Jesus signs-Times Square

These two pictures were taken in Times Square on two different occasions, several week apart. Times Square is a local tourist attraction, with thousands of people passing through each day. Times Square is one of those places in the city where, among all the bustle, it's actually quite easy to recoil in privacy and observe all the buzz around you. Times Square is an easy spot for people to preach or advertise their personal agendas, just like these men are doing here. Times Square is definitely an attention-grabbing area, and it's hard to miss all the billboards, signs, and people trying to sell you anything and everything as you quickly rush by. Obviously, these men would post their signs here because it's such a notorious tourist attraction. I think the choice of a picket-sign style advertisement is noteworthy because it allows the men to hold their signs for an indefinite period of time, high enough for all individuals to see. If they stood anywhere in Times Square, they would've been noticed regardless but I think their particular choice of location-on 42nd and 7th, the same block as the subway station, Dave and Busters, Madame Tussauds, and the Amsterdam Theatre,  played a role in choosing their location. Those are three of the biggest tourist attractions in Times Square, and further down are the Times Square stairs, M&M world and the Hershey store, so probably thousands pass through all the time. It's hard not to notice these men holding these signs, preaching about Jesus. It's nothing new, because this happens all over New York City all the time, especially in subways (those people who preach about God at 8 AM are slightly too much) but the men definitely succeeding in getting their point across. Even if you want to ignore them, you can't, which is ironic because among all the noise in the city you still have sporadic moments of privacy where you can notice minute details of your surroundings.
When thinking of a text to connect this to, my first thought was "Go Tell It On The Mountain" by James Baldwin. Throughout the book, the characters seem to be really into the theme of pressing religion and God onto those around them. Even if the characters have sinned, (Gabriel) they still hold the idea that if they continue to pray, then God will lift them out of their misery and send them into heaven. "And there were those who cried-they had heard it, in their homes, and on the street corner, and from the very pulpit-that they should wait no longer, despised and rejected and spat on as they were, but should rise today and bring down the mighty, establishing the vengeance that God had claimed...Did they think sometimes that God forgot? Oh, fall on your knees and pray for patience; fall on your knees and pray for faith" (136-137). I think the characters seem to think that no matter what they do, it's okay because God will see through their prayers and love them nonetheless. In times of despair, it is comforting to have the idea that God loves you, and will push you onto the right path. I think that was the goal of the sign that says "Jesus loves you." When I first read the sign, I jokingly noted that, Jesus does love me despite having God not answering my prayers. In all seriousness, it is a reassuring thought and maybe that is why all the characters in the book committed such grave sins, and could be extended for all people as well. Believing in God does not excuse sin, but I can understand how it can allow people to repent, accept their mistakes, and in the future work towards making themselves a better person so they can avoid sin as much as possible. During unfortunate or strenuous circumstances, it is also easy to suddenly turn to religion even if the individual was never religious, such as Gabriel did in his youth. I think people choose God as an escape and think that miraculously he will help in destitute situations, which is what the characters in Baldwin's novel may have done (Gabriel, Elizabeth, Florence). The men holding these signs in Times Square most likely wanted to make the public aware that despite going through rough patches, God does love us all and the sooner we repent, the brighter the future will be.
The characters in Baldwin's novel may have realized this, but placed too much responsibility on God to take care of them, instead of taking responsibility themselves for their actions and trying to seek the root of their problems. There is a stark difference between how the characters in Baldwins novel may have accepted God and how, I believe, these men wanted the public to look at and interpret the idea of God.