Christians Evicted from Burning Man

The Reno Gazette Journal reports that a Christian-themed camp was recently evicted from the Burning Man Festival. For those of you unfamiliar with Burning Man, a lot goes on there and it takes a lot for a whole camp to get kicked out. The Christians are now whining that they were evicted because of their faith, but as usual that's just not true. They were evicted for refusing to leave people alone, or as they call it, "sharing the Gospel."

Organizers of the "Shift the Atmosphere" complained on social media that they were targeted over their expressions of faith, which included preaching and on-site baptisms. But witnesses told the Reno Gazette-Journal the group used aggressive tactics on both adults and children to share the gospel of Jesus.

In a statement, Burning Man officials said camp organizers were repeatedly warned to change their behavior. While the group complained online that their eviction violated Burning Man's principle of "radical inclusivity," Burning Man officials said the group violated another core tenet: privacy.

As a private, ticketed event, Burning Man's annual Black Rock City gathering is subject to strict privacy rules set by the organization. Those restrictions, which also apply to the media, include limiting photography and video, typically by requiring prior consent of anyone being filmed.

Longtime Burning Man attendees said they'd never seen an entire camp evicted during the event. Instead, specific attendees are usually removed, or camps not allowed back the next year.

"Burning Man takes participants' right to privacy seriously. Seeking permission and consent before filming or engaging other participants in Black Rock City is a requirement and responsibility for anyone at the event," Burning Man officials said in a Sept. 3 statement. "This camp received multiple warnings and opportunities to correct their behavior, yet continued to violate our policies and were therefore evicted."

As usual, these Poor Oppressed Christians fail to understand that the problem is not their beliefs. If Christianity works for someone as a spiritual system, I think that's great. They should keep doing it. I may be a Thelemite and an occultist, but I have no problem with anyone personally practicing Christianity or any other religion. What they need to get through their heads is that people who don't share those beliefs want to be left alone. Being Christian does not give you the right to harrass people, even if you honestly think you're "saving their souls."