Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!geo From: geo@watarts.UUCP Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: suspicious singles questionnaire Message-ID: <1980@watarts.UUCP> Date: Sat, 30-Jul-83 03:00:44 EDT Article-I.D.: watarts.1980 Posted: Sat Jul 30 03:00:44 1983 Date-Received: Sat, 30-Jul-83 04:51:25 EDT References: hogpd.103 Lines: 36 Avi Gross (avi@pegasus) recently posted the text of a questionnaire he received unsolicited in the mail. The questionnaire was ostensibly directed towards single people. Avi found the religious bias suspicious, speculated that perhaps the questionnaire was a ploy on the part of some evangelical group, and asked if anyone had ever come across anything similar. (Hope I haven't misrepresented you Avi.) Well I came across something similar. There was a chapter of the "Maranathas" on campus a year or two ago. They used to pull this stunt in pairs. They would approach you in a lounge or common room, explain they were students, and ask you if you would mind helping them out by answering some questions for them. They would have about a dozen mimeographed questionnaires under their arms with their school books. I don't recall their exact line of patter, but they clearly implied that the questionnaire was associated with their academic work. The first question or two were innocuous. I had answered about half a dozen before I realized that this was not a legitimate exercise intended to measure my attitude, but rather a ploy to embroil me in a religious discussion. Clearly I am still angry about it. I am extremely distrustful of this group. Does anyone know anything more about them? I understand that Rios Montt, the current dictator of Guatemala is a member. The local chapter seemed to be supported by an incredible amount of money. According to the records they filed with the student federation they had on the order of two dozen members. Somehow they managed to rent a storefront, print glossy pamphlets, and every two or three weeks plaster the campus with posters for events they were hosting. The events would either be a visit from a young, clean-cut looking evangelist, and his wife, or a movie about Christian life. There seemed to be intense pressure on the members of this group to enter student politics. Geo Swan, Integrated Studies, University of Waterloo (ihnp4 || allegra || linus || decvax) !watmath!watarts!geo