Religion question around the triangle (Raleigh: Valentine's day, home, live)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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On a scale of slight burn to burst into flames any moment, how religious is the area? Obviously different people will have different views of this and whatnot but I'm just curious as to what kind of reception to look forward to. Where I live now my next door neighbor is a church and just up the road there are two more, and funny enough the place I grew up was right across from a church but thankfully people in Vermont aren't very outspoken about their religion. There is always someone who speaks up about things or sends a angry nod my way once in a while but for the most part it's a very laid back place {one of the reasons I haven't left so far}. However as I'm led to believe about the further you go down south the more prominent it is. I usually try to not incite riots when I go places {especially with my wife and two kids} but sometimes I just feel like not covering up tattoos and shirts. Vermont isn't very religious and is very liberal, two things which I love, so when I wear one of my shirts that has a particular slogan from "full metal jacket" in big letters on the back I don't get more than a few looks, or when I might wear a particular favorite shirt with a pentagram on it, it usually has the same effect. From all the responses I've gotten with posting on here and people I've talked to everyone has seemed really great and very welcoming. Obviously there are always exceptions, just wondering what I should be looking forward to. Thanks-K.M
It may be more prominent that you are accustomed to, but it won't be in your face and you are unlikely to be made to feel uncomfortable about religion.
There's about as many churches down here as there are Dunkies in Massachusetts, but as a non-churchgoer, I haven't felt uncomfortable in the least. Generally speaking, people don't seem to talk about religion or politics much at all. I think most people are happy to discuss religion with their families and other members of their church, and discuss other things with other people.
Can't say what to expect if you're wearing a pentagram t-shirt (I'm a little too old for that sort of thing) but there are plenty of people with tattoos. I know a nice Christian woman down here who has a bunch of tattoos and a Marilyn Manson plate on the front of her truck, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.
Vermont isn't very religious and is very liberal ...
North Carolina is in the Bible Belt. It is religiously and politically conservative. As a new resident you will feel this but not oppressed by it.
You will soon learn to avoid any mention of religion to certain neighbors and co-workers. For some, testifying to their faith is an imperative. They won't be nasty, they won't be rude, but they won't shut up!
I would think it has less to do with religion than just making waves. Are you saying you wear a shirt with the Fword in places where kids are hanging out?
You will soon learn to avoid any mention of religion to certain neighbors and co-workers. For some, testifying to their faith is an imperative. They won't be nasty, they won't be rude, but they won't shut up!
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Fairly accurate in my opinion.
How OP described himself does not sound like it would be a problem here. (Sounds like many of the people I see everywhere I go). The one caveat is that OP sounds a little outspoken. Personally, I value that in people, but if you don't want the hassle of dealing with the zealots, then you'll have to learn to S-T-F-U and not engage them. For some, it's a sensitive subject, and you are as likely to get them to admit that you are correct, as I am to get my 15 year old daughter to admit that she did something wrong.
Jokes aside, I am very non-religious and it's not even on my radar. There are some who are, and for the most part, they keep to themselves unless provoked. I find Raleigh to be very progressive, and pretty much live and let live. Part of the reason I find it that way is because of who I choose to associate with, and which battles I choose to fight, or not fight...
North Carolina is in the Bible Belt. It is religiously and politically conservative. As a new resident you will feel this but not oppressed by it.
You will soon learn to avoid any mention of religion to certain neighbors and co-workers. For some, testifying to their faith is an imperative. They won't be nasty, they won't be rude, but they won't shut up!
.
We've been here in Brier Creek for nearly 3 years now. Not once has anyone behaved this way. The closest has been a neighbor inviting me to church, and when they found out we were not churchgoers, they invited us for dinner at their home instead.
I do get emails from neighbors that ask us to pray for their sick husband, etc., then thank us for our prayers when said husband feels better.
That's it. No testifying, God Bless, fire and brimstone, nothing.
We've been here in Brier Creek for nearly 3 years now. Not once has anyone behaved this way. The closest has been a neighbor inviting me to church, and when they found out we were not churchgoers, they invited us for dinner at their home instead.
I do get emails from neighbors that ask us to pray for their sick husband, etc., then thank us for our prayers when said husband feels better.
That's it. No testifying, God Bless, fire and brimstone, nothing.
This is a lot closer to my experience, too. We have some neighbors who are evangelicals, and the most intrusive thing they've done since we moved in was to come by on Valentine's Day and give us some candy with bible verses attached.
Wake County has more people than the entire state of Vermont, but we're about 1/10 the size. That means we have more religion, and less religion. We have more churches, and fewer churches. We have more density - no doubt.
As others have said, one of your favorite T-shirts you haven't been so clear about. If it's cuss words, you'll probably have someone speak to you or about you. A pentagram, you MIGHT have it happen.
But as someone who is a Christian, I know that I don't go around evangelizing, none of the 1000 congregants in my personal church seem to, and I rarely see it. The protestors are more frequently of the "progressive" bent than the religious. There are times that anti-abortion evangelists get out there with signs and whatnot in front of clinics.
I hear more of the praying for folks, or the "have a blessed day" or things like "God has made a beautiful day today" type stuff. MY BIL would totally wear a shirt with cuss words on it, but he's in your face that way.
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