Saturday, March 31, 2007

This is where I come from, people


It's Jesus vs. Satan on Rubber Avenue

BY PAUL SINGLEY

Copyright © 2007 Republican-American

A battle between good and evil is brewing on Rubber Avenue.

Workers at two neighboring businesses in a small shopping plaza at 195 Rubber Ave. have differing opinions about whether or not people should show support for Jesus. An owner of a shop that puts photos onto DVDs placed a sign in front of a parking lot, which is used by both businesses, that says, "Easter: Beep for Christ."

A tattoo artist next door countered Friday with a sign that says, "Honk twice for..." and shows a caricature of a red devil underneath the text.

And so the battle began.

"Beep! Honk, honk!" Those were the sounds that blared all day from the cars of hundreds of commuters who traveled on Rubber Avenue, one of the busiest streets in the borough. Some beeped twice, while others gave just one toot on their car horns.

Claudette Soden, a devout Christian and owner of Photos Onto DVD, fired the first shot last week when she put up her Easter sign. Phil Young, who works at No Regrets next door to Soden's business, countered on Friday morning with his satanic sign.
Soden says Jesus is her "partner in business," and she wants everyone to know it.

"His sign is not bothering me, but I know it's bothering Jesus," she said. . "And children are going to pass by that sign and say, 'What is that? It looks like a devil.' And what are parents going to say to that?"

Young said his clients come from a range of religious backgrounds and cultures, and he doesn't want them to feel alienated from his business.

"My main point is that we share a parking lot, and what goes on in this parking lot represents not only hers, but both shops," he said. "What she does inside her business is her business. I would not tell her to get rid of the sign."

He said he is not a satanist, and respects every religion, adding that he has friends who follow several different religions.

"More people have been killed in the name of God than over anything else, and so I don't think people should fight about religion," he said. "Satan is part of the same religion as Christ, so it's a contrast, not a competing religion."

Both signmakers say they simply have a difference of opinion, and respect each other's right to freedom of speech. They just want commuters to know what they're honking for because neither wants to take down their respective sign.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lol. They just featured that on the news. Niice.

Adam Daughterson said...

Heh heh; that rocks.

Unknown said...

Oh crap. You know that other guy created the Satan sign just to tick the other off, right?

Paul Martyniak said...

I bet they're in cahoots. Free advertising.

Unknown said...

I dig the "Honk Twice for.." sign. I'd probably buy that on a shirt, I'm such a nerd.

Anonymous said...

lol is this in naugatuck, ct? I grew up there.

Anonymous said...

Soooo the solution's simple:

"Honk!" long pause "Honk! Honk!"

or the other way around if you wish to express a different preference. :)

Anonymous said...

What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Too bad neither Jesus nor Satan are real.

Anonymous said...

Jesus is real. He built my hotrod.

Anonymous said...

"I think this is priceless. "Devout" religious fundamentalists need to settle down and keep that to themselves. I am happy the neighboring business posted the devil sign, I think it helps prove a point that people should stop trying to push their beliefs on everyone else."

Wait, who's pushing what religious views on whom? I feel a Hatfields/McCoys thing comming on...

Anonymous said...

Sounds like they're actually both pretty reasonable about it to me.

Anonymous said...

OMG another Naugatuck person!!!!!

You should get out of there, the cops no longer sell the good shit.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

"'What is that? It looks like a devil.' And what are parents going to say to that?"

Since when does anyone give a rat's ass about what parents are going to say? We blame violent videogames, McDonalds, Democrats and Pornography for everything that is wrong in the world. Suddenly somebody actually cares about the difficult task ahead for a parent who must explain a universal caricature?

As if. Grow some fucking balls and get over yourself already.

ocelot67 said...

I used to work at the Pizza Hut on Rubber Ave.

Molly said...

What kind of name is "Rubber Ave." anyway? It sounds dirty, much like the "Leather District" in Boston.

Kate said...

Well, you know Andrew . . .

Half religious businessowner, half Satanist with a sense of humor, with a dash of Rubber Ave.

Unknown said...

I think everyone should support each others superstitions.

Jesus H. Christ said...

Honk! Honk!

Jenn said...

People should note that neither sign says "If you believe in... then honk x number of times". It's just a friendly request for a honk.

Unknown said...

at least they're both christian

Unknown said...

Great Blog I like to visit this blog frequently.




....Alex

online viagra