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I think there's a problem with expecting Christians NOT to pray like that. How does what they believe "marr" your day?
My sister had an issue with something similar. We went to my aunt's funeral some years ago (our aunt was mentally retarded and physically handicapped and died fairly young.) My sister is not Christian--she meditates and is into astrology but does not believe in a deity. After the funeral on the way to the cemetery, she just kept bitching about how my grandmother's minister went on and on about Jesus when not everyone believes in Jesus. My response was "But NANA believes in Jesus, and so do all the rest of our aunts and uncles and our mother, and our dead aunt lived her entire life going to this church, so why would you expect them to NOT mention Jesus at her funeral?????"
I don't know about your sister, but some people have had a seriously hard time deprogramming themselves from an early upbringing in a particular religion. You sometimes find yourself full of sweetness and light, going along with a prayer, and then even at the mention of their god's name, it feels as though someone slammed you with a hammer. I suspect your sister was reacting from that sort of emotion rather than through her logic.
Yes, Christianity IS about converting non-Christians! That's not changed since Christ walked the earth. It's the basic TENET of Christianity, which is a personal belief in a Lord and Savior named Jesus Christ. Again, you're understanding of Christianty is extremely shallow if you don't know that Christianity is about winning converts. That's ENTIRELY what it's about. It's NOT about religion, or rituals, or idols, or authority, or any one church and denomination, or simply being a good person or punishment for sins. It's about JESUS and sharing the good news of what He brought to this world with others. END OF STORY!
Look I want to say first of all that I have absolutely nothing against the south, Christianity, or any other religion as Christianity and the study of it pretty much totally consumed my life for for several years. I came to the south and married into a very religious family and before long found myself going to church and very interested in the existence of GOD. I eventually became obsessed with religion in general and heavily studied the Bible,Christianity, Judaism, Islam and some other world religions. Unfortunately for me the more I learned and the more I associated with "so called" Christians the more disappointed and disgruntled I became. I won't get into everything but overall I guess I just expected something better from people. While I understand that part of Christianity is to gain converts, sadly I would say that about 99% of the Christians I encountered knew very little to almost nothing about the Bible or their own or the history of their own religion aside from the very basic stories that one would be taught in Sunday school as a child,or maybe a favorite verse or two, let alone know anything about another persons religion that they may be trying to convert. I would bet anything that if you were to give a basic 10 question test in a church of questions that anyone who has actually read the whole bible would know, almost everyone would fail. Including many of the preachers themselves! When people try to preach to me I listen and then engage them with a bunch of biblical information they ever never known and I usually get left alone. If I could give anyone who wishes to share the good news any advice I would suggest becoming more educated of their beliefs first for their own good. And also keep it to the good news not the threat of eternal fire as they often use. I believe Christianity as well as Islam are historically the only religions to use scare tactics, forced conversion, and or terrorism to gain converts. I also think it is hilarious to hear Christians say that they are the only true religion or to talk so badly about Jews who's very ancestors included Jesus and writers of the Bible. I think religion is a good thing, although some are exploited, many are helped. I do think people should respect the views of others though and use a little common sense with some of the methods they use. I my experience I found many churches/preachers fighting to gain church members whether more than win souls and competing to get people who were already going to church somewhere else. By the way the two churches that I went to the most during this period coincidently both went through little scandals where the married preacher had slept with a church member. One of which was also married.
To answer the OP's question, I don't think southern hospitality if fake for most people. It might exist with a small percentage, but most people who are going out of their way to act friendly, to smile, greet you, maybe share a story or experience with you; they are all genuine and friendly.
Think of it this way, what the south IS, is laid-back, mostly. People don't usually go out of their way to be overly kind if they don't want to. Why spend the time doing so? Which is the mentality I see most around me. Making other's day brighter makes our own day a bit cherrier too!
Besides, I would rather someone be having a bad day, and smile and say Hello, even though it is fake because they are really upset, then I would the individual being indifferent or even nasty. Sometimes we gotta take our bad moods and realize that we can still brighten other people's day, even when our day is bad. Rubbing one's bad day off on others is such as selfish sad mentality! So I'd rather someone be fake nice than "real" indifferent. Just saying...
I think we have to take a gesture in the perspective of the society that originated it. Southern people are reared to be civil and considerate and friendly, even to strangers.
People from the NE have migrated to the South, thinking it would be a nice, welcoming place and have found that the cordiality only goes so far. The friendliness often begins and ends with the superficiality that is extended to anyone you happen to meet during your daily duties.
The Japanese tend to be this way, as well. They want a civilization that operates smoothly so everyone is polite and tries to get along. It does not mean that folks don't feel resentments, they just don't readily express them.
A person cannot blame people from these cultures for not forming close bonds with folks they randomly meet. It is harder, I think, to know people from 'friendly' cultures well. They don't drop the face that they put on for strangers very easily.
So the places that make us feel the most welcomed are really not. I don't think it is 'fake' though, just a different way of organizing society.
After 35 pages of this thread, I've come to the conclusion that many of the people responding "Yes they are fake!" wouldn't find friendliness ANYWHERE, much less in the South, while those who've replied positively to acts of Southern kindness probably find the same wherever they go. There's a TON of truth to the phrase "You reap what you sow!" And there's a ton of angry, bitter, self-righteous people out there (and on this forum) walking around with huge chips on their shoulders just begging others to knock them off.
It's especially noticeable in this season of goodness and light don't you think?
Most courteous behavior toward strangers is "fake" if you consider that no one has any genuine affection for strangers (other than whatever affection we feel toward the human race in general). That doesn't make it wrong. I'd much rather someone interact with me in a friendly way, even if they don't give two figs about me, than rudely any day.
Yes, Christianity IS about converting non-Christians! That's not changed since Christ walked the earth. It's the basic TENET of Christianity, which is a personal belief in a Lord and Savior named Jesus Christ. Again, you're understanding of Christianty is extremely shallow if you don't know that Christianity is about winning converts. That's ENTIRELY what it's about. It's NOT about religion, or rituals, or idols, or authority, or any one church and denomination, or simply being a good person or punishment for sins. It's about JESUS and sharing the good news of what He brought to this world with others. END OF STORY!
AND YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE THAT GOOD NEWS, DAMMIT, OR WE'LL FRY YOUR ASS.
No. Your view of what Christianity is a bit off there, Newsboy. It's not about "converting non-Christians". Geez.
After 35 pages of this thread, I've come to the conclusion that many of the people responding "Yes they are fake!" wouldn't find friendliness ANYWHERE, much less in the South, while those who've replied positively to acts of Southern kindness probably find the same wherever they go. There's a TON of truth to the phrase "You reap what you sow!" And there's a ton of angry, bitter, self-righteous people out there (and on this forum) walking around with huge chips on their shoulders just begging others to knock them off.
It's especially noticeable in this season of goodness and light don't you think?
No, people are very friendly in many parts of the country. And it's genuine.
AND YOU'D BETTER BELIEVE THAT GOOD NEWS, DAMMIT, OR WE'LL FRY YOUR ASS.
No. Your view of what Christianity is a bit off there, Newsboy. It's not about "converting non-Christians". Geez.
You're absolutely right, many christians have no clue. But then logic doesn't go with believing in a god, who came to earth to save our souls for himself.
You're absolutely right, many christians have no clue. But then logic doesn't go with believing in a god, who came to earth to save our souls for himself.
I believe in God and you are right, it is not logical. I do find your take on it humorous, but if you are an atheist, you cannot be expected to "get it". The person who DOES claim to be Christian, though, should get that it's not about racking up numbers.
Anyway, that's all OT for this forum.
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