need to be polite to an idiot?

Probably, I get my ancient histories wrong all the time. If your not reading the Holy Bible and especially the New Testament, then there is something wrong with you. No tolerance!

Then again, I do know that the Koran is mostly the Old Testament with Islam's new stuff thrown in. ANyway, I think I know it?

Sounds like one of those guys with an "I am holier then thou art and I will not hesitate to show it too" complex. Ignoring him the first time around obviously didn't help. It only made him more mad.
So if I were you I'd just go on and ignore him. If he happens to come by in a likewise situation, I'd try to talk to him. It probably wouldn't help, but I'd try anyways. If you manage to smooth things over great! After all, you're bound to be living close to this guy for some time to come.
If you can't get to an agreement, and he starts to froth again, send him of your property. Threaten with the police or something, just make sure he leaves. If he continues to be a bother, perhaps legal actions should be considered.
Of course, if I was ballsy enough, I would have done what equus said!

The nut job, re Dyslexia
Dear BillW,

Sometimes just to walk away and to hope that nothing will happen is just as dangerous as to display a weapon. To engage in verbal confrontation can be just as dangerous. I agree with a lot of the writers, he is a nut, but who's to say what kind. Some of those nuts come with pointed hoods.

It is a good idea to walk away and to notify the cops the first time, if the next time you want to sit in your yard take the phone with you and keep the redial on 911 or the number your were given to report him. I'd also take a digital recorder and the water hose. I've used the water hose on a few A.. Holes in my time, it usually gets rid of them and keeps them away.

As the Tora is part of the bible (the old testament) the New testament is the second part of the Bible the Koran is the final part of the bible.

I don't know if any of you out there know that the Tora, Bible and Koran means, it means the "Book".

A Disabled American (female) Veteran.
Sorry post Veta Nam era.

P.S. I'm also a dyslexia suffer.

I've got to be polite to everyone who calls me at work. I've been polite to more idiots than most people have had hot dinners.

Welcome to A2K, intstar! Wander around and see what other threads interest you. Lots of good folks here, great discussions. Even hilarious distractions when you need them.

Re: need to be polite to an idiot?


"That's quite an opinion you have there. Thankfully, you didn't say that in my house. People who say such crap in my house are immediately killed and sacrificed to Satan. Would you like me to tell you what rules we have for unsolicited, rude tirades in our front yard? Or, do you just want to wait here, while I get the woodchipper?"

Good replies, Sofia.

I would just look straight at him and say, "Go Away."

Seriously, it really is shocking to me that anyone would go so far out of their way to impose their views on someone else. I read back and saw that he'd stolen your Darwin fish.

This does denote a certain, ominous aggressiveness.

I'd actually come closer to saying, "I'm not going to yelled at in my own yard for my reading material, or my beliefs. I think it's best if you don't come on to my property in the future."

If he continued, I'd call the police and file a complaint.

Since he's so aggressive, he should be given his boundaries, since he can't establish them on his own.

Hey, dys...have you heard anything more from this guy lately?

Dyslexia,

I have a son...and husband...who think about the same as your neighbor...but I don't think they would have done what he did...but they both seethe with rage inside over "evolution"...it's apparently what this generation has picked as the critical thing...though there are some famous Christians, James Dobson for one, who believe in evolution...but they don't talk about it and spend their energy elsewhere.

I remember a Chinese proverb, in the presence of a good man, strive to be like him, in the presence of a bad one, look inward...

The first thing I would do is stop and think am I in any way like this obnoxious behavior? For me personally the answer is yes, but it isn't evolution, it's telling people they are eternally spurned by their Creator unless they get in line with some group's particular doctrine...and not just that, ANY kind of aggressive proselytizing sort of gets my hackles up these days...aggressors, I don't like them I don't care what they are selling...

But would I rant in their face about it...I did a few times....to a few preachers...but then I realized "they know not what they do"...

If you have the inner resources, I would say try to help him see, briefly, why you think as you do...

A soft answer turneth away wrath...he has almost certainly never heard anything except "god spoke and it was fiat creation and if you ask any questions you go to hell"...but likely he will not be able to listen to you, a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest, that's Paul Simon...

But I think also people hear what they need to hear...and some people need a lot of structure to feel safe enough to carry on at all...and everything stretching to infinity in every direction makes everything just seem overwhelmingly meaningless, they can't take it...it's like taking away a lame man's crutch or Linus's blanket...Linus was a very cool guy but he did have to have that blanket.

The thing is, the strictly material approach doesn't give you what you need to carry on when it all seems too hard to bear, too painful...I have to take people's word for it about science stuff, I don't know exactly, but I know generally a scientist has to prove what he asserts and a religionist does not...but scientists will also make things up and be dishonest..

My son was on meds and there was some indication he might be mildly schizophrenic...very bad OCD...he suffered HORRIBLY...and so though he may seem very obnoxious to outsiders, if they knew how much pain he was in, they might try harder to be patient with him...he is weaning off his meds after about 4 years...and is doing all right so far...I've given him plenty of opportunities to test his self control, lol...

But I don't challenge my husband, he couldn't stand it. And yet he's perfectly sane, a productive member of society...but I wonder what would happen if anyone could PROVE to him that the structure he is standing on is weak...no one could...again, a man hears what he wants/needs to hear...

Someone shut me up good and proper with just silence...I get that a LOT on message boards...he said "silence is a form of communication"...amen to that, I think it is the strongest rebuke possible...to leave whatever ignorant remark was just uttered hanging in the air...

Or let the aggressive immature person have the satisfaction of "having the last word" that he so desperately craves...yes that could be me, lol...

Good input, shunammite!

Thank you Sofia, I have suffered a bit too, but if there was some good in it, well maybe there is...that is what "faith" has come to mean to me...believing even the bad is good in the end. You don't need faith to believe the good is good, lol (except the good can be bad and oh my it gets confusing...)

You made my day, listening...and..well...okay, AGREEING, lol...we all want to push our ideas on someone else and receive validation...

It's like coitus...it can be an act of aggression or an act of love...

It's so awful being alone with your thoughts and so hard to find a way to make them comprehensible to someone else..