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Someone actually made me speechless today....


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A new co-worker and I were discussing our kids and buying 'school clothes'. I made a comment about ds's strong faith as a Christian and how it affects his personal dress code (simple styles/non-brand/no images of skulls/etc). She asked me

 

"can you explain the different religions to me. Do they all believe in the same God? or different ones? All I know is what I learned in the movie Conan......."

 

I was speechless for a good couple of minutes.:lol: LOL I can talk about anyones very personal medical condition without batting an eye, but this I stumbled on LOL:lol:. I know that many, many people don't participate in religion, but I was surprised that someone could grow up in middle America and not have a basic idea of what a Christian is and maybe even the difference between some (not all) significant sects with striking differences like Jehovah's Witness, Catholic, Mormon, 7th Day Adventist, Mennonite, Unitarian, etc and possibly even some differences between the more similar Christian faiths.

 

I guess I just assumed people would pick up on the differences on TV, books, friends/family....

 

I was surprised that it took me so long to answer, but it is a difficult topic to summarize in a few minutes LOL :lol:

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welcome to my (almost) daily life....

 

Many kids and teens are totally ignorant of religion around me. In fact, the govt has created a new mandatory course about world religions. From grade 1 to graduation... That in itself is a problem, how do you teach about many religions without offending anyone? By diluting them so much to make them meaningless. But at least, people will have heard of Jesus, Buddha, and others. But not in a very loving way... Sigh... You just can't win.

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I know someone like this - totally oblivious.

 

This person, until fairly recently, was quite confused about the differences between Catholicism & Protestantism - never mind all the Protestant denominations.

 

It is just all very vague in this person's head & this person really doesn't care to know much about it. Kind of like I don't care to know about the differences between a gas, diesel and electric engines.

 

& this person doesn't think people should be discussing this sort of stuff - it makes this person as uncomfortable as if you started talking about colonic irrigation during dinner.

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How is this even possible? Just to be culturally literate and read anything beyond modern fiction you would pick up some info on religion, no?:confused:

 

Yes, I'd have thought that but I've realized that it's not true.

 

The person I know is actually what I'd think of as culturally literate & has a degree (in science). That thing I said about the engines - we've actually had this conversation & the person said "HOW can you not know the diff between gas & diesel & electric engines? It comes up all the time!"

 

So it's like a weird filter. I apparently filter out a bunch of technical stuff as just "yeah whatever, some technical machine thing" & this person filters out "yeah whatever, some religious god thing".....

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How is this even possible? Just to be culturally literate and read anything beyond modern fiction you would pick up some info on religion, no?:confused:

Hmmmm. I have a feeling the new co-worker said this to push the OP's button. Quite brilliant of them, if it got her speechless and ended the conversation. I'd say to the OP to observe the new person some more in social conversations to pick up if she is indeed obtuse or very, very snarky. Good luck.

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Hmmmm. I have a feeling the new co-worker said this to push the OP's button. Quite brilliant of them, if it got her speechless and ended the conversation. I'd say to the OP to observe the new person some more in social conversations to pick up if she is indeed obtuse or very, very snarky. Good luck.

 

There are many people who I would believe this of....but not her. She has openly said that she only expected her kids to get passing grades in school and really never did anything to help them. Due to this strategy, her son failed all of his 9th grade classes. She says she blames herself, but says she didn't really know any different way of doing things.

 

The more I get to know her, I definitely am coming to understand that she has a different take on life. I am not saying I disagree with some of her philosophies (or rather lack there of) but we are definitely cut from two different pieces of cloth.

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I haven't ever seen the movie so that would stump me as well.

 

However, I do have a question about the choice to not wear name brands. I know a friend of mine went to Bob Jones Univ. and they too said no name brand clothing. Mind you, this was back in the polo shirt/preppy era and so no Izod logos or Jordache....dating myself aren't I?

 

My arguement was this: I was often able to find name brands on sale for less than the knock offs and I noticed that my clothing lasted longer when it was well made (not saying all name brands are better, but some are.) I just didn't get it. I mean, I get not trying to keep up with fashion and status of the world, but to quantify it that way just doesn't make sense to me. Am I missing something?

 

Dawn

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I haven't ever seen the movie so that would stump me as well.

 

However, I do have a question about the choice to not wear name brands. I know a friend of mine went to Bob Jones Univ. and they too said no name brand clothing. Mind you, this was back in the polo shirt/preppy era and so no Izod logos or Jordache....dating myself aren't I?

 

My arguement was this: I was often able to find name brands on sale for less than the knock offs and I noticed that my clothing lasted longer when it was well made (not saying all name brands are better, but some are.) I just didn't get it. I mean, I get not trying to keep up with fashion and status of the world, but to quantify it that way just doesn't make sense to me. Am I missing something?

 

Dawn

 

 

Not the OP, but I can take a stab at the name brand thing. Some people don't like clothes plastered with the name brand on them because they don't want to be a walking advertisement. I'm with you--some brands I look for because they are trusted, synonymous with quality. But I still don't like it when the brand name is featured prominently in the design. When I see that, I think to myself: someone should be paying me to wear this shirt!

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I can *kinda* see it... I didn't know a thing about Protestantism vs. Catholicism, or Calvinism or Wesleyan sides, young Earth or old Earth, dresses all the time, etc., until I began homeschooling. I had a mom somewhat like the new co-worker. Her motto was "just don't get anything less than a 'C'" and then "do whatever makes you happy". No direction whatsoever.

 

So, after you picked your jaw up off the floor, what did you tell her???

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I try to explain this to those who argue that everyone in America knows what Christians believe so evangelism is pointless. I used to help lead a Christian campus ministry at several colleges in California, and I can tell you from experience that many people have no idea about what the major religions teach. Some people just don't care so they have "filtered it out", in which case one shouldn't bother them by trying to engage in dialogue on the subject. There are quite a few people, though, who are truly interested once they are asked for their thoughts and they have just never really considered religious questions in any depth before. My roommate at university, actually, started asking me lots of questions about my faith and commented that I was the first Christian she had ever known in real life. I thought that was weird, but I know she was telling the truth. She is from Boston. Anyway, just my anecdotal experience.

 

Elaine

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This doesn't surprise me about a non-religious person.

 

I know of many Christians that wouldn't be able to tell the differences between Catholics and Protestants.

 

I've heard some of one call the other non-Christian and vice versa.

 

Its hard to take them seriously.

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HA! Well, I agree with you there.

 

We live debt free (except mortgage but we are working towards that one too) and buy most of our clothing from thrift stores. If Michael Jordan shoes are $2 and it is that or buy payless for $10 you can bet I will pick up the MIcheal Jordans for $2!

 

We don't even go to the mall anymore. The only time we go is if we need something from Sears (tools or appliance repair) and then we will go to the food court.

 

I *might* look at the clothing sales at Sears for Lands End deals.....

 

For us.....we look at the concept of not being a slave to anything.....money, clothing, whatever.....but it has nothing to do with making a point not to buy name brands. We haven't "arrived" yet.....but it is a work in progress.

 

Dawn

 

Not the OP, but I can take a stab at the name brand thing. Some people don't like clothes plastered with the name brand on them because they don't want to be a walking advertisement. I'm with you--some brands I look for because they are trusted, synonymous with quality. But I still don't like it when the brand name is featured prominently in the design. When I see that, I think to myself: someone should be paying me to wear this shirt!
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I was that way when I was young. My parents never took us to church; we didn't have any friends who went to church; we were very poor and didn't really go anywhere or do anything outside of public school. No music lessons, no sports practices, etc. I watched a lot of mainstream TV and read whatever I could get from the school library. Our school system did not teach religoin nor did anyone ever ask me if a I wanted to learn about different religions. So outside of knowing that the Pilgrims came to the US to escape the tyrant king and that the King of England began his own church because he disagreed with the Catholics I didn't know anything.

 

When I did take myself to church (back in the days of bus ministries) I guess the adults assumed I had a basic knowledge because outside of telling me I needed to repent my sins, accept Jesus as my savior and believe the Bible is the divine word of God no one ever told me about different beliefs, religions or world views. I attended Baptist, Nazarene and DOC churches and the basic belief systems are the same. Catholics terrified me after I saw The Omen and that is how I viewed them - as people who were fighting demons. Even after having watched The Sound of Music over and over I didn't know anything about religion - just that nuns wore cool outfits and for some reason the Nazi's hated the Jews (which is the same thing I got after reading about Anne Frank). I guess my point is - it is easy to grow up in the US and participate in popular culture and not gain an understanding of different religions.

Edited by The Dragon Academy
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I was raised this way. I did not know basic Bible stories. I remember being humiliated in high school once because I never realized that the guy with the 10 commandments and the guy with the ark, were two different people. :blush: I only remember ever meeting 1 religious family in my childhood. I assumed all religious families believed what they did. It never occurred to me that there were differences in opinion.

 

I have a dear friend who was raised Catholic and she knows nothing other than that. When I tell her what Protestants believe she is always shocked. I haven't told her that we don't pray to saints yet. I think she will be devastated.

 

I also never learned how to identify different races. My mom always told me it wouldn't matter by the time I grew up. When I was robbed, I couldn't explain the race and the police had to show me pictures of different races. They of course thought I was lying. Thankfully when he was caught robbing another business, he openly confessed to robbing me.

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I would not have asked the question, but that would have been me up until my early 20's.

 

I was not raised religious in the least, we went to church twice a year maybe, we had a Bible in the house but it was not read or shared, we never prayed, never talked about any kind of faith, and so on.

 

We only knew one family that was in anyway religious and I found them odd. The youngest was always warning me to be prepared for the end of the world-when Jesus came back. She was excited about it and gave details, I had nightmares. For years! There were other things I found odd then, but understand to some degree now.

 

In high school I ran into a a girl who tried to save me, but she believed you had to be a YEC to be Christian and I couldn't wrap my head around that doctrine.

 

It wasn't until I was on the internet one day and looking up frugal living that I realized that a lot of people were actually Christian and practiced it.

 

Anyway, my family(parents, sibling, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins on either side, doesn't talk about faith, go to church, share what they believe and that is the same for the vast majority of our friends, co-workers, and acquaintances over the years.

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I have a dear friend who was raised Catholic and she knows nothing other than that. When I tell her what Protestants believe she is always shocked. I haven't told her that we don't pray to saints yet. I think she will be devastated.

 

 

FYI, Catholics don't pray to saints, we ask for their intercession. We only pray to God. You might hear a Catholic say something like "Say a prayer to St. Anthony" but that's really just shorthand for "Ask St. Anthony for his intercession that you will find this lost item."

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After posting this I thought and thought about what topic of conversation I would have no prior knowledge of. One finally came to mind. Gangs. I know they exist, there are often color markers for them, it is predominantly territorial and, well, that is just about it. Pretty much what I have learned from TV. I have never lived in an area that had obvious gang activity. I am sure it was there, just not in-your-face.

 

So, I too have these gaps that someone who grew up in a area that was rife with gangs may find jaw dropping.

 

I think the thing that amazed me the most wasn't the question....it was my inability to put an answer into words.

 

To answer one poster....I gave a very general "Wow, there are so many details I can't possibly summarize it all quickly. Christianity encompasses many, many faiths. They each prioritized different passages in the bible and use those for the foundation of their teachings.

 

We got interrupted there so I just dropped it....

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After posting this I thought and thought about what topic of conversation I would have no prior knowledge of. One finally came to mind. Gangs. I know they exist, there are often color markers for them, it is predominantly territorial and, well, that is just about it. Pretty much what I have learned from TV. I have never lived in an area that had obvious gang activity. I am sure it was there, just not in-your-face.

 

So, I too have these gaps that someone who grew up in a area that was rife with gangs may find jaw dropping.

 

 

 

Interesting point. Most people I come across look at me in shocked disbelief when I tell them the Pocono Mountains are rife with gangs. Even living here, I know little more than their basic existence, and that it looks nothing like TV.

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