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Church is social for a lot of southerners, but more along the lines of 'are you looking for (or do you have) a church home' or a straight up invitation to their church, not 'where do you go to church'. The assumption is that most people go to church, because down here many people do, so they are being 'neighborly' in trying to help a newcomer find a church home. It's perfectly fine to nicely, respectfully tell them that you aren't looking for a church home or that you don't attend church or that you aren't christian. In my personal experience if you let the christians do their thing in peace, they'll pretty much leave you alone to do your thing in peace, with an occasional need for tolerance from both sides.
Bingo!
Just politely decline. I live in a place where I've never been asked or invited, but in smaller cities it's a form of being neighborly more than anything. Being intrusive is not their intent 99% of the time, it's their way of being welcoming.
My husband and I are both pagan..and live in the South. Just smile and say thank you, if they invite you to church. Then just don't talk about it anymore.
If you drink alcoholic beverages you will not be invited to our home and our children were not allowed to visit homes where either drugs or alcohol are part of the scene. It is a safety issue for us. Both those are mind altering. We don't prefer to be around people who are out of their minds. I would never tell you that to your face, but most people from the North and West who never adjust are usually drinkers or condescending loud mouths. Good conservative Christians are usually welcomed with open arms.
And drop the SO. We have husbands and wives here.
OP, I live in Georgia, and the absolute worst thing about living in the south is people like this poster.
In the city I live in, there are more churches per capita than any other city in the US, yet we are consistently named as the worst city to live in. That's because most of those churches don't do a damn thing for anyone but their pastor, what with their new car and mansion, and the people who attend said churches are mostly hypocrites. You see them in the bar cheating on their wives, but they'll be in church wearing their Sunday best and act like they don't know you.
The summer is hot as hell, but we have lots of lakes and waterways, and you can always get a place with a pool.
Racism is rampant, but it is mostly between the white trash rednecks and the most extreme "pantherish" blacks. The rest of us play well together.
Homosexual marriage has been made legal against the will of the people in the South. It was done by the edict issued by the Supreme Court. Don't mistake compliance for acceptance.
Speak for yourself. A lot of people in the south have true compassion for others and don't need a book that was written by a mortal to explain to them how to treat their fellow man. God made all of us, and he wants everyone to be happy.
If you don't ridicule the religious beliefs of others.
In other words, worry more about your own behaviors and attitudes than those of others. If you're friendly and have good manners, others will respond accordingly.
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