Real Life Fundie Encounters - Part 3

[Gobbles]

1 minute ago, Ungodly Grandma said:

Catholics often use fish b/c Jesus was a fisherman for souls, or something. There's always a little story to all these symbols! 

The Catholic marriage retreats used the fish, and gave it to attendees as well.

I know several people with the fish on their cars (I went to a Christian school after all) and they all are members of the Evangelical church. Catholics here are rare. Most people are Evangelicals (see quote below). You can also see that with the churches. The Evangelical ones are all super old and historic while the Catholic churches are modern ones.

Quote

The German term evangelisch here more accurately corresponds to the broad English term Protestant rather than to the narrower evangelical (in German called evangelikal), although the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England use the term in the same way as the German church. Literally, evangelisch means "of the Gospel", denoting a Protestant Reformation emphasis on sola scriptura, "by scripture alone".

I'm also a member of the church, but consider myself atheist. Leaving is complicated because you have to go to the town hall and whatnot. I don't pay taxes so it doesn't cost me anything to be a member so I just leave it like it is. That is quite common actually. Wiki says:

Quote

Consequently, a majority of the German people belong to a Christian community, although many of them take no active part in church life.

My parents are the same. Both are members and pay taxes, but they don't believe and never go to church. Same with my Christian school. I went to it because it was an affordable private school in the area. They considered themselves to be Evangelical but were open to any kind of religion. Only thing is that you had to attend the Evangelical religion classes twice per week. That was the first lesson on Monday and the last on Friday. You can imagine that not much happened there. Also the school can't be compared to those in the US I've heard about. It was like a normal school, but smaller classes and all teachers were religious. Not funny rules or else. You could wear whatever you wanted and I openly said that I was not religious and that wasn't a problem at all.

Off topic, but I'm fascinated by the difference between being religious in the US and here. 

[Tim-Tom Biblethumper]

On 7/15/2016 at 0:40 AM, BlackberryGirl said:

Was driving out and about in our rural area and saw clear evidence of SOTDRT. I big striped tent obviously for a camp meeting/revival and a seemingly professionally printed BIG sign.  

 

                                                                  " Jesus Love You"

                                                                    "Bible is ture."  

 

 in what should have been just 7 words... a missed verb tense, a whole missing article (the) and the word "true," 4 whole letters misspelled.

And to think that the text had to be submitted to an actual sign maker who printed it.    
Just curious, was this sighting in the deep south?

17 hours ago, Gobbles said:

I'm also a member of the church, but consider myself atheist. Leaving is complicated because you have to go to the town hall and whatnot. I don't pay taxes so it doesn't cost me anything to be a member so I just leave it like it is. That is quite common actually.

This is what I love about FJ!  Always learning (unlike a certain blogger of the same name  )
I just did some cursory reading and although Germany claims separation of church and state it doesn't sound like that's exactly true.
Religious instruction is mandatory in public schools (from what I read)?
And you have to get some sort of permission (go to the town hall) to leave the church?

[Karma]

I haven't read through this thread, but just popped in to say that miss karma and I were on a little one hour walk around the top of Whistler Mountain (incredible that there is actually one ski run still open!) today and we passed two girls in their early 20s with triangle type scarves on, jumpers (it was cold) and ankle length potato sack type skirts.  They did at least have sneakers on, not duggar style sandals as we had walked across snow and clambered on rocks.  Miss karma said that she could feel them judging her for her skin tight jeans, but they said hello very pleasantly.  Good to see them out enjoying the scenery.  What religion would they be?  

[samurai_sarah]

3 hours ago, Tim-Tom Biblethumper said:

(snip)

I just did some cursory reading and although Germany claims separation of church and state it doesn't sound like that's exactly true.
Religious instruction is mandatory in public schools (from what I read)?
And you have to get some sort of permission (go to the town hall) to leave the church?

It's a tad more complicated.

- Religious education in schools:

Technically mandatory, but with exceptions. The first thing about this is that in Germany, you register your religion with the authorities. So in school, you get put into an RE class that corresponds to your stated faith. In my case that was Catholic.

Attending a small school in a predominantly Catholic region, it was standard practice for my school to only provide Catholic RE and Protestant RE. In my entire year, there was precisely one person who was neither, and one person whose parents felt that neither class would benefit their child. Person 1 went with Catholic RE. Person 2 took another class unrelated to religion.

My school offered "General Ethics" as a replacement for RE every year, but no one ever took it. Mainly, for social reasons that have nothing to do with religion. The point is that we could have opted out (or when we were younger, our parents could have opted out for us), but few if any did.

So, it's a bit simplistic to say that religious education is mandatory. You can opt out.

- Obtaining permission to leave a church:

You got it the wrong way around. You go to the town hall to inform the authorities that you have left. Depending on what your declared and registered faith is, you pay "church tax" in Germany. You don't tithe, the state just taxes you and distributes the taxes to the relevant church.

The point of informing the town hall is to stop the taxes. It's an administrative matter, due to the tax system. Nothing to do with obtaining permission, all to do with money.

[Kitcae]

13 hours ago, Karma said:

I haven't read through this thread, but just popped in to say that miss karma and I were on a little one hour walk around the top of Whistler Mountain (incredible that there is actually one ski run still open!) today and we passed two girls in their early 20s with triangle type scarves on, jumpers (it was cold) and ankle length potato sack type skirts.  They did at least have sneakers on, not duggar style sandals as we had walked across snow and clambered on rocks.  Miss karma said that she could feel them judging her for her skin tight jeans, but they said hello very pleasantly.  Good to see them out enjoying the scenery.  What religion would they be?  

Sounds like they are Mennonites.  

[Gobbles]

1 hour ago, Tim-Tom Biblethumper said:

Religious instruction is mandatory in public schools (from what I read)?
And you have to get some sort of permission (go to the town hall) to leave the church?

@samurai_sarah Thankfully explained it! You can't just avoid religion class to have less school, you need to take ethics instead. 

My school was a private one (fee paying) and they only offered Evangelical classes and every who went to that school had to take them. Muslim, atheist, whatever. If you went to that Christian school by choice you had to take the class. Like I said, those were a huge joke. IMHO. Nobody paid attention anyway. More time to sleep on Monday and Fridays an easy last hour.

Just now, samurai_sarah said:

The point of informing the town hall is to stop the taxes. It's an administrative matter, due to the tax system. Nothing to do with obtaining permission, all to do with money.

I never did that, but I heard (like with all administrative things) that it is German bureaucracy at it's finest. Takes pretty long. Becoming a member is easier. (Must be tax thing. If money is involved in something, it gets complicated.)

I don't have to pay taxes, so I don't mind being a member. If I had to pay church tax, I would quit. Maybe not if same-sex marriage would be possible though. I do support lots of things the Church does and uses the money for. Groups for elderly or kindergartens. I went to a kindergarten like that. The kindergarten for example are religious, but the children there come from every kind of background. Religion is just a minor part of it. Like colouring pictures that are out of a bible or celebrating Christmas and other occasions with learning about the biblical background. 

[Iamhispurity]

6 hours ago, Gobbles said:

I don't have to pay taxes, so I don't mind being a member. If I had to pay church tax, I would quit. Maybe not if same-sex marriage would be possible though. I do support lots of things the Church does and uses the money for. Groups for elderly or kindergartens. I went to a kindergarten like that. The kindergarten for example are religious, but the children there come from every kind of background. Religion is just a minor part of it. Like colouring pictures that are out of a bible or celebrating Christmas and other occasions with learning about the biblical background. 

Actually the German Protestant  churches are starting to offer same-sex marriages. Rhineland, Baden, Berlin and Hessen for example allow them. Which makes them more progessive than the German government. Sigh. Still hoping there will be same-sex marriage in Germany within the next ten years...

[Karma]

Thanks @Kitcae.  I thought so too but when I google their clothes the pictures show a bonnet type cap?  

Apologies for the delay in replying, limited wifi for a day or two.

[Kitcae]

9 hours ago, Karma said:

Thanks @Kitcae.  I thought so too but when I google their clothes the pictures show a bonnet type cap?  

Apologies for the delay in replying, limited wifi for a day or two.

True, the head scarves don't quite match up with Mennonites. Maybe they are Anabaptist (or just fundies who cover their heads).

[refugee]

22 minutes ago, Kitcae said:

True, the head scarves don't quite match up with Mennonites. Maybe they are Anabaptist (or just fundies who cover their heads).

The local religious Russians and Ukrainians wear head scarves along with conservative dress. Could they be from that part of the world?

[feministxtian]

First Las Vegas fundie sighting! A FLDS family was getting water at the mini-mart I stopped at during lunchtime for heathen coke and smokes. How can those women wear those dresses in 105+ degree heat????

[Howl]

Was at the Dennys in Cortez, Colorado (southwestern corner of the state) at 8 pm and saw a largish group having dinner.  The women wore identical dark blue farm wife 1940s-style dresses made from a sturdy no-nonsense fabric, not quite floor length, and sturdy black lace-up oxfords.  The women were all fairly subdued, and a few of them were not seatd at the table, but were hanging out in front with babies.

The men had long beards, long-sleeved shirts in dark colors, vests, and the same style pants in dark blue or black.  There were several teen boys whose hair looked like someone had placed an oblong bowl over their heads and cut along the rim.  All the boys and men were seated.  The men appeared confident and sociable.  When they got up to leave, all of the men and boys placed straw hats of the same style on their heads. 

It was night and raining, so they were driving.  

Mennonites?

 

[catlady]

44 minutes ago, Howl said:

Was at the Dennys in Cortez, Colorado (southwestern corner of the state) at 8 pm and saw a largish group having dinner.  The women wore identical dark blue farm wife 1940s-style dresses made from a sturdy no-nonsense fabric, not quite floor length, and sturdy black lace-up oxfords.  The women were all fairly subdued, and a few of them were not seatd at the table, but were hanging out in front with babies.

The men had long beards, long-sleeved shirts in dark colors, vests, and the same style pants in dark blue or black.  There were several teen boys whose hair looked like someone had placed an oblong bowl over their heads and cut along the rim.  All the boys and men were seated.  The men appeared confident and sociable.  When they got up to leave, all of the men and boys placed straw hats of the same style on their heads. 

It was night and raining, so they were driving.  

Mennonites?

 

I would have guessed Amish, New Order maybe.  (New Order is slightly less conservative than Old Order, but I understand there's a whole hierarchy).

in relation to @feministxtian above, about 12 years ago I went to Las Vegas and saw 2 couples who were likely Mennonite.  it was at the top of the Stratosphere later in the evening (Mr. CL wanted to ride the roller coaster after dark).  they were all about 20 yrs old; the guys were wearing jeans and modern button-style shirts.  the girls however had on calico prairie dresses and white bonnets.  all four appeared to be having a good old time.

[Free2BeMe]

15 hours ago, Howl said:

Was at the Dennys in Cortez, Colorado (southwestern corner of the state) at 8 pm and saw a largish group having dinner.  The women wore identical dark blue farm wife 1940s-style dresses made from a sturdy no-nonsense fabric, not quite floor length, and sturdy black lace-up oxfords.  The women were all fairly subdued, and a few of them were not seatd at the table, but were hanging out in front with babies.

The men had long beards, long-sleeved shirts in dark colors, vests, and the same style pants in dark blue or black.  There were several teen boys whose hair looked like someone had placed an oblong bowl over their heads and cut along the rim.  All the boys and men were seated.  The men appeared confident and sociable.  When they got up to leave, all of the men and boys placed straw hats of the same style on their heads. 

It was night and raining, so they were driving.  

Mennonites?

 

Those were Amish folk.

[johnhugh]

Artist-Mary had a go:

 

On ‎22‎/‎07‎/‎2016 at 8:38 AM, Free2BeMe said:

Those were Amish folk.

 

3 minutes ago, johnhugh said:

Artist-Mary had a go:

 

 

Or is that Cookm-Anna ???? - After a couple of grape drinks they do look the same - HI stevie,

[BlackberryGirl]

I'm in very rural upstate NY. About 2 hours of hard driving to get to Buffalo or Rochester. This sign was between us and Buffalo.

[IronicallyMaeve]

I saw a car pull up and park in front of our fence.Two guys in suits started walking up the road towards our door. I told my housemate about them and she ran and hid in the kitchen because she was afraid they were mormons. 

I have no idea if they were or not, but they didn't come to the door, much to our relief.

[Jucifer]

I went grocery shopping at our neighborhood Kroger today. They usually play 60s and 70s soul music and people sing along. Everyone has a smile on their faces.  

Today it was Christian 'rock'. I navigated through a store full of sour faces as quickly as I could. I forgot to get bread. 

That's ok. I didn't want to spend any more time there than I had to. :/ I'll deal with the bread shortage tomorrow.

In March of this year a tree fell onto our Big Bear grocery store.  They are still repairing the damage.  I will be so glad to see them open up again!

 

[nastyhobbitses]

I had a meeting with my boss yesterday in South Bank, and it was so nice out that I decided to leave early and walk from Oxford Circus down and across the river. While walking along Regent Street, some guy approaches me and yells "JESUS LOVES YOU!" I was so blindsided that I just yelled back "No, he doesn't!" and hustled off.

And of course, by the next intersection I had so many wittier ripostes that I wish I'd yelled back instead. But hey, I guess "Jesus loves you" is better than wolf whistles or "nice tits". Though I'd love to hear "Jesus thinks you have nice tits".

[solacetea]

On 7/25/2016 at 7:10 PM, Jucifer said:

"I went grocery shopping at our neighborhood Kroger today. They usually play 60s and 70s soul music and people sing along. Everyone has a smile on their faces.  

Today it was Christian 'rock'. I navigated through a store full of sour faces as quickly as I could. I forgot to get bread. 

That's ok. I didn't want to spend any more time there than I had to. :/ I'll deal with the bread shortage tomorrow.

In March of this year a tree fell onto our Big Bear grocery store.  They are still repairing the damage.  I will be so glad to see them open up again! "

*****************************************************

I work in a shopping center anchored by a very christian family-owned grocery store. The same family owns the center. They BLAST christian rock throughout the shopping center and in their store. The message forced upon shoppers and employees is bad enough, but the music itself is absolute DRECK. I consider myself a music fan who enjoys most genres but christian rock is the absolute  worst. Also, we get a lot of uber-religious types in our store (a gift/card shop) that are pissed when we don't have religious merchandise. It's also a very mennonite area and they are cheap as hell.

 

 

 

Edited July 30, 2016 by solacetea
improper quoting and grammar

[Jatalie1996]

Pretty sure I saw a fundie family at the farmers market this morning. Four little girls (all in skirts) and one boy. The oldest of them couldn't have been older than 7. The mother was pushing a stroller as well, but I couldn't tell if there were any kids in it.

[freealljs]

My DD and I went to a state park this past weekend. We were watching a video on the state attraction (a cavern). In comes a family with four kids, guessing about ages 7, 5, 2, and a baby, maybe 10 months old. Wife was pregnant and wearing a long skirt with leggings. Daughter (age 5) was wearing a long skirt, leggings, and wore a cotton vest to cover her shoulders. The thing is, that day the heat index was close to 100 degrees. The husband wandered around looking at the exhibits, but stayed close enough to monitor them while they watched the video. The 7 year old was carrying the 10 month old on his chest (and he was struggling). I kept thinking, why can't the dad carry the baby???  The whole scene kind of reminded me of the picture of Joyanna Duggar with a baby strapped to her back. The mom was really nice, but the dad not so much.   The dad did nothing to help. They finally left the exhibit building to explore the park.

[ALM7]

On 7/15/2016 at 0:26 AM, MarblesMom said:

Aww, bless their hearts.  They tried

[my bold above]

@MarblesMom, Before FJ, I didn't know Bless Her Heart meant anything other than, Oh, bless your heart (in a sweet sense).

Fast forward ... I'm at the market, in the fruit section, carefully inspecting the bags of tangerines.  Of course I select the bag with a dang hole in it, fruit flies everywhere! I'm doing a one handed juggle, trying to contain the balance of the fruit, didn't work. As I'm scurrying around the floor, I hear a lady say, well bless your heart, and she kept on walking lol.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out if I had just been insulted.  A nice teenager helped me capture the rest of the fruit. 

 

 

[BlackberryGirl]

6 hours ago, ALM7 said:

I couldn't figure out if I had just been insulted.  

well, yeah, you were... it meant (paraphrasing here...)" You poor pitiful fuck, can't you SEE the bag was torn? Well, you'll manage..its so nice they let you out without your keeper."

[BlackberryGirl]

BlackberryBoy, born in the South, described "Bless Your Heart" as "kindly contempt." perfect description..