saw in texas. (in texas you can avoid them by skipping the channel.)

the other day a friend and i were waiting for the train at 125th and Lenox (and i was chowing on a some much-needed grub), and a man came up to us. "do you worship god or do you worship the devil?" now how do you answer a question like this? "neither, of course." "you either worship god or your worship the devil. which do you worship?" "neither." "god made that food that you're eating." "i didn't realize... that was nice of him." "god made that food." (okay, dude, you already said that...) "how 'bout mother earth? you're not giving her any credit." at this point he waves his hand (as if to say "there's a lost soul if i've ever seen one") and walks away to pursue a larger, much less amused individual... so, for future reference, if you're ever being pursued by a rabid street-evangelist, a good way to flip the "off" switch seems to be any reference to a female deity.

as an homage to the female deity of your choice, here's a photo of some of her better work.