How do you feel about people who wear their religion on their sleeve? (page 2)

beksbks

I have to agree with a previous poster. Hang a pentagram. If anyone has anything to say to you, own up that you are merely making a point. And a good one it is too, Cali Gal here.

they are really really boring sanctimonious self-righteous obnoxious superior arrogant poops, but other than that probably really OK people. Get yourself something no one has used yet as a religious symbol, and post it prominently on your desk, with maybe a little candle and a dish of miniature fruit like at the Thai restaurants. Let's see - maybe a really curly-cue ampersand? Then when people ask about it you can say self-righteous stuff like "it's a spiritual thing. You wouldn't understand." which, by the way, is a bumper sticker I saw recently.

Ténébreux

If he wants to project an air of superiority and make a public spectacle of himself, that's great. Just take comfort in the fact that nobody else in the office is the least bit impressed by it either.

lies all lies

Uh oh...these are usually the same ones who get caught "borrowing" office supplies for home use lol

IP_SEC

It was like he was making a point of saying look at me I a christian I'm better than all you other tattooed, nose piercing, geeks.

You know better. Cant you just laugh/smile/shake your head knowingly at him to yourself?

WTWizard

I personally do not give a **** what religion anyone is, or if they display symbols of it. To me, it is no more offensive to have to work with crosses prominently displayed than to have circles or triangles. They are just geometric shapes. And if someone thinks a sculpture of Jesus in the middle looks good, I can appreciate it for the artwork and the appearance of the item itself without having to agree with what it is supposed to stand for.

What I do not like is when someone initiates the use of force, threat of force, or fraud to get me to join another religion. One person might believe that Jesus is our savior. Another might believe that Jesus was just another man who attempted to break the peasants out of bicameral mode. Still another might think Jesus failed, or are still waiting for him to appear. All have their rights to express those beliefs. However, when someone hounds you to give up your own beliefs and switch, or blackmails you by treating you like dirt when you refuse to switch, that is crossing the line. That goes beyond showing another person your religion: it is coercing people to join. And Jehovah's Witlesses are definitely guilty of that.

And, if they initiate the use of force, threat of force, or fraud to keep people in bondage to a religion, that's just as bad. People have to use their heads to decide if a religion is worth continuing to follow. If it costs them more than they stand to benefit, then they should ditch it. If the religion is holding them back, then they should ditch it. No one needs threats and force to keep a religion that is working. People have the right to change their beliefs if they learn that they were misled or if the original belief is more of a burden than an asset. Being public about one's religion is not stopping others from leaving if they feel it a burden or wrong. The Puketower, on the other hand, does stop people from leaving with initiatory force and that's what is wrong.

Finally-Free

How do you feel about people who wear their religion on their sleeve?

Sometimes I think that someone who goes out of their way to wear a label does so to cover something else up. A genuinely good person doesn't have to advertise. It's obvious to all.

W

unique1

As long as they don't push it on me, I don't care.

Deputy Dog

It was like he was making a point of saying look at me I a christian I'm better than all you other tattooed, nose piercing, geeks.

Why would you read this into a cross?

caligirl

Let me preface this with saying that I do not mean any of what I say here in an argumentative tone, so please read as if it is conversational opinion and questions.

Having an outward symbol of your faith where other's can see it is not the same as pushing your religion on others. If he were to be saying "I won't talk to anyone who doesn't display a cross at their workstation" or " I can't speak with you about anything outside of work because you are not of my religion, a la witness mentality, then that would obviously be different, but from what you described, it seems like he is just decorating his personal space with objects that have meaning to him and going about his business.

Could you be reading into the situation and applying a superiority complex to him that is undeserved? I certainly know that there are christians with a superiority complex out there, but not every christian thinks they are better than others.

It almost seems like having faith (if you are a christian) is on it's way to being viewed as some kind of crime, a case where it has to be hidden in some dark, back room- as of publicly admitting to Christianity is an affront to those who are not a christian, rather than a simple right of personal expression.