# Why do people talk about Jesus so much? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 6, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173 "2014-06-06T03:19:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/21 "2014-06-06T14:21:07Z")
Whenever anyone hits me with religion, I bring up paganism. It’s the only religion I’ve found that makes any sense. No “Magical Sky Pixie” in it. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/22 "2014-06-06T15:40:05Z")
I’m more conventionally religious than 90% of Dopers, but I don’t hear nearly as much God/Jesus talk as the OP. Indeed, in my experience, the majority of people who make frequent religious allusions are African-American women. They’re the ones most likely to mention God or Jesus in an otherwise non-religious conversation, or to end a conversation with a religious farewell (“Have a blessed day,” or something along those lines). ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/23 "2014-06-06T16:10:16Z")
Yep, “Have a blessed day!” alla time. It’s not unusual to have God or Jesus name-dropping, either, like they’re sneaking in a little Witnessing wherever they can, no matter how incongruous. (We’re in the buckle of the Bible Belt.) Sometimes I imagine it replaced with “genitals.” (Today I was lifted by the Spirit of my \_\_\_\_\_.) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/24 "2014-06-06T16:19:52Z")
I have short hair, so whenever I walk past a recently opened barber shop, the proprieter often chases after me to give me a sales pitch. This happened the other day. The guy laid it on real thick, telling me how much he’d love to work on my hair and sculpt my eyebrows. I took his card and wished him good luck with his new business. “I don’t need luck, baby! I got JEEEESUS!” he said, flashing a mouth full of gold teeth. That one comment told me all I need to know about how much _fun_ my hair appointments would be with him. I’m sure he will do well, though. Lots of black people are into that kind of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/25 "2014-06-06T16:24:35Z")
I spend a lot of time on buses here in the Montreal area, but don’t think I’ve ever heard people talk about God/Jesus/religion. Except people who are trying to convert others, but that rarely happens. Maybe it’s a regional thing? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/26 "2014-06-06T16:42:58Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > Of the two worst people I know, both do this. I don’t mean to say that good people don’t do it too, because that’s not the case either, but I’d say it really has no correlation at all with even attempting to be a decent human being. They either think it makes them look pious to others or they prefer very low-effort ways to reap God’s blessings. Probably both. > > And then sometimes it’s just filler. Some people say “um” every sentence; some say “God is good”. They’ve never really examined their faith but they take it as a given that it’s a good thing and they probably assume whoever they’re talking to agrees, so why not mention it a lot? Those people are generally not bad people but might not be too bright. I’m sure it’s okay. After all, if God really _minded_ people throwing his name around casually, he would have made a commandment against taking his name in vain or something. ---
**Author:** ![Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3be4f8/32.png) [@Obnoxious\_Hood\_Ornament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obnoxious_Hood_Ornament)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/27 "2014-06-06T18:07:45Z")
He’s not much for conversation, but a helluva listener. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/28 "2014-06-06T19:06:59Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I have short hair, so whenever I walk past a recently opened barber shop, the proprieter often chases after me to give me a sales pitch. This happened the other day. The guy laid it on real thick, telling me how much he’d love to work on my hair and sculpt my eyebrows. I took his card and wished him good luck with his new business. > > “I don’t need luck, baby! I got JEEEESUS!” he said, flashing a mouth full of gold teeth. I got scolded by a five-year-old once for remarking that he was lucky when he was telling me about a new toy he got or something. He said Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t say lucky, they say blessed. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/29 "2014-06-06T19:29:01Z")
It could be your area? The mass transit here (in Atlanta) don’t necessarily have all that much chatting about Jesus. I tend to find that for a lot of homeless folk, churches (some, not all) may be the only places that treat them like actual people - going out in the street, giving them food, chatting with them, etc. I know my church interacts quite a bit with the local homeless ministry - we have join Bible Studies, Freeze Shelters, we may sandwiches for them - things like that may make them more willing to talk about as it may be one of the few good things they have going for them. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/30 "2014-06-06T19:38:04Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > I don’t even consider myself being in a super relgious area (Silicon Valley, CA). I’m pretty sure it has to do with the type of passengers I have at work. > > I dont mind people talking about sports, the weather, what have you. Its just funny how frequently this type of exchange happens: I live there, so yeah, it’s just Bus people. Never hear this at the mall or on the train or at (most) parks. I mean, there’s a 24 hour bus here that is more or less a rolling home for the homeless. Lots’ o homeless in the Bay area. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/31 "2014-06-06T21:25:02Z")
Why do people talk about Jesus? Cause he ain’t here to defend himself. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2014, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/32 "2014-06-06T21:43:39Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Whenever anyone hits me with religion, I bring up paganism. It’s the only religion I’ve found that makes any sense. No “Magical Sky Pixie” in it. Just “Magical Earth Pixies”. ---
**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:** [June 9, 2014, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/33 "2014-06-09T23:37:42Z")
I live in the south…if something good happens, it’s because you’re “blessed”, or it was “God’s plan”. If something bad happens, that’s “God’s plan” too. And speaking of children…I have a slightly younger cousin who bragged on Facebook last year about how her five-year-old had lectured an elderly woman at Target about the “reason for the season” after she asked him if he was looking forward to Santa. As to why they do it…in the case of the people I’m familiar with, I think it’s all they know. While these folks are not economically uncomfortable – I would place most of them at lower- to mid- middle class – they aren’t very highly educated. In the case of my cousin, she was home-schooled to a high school level; she’s home-schooling her own children too, and has declared that she doesn’t care about how much education they get because the most important thing is preparing them for “spiritual warfare”. Yeah. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/34 "2014-06-10T01:42:34Z")
Two answers: \*Religious explanation: \* They are so happy about finding Jesus that they want to spread the word so others can join in. \*Cynical explanation: \* Deep down, they’re afraid that they may have made a big mistake and want others to agree with them to confirm they were right. ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/35 "2014-06-10T01:55:26Z")
> [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > I live in the south…if something good happens, it’s because you’re “blessed”, or it was “God’s plan”. If something bad happens, that’s “God’s plan” too. Amen. I hate it when I hear “I’m Blessed”, “you’re Blessed” (presume much?), the whole god damned fucked up world is Blessed. Praise the Lord and pass the cyanide. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/36 "2014-06-10T02:12:41Z")
I live in the Bible Belt, and I don’t encounter this as much in the Waking as you might think, but it is all over Facebook. Some of my FB friends mention Jesus in their statuses more than they do their kids. Most of my friends who do this are women; most of my biggest heathen friends are also women. ---
**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:** [June 10, 2014, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/37 "2014-06-10T02:21:12Z")
> [@Incubus](#): > > This may be selection bias as a product of people-on-the-bus, but something I noticed is how much people talk about Jesus in everyday conversations. I live in an area that is extremely diverse, not known for religious fundamentalism, yet I’d say the majority of mundane conversations people have is about God, Jesus, Gospels, etc. Huh. I can go for months at a time without hearing about God, Jesus and Gospels (“etc.” comes up once in a blue moon). I vote for selection bias (of course, I live in the Godless Midwest). ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/38 "2014-06-10T12:51:04Z")
And let’s not forget the people who feel obligated to post religious glurge all over Facebook. I use Social Fixer, so I can edit the posts out if they in text, but the ones who just post religious jpegs…aaarrgghh. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![NVME702-redux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a183cd/32.png) [@NVME702-redux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NVME702-redux)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/39 "2014-06-10T19:10:38Z")
I agree with **Sampiro** , Jesus is all over the place on Facebook. Everything my friends have, are experiencing, hope to do, the very fact they woke up that day and were able to post on Facebook was by the grace of having Jesus in their life. They want you to “Like” posts or pictures to prove you believe in him, accepted him in your life and that you are not ashamed. I’m just ashamed I spend that much time on Facebook to have witnessed all this! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173/40 "2014-06-10T20:05:54Z")
I just want to add that if someone’s saying “Jesus, you’re a dumbass.” around you, they’re not actually talking about Jesus. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-talk-about-jesus-so-much/690173.md?page=3)