Buddy Christ wouldn’t bother me, but glurgy religious sayings or tracts definitely would. I don’t really care too much about other people’s religions as long as I don’t feel like they’re being pushed on me.
As a Christian, I don’t find personal religious displays offensive. Heck, I wear a small gold cross around my neck myself and anyone who thinks that imposes on them can kiss my shiny white butt. My hairdresser has a glurgy calligraphied quote from the Bible (a Psalm, I think) stuck to her mirror and the local Indian take-out place has some kind of shriney thingy set up in a corner. No skin off my nose. Plus I live in the South (U.S.) and if I really wanted a purely secular experience with all businesses, I would have to work pretty hard to consciously set that up. I can’t imagine being pissed because a business was closed on Sunday – I mean, I might be pissed at the inconvenience but I wouldn’t feel the choice was some religious statement or imposition on me, because it’s obviously not.
But I don’t give my money to businesses that offend me for any reason, be the offense religious or non-religious. So put a Chick Tract in my bag? (Not that that’s every happened to me.) That would absolutely be the last time I did business there. Witness to me? Not coming back.
And I avoid the “Jesus fish in advertising” people because I find that use of the icon to be in bad taste, as Dangerosa said, and because it makes me suspect the business isn’t good enough to prosper on its own secular merits.
Seriously, such business names aren’t really uncommon in certain parts of the country; they’re far from the norm, but in some regions nobody would be surprised if they called the AAA when their car broke down, and John 3:16 Wrecking or The Lord Is My Shepherd I Shall Not Want Towing showed up.
From what I’ve seen, there’s two kinds of religious business names:
-
The ones that hint at the owner’s Christianity: Covenant Trucking, Trinity Home Improvement, Calvary Dry Cleaning, etc.
-
The in-your-face what-were-they-thinking names: I Am The Way The Truth And The Life Auto Body, Believe In Me And Be Baptized Septic Tank Service, What A Friend We Have In Jesus Guns, and so on. In the US, although uncommon, you’ll mostly see such names associated with mom&pop businesses in the South. However, they’re extremely common in Ghana, for some reason.
In the heavily Catholic Northeast, though, there’s really not an equivalent - no Marian Collision, Penance Catering, Rosary Shoe Repair or Stations Of The Cross Landscaping.
The grocery chain with the biggest market share here in Richmond is not open on Sunday, does not sell alcohol, and has a sign on the wall of every store that says, “Let’s all go to church on Sunday.” Apparently, it doesn’t negatively harm sales at all.
And I guess some of those may not even be (directly) Christian related; the “Bethlehem Motor Inn” in Tauranga NZ is so-named for the suburb it’s in: “Bethlehem”, as are a number of other businesses. I’m guessing there are numerous US examples – there’s a city of “Calvary” in GA (so google tells me).
Catholics consider “pimpin’ yer religion” to be in poor taste perhaps? 
(A sentiment I can understand).
Your comment that the explicit names are more southern (in the US) suggests then the owners are most likely Baptist? Or some other denomination?
I think it imposes on me. Can we set up a time?
Regards,
Shodan
Nah, but I do expect super bless-ed Christian-installed plumbing to occasionally produce wine when I open the tap. (I wonder what that would have meant for my dishwasher repair?)
Is that a Piggly Wiggly by any chance? The one located near my hometown had a huge sign over the checkouts that said “MEET US…IN CHURCH…ON SUNDAY!!!”
Depends. I have no issue with small scale displays of personal faith by shop owners or anyone else. I actually rather enjoy it, because many people are willing to explain the various symbols, and you end up learning something.
OTOH, I have zero use for ‘Christians’ who prance around loudly proclaiming how Christian and virtuous they are. Jesus specifically addresses this very issue ( Mat. 6:5) and describes these people as hypocrites.
How can you possibly declare your OTT devotion while simultaneously a) making money off the agonal death of a man you tell everyone in earshot was God and b) completely ignore something said in very plain termsby this same God?
Also, I’ve noticed the more “Look at MEEEE! I’m a CHRISTIAN! JEEEESUUUS! is LOOOORRD!” types tend to have really nasty attitudes towards others.
Doesn’t it say the same thing on your American money? Do you boycott that too? Can I have yours, if you don’t want it?
Somebody mentioned gay pride flags upthread. I wonder if the Dopers (a generally non-homophobic lot) would have the same problems with these as they seem to have in many cases with religious stuff?
For mine, none of it bothers me. I’m an agnostic, but I wouldn’t avoid a business with religious stuff on the premises, whether it is a Halal restaurant that has a religious need to provide a sink for washing hands right there in the main part of the restaurant, or whether it is a widget store the owner of which has put up a Jesus fish simply because he can. Have a gay pride flag, a Flying Spaghetti Monster emblem, a Free Tibet poster, or whatever. Unless it’s actually hate speech, if you make the right widgets for the right price, this ol’ capitalist will come to your store.
I do have a minor ethical problem with folks using their religion for goodie-two-shoes points with their clientele, but hopefully their God will deal with them later for that.
But basically, it’s your business, and you can do what you like. It’s my money, and I can do what I like.
All those people in this thread who objected to it, what do you think of Dopers expressing their religious beliefs in their usernames? If you deliberately boycott the Jesus Saves Auto Supply Boutique, how come you respond to a thread posted by Traditional_Catholic?
Yes, it does, but I rarely stare at my money long enough to read it. License plates are “in your face” kind of “advertising”, imo. This was the crux of the controversy in the state. Other organizations (colleges, private organizations) have to pay hefty fees to have their logo on license plates and users have to pay additional fees to use them on their cars. Why would the state be in a position to give free advertising to Christians? Would they be as accepting if the plate said, “In Allah We Trust”? Not likely.
Of course not and I’m not sure how you could extrapolate any connection. Traditional_Catholic isn’t posting for his own personal gain. My objection arises with people thinking that I should “trust” them because of their religion. Their (usually Christian) faith makes them no more worthy in my book than their Jew, Muslim, or Druid counterparts. The insinuation is that because they have an outline of a fishy or God Is Your Savior signs, they are better plumbers, etc. I tend to look at these businesses with a very strong :dubious: and consequently avoid them.
Well personally I’ve taken to not mentioning my Satanism around my infant and toddlers playgroup.
There is more than one “Blessed” McDonald’s around here. That’s how it is written on the sign, in quotes like that. I have no idea what that really means or why it has to do with McDonald’s, but it won’t stop me from getting a coffee from there.
It does annoy me that all of their drive thru employees tell me their names as they hand me my order. What is that about?