Almost every house I've looked at on HAR has a cross (Houston: to buy, food)

[philster001]

Sugar Land and Fort Bend County in general is very religious and conservative. It is diverse but not open minded. I prefer the Champions/Klein area personally. While it is conservative, it is a lot more open minded towards democrats, gay people and people who are not Christian.

[modster]

Originally Posted by amyalta

there were virtual altars everywhere -

Virtual Altars?

My house in Glenbrook has one that the original Catholic Italian owners built with the house. I have seen several in the hood.

It does tend to catch people by surprise. "What is that?!"

[Wysiwyg]

^^^ thats probably perfect as a bar area. or for a scimitar or katana display lol. or a secret safe. in any case it has to go

[amyalta]

'Virtual altars' - yes, a sort of domestic shrine. As for the bathroom crucifixes (one about two feet tall by the sinks, another about a foot over the bath) my DH had a rather colorful view as to what they were there to discourage, which I won't repeat here.

[flo2900]

Coming from California I to had noticed croses in ppls homes and lots of them, sometimes three of them in a row next to eachother...its a local thing!

[tstone]

Originally Posted by flo2900

Coming from California I to had noticed croses in ppls homes and lots of them, sometimes three of them in a row next to eachother...its a local thing!

Hardly local -- This is Texas and there are lots of Christians here, Catholics and Protestants of all races, and it's part of the culture. I understand the west coast is void of such a thing (no surprise there), but it's really not a big deal here. I've never been hassled by anyone in my entire life in the city AND the suburbs and I rarely attend, though I consider myself a Catholic by heritage.

You know, I'd be much more concerned if I saw symbols such as the star & crescent moon in every other house. That would actually warrant a thread being started.

[SkyeAnjel]

I have to agree with Tstone..what difference does it make?

[snappy]

I think it's a fine thread. I felt peoples disapproval sometimes as a none church goer when invited to attend a neighbors church when we first moved there. Its something people should be aware will come up. It never happened anywhere else I have lived.

Never seen so many churches!! Or for that matter as many strip clubs on the freeways. Interesting juxtaposition I always though!!

[amyalta]

It does make a difference if it would matter to you that you might well be surrounded by proselytizing neighbours! I think houses festooned with crucifixes say a lot about an area - I believe in live and let live, and it does not bother me in the least if people want to believe in some form of religion, but it would bother me if I were to find I was living sandwiched between intensely evangelical types who would not leave me and my kids alone - and I know of many such!

I, for example, accept totally the fact that we are evolved down the ages and not 'created' by some being, but I don't put up shrines to Darwin all over my house, nor do I open conversations with 'Have you found Humanism?' or 'You don't need religion to be a moral being, you know!'

[pikato]

My 2 cents:

I collect crosses....I'm more spiritual than religious...not a proselytizer, just your run of the mill non-practicing Catholic. I think crosses are a beautiful symbol. I also believe in Darwinism...the two can go hand in hand, because even Darwin acknowledged he wasn't sure what started the formation.

I think the oddest thing I've seen when house-hunting was a house that had stock piles of food in every closet. It took 2 bedrooms before it dawned on me the owners were probably Mormon (they save food for "end of days").

Instead of creeping me out, I though it was kind of cool and showed that the neighborhood was diverse in beliefs (the neighborhood also had a Virgen de Guadalupe statues in some yards).