Which is more religious, socially conservative? (Islam, Muslim, protestant, bible)
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You do know that Marriott was founded by a Mormon dont you? Doubtful the person trying to convert your husband was a LDS, just saying. Id be curious as to Marriott's response to 'witnessing' by an employee.
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Originally Posted by muse1110
Why do you believe this? I certainly don't.
And religion absolutely is not part of 'every culture'. But this requires a history lesson, not appropriate for a message board.
For a hotel staff member to approach my husband whilst he is getting his breakfast and ask him personal questions about his 'belief in Christ' (or lack thereof, as the case may be), and go on to tell him he needs to 'find Jesus'. That is preaching. Hardly part of 'Guest Services', last time I checked the Marriott Guest Services book.
What if she approached him as he is toasting his bagel and asked him about his voting record? Belief in Santa? Belief in leprechauns?
I was told the exact opposite just this week by someone who lived in Raleigh before moving here.
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Originally Posted by gcd01
I agree with the above poster. Charlotte is more conservative than Raleigh... Raleigh is a lot more socially and culturally diverse due to the many universities/colleges, tech jobs, large influx of migrants from all over the country, etc. There are still plenty of churches in Raleigh, though.
Fans are fans...sports, faith, family, community...
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Originally Posted by kmflan
On a side note- Personally, I think it's a shame that if someone mentions anything religious, it is automatically considered proselytizing. I love hearing about other cultures. And religion is part of every culture. If people are excited about their religion and talk to you about it, what's the big deal? You don't have to join them. Just smile and be happy for them.
Sometimes I think, in our zeal to be politically correct, we make it uncomfortable to have legitiment conversations about faith. I mean, for me, I don't try to get in anyone's face about my faith, but if someone next to me seems interested, I'm happy to chime in. Maybe think of it like being a sports fan...I'm not a Green Bay Packers fan, but I'd be happy to listen to a Cheese Head enthusiastically share his ideas (to a point...LOL!)
For a very long time, especially in the newly developed rural areas, the Charlotte area was very Protestant. (Catholic and Jewish were mostly limited to a single location in the urban areas). So, it was common that everyone I knew attended one of these three denominations: Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist. Since most of my neighbors had similar beliefs, I had not really experienced what other faiths believe or even that some of my seemingly thoughtful questions - like have you found a faith home - would be offensive. My first experience that I might be different than others occurred on a family vacation as a child - a Catholic family we had befriended was complaining that their son was dating a Protestant, and they were VERY unhappy about it. I remember their child saying, "she's a Protestant!" Like it was something nasty. I remember going back to my hotel room and wondering about that...thinking, is something wrong with ME? My first glimpse that the whole world didn't revolve around me and my beliefs...LOL!
As an adult, I find having a faith community to be a big part of my family's support group. It's a place to meditate and share your worries and cares. It's where you know folks will come to your aid if you need help. Sometimes I wonder about why folks find the mention of churches threatening. I do understand that many battles are fought in the name of religion, but I don't think that zealots on either side represent the typical. If I'm offending you with my comments, just call me a Cheese Head and move on....(kmway, I just know you have a smiley face with a cheese head hat - wish I had it now!)
"I say if you don't like the feel of our cities in the south then take yer yankee a** back north.."
Wow. So much for Southern Hospitality and politeness...
I am not religious and I didn't want to live in a really "Christian" area either. Not b/c I have any problems with people having religion. Not b/c I am threatened by it (why do people automatically think others are threatened by religion just b/c they don't particularly want to be around a lot of talk about it). It's not my "cup of tea" and I don't want to spend my life telling people I'm atheist or smiling as they tell me about Jesus. Fine w/me if that's their scene--it's just not mine.
So...I found an area which is more diverse (where "religion" does not necessarily mean "Christian"). And there are plenty of people I meet here who are FROM NC and not religious either. Not everyone from NC considers themself Christian. Areas like this do exist, why can't we just tell this woman where they are?!
Would you want to get to an area and find out it's anti-religion? Find out people are strongly atheist and have them keep telling you that you are sadly misled and that there is no Christ? That would probably be, at a minimum annoying, and at most, infuriating. This is the situation for some people, in reverse.
Different places for different folks. Nothing wrong with the differnet places. Nothing wrong with the different folks.
I think for many religious Southerners, it would be considered rude not to invite someone to their church. Like if they didn't it would say "we don't want you fellowshipping with us" or "you're not good enough for our church". (Though the badder the better, actually. lol "You don't get good to get God, you get God to get good.") So don't take it as a bad thing when someone invites you to their church. It means they really like their church and they like you enough or care about you enough to want you there with them.
I understand though how "preaching" at someone can be annoying. There are some over-zealous ones out there. They're not trying to be rude. They just care about you, but they need to gain some wisdom in the correct way to talk to a person.
I hope you realize though that even if you move to a less religious area, there will still be a lot of religion. This is the South and most of us native Southerners love our God and our churches.
It reminds me of this book I have - "Having It Y'all". In it, the author lists the ten commandments of being a Southerner. One of them is "Thou Shalt Love the Lord Jesus". lol It's a part of who we are as a group of people. Part of our Southern culture and upbringing.
That's not to say that people will be in your face wherever you go. Most people are pretty respectful about it. They may invite you to their church, but most won't preach at you.
And try not to be bothered by a lot of churches in a town. (I have no idea why such a thing would bother a person.) I'd much rather see a church on every corner than a bar or strip joint on every corner.
"I say if you don't like the feel of our cities in the south then take yer yankee a** back north.."
Wow. So much for Southern Hospitality and politeness...
I am not religious and I didn't want to live in a really "Christian" area either. Not b/c I have any problems with people having religion. Not b/c I am threatened by it (why do people automatically think others are threatened by religion just b/c they don't particularly want to be around a lot of talk about it). It's not my "cup of tea" and I don't want to spend my life telling people I'm atheist or smiling as they tell me about Jesus. Fine w/me if that's their scene--it's just not mine.
So...I found an area which is more diverse (where "religion" does not necessarily mean "Christian"). And there are plenty of people I meet here who are FROM NC and not religious either. Not everyone from NC considers themself Christian. Areas like this do exist, why can't we just tell this woman where they are?!
Would you want to get to an area and find out it's anti-religion? Find out people are strongly atheist and have them keep telling you that you are sadly misled and that there is no Christ? That would probably be, at a minimum annoying, and at most, infuriating. This is the situation for some people, in reverse.
Different places for different folks. Nothing wrong with the differnet places. Nothing wrong with the different folks.
I agree. Religion certainly isn't part of everyone's "culture," as someone previously suggested. It's very narrow-minded to believe that EVERYONE follows an organized or formal religion, and/or that religion plays a positive or substantial role in EVERYONE'S life, because it's just not true, even in the south.
I also agree that just because someone doesn't want to talk about religion or be confronted regarding their own religion, they are not necessarily "threatened" by it. That's a pretty ridiculous notion. Religion (or lack thereof, as the case may be) is an inherently deeply personal subject. Some (many) people choose not to discuss it openly or frequently, ESPECIALLY WITH PEOPLE THEY DO NOT KNOW, not because they are "threatened" by it, but because of many other reasons, including the possibility that they don't feel their personal beliefs are anyone else's business, or that it is too emotional a subject for them to discuss openly.
I, for one, absolutely do not enjoy discussing my personal beliefs (or, even to have the subject brought up) with many people, particularly people I have recently met. This is not because I feel threatened or ashamed, but because I have very strong views regarding the subject of religion, and I do not wish to engage in a conversation regarding the subject with many people whom I do not know and trust immensely. Conversely, I do not wish to be involuntarily subjected to someone else's opinions/beliefs regarding their own religion, or to be "forced" to politely smile while someone drones on and on about Jesus or whatnot. I imagine that many people feel the same way, even if some/many southerners feel it is their God-given (no pun intended) right to ask such deeply personal questions of near-strangers. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely do not mind hearing about different religions, or different people's views on religion...in fact, I enjoy it very much...but only when I specifically request the information, or choose to engage in a conversation regarding such.
I agree with the original poster that it is completely 100% inappropriate for a member of the hotel staff in ANY city you are visiting to approach you to ask questions regarding your religion and/or preach to you regarding Jesus. It's one thing if your neighbor or friend does it (which, in some instances, is inappropriate, too), but it's another thing altogether if an employee of a business does so. Religion is a subject best kept to discussions among family, friends, parishoners, and colleagues (if a person so chooses), not business employees and their customers/clients. It has nothing to do with being "PC." It has everything to do with being considerate in a modern, melting-pot society.
These parameters I have suggested should not be limited to religious differences/discussions between northerners and/or southerners (as was suggested by a previous poster). I am originally from the south, and although I understand that religion is an important part of life for many southerners, I feel that modern-day Americans from any region (north, south, whatever), culture, or upbringing should recognize that in this day and age, not everyone *wants* to discuss religion with them, and not everyone *wants* to be invited to their church...no matter where you're from. Some people do wish to discuss these things, but there are also some who don't. I understand that some people feel that asking questions about a neighbor's or new acquaintance's religion or "faith home" comes with being cordial, but in some people's opinion (yes, even some southerners' opinions), it borders on being discourteous and nosy.
Those discussions/invitations should be kept among family and friends. I am very excited to move to Charlotte, but I am not excited about the possibility (from what I have gathered on this forum) of having to turn down invitations to my neighbors' and co-workers' churches all the time, and thus feeling obligated to explain to them why I do not wish to join them in their religious endeavors, only to have some (or many) of them snub me, or, worse yet, to proceed to project their (unrequested and/or overbearing) religious beliefs upon me.
I've moved a lot throughout the South, and every time I've moved I've been asked repeatedly, "Have you found a church?" A friend offered me a humorous response to give: "No, why? Is one missing?"
I'm moving to Raleigh in June, and we chose it specifically because we hope it will be religiously diverse. My children have been told MANY times that they are going to hell because they are not Christian. I hope that in Raleigh while there may be those who believe that, they will not feel so empowered by being the overwhelming majority as to feel comfortable saying that to children.
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