Support NeoGAF

[Dalek]

‘Kids, there is no Santa’: Pastor unloads on families waiting to take Christmas photos at a mall

At first, the parents try to ignore the screaming man at the mall telling their children they’ve been lied to about Santa Claus.

Then it becomes clear he’s not going to stop.

“Kids, I want to tell you today that there is no such thing as Santa Claus,” the man tells people waiting in line for Christmas photos at the Westgate Mall in Amarillo, Tex. “Santa Claus does not exist. The Christmas season is about Jesus.

“The man you’re going to see today is just a man in a suit dressed up like Santa.”

The shouting man is David Grisham, an evangelical street preacher from Anchorage, who has shouted his sermons at people across the country for nearly a decade, whether they want to hear them or not.

On Saturday, his unwilling audience was a group of families snaked around Westgate’s seasonal Christmas village at the food court near Hot Topic and the Gap.

Grisham paid no heed to calls to “chill out” from parents — and as his sermon picked up momentum, things were about to get ugly.

“Don’t lie to your children and tell them there’s such a thing as Santa, when you know in reality that there are no flying reindeer, there is no workshop at the North Pole. . . that you buy all the gifts and put them under the tree.”

A girl in a Santa hat stared, wide-eyed. Other children shot confused looks at their moms and dads. And a few parents decided to take action.

A man in a blue T-shirt approaches. He’s so close to Grisham that the pastor’s cellphone camera captures only his torso.

“Stop,” the man says, speaking over Grisham.

“Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop.”

“Quit talking this mess, you understand me,” the father says. “I got my kids over there, we don’t need you coming over here blabbing whatever the hell you’re blabbing.”

Other parents approach, diverting Grisham’s attention from his message as tensions rise.

This kind of conflict is not foreign to Grisham, the founder of Last Frontier Evangelism. He travels the country with his wife, spreading the gospel to people who are, for the most part, minding their own business.

He told The Washington Post that God spoke to him a decade ago while he and his wife were on vacation in Mexico. He’s been street-preaching most weekends ever since.

On Saturday, he whipped out his cellphone camera to record his Santa truther episode, hoping a viral video would help spread the gospel.

He’s claiming victory. The video has been seen more than 2 million times. As an added bonus, mall officials say he’s not banned from the mall, per se, though they’re on the lookout for future inappropriate behavior.

Grisham said he’s planning to do the same thing at other malls before Christmas.

Usually, Grisham and his wife carry large signs that quote scripture and let people know that God isn’t fond of whatever they happen to be doing.

“Most of the unsaved people are not going to church,” he said. “My wife and I, we go to gay bars, we go to porn shops. If you’re going to be a fisher of men, you’ve got to go where the fish are.”

I'm not going to link to the douchebag's video to give him hits. What a total asshole-remember kids, Santa isn't real but God is!

 

[Pop-O-Matic]

That pastor needs to watch Kirk Cameron's Saving Christmas.

 

[RSTEIN]

but god is real, trust me!

 

[tuxfool]

Somebody should tell that Pastor that Jesus wasn't the son of God.

 

[diablos991]

I would have earned an assault charge if that man was doing that around my daughter.

 

[jackal27]

We were passing this around at our ministry staff meeting yesterday and all of us were horrified.

Dude is going to get knocked and tbh he's earned it.

Not his place to tell other people how to parent, nor to ruin a kid's Christmas for his agenda. nofunallowed.jpg

 

[Zoggy]

kids got rekt

 

[Tagyhag]

Usually, Grisham and his wife carry large signs that quote scripture and let people know that God isn’t fond of whatever they happen to be doing.

“Most of the unsaved people are not going to church,” he said. “My wife and I, we go to gay bars, we go to porn shops. If you’re going to be a fisher of men, you’ve got to go where the fish are.”

It's a shame, because I feel like these people honestly believe that they're trying to save others.

But they're going on about it on the most douchebaggy way possible.

 

[Shmuppers]

We were passing this around at our ministry staff meeting yesterday and all of us were horrified.

Dude is going to get knocked and tbh he's earned it.

Not his place to tell other people how to parent, nor to ruin a kid's Christmas for his agenda. No fun allowed.

Well put.

 

[Farside]

Someone missed a perfect opportunity to yell back "No god either!"

 

[AnathemicOne]

Fucking Texas, Christmas isn't even about Jesus either. The birth of your savior is off by a couple of months.

 

[smokeymicpot]

What a dick.

 

[Alienous]

Oh, that's just such beautiful irony.

 

[Tall4Life]

He must be a GAFer

 

[Frozenprince]

What a profound douche.

 

[old manatee]

Happy Holidays!

 

[DJ_Lae]

Reminds me of some crazy dude here who moves around from street corner to street corner yelling about Jesus with a megaphone.

I mean, believe what you want to believe, just don't try and force it on everyone else. This pastor is going to get himself punched in the face and I won't feel bad if it happens.

Usually, Grisham and his wife carry large signs that quote scripture and let people know that God isn’t fond of whatever they happen to be doing.

Like pestering people who are minding their own business.

 

[bryanee]

That mother fucker.

 

[Lagamorph]

 

[Dalek]

He must be a GAFer

There are plenty here who share his belief!

 

[BocoDragon]

“Most of the unsaved people are not going to church,” he said. “My wife and I, we go to gay bars, we go to porn shops. If you’re going to be a fisher of men, you’ve got to go where the fish are.”

Fisher of men. Going to gay bars.

Hmm.

 

[Not]

Texas

ayup

 

[_Nemo]

lolll

 

[GK86]

Satan invented Santa to fool you.

 

[frankie_baby]

Saw this on facebook the other day, surprised no one kicked the shit out of him

 

[Tenck]

He must be a GAFer

After reading the Santa thread and seeing how sad some individuals are, I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[Shaanyboi]

“Most of the unsaved people are not going to church,” he said. “My wife and I, we go to gay bars, we go to porn shops. If you’re going to be a fisher of men, you’ve got to go where the fish are.”

Sounds like a real treasure...

 

[Smellycat]

I don't like Santa Claus and how parents raise their kids believing in a lie before finally telling them/or kids find out by themselves.

Spoiler

Now I will get 100 replies about how this is the same as religion, which I disagree with

But, this man doesn't have the right to go around meddling in other people's business.

 

[Not]

I don't like Santa Claus and how parents raise their kids believing in a lie before finally telling them/or kids find out by themselves.

Spoiler

Now I will get 100 replies about how this is the same as religion, which I disagree with

But, this man doesn't have the right to go around meddling in other people's business.

I mean, me neither, but yeah, going out of your way to yell your beliefs in fucking strangers' kids' faces is almost like, religious intolerance

As has been pointed out, irony isn't a muscle Christians use very often

 

[valkillmore]

Let them find out themselves or be told by their parents. Guy is a total dick

 

[NealMcCauley]

Something tells me this guy is the kind of pastor who does this hoping to be attacked and then sue the attacker.

 

[Chmpocalypse]

Um

But Jesus isn't real either, so...

Anyone know to repair a busted irony meter?

 

[vypek]

What an ass. Completely unnecessary to go out of the way and ruin their day

 

[sflufan]

"In a related event, a pagan stood next to the evangelical street preacher and shouted that 'Christmas isn't about Christ either' and proceeded to explain that the entire celebration was a wholesale rip off of the pagan winter solstice feast of Saturnalia that was co-opted by the early Church in order to smooth the transition from paganism to Christianity."

 

[KDR_11k]

Well, that's why in Germany St. Nicholas comes on the 6th and baby Jesus ("Christkind") on the 24th...

Though I doubt that guy knows that Santa is a reference to a 4th century Greek bishop.

 

[ThisGuy]

Some people really need you to believe what they believe.

 

[TemplaerDude]

The entitlement some of these religious nut jobs have it sickening. "I can ruin this kids Christmas because JESUS". Fuck you.

 

[Tall4Life]

Um

But Jesus isn't real either, so...

Anyone know to repair a busted irony meter?

Jesus was a real person that existed. Whether he had spiritual powers and was the Son of God is what is disputed.

 

[Samuraicop]

He is a complete jackass for doing this shit. Let people have their fun without crazed man spewing off trying to "enlighten" people

 

[Not]

Some people really need you to believe what they believe.

Amen.

 

[Lord Frieza]

Would have been perfect if a man dressed like Santa showed and called this guy a jabroni mark.

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

While I don't necessarily agree with this man's methods I do agree with his message. The truth of the matter is the Lord YOUR God gave his only begotten son on the first Christmas 2017 years ago. Santa is a lie perpetuated by Godless corporations to sell merchandise and distract Americans from following the path set by the Lord YOUR God Jesus Christ.

 

[Squirrel Killer]

I don't like Santa Claus and how parents raise their kids believing in a lie before finally telling them/or kids find out by themselves.

Spoiler

Now I will get 100 replies about how this is the same as religion, which I disagree with

But, this man doesn't have the right to go around meddling in other people's business.

Actually, as long as he's just speaking in public, he does have the right, it's just that he's an asshole for exercising it in this manner.

 

[Killer Queen]

but god is real, trust me!

.

 

[Za-Neen-Jya]

Some people just have to shit all over everyone's fun. And usually those people wind up being religious zealots.

 

[Schadenfreude]

The only magical imaginary bearded man people should believe in is his magical imaginary bearded man!

 

[The Giant]

The Pastor looks like a child sex offender.

What is it with religious people and destroying fun, spewing bullcrap over a another fictional character?

 

[RPGCrazied]

Who does this in front of children?? For fucks sake. He is mentally ill and should be barred from malls.

 

[AnathemicOne]

While I don't necessarily agree with this man's methods I do agree with his message. The truth of the matter is the Lord YOUR God gave his only begotten son on the first Christmas 2017 years ago. Santa is a lie perpetuated by Godless corporations to sell merchandise and distract Americans from following the path set by the Lord YOUR God Jesus Christ.

The first Christmas? Lolwut, again Jesus wasn't even born on the 25th of December

 

[Lord Frieza]

“Most of the unsaved people are not going to church,” he said. “My wife and I, we go to gay bars, we go to porn shops. If you’re going to be a fisher of men, you’ve got to go where the fish are.”

That's hot. That's a hot way to live.