Eudaimonist

It means: I'm a member of your tribe and I share your values. Don't you want to support your tribe and your values?

ex-preacher

Back when I was a Christian and lived in another city, I used to drive by a billboard for a jewelry store. They had some quotation from Jesus on there - I forget the quote. But it amused and infuriated me to think of using Jesus to sell jewelry. Can anyone who has read the gospels really picture Jesus wearing jewelry or advocating that his followers wear and/or sell jewelry? He must be rolling over in his tomb!

ImGod

He would have some interesting piercings to put diamond studs in though.

Corwin

It's just one of those things, ya know? One of the problems with dealing with Christians is that they can act like a conspiracy without actually being one. This is a good example. By marking their businesses they ensure that other Christians will patronize them. It's a way of entering into their little Christian support network. They do this sort of thing all the time. The basic problem is that they're all going off of a very similar belief system, and follow very similar practices. This allows them to act as if they were a conspiracy, but since there isn't a whole lot of actual communication between groups they're tough to trace. (A good example is how abortion clinic bombers and shooters can just 'disappear.' They fade into the crowd and their Christian community protects them. It doesn't matter that they don't know anyone in a new town they've run to, the far right Christians will hide them. Of course the fact that they are being hidden by people they have no prior contact with makes them even more difficult to find....)

FreeToThink

Do you mean that cheesy one on 436 near Aloma? Yeah, I drive by that all the time and just roll my eyes, like this:

Even when I was a Christian, I never would patronize businesses (or employ contractors) that used the fish in advertising. It was well known, even in my fundagelical circles, that you were sure to get screwed. (not in that good way either!)

Heh.

Godless Dave

I got an idea: draft a letter that says "Please stop using my name to sell things." followed by an appropriate NT quote - throwing the moneychangers out of the temple or something. Send it to these businesses anonymously. I bet many of them are superstitious and this "miracle" will put the fear of their god into them.

butswana

I walked into a jewelry store to have the batteries replaced in a few watches I had lying around. As I was telling the guy what I wanted, I noticed there was a stack of xtian propaganda tracts on the counter. I promptly snatched up my watches and walked out.
I was calling around to get some estimates on a fence for my back yard. One guy I talked to felt he needed to tell me that they were a xtian company about half a dozen times. I told him I didn't do business with xtians and it wouldn't be necessary for him to measure my yard.
If they bring it up, I will take my money somewhere else.

[ April 12, 2002: Message edited by: butswana ]</p>

Corwin

We live in a capitalist society.

Vote with your wallet.

Problem is, they tend to stick together and they outnumber us. Oh well...

atheistdave

My hobby is drag racing at the local strip. Back in the good old days, it could be a roudy, but fun place. Over time things have settled down quite a bit and it is now a very good family activity, which is a good thing. Unfortunately the over the past 7 or 8 years, overt displays of xtianity have become common and it's almost like church at times. Hell, they even have a prayer over the PA system each race day! There are also many cars sporting those damned fish on them. With me being one who likes to stir things up from time to time, I have added Evolve fish to my car, one on each side, and placed two bumper stickers in the back window for everyone to read while sitting in the staging lanes. One sticker says, "Don't pray in our school, I won't think in your church" and the other says, "The last time we mixed politics with religion...People got burned at the stake." I know there are a couple of others at the track who feel as I do, but they won't say much. It will be interesting to see the reactions I get, if any, this summer. I was planning on naming the car Evolution, but that got sidetracked when someone else named it the "Farm Wagon" and it stuck. Guess I should have acted sooner on that one. There is one auto parts store in town that has a fish painted next to the store name and I won't do business with them if I can avoid it. Which makes me wonder, since it is a franchised store (NAPA) does the parent company approve?? Guess I'll find out when I e-mail them.

Dave

atheistdave

Since NAPA Auto Parts is a large nationwide supplier in the U.S., I sent them a note. Below is what I sent. It will be interesting to see what type, if any, of a reply I receive.

Dave

&gt;I shop at the Clinton, Indiana NAPA store regularly. On occasion I have to travel to Terre Haute to get something from Taylor Automotive, which is a NAPA store as well. What bothers me is the large Christian fish painted on the building near the store name and NAPA sign on the front of the building at the 124 North 1st Street location. As a non-Christian I find it offensive and would like to see it removed. In fact, since I first saw it I have made an effort to use a different store at those times or just wait for the Clinton store to order my parts. If worse comes to worse I have even used a local competitor, when quality was not an issue. I don't want to sound like a whiner, but having this huge fish next to the NAPA sign looks very innapropriate and unprofessional.

[ April 12, 2002: Message edited by: atheistdave ]</p>