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I realise this is asking a lot, and maybe there is no true answer as the bedroom communities of each city will have a particular flavour (subdivision, Stepford type of living, etc). But having been in Charlotte just 36 hours or so, and seeing churches on every corner, hotel staff basically preaching to us about Jesus, evil, devil, finding 'the Lord', etc, City of Light(Cerullo tele evangelist compound), Billy Graham Library and replica of childhood home, more churches per capita than most U.S. cities..we wonder if Raleigh (or Cary) would feel less religious?
We always hear people talk about the more cosmopolitan feel of Raleigh, the difference in culture from the biotech and IT (compared with big financial sector in Charlotte), the diversity and very academic population from the uni. This makes sense, but I'm asking here for what people think about that.
I realise this is asking a lot, and maybe there is no true answer as the bedroom communities of each city will have a particular flavour (subdivision, Stepford type of living, etc). But having been in Charlotte just 36 hours or so, and seeing churches on every corner, hotel staff basically preaching to us about Jesus, evil, devil, finding 'the Lord', etc, City of Light(Cerullo tele evangelist compound), Billy Graham Library and replica of childhood home, more churches per capita than most U.S. cities..we wonder if Raleigh (or Cary) would feel less religious?
We always hear people talk about the more cosmopolitan feel of Raleigh, the difference in culture from the biotech and IT (compared with big financial sector in Charlotte), the diversity and very academic population from the uni. This makes sense, but I'm asking here for what people think about that.
I am not saying you won't run into pockets of that in Raleigh..still plenty of churches......but you will find more alternatives in the Triangle and even the worst aren't quite as whipped about it as Charlotte. (I know what you mean about the hotel staff....we went there for a Jimmy Buffett concert last year and the staff was holding prayer meetings in the hallways to 'combat the bad influences' of all the Parrottheads running around.....lol.
(I know what you mean about the hotel staff....we went there for a Jimmy Buffett concert last year and the staff was holding prayer meetings in the hallways to 'combat the bad influences' of all the Parrottheads running around.....lol.
LOL!
Thank you for your perspective. I don't want to sound like I expect Raleigh to be Morocco or some place, it's still North Carolina.
It's interesting to me, as we do meet Charlotteans who say they know about all the Christian religious presence here, but 'I never see it, I really don't'. And we think, 'hmm...we've been here a short while and [i]do[i] see it and feel it. We did not seek it out either as hotel staff is case and point. Why proseltyse to a hotel guest as he is toasting his bagel during his free breakfast? The lack of manners that is acceptable in 'southern hospitality' seems odd.
If lots of Charlotteans don't feel the religious history and contemporary religious presence in Charlotte, then evangelism hasn't been done properly!
The Triangle is definitely more religiously diverse than Charlotte. I lived in Charlotte for about 6 mos. and was asked about religion *much* more than here.
Parts of the Triangle are more religious/socially conservative than others; overall, though, I'd be hard-pressed to think of any parts of the Triangle where either Christians or non-Christians wouldn't feel welcome and comfortable.
I'll give you my perspective coming from a Florida boy who just moved here. In Florida and in Phoenix there are sports talk radio stations like there are here. However, there was never a sports radio stations in Phoenix or Florida that I know of that broadcast religious services part of the day and sports programming the rest of the day on Sundays but here it happens. That's says a lot to me and while Raleigh maybe more religiously diverse than Charlotte, it is still very big here and it does have an big influence throughout the community. If Charlotte is not as religiously diverse then I wouldn't know what to say.
Since I've been here, which has only been for 4 months, co-workers have repeatedly asked me to come to church with them and religion is discussed by many. So having said all of that, it depends on where you're coming from.
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.
This topic seems to be a frequent flyer on this forum During our week in Raleigh/Durham, we were never asked anything remotely related to religion. And we did make small talk with people. Better yet, we stayed at the KOA in Smithfiled where a group played live bluegrass and gospel and closed their session with prayer. Yet we were never asked a single thing.
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.
On a side note- Personally, I think it's a shame that if someone mentions anything religious, it is automatically considered proselytizing.
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 realise this is asking a lot, and maybe there is no true answer as the bedroom communities of each city will have a particular flavour (subdivision, Stepford type of living, etc). But having been in Charlotte just 36 hours or so, and seeing churches on every corner, hotel staff basically preaching to us about Jesus, evil, devil, finding 'the Lord', etc, City of Light(Cerullo tele evangelist compound), Billy Graham Library and replica of childhood home, more churches per capita than most U.S. cities..we wonder if Raleigh (or Cary) would feel less religious?
We always hear people talk about the more cosmopolitan feel of Raleigh, the difference in culture from the biotech and IT (compared with big financial sector in Charlotte), the diversity and very academic population from the uni. This makes sense, but I'm asking here for what people think about that.
Ah, the Charlotte I know and love Maybe there are more natives left here than I realized! Maybe it's true that Cary really is THE "containment area of relocated yankees" LOL
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During our week in Raleigh/Durham, we were never asked anything remotely related to religion. And we did make small talk with people. Better yet, we stayed at the KOA in Smithfiled where a group played live bluegrass and gospel and closed their session with prayer. Yet we were never asked a single thing. 
