# Your fish decal has convinced me ... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 16, 2001, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134 "2001-04-16T05:50:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/1 "2001-04-16T05:50:15Z")
I’m giving my life to Christ. Yes, rarely have I seen as effective a witnessing tool as the fish decal plastered on the back of a car or truck. Just as Saul was struck on the Road to Damascus, I was struck on my way to work when I saw that decal. Suddenly, the scales dropped from my eyes, and it all became clear to me: I am a sinner, and my only hope at everlasting life is to be like you and buy a fish decal, too. It’s all so simple. How could I have missed this in my reading of the Bible? All I must do to impress upon non-Christians how they should live their lives is to slap the outline of a fish on my Subaru. By doing so, I, too, can now be considered a “Fisher of Men.” Maybe, I’ll buy two. Happy Easter. ---
**Author:** ![shell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@shell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shell)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/2 "2001-04-16T05:59:43Z")
I dunno JonScribe, sounds kind of fishy too me. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/3 "2001-04-16T06:08:25Z")
Screw that, buy a Gefilte Fish decal instead. ---
**Author:** ![Xploder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a183cd/32.png) [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/4 "2001-04-16T06:13:47Z")
My brother, the risiculously avid fisherman, insists that the decal just means that they like to sit in boats and gulp beer all day. A modus operandi I can whole-heartedly agree with. Who WANTS to catch the damn fish? Ya just end up having to gut 'em and clean 'em! Fuck that noise, Xploder is heading off to the local Kessel’s to but pre-gutted, pre-beheaded fish… Oh yeah, if ya want the fish guts to use as a bumper sticker, email me and I’ll be **glad** to send 'em. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/5 "2001-04-16T07:20:38Z")
I started a thread about “offensive” bumper stickers a while ago. Oy Vey. I try to keep my bumper stickers light and friendly, and not too religious or political (even though I am religious, and have strong political convictions.) As far as the Christian Fish goes - I wouldn’t put one on my car, but I would hope that most people would cope with it. Just the way that I, as a vegetarian, cope with seeing “Bass Fishing” bumper stickers on other people’s cars. It isn’t going to make me start fishing, or start eating fish, but hey! It was important to _them_, they _like_ fishing, so what skin is it off my nose if I see their damned bumper sticker? Same with the Christian Fish. They’re just happy happy happy to be Christian. Nothing more _need_ to be read into it than that. Just like I don’t feel compelled to read into a Bass Fishing sticker that the owner of the car wants ME to start fishing. They just like to fish. So, I think the Christian Fish is far less irritating than the sactimonious “In case of Rapture, this car will be unoccupied” (which is irritating on SO many levels! Who says they’ll make the “cut”? Maybe all that speeding in traffic and not using their turn signal will make them not worthy of being taken when the Rapture comes! Why make such smug assumptions?) I don’t believe in the Rapture anyway, but the smugness of that bumper sticker irks me. The Darwin Fish irritates me as well, because it is mocking someone else’s design. Why not come up with their own design? There are some really clever Evolution bumper stickers out there (like “Oh Evolve!” and a few others. (This is something that was exhaustively discussed on that other thread I started, though, so I’ll stop rambling now.) ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/6 "2001-04-16T08:11:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yosemitebabe \* > \*\*The Darwin Fish irritates me as well, because it is mocking someone else’s design. Why not come up with their own design? \*\* I know exactly what you mean. Around here there is no popular logo that has not been bastardized to reflect Christianity. They’ve taken the Tommy shirts and now they say “He is risen” in the same style as “Hilfiger” on the front. The “Got Milk?” logo becomes “Got Jesus?” Come on, people–be original! ---
**Author:** ![TPWombat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbce88/32.png) [@TPWombat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TPWombat)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/7 "2001-04-16T08:12:41Z")
Oh My Cod. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/8 "2001-04-16T08:14:32Z")
Viagra should use the “He is risen” line. Ya know, just to spice up life a little. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/9 "2001-04-16T09:01:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > \*\*Viagra should use the “He is risen” line. Ya know, just to spice up life a little. 😃 \*\* … and he’s coming again! ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/10 "2001-04-16T12:20:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by evilbeth \* > I know exactly what you mean. Around here there is no popular logo that has not been bastardized to reflect Christianity. They’ve taken the Tommy shirts and now they say “He is risen” in the same style as “Hilfiger” on the front. The “Got Milk?” logo becomes “Got Jesus?” > > Come on, people–be original! \*\* Ooh yes. I hate those. I’m a Christian, but I cringe when I see those kind of t-shirts. Blech. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/11 "2001-04-16T12:29:35Z")
I personally like the stickers that say: “In case of Rapture can I have your car?” Zette ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/12 "2001-04-16T13:30:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eutychus55 \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Derleth \* > > \*\*Viagra should use the “He is risen” line. Ya know, just to spice up life a little. 😃 \*\* > > … and he’s coming again! \*\* As Bob Dole would say, “Down boy.” ---
**Author:** ![Feynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@Feynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feynn)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/13 "2001-04-16T13:46:53Z")
Is that what that’s all about? Christianity? I thought that there were just a bunch of people out there who really liked fish, so much so that they had one put on their car. I really like sex but haven’t been able to find an appropriate symbol to plaster on my car. Perhaps two fish spawning would be good because then it would cover a number of bases, my aforementioned love of sex and my love of fishing. If I could just get the fish to hold a hockey stick as they spawned… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/14 "2001-04-16T14:21:10Z")
Agnostic weighing in here. I LIKE the original “ICHTHYS” Fish medallion (It’s not a “decal”, but a hefty hunk o’stuff to be glued onto yoir car). The claim is that it’s an early Christian symbol that the persecuted Christians used to identify each other (as in the movie “Quo Vadis”). I don’t know how much truth there is to this (that the Christians actually used it, that is – I don’t care if they stole it from elsewhere, as the current debate elsewhere on the SDMB holds), but I LIKE the design – simple and abstract. The fact that they wrote in ICHTHYS is clever, too – It means “FISH”, of course, but it was also an acronym for “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior” in Greek. Anyone with the complete–with-ICHTHYS design on their car gets extra points from me. If I were a practicing Christian I’d probably put one on my car. It reflects the glory days when the Christians were the young revolutionaries with new ideas and cool logos. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/15 "2001-04-16T15:45:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yosemitebabe \* > \*\*So, I think the Christian Fish is far less irritating than the sactimonious “In case of Rapture, this car will be unoccupied” (which is irritating on SO many levels! Who says they’ll make the “cut”? Maybe all that speeding in traffic and not using their turn signal will make them not worthy of being taken when the Rapture comes! Why make such smug assumptions?) I don’t believe in the Rapture anyway, but the smugness of that bumper sticker irks me. The Darwin Fish irritates me as well, because it is mocking someone else’s design. Why not come up with their own design? There are some really clever Evolution bumper stickers out there (like “Oh Evolve!” and a few others. (This is something that was exhaustively discussed on that other thread I started, though, so I’ll stop rambling now.) \*\* Is anyone else flashing on **Puma Blues** or is it just me? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/16 "2001-04-16T17:15:30Z")
Yeah well I had a Darwin fish on my vehicle and I loved it. My wife gave it to me as a gift when they were still somewhat original. It made me happy. It never hurt anyone. It was all in fun. Did I mention that it was a gift from my beautiful, loving wife? One day I parked my vehicle in a large public parking lot and when I returned found that someone had violently ripped my wife’s gift off of the vehicle. That’s right, some sanctimonious, no sense of humor, fundy fuckstick destoyed my personal property because we have a philosphical difference of opinion. I thought that the Bible taught understanding. “Forgive them for they know not what they do” and all of that shit. There was not a mother fucking thing that Jesus said that would indicate that proper Christian behavior is to vandalize the possesions of those who do not believe. If there’s any justice in this world, that smug piece of shit was obliterated by a semi the next time he crossed the street. It his last seconds of life he hallucinated himself at the gates of Heaven and was sent to Hell for not asking forgiveness for the sin of vandalism before he died. His last thoughts would be of dispare and hopelessness. Then he would die into nothingness bucause there is no life after death you idiotic, vandalizing, brainless fucking turd. Hajario ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/17 "2001-04-16T18:18:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hajario \* > **fundy fuckstick** heh. I’m gonna try to work that into every conversation I have today. The medallions that feature a big “ICHTHYS” fish swallowing a Darwin “Evolve” fish confuse the crap out of me. ---
**Author:** ![Kamandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5daacb/32.png) [@Kamandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamandi)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/18 "2001-04-16T18:25:10Z")
Damnit. Missed a good opportunity there: should have said “confuse the carp out of me”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/19 "2001-04-16T18:58:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kamandi \* > \*\*Damnit. Missed a good opportunity there: should have said “confuse the carp out of me”. 😃 \*\* For what its worth, **Kamandi** , I’ll give you credit in my book. Also, chalk up another Christian who gets annoyed with most of the bastardization of commercial designs (a la Hilfiger and the “Got Milk?” campaign). However, the fish doesn’t bother me, as it doesn’t seem to be a witnessing tool so much as identifier. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2001, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134/20 "2001-04-16T19:04:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hajario \* > **One day I parked my vehicle in a large public parking lot and when I returned found that someone had violently ripped my wife’s gift off of the vehicle. That’s right, some sanctimonious, no sense of humor, fundy fuckstick destoyed my personal property because we have a philosphical difference of opinion.** I can relate, me brother. I’ve been through three Darwin fish; the first one was torn off in the rather distant parking lot I was forced to use for a semester. The second fish was not only torn off, but so was my windshield wiper, and an enormous gum wad was plastered on my windshield. Well, hell, with a message like that, I’m converted! Puts me in mind of Bill Hicks, standup comic, who said he was approached after a show by several big guys who said, “Hey BUDDY! We’re Christians, and we don’t like what you said!” He responded, “So forgive me.” Wouldn’t it be nice if people lived the creeds they spouted, eh? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-fish-decal-has-convinced-me/62134.md?page=2)