Do you try to patronize mainly "Christian-owned" businesses (Jesus, mission)

[Philip T]

Those little fishes and crosses turn on my internal alarms . . .

and I am a mild Jesus freak.

But the way I see it all is: Anyone who would try to pimp Jesus like that would not think twice about trying to screw me.

I figure it is sort of like a warning sign like Skulls and Crossbones mean "pirates." Ok, thanks for the warning.

I just try to do good business with good people. At the end of the day there really is no other way. Price is the last thing on my list. No real profit in being part of something that cheats others.

[hamiltonpl]

I agree with you Philip. Someone who places a fish on their business card is saying "trust me, I'm a Christian." That is certainly playing into the most gullible of our society.

But even more, it is using the Lord's name in vain. Jesus shows contempt only one time in the Bible: when there are money changers in the Temple. Using God as a tool to make money is simply using His name in vain. If a person has a fish on their business card, I inherently trust them less, not more. We Christians should know each other by our actions. Not our words.

[magellan]

Thanks for the responses. My wife and I, as Christians ourselves, find it obnoxious and pretentious. As if that business's non-Christian competition is going to screw us or something (wink wink nod nod). The area West of Grand Rapids, where we live, is a very Dutch Protestant area, so you tend to see the things I mentioned on business cards and yellow page ads and such. Not just retailers, but auto mechanics, landscapers, builders, etc.. It's not overbearing, but it's there.

I was hoping we weren't being evil or anything.

[Alpha8207]

Originally Posted by jeffncandace

I think they can be a gimmick, as I posted. But there are some legitimate ones out there.

Yes there are. I have the scripture reference that I use under my screen name at the end of my email signature and don't change it whether I'm emailing my cousin the missionary or a VPs with some of my corporate clients. Would it bother you to see your commercial or residential Realtor email you and have scripture as part of their signature????

Just curious....

[Alpha8207]

Originally Posted by Philip T

Those little fishes and crosses turn on my internal alarms . . .

and I am a mild Jesus freak.

But the way I see it all is: Anyone who would try to pimp Jesus like that would not think twice about trying to screw me.

I figure it is sort of like a warning sign like Skulls and Crossbones mean "pirates." Ok, thanks for the warning.

I just try to do good business with good people. At the end of the day there really is no other way. Price is the last thing on my list. No real profit in being part of something that cheats others.

Originally Posted by hamiltonpl

I agree with you Philip. Someone who places a fish on their business card is saying "trust me, I'm a Christian." That is certainly playing into the most gullible of our society.

But even more, it is using the Lord's name in vain. Jesus shows contempt only one time in the Bible: when there are money changers in the Temple. Using God as a tool to make money is simply using His name in vain. If a person has a fish on their business card, I inherently trust them less, not more. We Christians should know each other by our actions. Not our words.

That's pretty wild and I would have never looked at it that way.

And I am a total Jesus Freak!!

[stretch00]

Originally Posted by Alpha8207

Yes there are. I have the scripture reference that I use under my screen name at the end of my email signature and don't change it whether I'm emailing my cousin the missionary or a VPs with some of my corporate clients. Would it bother you to see your commercial or residential Realtor email you and have scripture as part of their signature????

Just curious....

Yes.

Add some stuff to get to 10 characters.

[Alpha8207]

Originally Posted by stretch00

Yes.

Add some stuff to get to 10 characters.

Well, it is what it is. Still don't get why that would bother anyone, but I totally respect their right to take issue with it.

And I sure don't see it as 'pimpin Jesus' more of a 'I'm not afraid to take a stand, even if it costs me business.'

[jeffncandace]

Originally Posted by Alpha8207

Well, it is what it is. Still don't get why that would bother anyone, but I totally respect their right to take issue with it.

And I sure don't see it as 'pimpin Jesus' more of a 'I'm not afraid to take a stand, even if it costs me business.'

It all depends on the motivation, doesn't it? And how are we to know what that motivation is without interacting with said business person. I think it is unfair to assume that all people that are simply trying to express their faith in some way are automatically "pimping Jesus". It may be true for some, but not all.

[stretch00]

Originally Posted by Alpha8207

Well, it is what it is. Still don't get why that would bother anyone, but I totally respect their right to take issue with it.

And I sure don't see it as 'pimpin Jesus' more of a 'I'm not afraid to take a stand, even if it costs me business.'

Sure, you are more than welcome to put bible versus on your email, business cards, lawn signs or even hire a plane to fly over your head with a banner flying behind it. Free speech and all that, I would not want to stand in your way.

But my fears in dealing with professionals who are overtly christian are related to some of the things we discussed in the logic thread. Christians seem to want to deal in the world of emotions and feelings, and cold hard facts seem to have much less impact on them. As a result, I find that I cannot trust them to come to the same conclusions that I will, and therefore my best interests will not be served.

As an example, lets take something like neighborhood safety. In my experience, christians will put undue importance on the last newspaper article they read, rather than look at crime statistics. I would rather look at crime statistics, and not rely on one or two articles in a newspaper that may have been influenced by a slow news day.

So it is not so much their christianity, as it is the evidence of fuzzy thinking that I steer away from.

[aiangel_writer]

Originally Posted by Alpha8207

Well, it is what it is. Still don't get why that would bother anyone, but I totally respect their right to take issue with it.

And I sure don't see it as 'pimpin Jesus' more of a 'I'm not afraid to take a stand, even if it costs me business.'

I don't see anything wrong with you having scripture underneath your signature. I don't think it is Pimping Jesus, it is letting people know you are a christian. period.

In my humble opinion, it is way better than denying Him or the fact that you are christian. We all know we are not to deny HIm. You are simply stating that you believe in God and Jesus and I can't see this as an advertisement to make more money.

Now, there are probably some areas where this might be for money making but I would see it more as a way to lose money as you would not have the non-christian patrons buying from you.

just my two cents worth.