# Do overt religious displays bias you for or against a business? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 7, 2007, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735 "2007-08-07T13:06:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/101 "2007-08-08T23:43:02Z")
The “child not a choice” trucks disgust me to the extent that I’ve almost called the company to complain. Otherwise, I do tend to avoid businesses that go out of their way to tell me how Christian they are…I posted a thread here not too long ago about a dishwasher repair service in the Raleigh area that made a big deal out of the fact that they would give you a 10% discount for reciting a Bible verse. And the guy made it pretty clear on his website that the female members of his family weren’t allowed to do any kind of work for the business. That’s not the kind of person I want to invite into my house, thanks. (I ended up fixing the dishwasher myself.) ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/102 "2007-08-08T23:43:10Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] It could mean that the business owner is saying, "\ I strive to follow Christian principles\* of honesty, generosity, fairness, whatever is the opposite of greediness, etc. " [/QUOTE] Shouldn’t he be doing that anyway? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/103 "2007-08-08T23:56:05Z")
[QUOTE=AudreyK] Shouldn’t he be doing that anyway? [/QUOTE] It appears to be another form of ceremonial deism. It doesn’t mean anything since it’s neither exclusive nor binding, but it pays lip-service to an idea in the interests of appeasing some Christians. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/104 "2007-08-09T00:09:18Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] My own experience has been that people of deep and true faith are more honest and kinder than the general population. [/QUOTE] And my experience has been that people of deep and true faith **don’t go around advertising it**. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/105 "2007-08-09T00:39:11Z")
**Walloon** , serious question, ignorance fighting style. Should a Christian consider Matthew 6:5-6 when advertising his business? I was taught that the meaning of this verse is that the Christian faith should be a private matter and not advertised to other people or done in public. Is there another interpretation that I’m missing, or does it not apply any more, the way the Covenant of the Old Testament was replaced with Jesus’ New Covenant? > [@](#): > > 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. > > 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/106 "2007-08-09T00:43:35Z")
[QUOTE=Pochacco] And my experience has been that people of deep and true faith **don’t go around advertising it**. [/QUOTE] Well, gosh, if they don’t advertise it, how will anyone know? I mean it’s not like their actions can speak for themselves… oh. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/107 "2007-08-09T02:11:29Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to Great Debates. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/108 "2007-08-09T02:20:52Z")
My _pastor_ doesn’t even advertise the fact that he’s a preacher, unless somebody specifically asks what he does for a living. He says it’s because he wants to relate to “real people”, and be related to as a “real person”. When people find out he’s a preacher, they suddenly start acting differently around him. Me, I don’t choose where to do business based on religious advertising, I choose based on the question, “Does this place have what I want, at a price I can afford?”. [QUOTE=acsenray] It’s fine by me if they wante to be closed on Sunday. A lot of businesses are. But what is their intent in prominently displaying the message _why_ they are closed on Sunday? [/QUOTE] It might be a message to _other Christians_ who come along shaking the door on Sunday, telling them that perhaps if they would stay home and spend time with their families on Sunday, more Christians could attend church. I personally know that in so many places where I’ve been a cook, I’ve been the only Christian in the place and the only person who was stuck working every Sunday. Why? Because Sunday is the biggest day of the week in many restaurants, thanks to Christians going out to breakfast before church or brunch/lunch afterward. _Somebody_ has to cover the shift, and naturally the owner wants his best people on the busiest shifts. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/109 "2007-08-09T02:22:08Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] It could mean that the business owner is saying, “I am a Christian, and I strive to follow Christian principles\* of honesty, generosity, fairness, whatever is the opposite of greediness, etc. I hope that will recommend me to you, no matter what your faith.” [/QUOTE] What about the **other** Christian principles ? Like “unbelievers are evil and should be punished, and are fair game for anything”, or “anything is justified if it makes money, because money is a sign of God’s favor”, or “women should be subjugated”, or “convert the unbeliever at any cost” ? There are plenty of Christians who beleive any or all of those. And I’d expect the sort of Christian who insists in waving his religion in people’s faces to be much more likely than average to be one of them. [QUOTE=Walloon] My own experience has been that people of deep and true faith are more honest and kinder than the general population. [/QUOTE] And I’ve never seen any evidence of that whatsoever, beyond the unsupported claims of the beleivers. The few times I’ve ever heard of a study being done, it’s shown that the more religious you are, the less trustworthy, compassionate, helpful, ethical, capable of love, etc you are. Which is probably why you generally don’t see such studies. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/110 "2007-08-09T02:26:33Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] The few times I’ve ever heard of a study being done, it’s shown that the more religious you are, the less trustworthy, compassionate, helpful, ethical, capable of love, etc you are. Which is probably why you generally don’t see such studies. [/QUOTE] Cite? ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/111 "2007-08-09T03:02:06Z")
Well [this guy](http://tv-links.co.uk/listings/9/5566) who is a Christian, is definitely not trustworthy, helpful, or IMO ethical. Not a study but an example. Also, not really pertinent to the discussion I guess. But it does speak to the fallacy that Christian = good, correct, trustworthy, not misleading etc. Granted this guy is an outlyer, but he is _preaching this shit_ to people who are eating it up. Very irresponsible. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/112 "2007-08-09T03:24:47Z")
I used to blame Christians in general for the fact that so many of the businesses with Jesus fish in the ads turned out to be run by crooks, but I now have realized that it’s the people who think of religion as a marketing tool that are crooks, not all Christians. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/113 "2007-08-09T04:30:24Z")
[QUOTE=OneCentStamp] Eh…this is one I don’t really have a problem with. Their founders believe that working on Sunday is bad, same as Chick-Fil-A (this is very conspicuous when the restaurant in question is in a mall that’s open on Sunday). Closing on Sunday looks to me like putting their money where their mouths are even when it’s to their financial detriment. Not that I agree with their reasons, but I find it sort of respectable that they do so. [/QUOTE] I rather wonder if they will give Jews, for instance, Saturday off. Or if they employ Jews or other non-Christians at all, if they can possibly avoid it. I went to Hobby Lobby a couple of times, then noticed the sign. Now I avoid going there, if I can. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/114 "2007-08-09T04:43:20Z")
Well, I have [a tasteful portable shrine](http://www.eclectic-art.net/altars/voodoo.jpg) set up in my office. Keeps the surgeons respectful, and since I don’t leave it overnight the cleaning lady can’t mess with it. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/115 "2007-08-09T04:54:21Z")
[QUOTE=Walloon] It could mean that the business owner is saying, “I am a Christian, and I strive to follow Christian principles\* of honesty, generosity, fairness, whatever is the opposite of greediness, etc. I hope that will recommend me to you, no matter what your faith.” [/quote] And since it is clear that these people somehow assume that we’d think those businesses without the fish are not honest and fair, isn’t that a bit insulting to everyone else? Do you really think that the fish means that to a Jew of Muslim? My ancestors had about 2,000 years of counter-examples to Christian generosity and fairness, thank you very much. > [@](#): > > My own experience has been that people of deep and true faith are more honest and kinder than the general population. And he says we’re bigoted. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/116 "2007-08-09T04:56:16Z")
[QUOTE=Bill Door] I used to blame Christians in general for the fact that so many of the businesses with Jesus fish in the ads turned out to be run by crooks, but I now have realized that it’s the people who think of religion as a marketing tool that are crooks, not all Christians. [/QUOTE] Maybe we should add this to those rules - you know, never play cards with a man named Doc, never eat at a place called Mom’s, and never patronize a store that advertises with a fish. ---
**Author:** ![rock\_party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@rock\_party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rock_party)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/117 "2007-08-09T05:11:36Z")
In my town there’s a 10 foot painted plywood Jesus w/sunray halo around his head that reads:“Jesus Saves Kirby Vacuum Repair”. Also a used car lot’s sign says: “YOUR CHRISTIAN CAR DEALER”. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/118 "2007-08-09T06:11:42Z")
[QUOTE=Voyager] And since it is clear that these people somehow assume that we’d think those businesses without the fish are not honest and fair, isn’t that a bit insulting to everyone else? [/QUOTE] See my footnote to the asterisk, above. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/119 "2007-08-09T06:13:04Z")
[QUOTE=WhyNot] **Walloon** , serious question, ignorance fighting style. Should a Christian consider Matthew 6:5-6 when advertising his business? [/QUOTE] That verse is about praying, isn’t it? We weren’t talking about praying. What you were taught is neither here nor there. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2007, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735/120 "2007-08-09T06:23:21Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] What about the **other** Christian principles ? Like “unbelievers are evil and should be punished, and are fair game for anything”, or “anything is justified if it makes money, because money is a sign of God’s favor”, [/QUOTE] I don’t remember those Gospel verses. Could you cite them? To the contrary, Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24) Matthew 19: > [@](#): > > Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” > “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” > “Which ones?” the man inquired. > Jesus replied, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” > “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” > Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-overt-religious-displays-bias-you-for-or-against-a-business/414735.md?page=7)