left biblioblography: WALK A MILE IN THESE SHOES

Sunday, May 21, 2006

WALK A MILE IN THESE SHOES

Here's a real doozie, case you hadn't heard about this:

http://www.shoesofthefisherman.com/

"Don't forget about our new Jesus Loves You Full Sandals! These sandals were compared with $80.00 sandals for comfort and the new Jesus Loves You full sandals proved to be much more comfortable.
 Posted by Picasa

Still available are our original Jesus Loves You Sandals, wrapped in a fisherman's net, and T-Shirts. Great for fundraising, beach evangelism and mission trips! Available in 10 sizes. Same day delivery available on all Jesus Loves You Sandals."

The words, 'cognitive dissonance' spring to mind.

This wack-a-doo's story is as follows:

"When Dr. Kathleen Farrell* (Founder of Shoes of The Fisherman, Inc.) was in college, she was abducted by a stranger. During her captivity, without thinking about what she was saying, she repeated the 23rd Psalm out loud. Praise The Lord, she was released. How important were the words of the Psalm? Kathleen believes they saved her life and perhaps saved the soul of her abductor."

Absolutely no details. The conversation between her and the alleged 'abductor'. Did he speak English? Was it a man? Where was this? Unless I got details, it's purely anecdotal .
For a Ph.D (in what, exactly? Lemme guess: Theology, Divinity, one of those useless degrees. Oh,, wait, podiatry, hehehehe), she's none too bright. I can only find one Kathleen Farrel Ph.D who's legitimate on the web, and guess what? That one's a transgender therapist. So I really doubt they're the same person.

"After my horrible experience, I thought about ways to spread the Good News."

Guess I'll have to take her word for it, as she doesn't share any information about the 'encounter'.

Then the idea came to me to cut out letters from an inner tube and glue them backwards to the bottom of sandals," Kathleen says. "When I walked from wet grass onto a wooden deck and the sandals left the words JESUS LOVES YOU all over, it was awesome. I knew God was directing a wonderful new way to proclaim His Love."

Sure it wasn't your weird shoe fetish talking?

That sappy 'god's footprints' springs to mind.

This gives me a great idea: attention, all atheists! Slap on your antiatheist slogans on your sandals. NO GOD, or ATHEISTS RULE!, or even (if you really have a mean streak, and want to fuck with the feeble-minded): SATAN WAS HERE, or SATAN'S FOLLOWING YOU (yeah, I know, that last one's too long, unless you have big feet like me). Or one of those circles with a slash through it, over a cross. A Nietsche quote, or Voltaire, would obviously be too long.

"Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in his shoes. That way, if he doesn't like what you have to say, it'll be okay because you'll be a mile way and you'll have his shoes."

"Religion is sort of like a lift in your shoes. If it makes you feel better, fine. Just don't ask me to wear your shoes." [George Carlin]

Stumble Upon Toolbar

23 comments:

Anonymous said...

What an appropriate exercise in futility: Leaving an imprint of "Jesus Loves You" in the sand, only to have the unapologetic ocean sweep it away.

Did you read the JC Prints bit on the shoes of the Fisherman website? What an idiot.

And they pay their "adult Christian" factory workers a living wage in Thailand...how generous...er, wonder what that would be, exactly? But as a fringe benefit, maybe they get to wear a pair of the sandals while they make others! How uplifting!

Hush, puppies.

Krystalline Apostate said...

karen:
What an appropriate exercise in futility
Y'know, didn't even occur to me. Nice catch, love.
Did you read the JC Prints bit on the shoes of the Fisherman website?
Yeah, wonder if this was:
A. BEFORE the abduction,
B. AFTER the abduction,
C. Another person entirely? OR
D. Just an effort at schamltz.
I'd go w/C (reading it in context), but an attribution would've been nice.
Think I got diabetes just reading the saccharine thing.
I think we should develop a counter-trend. Atheist Earth shoes, or somesuch.

Anonymous said...

steve
Excellent point!!!
LMAO!!!

RA
I pick "C". Someone pathetically stupid enough and so hard-up emotionally that they would search for love in foot impressions. "He loves you? Oh, please, golly gosh, would...would he...love...me...too?
OH FANTASTIC!!! I am whole now!"

Puke.

Krystalline Apostate said...

steve:
so i guess everyone walking around with shoes that don't leave Jesus footprints are closet atheists, right?
Oy gevalt. Guess they're not 'true xtians' then, ey? ;)
That was pretty good.

karen:
Someone pathetically stupid enough and so hard-up emotionally that they would search for love in foot impressions.
Or another ridiculous argument for 'intelligent design'.
"Look, marge! Someone HAD to design those!"
Argument from footprints:
A. I saw some footprints.
B. They said, 'god loves me'.
C. Therefore, god exists.

Baconeater said...

Real men don't wear sandals. And I'm adamant about that.

Krystalline Apostate said...

BEAJ:
Real men don't wear sandals.
Say what?
How does footwear reflect on the concept of manhood? I mean, outside of guys wearing stilletto pumps (& makeup? I'm not up on that sorta thing).
I eat quiche. I wear sandals on occasion (it gets pretty damn hot out here in the S.F bay area).
Oh well. There goes my idea of a line o' footwear for the secular humanist.
Guess we can't spread the 'bad news' now, ey? ;)

Anonymous said...

I want sandals with "shit" & "head" on the soles to follow along behind the Jesus loves you prints.

Krystalline Apostate said...

rosemary:
I want sandals with "shit" & "head" on the soles to follow along behind the Jesus loves you prints.
Or maybe weird bible passages, like

Isaiah 16:11 "My bowels shall sound like an harp" or I Samuel 5:6 - "But the hand of the LORD was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he destroyed them, and smote them with emerods, even Ashdod and the coasts thereof."
emerods these days are treated w/Prep H.

farmgirl:
what you have a problem there my friend LOL
I KNEW you'd respond to that 1. I was thinkin' o' you as I said it.
BEAJ was the 1 who's down on sandal wearers, anywhoways. Hehehehe.

Anonymous said...

Reluctant:

"Emerods"...now, that's a really spiteful punishment!

Krystalline Apostate said...

rosemary:
"Emerods"...now, that's a really spiteful punishment!
Yeah, what a pain in the ass.
Oops.

Anonymous said...

RA
Emerods-well, at least that's easier to spell! Change the soles to read "Jesus loves" on one foot and "emerods" on the other! :)

Udon
I like the idea of Darwin sandals.
Maybe you could make them with indelible self-inking pads, so we could tromp through churches in them.

Anonymous said...

Hey everyone, I missed you all. I havent had much time to do anything but run kids everywhere, go to pta and jr wings meetings, school fundraisers, career day and anything else that goes with school. And I thought I was done with school when I graduated. HA! That is the biggest lie. lol

Anyway, you guys had some great ideas! I think another good logo to put on the bottom of sandles to walk behind anyone who is stupid enought to wear those sandle is "but everyone else thinks your an asshole.

When I have seen men wear sandals I used to refer to their sandles as jesus sandles. Those sandals give a whole new meaning of Jesus sandals.

My husband says real men dont wear sandals they wear flip flops.(I'm not sure what the deal is with that.) I really dont care one way or the other just as long as they dont wear socks with them! Lol

Amy

Anonymous said...

Amy
Hey Girlfriend!

Long time...!
Miss you over at NGB. Wish you'd reconsider and return.
If not, drop me a line sometime:
kagee630@earthlink.net

:)karen

Anonymous said...

Hey Karen, still up to no good I hope? lol
I have thought about it, but I loose my patience with some of the more war minded ones and after a while it just feels like you are repeating your self over and over again cuz they just cant put the whole picture together. I do take their war mindset a little too personal cuz war does effect mine and my kids lives and as long as people believe war is just another human instint there will always be war and the fact that I sometimes believe that I am Queen B and what I say goes, but that is only a couple of weeks out of the month. lol
I will check back over at the NGB as soon as I get a couple of days to catch up on the reading. :)

You bet Tony, I completely agree with you and it is our job as parents to make sure the future is still there for them as well.

Amy

Krystalline Apostate said...

amy:
My husband says real men dont wear sandals they wear flip flops.
Yeah, what IS up w/that? What's this "real men don't...?"
Missed ya, BTW, was wondering where you got off to.
Don't be such a stranger, dear.

Anonymous said...

Ra, I agree.lol I think some men just need something that puts them apart? Just my guess.lol I will have to sit my husband down and see what the deal is with sandals.

I'll try not to be such a stranger, but you know how kids can suck up all your free time sometimes.

Krystalline Apostate said...

SNTC:
I think some men just need something that puts them apart?
Hey, I think that's pretty much gender exclusive. We ALL need something that sets us apart (or we think we do).
I will have to sit my husband down and see what the deal is with sandals.
Yeah, find out for me, wouldja? BEAJ said about the same thing, but never really said why.

I'll try not to be such a stranger, but you know how kids can suck up all your free time sometimes

Hey, any more absences, I'll have to sic my eagle on ya, dear. ;)
I'd forgotten about the kid/time situation. It's been a long while for me.

Anonymous said...

Ok, I asked my husband what was the deal with "real men dont wear sandals" and the first thing he said was "I dont know". LOL He said he just doesnt like them on him and that other men can wear them, but he'll stick to his flip flops. lol He also said it could have something to do with reminding him of jesus war shoes and women have prettier feet that look better in them. I'm starting to wonder if he has a foot fetish. lol To sum it up he just doent like they way they look on him and he admitted that he has seen football players wear them and not think anything about it. So it must be a thing that men who dont like sandals on themselves say. Personal preference. I hope that solves the mystery of "real men dont wear sandals". lol

Amy

Krystalline Apostate said...

SNTC:
Ok, I asked my husband what was the deal with "real men dont wear sandals" and the first thing he said was "I dont know".
Hmmmm...maybe you should ask him about eating quiche.
I'm starting to wonder if he has a foot fetish.
Hmmmm....I'd think you'd be the 1st to know about that.
I guess it'll remain a mystery.

Baconeater said...

Flip flops are just as bad as sandals. As far as why goes, I think it is a genetic thing, testosterone(the stuff that caused me to go bald in my early 30s). My dislike for men wearing sandals is innate. It just isn't right. Might as well be high heels as far as I'm concerned.

Anonymous said...

Ra

I asked about the Quish and he said no real problems there, but not something he would order on a night out with the guys. Men. Lol Got to love them.

My husband is a marine, but he does know the natural order of things and is all about me being the boss around here, so he can have his silly manly hang ups as long as he continues to worship me. Just kidding (sorta). ;)\

Amy

Krystalline Apostate said...

BEAJ:
As far as why goes, I think it is a genetic thing, testosterone(the stuff that caused me to go bald in my early 30s).
Hey, I've got loads of the stuff (hee-HEE-hee, gonna start singing 'Macho, macho man!' any second now), but as Frances always says, it's mostly a 'subjective' opinion. ;)
'Manhood as defined by footwear'. Whadda concept.

Anonymous said...

I do know Dr Farrell. She is the one who created the shoes AND is a transgender therapist (they are the same person). In fact they have dubbed her the "patron saint of the transgendered". She is my therapist and a terrific person. She is not some right-wing religious nut. She is a person who experienced something terrible, who has a strong faith and had an idea, even if it seems simplistic (which she readily admits). It may have been two years since anyone posted on here but I couldn't stand by and see her anihlated in this way. She saved my life and the lives of countless others who experience hatred and cruelty for being differently gendered. Dr F, you're awesome!