Clean mind in a foul world

Hey Gina, I know what you mean. I saw a t-shirt in Walmart (on a teen) that had the F-word on it. I told the manager and he asked him to leave and come back in a shirt that didn't have cuss words on it.

Nick came in and told me our new neighbor kid uses words WE consider cuss words. Another neighbor called to tell me her 16 year old daughter is pregnant 'but we can't expect them not to have a social life with the boys' she says!

Diane

 

In a teacher ed class I had last semester, one of the students wore a shirt to class that said "do I look like a f people person".

This from a prospective future teacher. When in our 'reading circles' (group discussion) I was placed with this student and our discussion came before the class regarding the moral principles of teachers I brought up the T-shirt.

The professor (a catholic who I have had for other classes and knew my belief) stated her disagreement with the T-shirt, but informed me that discussion of religion was not proper in either the university setting of teacher ed, nor in the future classroom I would someday lead.

You know, religion and politics are two things you just don't discuss in social situations.

The issue was not whether this student is religious or to what creed subscribed, but to the appropriateness of that kind of an attitude in a future educator.

I will be in prayer for your friend (each of you) that God would lead you both to discuss these things without hurt feelings resulting.

Bro. Dallas

 

Hi Gina.

I understand. The building where I work has offices on one side and a mall downstairs. A store selling sports related clothes had a sweatshirt prominently displayed saying:

"If your not a (sports team) fan then you aren't s***".

I was offended and there were young kids reading it and giggling. I should have requested they move the shirt inside but didn't want to offend so I walked on by.

It's hard sometimes to know just what to do in certain situations.

I see your " ugh, yuck, ew" and raise you an "ick, pew, blech".

Kim

 

Remember 1962, Prayers left, bibles left, discipline left, crime came in, metal detectors came in, rebellion came in. We are reaping what we have sowed.

 

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

 

Saw a tee shirt last night said satan in side.

 

I can't even tell you abour a t-shirt I saw in Dublin one day. It used the word mentioned above in a "religious" context.

 

So would find a bumper sticker that said the following be offensive?

"Try God, if you don't like Him, the devil will always take you back"

Sure, I giggled when I saw that at a Christian book store, but is it funny to a non-believer?

What can we do?? Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. We push the world away. There is a song by DC Talk and before the song begins, there is a short statement that says:

"The biggest cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who profess Jesus with their lips and then walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle...that is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelieveable" It may not be verbatim, but that is pretty much the statement...how true is that??

Imagine being a non-believer and visiting this site to see what loving friendly Christians talk about together and see all the venon being spewed here...we need to remember that we are ambassors for Christ and I'm DEFINITELY talking to myself here as well. Lets pray for each other!

LOVE YOUR SISTER IN CHRIST,
Kathy
<><

 

I don't get upset over what I see and hear among pagans. But it bothers me a lot when I see that sort of thing among Christians.

We must expect the world to act like worldy people. But Christians are to be different.

When I was in seminary and my daughter was at the seminary day care from time to time she would come home with some poor language. She didn't know it was bad because she had heard it at the seminary day care center. So take a guess where the other children were learning that language? I assume right at home.

 

Or maybe daycare employees

 

I heard a group of deacons laugh
at a racial joke that included a
"swear" word.

I gave them that look and they said
it was just a joke. I shot back, I'm
sure Jesus is laughing his head off.

 

I just wanna go home, please, Lord.

 

Like Nemo!!

Kathy
<><

 

I have always disliked hearing anyone claim to be Christian but then hear them initiate or partake of vulgar language or jokes. The worst is the usage of God's name along with a curse.

When I first started preaching I worked for the housing authority of Glasgow. Our office (ladies) required we come in each morning from the maintenance shop and get any work orders for our day, and this would continue as we completed these and to get any new ones coming in. I did the heating and refrigeration maintenance and was often alone in my work. Occassionally I would work in a specific apartment complex with other maintenance workers but not very often. Besides a two way radio, my only contact with any co-workers was during the time we punched the time clock at the maintenance shop, visits to gather and turn in my work orders or at lunch.

I walked in one morning, though not the first morning of this occurrance to hear a joke being told that was both vulgar and racial (our office workers were all women, but often when the men came in they would join this activity).

No one knew I had come into the office. I needed a gas valve to replace on a furnace and these 'expensive' items were stored in a closet in the main office. I had come through the receptionists' area and was in the closet when the huddle was called and the joke related.

I got the item I needed and came out into the hallway where the receptionists office opened up to the other administrative areas and the joke was just being finished. When I appeared everyone was laughing at the 'punch' line and when they saw me they stifled this. The lady telling the joke is a member of a local baptist church here in Glasgow. Everyone in the group grew silent and the joker apologized to me saying she didn't know I was anywhere around. I told her that was ok, I might not have been there any other time, but that we are always in the presence of the Lord. No one spoke.

Later that day, after lunch I was called on the radio to the maintenance supervisor's office. Here I found my immediate foreman and the maintenance supervisor waiting for me. They asked me to have a seat. They made small talk and finally let me know they were waiting for the executive director to arrive who had already been called and would be there in a few minutes. Our executive director was a woman (and Catholic btw). She finally arrived and the meeting began with my foreman discussing how that people had a freedom to believe what they wanted to etc. etc. From here it jumped back and forth between the three of them relating to me how I had offended the ladies in the office that morning by presenting to them an attitude of self righteousness.

The maintenance director had no religious affiliations that I ever knew of, the foreman is a JW and as I said, the exec. director is a Catholic. I had seen each of these people engage in the same activity on different occassions and just tried to ignore it.

I am a missionary Baptist. I listened to all they had to say and when they finished including the action they were going to take, which amounted to a probationary period in which if I continued to offend people I would not receive my next raise and could lose the class B maintenance classification my journeyman and EPA certification gave to me when hired here.

As they finished they asked me if I had any questions. I asked them of their opinion as to whether or not I may have been offended by what I heard. They told me whether I was offended or not by the jokes, that wasn't a primary concern because I could have merely kept my mouth shut and continued to my job. The fact that I did not do this indicated to them I was displeased with my job and I used this occurance to displace that displeasure onto the girls in the office.

When I related how the apology was made directly to me and what I said they agreed this statement was offensive making an appearance that I was above sin.

Whether you think so or not, this intention was not in my mind. The sad thing is that I would not have said anything if I had not been addressed by anyone of the group. I would have taken my gas valve and left to do my job, but I was addressed and I did respond and not with any untruth but a basic truth that any professing Christian should realize. I simply stated that we remained in the presence of the Lord and left it at that to do my job.

After this incident I was marked and managed to work here about three more months before leaving for another job.

My point is, where can we draw the line at labelling a speaking of such a basic truth is a sign of self-righteousness.

BTW, when I left, the meeting just before that the executive director never attended, only the JW and my maintenance supervisor. At this last meeting I was being reprimanded for refusal to install old used gas valves onto furnaces. I found a gas valve (though taped with duct tape) full of a dirt dauber's nest. I checked all the old ones and each had something of this nature in them or either showed evidence of a dry rotted membrane valve. IN each of these valves was a possible bomb waiting to happen. I discussed this with my foreman, the supervisor and the executive director on different occassions. They each continually ignored requests for new valves to be ordered. The policy of the housing authority is such that anyone signing a work order in any unit that later caused damage or even death is responsible for the parts and materials used in repairing the service problem.

This meant that by continuing to use the potentially faulty valves and signing the work order showing date and time of the replacement I was accepting all responsibility in the case that one of these pieces of equiptment did cause an explosion.

Finally, the maintenance supervisor suggested that if I would not use these old valves (they had been stored when heating systems had been updated) there were people who were willing to do just that and that by refusing these, I was refusing to do my job. I was placed on a two week leave without pay. During this time I got another job.

Self-Righteousness is a relative term I guess.

Bro. Dallas

BTW, I wonder if any such accident as an explosion in the future and any work order on file in the office under my signature...I do not worry about this, but I have wondered it. All this trouble because of my self-righteousness

[ March 13, 2004, 03:17 PM: Message edited by: Frogman ]

 

There is probably way too much truth in that to be funny! I work in a prison and I am daily bombarded with such filth. I know a preacher who heard some one use a foul word...****. He said..."How is it you can put something in your mouth you wouldn't dare hold in your hand?" I thought that was a pretty good comeback!