A plan by lunatic creationist Ray (Banana Man) Comfort, above, to target atheists at the upcoming Reason Rally 2016 in Washington DC has gone horribly wrong.
It is reported here that the police threw a spanner in the works by telling Comfort that he would need a permit to rally 1,000 Christian “outreachers” at the June 4 event where an estimated 20,000 atheists will gather to hear a variety of prominent sceptic speakers and entertainers.
Said Comfort:
To authorities, Christians and atheists are enemies. So they want to keep us apart for the sake of peace, especially with more serious threats facing America. That’s understandable. But at the same time I’m a little frustrated because I have a very good relationship with atheists.
Part of Comfort’s outreach plan was to to give away 5,000 copies of his new book – God Doesn’t Believe in Atheists: Proof that the Atheist Doesn’t Exist – along with $25,000 worth of Subway gift cards to the atheists:
As a gesture of Christian love.
Comfort added:
In what is so often a cruel world, we tried to show a little kindness and it didn’t work. So it now looks like we will be eating Subway sandwiches for the next 40 years.
After announcing the DC outreach, and plans to film open-air preaching for his TV programme (“The Way of the Master” – broadcast in 190 countries) he had over 1,000 Christians officially register to join him.
To the DC police that constituted a protest and therefore we needed a permit to gather. We would have to stay at the other end of the National Mall, and they said that if we persisted to approach atheists to speak with them we would be arrested.
In announcing the cancellation of the outreach, Comfort said he would still be filming at the Washington Monument.
Our crew is only 17 people, so we don’t need a permit if we go there as individuals. The Reason Rally is free and open to the public, so if any other groups of individuals show up on their own initiative they won’t need a permit either or be arrested if they approach atheists.