Anyone else ever pretend to be religious to gain access to a place or places you weren't supposed to be?
My daughter and I did so we could go door-to-door in an apartment building where word on the street hinted we could find her stolen harp. It wasn't there, but at least we tried. We claimed to be with a group called Food For Jesus, wore crosses and gave out religious pamphlets. I talked while she scoped out the apartments.
Great plan btw. Love what you said! That made my day!
When my husband first left the military and we had just had our first son, both being students and struggling financially. To my regret I did have to pretend.
This was during a time when my husband refused to ask for help from the VA for his service related disabilities.(he finally got help and works for them now)
I didn't qualify for food stamps with me being an immigrant on a green card for me to apply (he was also too proud then to do so himself) So I ended up going to a food pantry. The one in our area was in a old warehouse which I only found out after going that it was a makeshift church (what denomination I still havent a clue) where you had to sit through a sermon for an hour, then say you repent before they would hand out the food.
Being raised secular and having no clue how any of this religious foolishness works I tried my best to play a long. A part of me even felt a little guilty in doing so, at least until I got a bit wiser and realized it is messed up to offer aid to people who are desperate enough to go to a dirty old werehouse to get food, but only after pushing your religious viewpoints on them and forcing them claim they agree.
I am so glad that we managed to make it through , finish school and hopefully I will never again find myself having to fake religious belief for food.
Now faking it to keep my inlaws from going off on my husband over marrying a heathen from Canada is another story. Getting hitched at city hall didnt go down so well...sure they love me now after 10 years (through I wonder if they would if they knew why we don't go to church.)
Telling them our sons are not baptised because "Jesus was the son of god and he wasn't baptised until he was in his 30s" only goes so far.
What an amazing story! Alas, many people are forced into pretending belief for food, shelter, medical aid, etc. It is a travesty! There are some charities where I live I do not support for that very reason.