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Just curious - exactly where have you seen these "gangs of people marching up and down...etc"?? I've lived in Central Kentucky for over 50 years, and have never seen anything resembling this!
It's called exaggerating. There aren't "gangs" of people doing this. Whenever I've seen it, it's always just 1 person holding a sign and that's rare to even see that.
It's called exaggerating. There aren't "gangs" of people doing this. Whenever I've seen it, it's always just 1 person holding a sign and that's rare to even see that.
Gee... do you suppose that "whenever you've seen it," you haven't seen the exact same people I've seen, at the exact same time? I don't know for sure what you look like, but I'm reasonably certain that I would notice you sitting in the passenger seat of my car as I drive down the main street in the town that I live in. And since I don't recall ever having seen a total stranger sitting next to me in my car, I'm gonna take a real wild guess and speculate that maybe you and I have had different experiences at different times. Wrap your mind around that one, and see what you come up with.
It's called exaggerating. There aren't "gangs" of people doing this. Whenever I've seen it, it's always just 1 person holding a sign and that's rare to even see that.
You mean like one would expect to see on the streets of New York City or any other major metropolitan area of our nation?
Now, without trying to sound or seem like I am holding a sign, I just wonder one question. It's always there, but even when I see someone who is easily branded a "Jesus-Freak," I must wonder, what if they are right? Are they, I don't know, but "what if?"
It's called exaggerating. There aren't "gangs" of people doing this. Whenever I've seen it, it's always just 1 person holding a sign and that's rare to even see that.
post #121 completely ignores post #119 .
Seems people believe if........they....... haven't personally seen it, it never happened.
I've lived in Kentucky my whole life. No one asks what church you go to. I never get that kind of question. Lots of people do not go to church here. There is such an odd misconception about the Southern United States and religon. It is not odd or strange to not go to church. People love to exaggerate, that's for sure.
If you've lived here your whole life, perhaps you're not as likely to notice how different it is than other parts of the country. We have a neighbor around the corner with signs in their yard, warning everyone who drives by of the dire consequences of ignoring scripture - the current messages are "the wages of sin is death" and "if ye will fear the lord and serve him..." and something more that I can't recall. I've never seen that before in my life until moving here, and when we drive up toward our farm in Mercer County we pass several other houses that have many of these signs stuck all over every available fencepost.
I've never seen groups of people marching down the street or standing on street corners with religious signs, either, but I see it every Saturday afternoon now.
I've never seen whole families pray over their Whoppers before digging in at Burger King, but down here, I've come to expect it. And a dirty look if I'm sitting nearby and don't shut up and observe a moment of respectful silence while they say grace.
You go to a concert or other live performance, and the artist makes some reference to god or the lord Jesus Christ, and an outpouring of "praise god"s erupts from all over the audience. The first time that happened, it startled me because I'd never heard it outside of a church, but now I just expect it.
These are not misconceptions; these are things that some people who live down here actually do, and for people new to the area who are not accustomed to that, it stands out. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, or anything wrong with those people. But yes, it is noticeable to people who are from other parts of the country.
As for the questions about what church we go to, I'm starting to wonder if that's just because I'm new. Now that I recollect the discussions, it often seems to come up in the context of people finding out I just moved here last year. Perhaps that's part of their way of welcoming me. But then again, the subject seems to at least come up tangentially in a lot of other conversations, too - like, "Well, no, we close early on Wednesday, because that's church night!" (the local auto body shop, which by the way does absolutely exceptional work if anyone is looking for a referral.)
I've lived in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Montana, Hawaii, and California, and I'm used to going years at a time without ever hearing anyone mention the church they go to. Down here, it seems to find its way into the conversation on a weekly basis. That suggests to me that the subject is embedded much more deeply into the local culture than it is in most other places. Again, nothing wrong with that, but if you have a lot of people who are from other parts of the country noticing it and commenting on it, there is quite possibly a reason for it.
Last edited by Mr. In-Between; 02-03-2014 at 02:36 PM..
If you've lived here your whole life, perhaps you're not as likely to notice how different it is than other parts of the country. We have a neighbor around the corner with signs in their yard, warning everyone who drives by of the dire consequences of ignoring scripture - the current messages are "the wages of sin is death" and "if ye will fear the lord and serve him..." and something more that I can't recall. I've never seen that before in my life until moving here, and when we drive up toward our farm in Mercer County we pass several other houses that have many of these signs stuck all over every available fencepost.
I've never seen groups of people marching down the street or standing on street corners with religious signs, either, but I see it every Saturday afternoon now.
I've never seen whole families pray over their Whoppers before digging in at Burger King, but down here, I've come to expect it. And a dirty look if I'm sitting nearby and don't shut up and observe a moment of respectful silence while they say grace.
You go to a concert or other live performance, and the artist makes some reference to god or the lord Jesus Christ, and an outpouring of "praise god"s erupts from all over the audience. The first time that happened, it startled me because I'd never heard it outside of a church, but now I just expect it.
These are not misconceptions; these are things that some people who live down here actually do, and for people new to the area who are not accustomed to that, it stands out. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, or anything wrong with those people. But yes, it is noticeable to people who are from other parts of the country.
As for the questions about what church we go to, I'm starting to wonder if that's just because I'm new. Now that I recollect the discussions, it often seems to come up in the context of people finding out I just moved here last year. Perhaps that's part of their way of welcoming me. But then again, the subject seems to at least come up tangentially in a lot of other conversations, too - like, "Well, no, we close early on Wednesday, because that's church night!" (the local auto body shop, which by the way does absolutely exceptional work if anyone is looking for a referral.)
I've lived in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Montana, Hawaii, and California, and I'm used to going years at a time without ever hearing anyone mention the church they go to. Down here, it seems to find its way into the conversation on a weekly basis. That suggests to me that the subject is embedded much more deeply into the local culture than it is in most other places. Again, nothing wrong with that, but if you have a lot of people who are from other parts of the country noticing it and commenting on it, there is quite possibly a reason for it.
Good post Albert...
It seems as though, these days "almost" everyone hates something and/or someone, it also appears that a lot of people hate religion in general. And to some extent hate people that are religious. Yes, I have seen some people push their belief on others way too much, to the point that they turn folks away rather than bringing them closer, closer in a spiritual way that is. Me being an old God fearing Christian...that is troubling to me. As a civilized people, I would have hoped that we had gotten past hate and by now chosen the opposite...Love. We are digressing rather than going forward. Far too many people have NO tolerance of others.
I can only suggest that both sides of this debate should study to show themselves approved, rightly dividing the word. That's right both sides...I had much rather teach someone that had no Biblical background at all than to attempt to tell someone that grandma wasn't exactly right.
I'll shut up now....this was not intended to be a religious debate by the way but, anyone can message me if you like.
It seems as though, these days "almost" everyone hates something and/or someone, it also appears that a lot of people hate religion in general. And to some extent hate people that are religious.
Hello. Mr. HRUs....
I've always felt that to a certain degree, who we are can be defined by what we believe. I say only to a degree, because it's valid only to the extent that an individual lives their life in a manner that is true to their asserted belief system. But at least as a starting point, what someone believes can be a useful tool for evaluating who someone is.
But more and more, it seems that people of today define themselves not by what they believe, but what they hate. And what's more disturbing to me is that I have an increasingly strong feeling that many people are doing this in a very deliberate manner. What they hate, and what they're against, is more important to them than what they believe, and what they love. And it makes the world look more and more bleak to me every day.
I blame the internet to a large degree, because it's an easy place to hate people. You don't have to look them in the eye, or consider the "whole" of who they are... all you have to do is focus on the one thing they just said about that one particular subject they just said something about, and if it's something you disagree with, you can just hate them. Because that one single, solitary thing that you know about them now is the only thing you need to know about them. They may be very nice people - good, decent, well-meaning people, sincere, caring people who love their families and are just trying to do what they think is best - but that's not important. It doesn't matter if they're people much like you, just trying to find the best path forward, trying to do the best they can with whatever they have to work with, or even if they agree with you about a dozen other things. If they believe in _____, they're not just wrong, they're evil, and they have to be crushed. Because this is the internet, damn it, and there's no place here for reason or finding common ground.
Quote:
Originally Posted by hogsrus
Yes, I have seen some people push their belief on others way too much, to the point that they turn folks away rather than bringing them closer, closer in a spiritual way that is. Me being an old God fearing Christian...that is troubling to me. As a civilized people, I would have hoped that we had gotten past hate and by now chosen the opposite...Love. We are digressing rather than going forward. Far too many people have NO tolerance of others.
I can only suggest that both sides of this debate should study to show themselves approved, rightly dividing the word. That's right both sides...I had much rather teach someone that had no Biblical background at all than to attempt to tell someone that grandma wasn't exactly right.
It's a complex issue, and it's especially so where I'm involved. I have a lot of conflict regarding religion. It's probably clear from my posts that I'm someone who isn't really comfortable with religion, and in fact, I really - really - don't like it. Any religion. No offense, but I'm especially put off by Christianity; not comfortable around it at all, and try to avoid it as much as I possibly can.
But what probably isn't clear is that I'm someone who believes - absolutely, unequivocally, and without any hesitation whatsoever - in god. I just can't stand religion, because the god I believe in would probably look at organized religion and shake his head in sadness, wondering how we could possibly have gotten something so simple so completely wrong. Again, no offense to the religious, but the closer I've ever gotten to any religion, the further I've felt from god.
So the people I'm talking about, with the signs in their yards and saying grace at Burger King, really aren't that far off from me at all - in some ways. We all believe, deeply and passionately. We have many things in common, and in fact that's probably why so many of them ask where I go to church - if we get to talking about the world we live in, they quickly assume from my values and principles that I'm coming from the same place they are. I can understand why they would make that assumption; I'm frequently assumed to be a very religious man, and in fact have even been asked a couple of times if I'm a minister.
So, I really have nothing against them - it's just that the way they believe, and practice their belief, goes directly against some of the most important aspects of the way that I believe, and practice my own belief. I respect them for their belief, but I'm really not comfortable having their religion pushed at me, because that's one of the things that I particularly dislike about organized religion in the first place - no god that I could find credible would ever need (or for that matter, even want) his message hurled at people like that. If you truly want him, and are ready for him, you'll find him on your own. If you have to have someone nag at you to go looking for him, you wouldn't understand what he's all about anyway. This is why I often feel out of place in a deeply religious area like the South.
But, as you say, this thread isn't meant to be a religious debate. I'm just filling in the background about where I'm coming from. Another great post on your part, by the way - I really enjoy reading your perspective on... well... just about anything that wanders up out of the ditch and onto the road. You really add a lot to the Kentucky forum, sir.
Maybe if you got it painted in Camo it would "blend" in here more...lol. Just kidding a lot of people drive Yaris' and other small cars, especially in Louisville, not so much Lexington, and I can't speak for the other "cities" in Kentucky, I haven't really noticed. Out in the country you might get some funny looks but its whatever, they like their trucks, you like your Yaris. There is actually a Smart Car dealership in Louisville and a Mini dealership being contructed there as well.
WTF is a Yaris?!
Seriously, I've never heard of it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by InLondon
I've lived in Kentucky my whole life. No one asks what church you go to. I never get that kind of question. Lots of people do not go to church here. There is such an odd misconception about the Southern United States and religon. It is not odd or strange to not go to church. People love to exaggerate, that's for sure.
I disagree. I guess it depends on where in the state you are if you hear that question alot or not. I do quite a bit, then when I answer it's either a race to convert me to Christianity or they are confused for a bit then curious, lol.
But then again, it's small town vs. larger city. When in Lex and Louis I never get that; in smaller areas yeah more than a few times.
Edit: Been here almost my whole life as well, except some time in the military and wmilitary moves with hubby.
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. And to some extent hate people that are religious. Yes, I have seen some people push their belief on others way too much
, to the point that they turn folks away rather than bringing them closer, closer in a spiritual way that is. Me being an old God fearing Christian...that is troubling to me. As a civilized people, I would have hoped that we had gotten past hate and by now chosen the opposite...Love. We are digressing rather than going forward. Far too many people have NO tolerance of others. 
