We live in a country where we wear all sorts of things on our sleeves. Geeks have bumber stickers that say “My other car is a D-7” or “My Hat of d02 Knows No Limit.” Political folks have stuff like “Bush/Cheney 2000” and “You Can’t Hug Your Kids with Nuclear Arms.” Homosexuals have little rainbow stickers and pink triangles. Parents even advertise that their child is on the honor roll at such and such school.
Maybe it’s just an American thing in general. When I lived in Germany about the only stickers I saw on the backs vehicles were the white oval ones with the letters USA or GB on them. What’s so bad about religious bumper stickers but not the others?
Sorry, but it’s difficult to view usage of a traditional Muslim greeting (by a Muslim to a board that is mostly non-Muslim) as anything short of an advertisement of one’s religion.
I guess Jackm. means to say that whenever someone writes or says “peace” he/she is advertising a religion.
Now be surprized Jackm.:
I know atheists who do just the same. What religion are they advertizing?
By the way : your reference to “mostly non muslim” board comes across as a bit strange.
I mean: Did you need to fill in some form about religion/non religion when you subscribed?
I wasn’t asked to do that and also didn’t ask to be informed about the religions/non religions of other members because that is of no importance to me.
Maybe you could open a thread to explain why that is important to you?
Salaam. A
The US isn’t the only country where people stick their religion onto their car bumpers… Brazil suffers from these “jesus mobiles” also (that’s how we call them).
A very common sticker is “Thank God I´m Catholic” … others are very similar to the OP. Its common to have very big stickers saying I love Jesus… or Jesus is Faithful (whatever that means).
Do these bother me ? Yes a lot. It might be silly of me and reading this thread I really will have to consider these stickers in a more sensible light for sure. Why does it bother me ?
I can’t put a “Thank God I’m an Atheist” on my car without fearing reprisals.
Religion on the sleeve thingy.
Many of the messages imply “better than thou” attitudes… or poor sinners going to hell ideas.
For some reason they seem to drive badly… (or I just notice them more).
My more rational side says that its just about feeling part of a “community”… the same way gays, roleplayers and star wars fanatics have stickers that proclaim their hobbies or sexuality. Since Atheists have no sort of community since the lack of faith has rarely united people… I suppose putting an atheist sticker is only provocation seeking (though possibly fun).
In the end its not the cheesy stickers that bother me… but the theists themselves I suppose. It irks me to live amongst so many mindless beleivers who wanna make sure I know I’m part of the minority. I will endeavour to view them in a more favourable and less hostile manner perhaps…
From yourdictionary.com (pick your official definition, they’re all pretty much the same):
“1. salaam – a deep bow; a Muslim form of salutation”
Not that I care what people use to close their posts to supposedly take the edge off their remarks (“Salaam”, “Cheers”, what have you). But our buddy Aldebaran has been big on slamming the West for supposedly insulting Islamic customs and religious traditions, and yet he’s also indulged in jokes about matters of deep significance to Christians as well as gone on the attack about Christians who promote their religion.
Taking a little dose of his own medicine might be therapeutic.
Really? I “slam” the West for what you say I supposedly do?
(think you need to learn how to read posts of other memebers to start with.)
And I make “jokes” about Christian matters and “attack” those who “promote” Christianity?
Really?
Oh well, I never heard my late mother say that I attacked her religion or “made joeks” about it nor did I hear her priest say such (although he used to have sometimes a hard time hearing my quesitons and remarks) nor do I hear anything of the kind on the side of my mother’s family.
Mind you that in my culture respect for your parents (and their family) is so to speak inborn. It is not because my parents died when I was a child that I have less respect for them, or that I would denigrate thjem by “attacking and joking about” their religion.
Sorry. Wrong angle taken in a futile try to attack me, in a thread that has
nothing to do at all with your strange obsession for making personal remarks
Handles about bumper stickers used by Christians, not about my signing my posts with a wish of peace to the readers.
If you like such signatures to be banned here, then why don’t you ask the administrators/moderators to post a note about it on the “board rules” ?
Salaam. A
Hi Aldebaran,
HHhhmmm... maybe I should be more explicit... since we have only christians here my "hostility" is mostly to them. When I did live abroad somehow Hindus and Muslims didn't tick me off. Not that I can remember. Catholicism and Preaching Protestants are my pet peeves you could say.
I don't want to hijack this thread with the reasons why I don't like religion and theists... there must be plenty of other threads about it. They rarely are polite too and I'm not sure they are "interesting discussions". Actually they can be interesting... but I woudn't call them "discussions."
Here goes a summary: Being or considering myself a rational person. I am none too friendly to people who need to present their religion and wear it on their sleeves as a badge, I’m better than thou and who look upon others as “lost” or “poor sinners”. Especially when I am tired of seeing these so called “religious” people backstabbing and being general assholes like everyone else. I prefer an straightforward bastard than a hypocritical one. I guess this quick definition would put many muslims into my “hate list”… since there seem to be plenty of hypocrites in any religion.
And you are attacking people, in this very thread for promoting Christianity in a way you (and let’s face it, me) do not like.
I’ve already said that I do not care how you end your posts; I’m merely calling attention to your hypocrisy.
To quote you: “(think you need to learn how to read posts of other memebers (sic) to start with.)”
I was not addressing whether he was rational or made his points civilly.
If he wishes to find “astounishing arrogance” in those who do bumper-sticker-type religious promotion, one is entitled to note that same quality in his own postings.
If I recall well, I made that post in reply to an other member who joked about him wanting to see an “Osama productions” reply to that stupîd Gibson movie.
Thus going further on his joke = joking about the joke = not joking about any “religion”.
Probably you consider movies to be a realistic picture of “real life”, but that can hardly be my problem.
The question remains why you find it some kind of a mission to follow my posts here (= on this thread) up with attempts to personal attacks = with posts that have nothing to do with the OP and that not only are boring, but in my viaw also extremely disruptive for the ongoing discussion.
You can of course proceed with this, yet I shall no longer spend my any time (or attention) on reading, let be reply = you shall be howling to the moon like any decent lonely wolf worth the name.
I think many Christians who engage in provacative displays of their religion are fishing for abuse. Their interpretation of the Bible says they will be blessed if they are persecuted for witnessing:
I don’t think that this annoying sort of bumper sticker theology is limited to religion. But I have to admit, as a believer, that when I see cars adorned with those kind of bumper stickers there is a part of me that thinks “oh man can’t youi just be nice to people and allow that to be your witness?” However I get just as annoyed when I see cars adorned with the “born-again pagan” or “recovering fundy” (actually that one is kind of funny) or any of the various bumper stickers professing naturalism, enviornemntalism, liberalism conservatism etc. They are all annoying. There is something to be said for subtlety. I don’t mind when I see a single Christian fish symbol or even a single Darwin fish. But when the only part of the rear of a person’s car that isn’t covered with a bumpersticker is the license plate, then you have crossed the line from professing your beliefs to being obnoxious.
I agree. I was just responding to part of Kunilou’s post about witnessing being part of being a good Christian. Spreading the “Good News” about Christianity as if people hadn’t heard of it is like spreading the news that the earth is round. Of course, this applies to western culture, only.
Coming back to the OP, if Christians are trying to witness with bumpers stickers, I can only laugh at them. Trying to take such a deep, mulit-faceted topic as religion and reduce it to a bumper sticker is, to paraphrase Woody Allen, saying War and Peace was about some Russians.
And I think Gobear is right about the attitudes Christians have regarding witnessing. Most of them come across with a smarmy smugness that makes one think “used car salesman.” Behind their suits, ties and fake smiles is an attitude of “we’re right, you’re wrong, why don’t you just admit it!” At least that’s been my experience, YMMV.
In Florida, things are one step worse. We have state-issued license plates which advertise stuff. No religious ones, yet, but there’s a “Choose Life” one with what’s supposed to look like a child’s drawing of a little girl on it.
Each of these specialized plates has a 15 dollar surcharge over the regular tag charge, which goes to whichever nonprofit is associated with the plate. There’s one for my college, for example, which gets 15 bucks from people like me with University plates.
The government has no business issuing morally-themed plates though; there are petitions to block the issue of the Choose Life plate in particular practically every month, but the legislature refuses to consider them.
