‘Doomsday preacher’ on Wimbledon train causes passengers to flee

Craterloads · 3 Oct 2017 at 01:50

Found this story highly amusing picturing the scene and a little sad that's how we react now but it is what it is.

Ian O’Sullivan, 42, who was in the same carriage as the passenger, said a man with a rucksack began reading what appeared to be extracts from the Old Testament, when the train stopped at a red light outside the south-west London rail station.

“He was quite well spoken and calm,” he said. “He said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to talk to you about something and that something is the word of the Lord, Jesus Christ. He’s here to heal your sins. The Bible tells you that homosexuality is a sin and sex before marriage is a sin. You need to repent’.”

Other passengers said the man referred to “doomsday” and the afterlife.

“It suddenly became a Chinese whisper and [there was] panic,” he said. “It was quite a full train, but the area around him was suddenly quite empty.”

Some people prised open the doors and went on to the tracks.

“We could hear a woman [outside] saying there’s a man and he’s going to kill everybody,” he said. “But everybody in the carriage said he never said that.”

He said the guard came to the carriage, spoke to the now “sheepish” man and searched his bag, but found only a water flask and books.

Can't imagine what was going through the preachers mind when people were prying open doors fleeing for their lives whilst he's giving his sermon

https://www.theguardian.com/busines...acher-wimbledon-train-station-passengers-flee

dowie · 3 Oct 2017 at 02:20

If it was the same black African guy who I'v seen before who speaks in broken English then frankly he needs to get banned, he's been on my train in the past and no one can understand what the **** is saying anyway let alone 99% of people not wanting his homophobic rants when going to or from work. Wouldn't be surprised if someone not concerned by the prospect of a criminal record decides to beats the **** out him one day.

Craterloads · 3 Oct 2017 at 02:26

Well spoken it says in the quote so probably not him

Rroff · 3 Oct 2017 at 02:36

Used to happen fairly often when I was a kid - used to almost always be 1-2 doomsday preachers in town, going full at it and handing out tracts/fliers when I went shopping with my mum.

FortuitousFluke · 3 Oct 2017 at 05:51

Ive not seen the chaps who used to frequent Oxford Street with their megaphone for a while thinking about it. Maybe they've gone mobile and are now using the tube for a captive audience.

Get a lot of them in Cambridge, less doomsday preaching more just preaching, they can be pretty close to the bone though, one but of mental gymnastics I particularly enjoyed was "do you know who also believed in evolution? The Nazis!".

Kronos · 3 Oct 2017 at 06:12

Do they still have them in Hyde Park Corner? It will be 50 odd years ago when I was last in that area where there were loads of speakers on boxes. Every one from Maxists, Leninists, Maoists and of course the religious fanatics not forgetting the end of the world is nigh brigade.

Rroff · 3 Oct 2017 at 06:14

Kronos said:
Do they still have them in Hyde Park Corner? It will be 50 odd years ago when I was last in that area where there were loads of speakers on boxes. Every one from Maxists, Leninists, Maoists and of course the religious fanatics not forgetting the end of the world is nigh brigade.

I saw it like that once when my grandad took me for a day out in London in like 1989 or something - when I lived up that way about 10 years ago never saw anything like it any time I passed by.

Kronos · 3 Oct 2017 at 06:18

Rroff said:
I saw it like that once when my grandad took me for a day out in London in like 1989 or something - when I lived up that way about 10 years ago never saw anything like it any time I passed by.

That is a shame as it was always good for a laugh.

Rroff · 3 Oct 2017 at 06:25

Kronos said:
That is a shame as it was always good for a laugh.

They can make YouTube videos and monetised them theses days

I expect it still happens but whenever I've been passed more recently not seen it like you describe.

NoobCannon · 3 Oct 2017 at 06:34

When we used to go shopping on oxford street I used to think they provided a good 10-15 mins of entertainment while waiting for the missus to try 15 different colours of the same top on in primark or similar.

Havent seen one for a while tho

Malevolence · 3 Oct 2017 at 06:34

We had one a round here, a real shouty bible thumper type who looked like a cross between Charles Manson and that cricket eating tramp from Hellraiser. He used to wear the full Jesus get-up and get on buses marching up and down the aisle shouting in people's faces whilst pounding on the bible. When he was eventually banned from PMT buses he took to jumping out from behind bushes and parked cars in order to get the bus to stop. Proper full-on nutter that bloke was.

He was so bad that one year, when they rolled into town for their annual thing at Hanley Forest park, even the Jesus Army had to have him removed by the police.

robgmun · 3 Oct 2017 at 06:36

FortuitousFluke said:
Ive not seen the chaps who used to frequent Oxford Street with their megaphone for a while thinking about it. Maybe they've gone mobile and are now using the tube for a captive audience.

I think a couple of them moved to Stratford Shopping Centre

JohnnyG · 3 Oct 2017 at 06:45

There's a nerdy looking Bible Basher preaching outside Stamford Bridge every home game, I've seen him at Wembley a few times too, it was probably just him.

Hades · 3 Oct 2017 at 06:53

TallPaul1878 · 3 Oct 2017 at 06:55

You still see them in Liverpool City centre, not so much where I live in St Helens. Nobody goes to St Helens, the only people in the town centre are tramps and drug dealers now.

Personally I think they should be moved along. There's no place for religious zealots to push their beliefs onto others. If he wants to read the Bible out then he should do it in his own home or his place of worship.

Kronos · 3 Oct 2017 at 07:19

TallPaul1878 said:
Personally I think they should be moved along. There's no place for religious zealots to push their beliefs onto others. If he wants to read the Bible out then he should do it in his own home or his place of worship.

Oh come on they are harmless eccentrics and I doubt that they managed to convert anyone to their brand of religion. God forbid that society becomes some sterile environment where everything is in its place and nothing out of place.

pioneer2000 · 3 Oct 2017 at 08:23

Kronos said:
Oh come on they are harmless eccentrics and I doubt that they managed to convert anyone to their brand of religion. God forbid that society becomes some sterile environment where everything is in its place and nothing out of place.

He needs to be locked away in a mental institute.

Tunney · 3 Oct 2017 at 08:27

JohnnyG said:
There's a nerdy looking Bible Basher preaching outside Stamford Bridge every home game, I've seen him at Wembley a few times too, it was probably just him.

He’s always at Wembley. Spurs fans have taken to chanting “Jesus was a y-word” at him.

Johno please? · 3 Oct 2017 at 08:38

lol religion

Nasher · 3 Oct 2017 at 08:46

They should have thrown him off, opening the door with his head.