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And as I stated before, the reason it is on there is sad, and is a quite revealing display of our weakness as a nation circa the so-called "Red Scare" of the '50s.
That being said, I have lived here now for almost 26 years. Not once, not ever has ANYONE ever asked me about church, religion or my feelings regarding anything religious. EVER. So drop the broad-brushed stereotype as if it is so damn common. It may be in Cobb County, I don't know. It certainly is NOT in my part of town.
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Originally Posted by JPD
I have. I've been invited to church several times. One of the people who invited me was quite pushy about it. Thankfully, it hasn't happened in a while.
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Originally Posted by johnatl
I just can't imagine..........what part of town was this in, if you don't mind my asking? Was it in a social setting, work setting, at a bar?
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Originally Posted by JPD
The obnoxious one was a co-worker, approx. 1990, at a long-gone restaurant at North Dekalb Mall.
More commonly, I've gotten the "where do you go to church?" types of questions. Nothing too bad, but I feel like it puts me in a position where, in order to answer honestly, I have to reject something about them, or get into a debate with someone I don't really want to be speaking to about my personal life in the first place.
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Originally Posted by arjay57
I'm a native and have never run across that as phenomenon in the South or elsewhere. Getting in somebody's face about religion is obnoxious, no matter what part of the country you're in. Maybe you are running with the wrong crowd, Neil?
That being said, I have occasionally run across folks all around the world who were convinced they'd just discovered the key to life and wanted to share it with me. I was once having coffee in a pleasant cafe on the Via San Prospero when a fellow plopped down and wanted to tell us all about salvation. But I consider him an aberration.
As a northern transplant (all the way from Canada) who's been here almost 10 years now, I just have to weigh in here on Neil's side. Neil is an atheist while I'm an active Christian - an Episcopalian and even a Sunday school teacher. (I would normally be at church right now, but I'm stuck at home with a bad cold hence occupying myself reading City-Data).
The prominence of Christianity in the culture down here was one of the very first and most striking differences we noticed, when we moved. Heck, when the moving truck was being unloaded, the next-door neighbor walked over, introduced himself to my husband, and asked if we had a church home picked out yet! Other neighbors and people at work have invited me to their churches. Out and about in the community people allude to church activities all the time. Store clerks for example. I think native southerners (or people from other highly-churched areas of the country) simply don't notice this stuff because it's so commonplace, low-key and unremarkable to them. It doesn't offend me, of course, but I notice it because it's so different from the culture I'm from. In BC, any allusion to religion at any time, other than at an actual religious gathering, would be considered socially weird and possibly rude or embarrassing.
There was a thread on here a while back in which somebody from France was asking about a potential move, not to the Atlanta area as a I recall, but another Georgia city - I think Macon, if memory serves. One member of the forum here offered that one of the cultural differences the French family might notice would be the prominence of Christianity in the culture, for example, Christian radio being played in businesses such as car dealerships. The French OP on that thread responded "What's Christian radio?"
I think the stark difference in perception we're seeing here is between people who are naturally so accustomed to their local culture that they don't particularly notice, and certainly don't find it weird, to hear Christian radio playing, versus people like Neil and me who at least know what we're hearing, but are surprised to hear it and take note that there's a lot of Christian culture down here.
Finally ... I was on a road trip over the holidays, and at a Waffle House in NC, after placing our food in front of us, the server gave us a testimonial pep talk about Christmas being all about Jesus. How can it be that this stuff never happens to some of you guys - or y'all?
Why not redirect your time and energy to helping the underprivileged youth, fatherless boys, hungry children, abused youth, abused animals and stopping rampant domestic violence occurring each and day in Georgia (real, tangible problems and real suffering)?
Talking about Jesus, Christian music and living the Christian lifestyle don't amount to a hill of beans if you're not doing all the above-mentioned stuff FIRST.
Heck, when the moving truck was being unloaded, the next-door neighbor walked over, introduced himself to my husband, and asked if we had a church home picked out yet! Other neighbors and people at work have invited me to their churches. Out and about in the community people allude to church activities all the time. Store clerks for example. I think native southerners (or people from other highly-churched areas of the country) simply don't notice this stuff because it's so commonplace, low-key and unremarkable to them.
You must be living in a different part of town than I am, Rainy. I've never had that kind of thing happen in Atlanta, and I'd hardly be oblivious to it.
I don't suppose I'd be offended but that stuff is sort of personal. It would feel odd to have someone approach me out of the blue about religion.
That's not to say I haven't discussed religion with my friends -- I have, of course. But it has always been in a situation where the topic was appropriate to the conversation. I've never had a stranger ask me about church or religion.
I'm a native southerner and it's one thing about my homeland that drives me nuts! I'm a believer, though not a Christian and as a black woman I get so much grief you wouldn't believe. When I was a trainer for Jo Corps I had the hardest time with people wanting to proselytize to the kids. Did I mention this is a federal program and that's illegal? The Bible thumping is unceasing, I have no idea how anyone could miss it.
And as I stated before, the reason it is on there is sad, and is a quite revealing display of our weakness as a nation circa the so-called "Red Scare" of the '50s.
Correct, and the other fact that is usually overlooked or not understood is that the Pledge of Allegiance never had the words "under God" in it until the 1950s, when they were added to show to the Communists the contrast between their secularism and the perceived religiousness of America.
You must be living in a different part of town than I am, Rainy. I've never had that kind of thing happen in Atlanta, and I'd hardly be oblivious to it.
I don't suppose I'd be offended but that stuff is sort of personal. It would feel odd to have someone approach me out of the blue about religion.
That's not to say I haven't discussed religion with my friends -- I have, of course. But it has always been in a situation where the topic was appropriate to the conversation. I've never had a stranger ask me about church or religion.
This.
I am convinced after reading all of these threads that it really, really must matter what part of town you happen to be in. I have never encountered what many are stating as pretty commonplace, and I have to admit that I'm glad of that.
Where a person works at, the people a person hangs around, the family a person is born into, and economic situation may count too.
When I was growing up I was born into a family of bible thumpers. A lot of my family are working class and they kept things simple. Work from dusk to dawn, bible study after dinner, and church on sundays.
It drove me friggin' nuts!
And I was glad to have grown up and moved out the house. It seems to me that people who push this religiousness don't realize how pushy they come off as and how this attitude actually disenchants people to the whole notion of religion altogether. And whenever I had complex problems that I needed to deal with, the answer every time was, "just pray about it".
Now, I can't stand to be at a church.
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Originally Posted by johnatl
This.
I am convinced after reading all of these threads that it really, really must matter what part of town you happen to be in. I have never encountered what many are stating as pretty commonplace, and I have to admit that I'm glad of that.
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