Talk:Gary Birdsong
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[edit] University of Florida in Gainesville appearance
During the 1999-2000 school year, I saw this guy preach at the University oF Florida in Gainesville, should that be mentioned in the article? He also called people "whores" and "whoremongers," which i did not see mentioned in the article. He did claim to have not sinned at all in the past 17 years or something like that.
[edit] This article needs to be revised
This article is mostly slanderous accusations and jokes and as it stands has no place on Wikipedia. I nominated it for a POV dispute. Any actual biographical information or a neutral assessment of the various points of view or controversies surrounding him would be valid but this article was obviously written by someone with a very strong point of view and an agenda to slander this man and make a mockery of him on the internet. Almost everything stated in the article is hearsay, or specifically intended to mock this man or evoke a negative reaction against him. The author of this article has disrepected the purpose of Wikipedia and used it as a forum for his satirical writing, which is completely inappropriate. -bjoleniacz
- I have removed the "Theories" section, since this was the most egregrious NPOV violation. It appears here: --TexasDex 02:51, 5 November 2005 (UTC)
Theories
I feel the theories are legimate, even if not true they are all possibilities, with the exception of the anecdote about hitting his wife. That could possibly go under some kind of "Gary Humor" section, but the theory that it is a school-supported sociology experiment is widely believed. -sublime0bass
As well as taking him on face value, several theories have been formulated about Rev. Birdsong:
- Birdsong admitted to hitting his wife because "there is nothing he hates more than a nagging woman."
- Birdsong is hired by the schools at which he preaches, to stir up controversy and incite discussion.
- Birdsong is actually satirizing evangelical Christianity, perhaps with the intention of turning people away from it.
- Birdsong doesn't really believe what he says, but, through his appearances, hopes to get students talking about religion and Christianity. When he uses outlandish quotes from the Bible to support seemingly absurd claims, he is attempting to get people to pick up the Bible and read it for themselves.
- Birdsong is literally insane, and/or craves attention.
- Rumors have circulated among students that he did have a wife who left him but this has not been confirmed. He has, however, mentioned being divorced since the 70's.
- Birdsong has a son who he disowned for being homosexual.
- Birdsong is a latant homosexual whose violent tendencies erupt in debate as he stares at all the hard bodies of the college men.
- Birdsong is a disgruntled postal worker whose violent tendencies are limited to denouncing all college students.
I personally heard Gary Birdsong say to a large group at UNC Chapel Hill that he beat his wife because she liked it. He then said after he stopped beating his wife, she left him. -- Ivey99
- Birdsong doesn't really believe what he says, but, through his appearances, hopes to get students talking about religion and Christianity. When he uses outlandish quotes from the Bible to support seemingly absurd claims, he is attempting to get people to pick up the Bible and read it for themselves.
I heard Gary say this himself at NCSU In September 2005. -David77
[edit] African American?
Gary accuses students of being African American? Perhaps that should be deleted from the list, or at least clarified...
I never heard the Pit Preacher called the Pit Creature at UNC-CH.
I wish Gary would come to the west coast...
[edit] Pit Creature
Yes, Pit Creature is new to me too. He was always the referred to as the Pit Preacher while I was there. I recall seeing some photos of him at NCSU in which he was preaching while a student stipped in front of him. Quite amusing. What was up with those dudes with the giant crucifix banners with the belt mount that would hang out in the pit? Where did they go?
He is NOT called the Pit Creature....simply the Pit Preacher!
[edit] UNC*Charlotte November 2, 2005
UNCC****YAY for Meredith and Cassy dancing in their bras on the Belk Tower to some "evil hippie music" and scaring Preacher Gary away...Preacher Gary shouted, ::lunge forward/waving bible:: "homosexual whores, you're going to hell! I will pray for you!!!" and then he walked away!
Oh yes. I am a friend of the two girls who danced and one I let borrow my bra so she could do so. I would say down with Preacher Gary, but it's free entertainment and gets people thinking, as well as an open forum for controversial topics. So kudos to Gary for at least putting it all out there.
[edit] UNC*Charlotte
Those last 2 theories are just outlandish and stupid!!!...and I haven't heard that his son was homosexual b4 but he might have said it to someone on another campus...but i think i heard him say something about his 15 year old grand*daughter being pregnant...I can't say for sure this is true though.
[edit] This Article Is Accurate
To the person claiming slander and whatnot--have you ever seen/heard Gary Birdsong? I'm a God-fearing (moderate) Christian and would defend to the death your average ultra-conservative preacher, but this guy is clearly either going for entertainment value or there's something wrong with his head. That said, those last two "theories" are absurd and uncalled for. And I too have never heard him called the Pit Creature. Until someone posts a audio/video clip, I'll say for the record that I've heard him say very similar things to what's quoted here. The article is not an exaggeration.
I think that this entry is an accurate depiction of Rev. Birdsong. I have heard him preach on several occasions and the things described in the entry are consistent with his sermons. I do not have an ax to grind with religion, but I do not think the article is biased toward any particular viewpoint -- I think they stem from his own words, which are accurately quoted.
-- I agree with this statement. I have heard nearly all of these claims personally, and none of them are slanderous in nature or in tone. Though hard to believe, the claims made about Gary birdsong are all true. -- Ivey99
-- I too corroborate all the statements in this article -- AaronRoe
-- I was at NCSU from 97-01 and most of the article is spot-on. What is missing is that he also has what I'd call Gary Disciples. They hang out with him and sometimes are out on Hillsborough St preaching alone. I've also seen him in downtown Raleigh in front of the courthouse preaching quite a few times in recent years.
-- I am in agreement with the above poster--I too was at NCSU (from 96-01), and I saw it all. Except for the middle name bit. Eugene, really? Who found that out? Man, no wonder. -- Pb
-- This article is much more fact than fiction. Please remember that Gary is a secretive person. He tells his audience enough about himself to raise questions and gather attention, but he does not ever clarify his past. He makes reference to his past as a Hell's Angel, a potsmoker, and a generally bad person, but he never makes any of it clear. That said, almost any logical person could put the story together and figure out that he really is a lunatic. This article is funny, yet based almost entirely on fact. -Matt
--The majority of the content in this article is factual and unbiased. I've listened to Gary preach three or four times this semester, and he covers nearly all of that content in each sermon. -Kassie
[edit] Its true, oh its true
I went to UNC from 95-99 and I would have to say the majority of the wikipedia article about Gary is true. If youve spent more than 2 minutes listening to his sermons, they are filled with ridiculous rhetoric that he can not back up. I watched people question him about certain things in the bible text and rather than open the book and point it out, he would simply refute them as "fornicators and sinners". He is entertaining no doubt, and makes some valid points, but this article is in no way slanderous or skewed. Its dead on. -John in Dallas TX
p.s. any guy promoting the article on GNAA shouldnt be commenting on religion.
[edit] edit Jan 5, 06
I have just completed an edit of this article. I am a student journalist at NCSU and author of the photo of Gary and the guy with the thong. I applaud the removal of the "theries" section. I would definitely not publish those in a paper. I can vouch what this article says on 1/5/06 is true. I also removed subjection in the UNCC section - but did not change the content. Before it was wordy but now it is straightforward. I added a text description of assaults on Gary that I have both personally witnessed and photographed at NCSU. Confirmed that Gary lives in Knightdale. (Source: http://msweb03.co.wake.nc.us/bordelec/Waves/WavesSearch.asp Voter # 000031256419 ) -robrcb
- What happend to the photo of the dude at NCSU who stood with fist raised in front of Gary in a thong? This would be an excellent addition to the article. AaronRoe 04:46, 8 May 2006 (UTC)
- I changed the description of the pie attack on Gary. I also witnessed it, and he was definitely hit on the top of his head, not in the face. There was also another incident which resulted in his grappling with a student which I will probably add a description of at some point in the future. I also have it on good authority that there is a group of like-minded people who pay his living expenses in order that he may spend his time preaching. I will, however, talk with my authority and see if I can get more details or means of confirmation before I add that. --Keith Irwin24.225.84.177 08:00, 26 March 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Please?
Please somebody change "Evangelical Christian" to "Fundamentalist Christian" in the first sentence - Not that the current media seems to know the difference between the two (it seems to be en vogue these days to use the two interchangeably) but there is a difference.
I am a sophomore at NCSU, and I must say that the article is neither slanderous, nor misrepresenting. I think that even Gary himself would say the same. I enjoy chilling out at the Atrium between classes, eating Chic-fil-a, and listening to Gary "preach." His last round at State was about a week ago, where I personally heard him admit to "love tapping" his wife to keep her "in line." This dude is crazy; I don't know how much or if any of his history is true, but if it is, he is the true definition of hypocritical. Even so, I enjoy the unity of avid Gary-Watchers against his "preachings", whether they be Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Bahai'i, Wiccan, Athiest, Agnostic, or whatever.
152.7.52.18 04:53, 27 January 2006 (UTC)NCSU student
[edit] Erasing all doubt
Regardless of how many witnesses in a crowd may confirm Birdsong's behavior and statements, it will never hold water with those who have never been there. Along with the images I contributed in the External Links section, I will make efforts in the future to capture audio when he next comes to NCSU. I suggest to other students with audio editing software to do the same. cddweller
