NuNu's Dad wrote:Wow I guess I opened up a can of worms.
My own unresolved issue I guess. Catholic who had the Baptist religeon shoved down my throat with a very predictable outcome. Anyway...
When it becomes impossible to seperate religeon from every facet of life (oh say like softball), that is my definition of fanaticism. What if a member of the other team were a different faith, or non religeous by choice. Your act of (what you thought was) good sportsmanship puts everyone in a difficult and uncomfortable position. If someone was uncomfortable, should they shutup or speakout?
How about if the team wanting to pray (i.e. LDS, Islamic, Catholic, Jew, Druid, Hindu or even Scientologist) were a faith you (ie southern evangelicals) don't like. Would you speak out or pray along with them?
My original observation was that it was like a different planet. It was! People in SoCal would never presume that others wouldn't be offended by their idea that their way is everyones way. We have people of many different faiths that work, play, marry and do all sorts of things together. We know many others are different and would never dream of imposing our beliefs on others. I guess it is because we have a very non-homogenious society here. That prayer highlighted that in parts of the South, that is not true. It is a much more uniform society.
Hey I got a better idea: Lets leave religion at home and play Softball.
(And it really did creep me the @#$% out!)
I'm not religious, but religious people don't offend me in the slightest (unless their religion instructs them to kill me). The religious people I know (from many different faiths and locales) are some of the nicest, non-imposing, salt-of-the-earth, give-you-the-shirt-off-their-back folks I've ever met. (I bet Sandy from Alabama is religious...I bet you bottom dollar). I would suggest that anyone offended by someone else's prayer is the fanatic, rather than the other way around. And intolerant to boot...although I hate that word.
To answer your question about whether I would speak out or pray with them...definitely not the former, possibly the latter, but probably neither. I would likely just sit there quietly and respectfully and accept their prayers and well-wishes. It costs me nothing to do so.
And did you write "Californians would never presume..." with a straight face? California, via Hollywood, happily exports its debased culture and views--including with respect to religion and social issues central thereto--to the rest of the
planet...and let's just say that it's not bashful about telling everyone how they are supposed to think and act (kinda like you in these posts, I might add).
California is the home of every crackpot local ordinance and state law banning or punishing every variety of normal human conduct...cooked up by the most meddling a$$clowns the western world has yet produced. And that's not even counting the ones we send to Washington. Oh, Californians presume...they presume in spades my friend.
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