Interesting topic and certainly one that does strike a lot of emotion … much like an
Insteon bashing thread!
Seriously though, what type of response is the OP expecting? Approval? Berating? Argumentative?
This is YOUR belief in the end. Sure, it’s great to get advice and opinions. I do it myself. I only honor and value the opinions of a select group of people.
I find that as I get older, I tend to ignore those I don’t honor, value and trust. As far as those who criticize me it’s much the same way, I really don’t get offended unless the criticism comes from someone whose opinion I value (it gets me thinking more than anything). Of course I have 20 years on the OP! He will get there eventually.
What if you came into my home and I asked you to take your shoes off as mentioned in one of the above responses (and this was against your belief to be shoeless away from your home)? Would you dishonor me? I’m betting not. What if I told you that it was a custom for all my guests to kiss my dog on the nose! Would you dishonor me by not doing that? Probably you would not do that because it goes against your (insert your own word here). What if you told ME that it was against your beliefs to be shoeless and asked if you could kindly keep them on? Would I be dishonoring YOU if I refused?
I’m also a Steeler fan (and yes, this IS a religion where I come from). What if you refused to stand and pound your chest in a Steeler bar whenever their fight song was played? Where do you draw the line?
The point is there are limits, values, opinions, emotions, feelings, morals, etc… as a result of being HUMAN and being exposed, influenced, brainwashed, coached, taught, etc… from our past! We are outgoing, shy, confident, loud, opinionated, tolerant, passionate, respectful, ignorant, faithful, despiteful, etc… You will never get a handful of people to totally agree on any topic, especially when it comes to religion.
America is known as the melting pot due to all its diverse cultures so you are going to get a lot more of what I described above here than anywhere else in the world! Is this a good thing? I’m just not sure but I do know I value this fact and am thankful I (along with other Americans) CAN have my religious opinion without getting run out of town, stoned, shot, or beheaded!
And yes, in my “old age†I think I’ve seen and experienced enough to have a sound basis for my above comments. This includes working with people of many different faiths and beliefs (including atheists. As a matter of fact, if you said “Bless You†to one of my atheist friends when he sneezed he will respond by saying *-You). (I do wish I had traveled more to different countries to experience various cultures, lifestyles, and religions).
I have had people trying to get me to take Jesus Christ into my life; consider myself an “Ex†Catholic, even though I had 12 years of parochial schooling; saw people of a “particular†popular religion get the “bullet proof†coat during layoffs; plus a wide variety of other experiences. I’ve seen religion give comfort to people while also seeing it mislead others down a blind-fully destructive path.
In the end, believe in yourself while still maintaining respect and tolerance for others that do this as well. It’s a difficult dance step to master (and few actually do)!
I do think it is healthy to bring up discussions such as this to make aware the different social aspects, cultures, and beliefs of our nation. We do have (elected) “HUMANS†making up the laws that govern us so creating awareness of crucial issues including religious beliefs is a good thing for our society as a whole!
Of course, what do I know? I’m just a (humble) moderator on CocoonTech and not some educated renowned religious/diversity scholar! Again, the choice is yours in the end.
Maybe Spock was politically correct with his departing words, “Live long and prosperâ€. After all isn’t that what we all want to do in a peaceful environment?
Respectfully,
BSR
