I guess that a public declaration of being Christian is generally more a posture and less a commitment to a specific set of practices or behaviors. (I’m thinking of all those Christian politicians and public figures with mistresses, have sex with gay male escorts, are alcoholics and drug abusers, engage in criminal fraud, etc. )
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With all the hatred, strife, political unrest and just plain terrorism these days all in the name of ‘religion’, I would fear someone who puts ‘religion’ in a place in their lives that intersects with mine.
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Well, as so often, I don’t have to think too hard about what I want to say, because @dcmooney has said it for me. Thanks, Nancy, a great exposition of tolerant faith.
My faith is important to me but it is very personal and private one that has no desire to impose it on anyone else or to judge how they live their lives. I certainly don’t mention it in my listing, but in my House Notes I explain that we finish serving breakfast at 9.30 on Sunday as we both have musical duties at our Church. Sometimes guests ask about this and we may have a discussion but it usually focuses on the music rather than the religion!
However, i think that the connotation of “Christian” is very different in the US and has unfortunately become synonimous with a very rigid, right-wing, rule-bound version of faith. Quite strange really, since its founder was quite the opposite of this! I am an Anglican and the joke about Anglicans is “How do Anglicans try to convert you at their services? Answer: they give you a nice cup of tea and never mention the word God!”
So for the record, some of my best friends are Gay - what am I saying, I sometimes think ALL my best friends are Gay! Oh, and they are Christian, Agnostic, Atheist, and of other faiths. LGBT people are welcome at our Church and I would not belong to a church where that was not the case. Sadly, Anglicanism is still struggling with the question of gay marriage but I am certain that this will resolved in the not too distant future.
@Rolf, I’m not quite sure what you mean by this, but I would suggest that these evils in our world are not all in the name of religion, though some may be. Poverty, inequality, despotism, greed and ignorance are also fundamental to the sad condition we find our world in.
Sorry, should’ve been a priest … I’ll stop the sermon now!
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Isn’t that sad? Regardless of the religion, it’s really sad.
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I am an atheist and I think it’s not only fine that you mention your faith in your listing; it’s desirable if it influences the way you host. For me, it’s similar to how I put in my listing that our dogs are part of the family and if you’re not comfortable with that; our listing and you won’t be a match. I don’t put that I’m an atheist in my listing because it has no bearing on how I host. If you proselytize, please note that in your listing so that people who don’t want to be proselytized to can book elsewhere. I had an extremely conservative Christian guest who tried to convert me to both Christianity and conservatism. I was pissed off.
I think that if you are comfortable hosting LGBT guests you should state that in your listing as many will think that stating that you are Christian means you are judgemental of people who are not heterosexual.
I am perplexed by what a lot of the posters (and much of the general population) purport to be Christian behavior. Not drinking wine: Jesus actually turned water into wine and there are many other biblical references to drinking wine. Judging others: I thought the bible prohibited anyone but God from judgement. Working on the Sabbath: It is prohibited in the Ten Commandments so I would assume that you can’t have turnover, assist the guests, etc. on whatever day you deem the Sabbath (not sarcastic, different branches of Christianity have different Sabbaths).
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Caption: Looks like Jesus has been in Tesco* again
*a British supermarket.
Please enjoy, fellow christians, agnostics, atheists, buddhists, muslims and whoever you may be!
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I think a lot of it stemmed from the prohibition era and not breaking the law. Why I have never tried pot but totally would if it was legal in my state! Some churches never lost the teaching on this, but our pastor and my husband occasionally get together with the music leader to smoke a pipe and drink some beer…they just don’t do this around people who have issue with it or are alcoholic.[quote=“EllenN, post:26, topic:7393”]
Judging others: I thought the bible prohibited anyone but God from judgement.
[/quote]
It goes more to: “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” or then there’s: “You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” It all comes down to kindness, being helpful, etc. Hostility in judgement only brings on hostility and defensiveness. We are to live our lives as a testament and then when others come to faith encourage them to change in a response of faith. My tendency to gluttony or responses in anger are the same as any other sin. So I should encourage others in righteousness, not point out sin to others not in my faith.
[quote=“EllenN, post:26, topic:7393”]
Working on the Sabbath: It is prohibited in the Ten Commandments so I would assume that you can’t have turnover, assist the guests, etc. on whatever day you deem the Sabbath (not sarcastic, different branches of Christianity have different Sabbaths).
[/quote] And this is a good point! Jesus worked on the Sabbath when it was necessary! I think it’s important to rest, and if I had a check-out on a Sunday I would probably block the next day so that I wasn’t rushed, but there is grace in this! Also why I offer late check-out on Sundays.
I just feel overall exhaustion and frustration in Christians holding non-Christians to a standard that is ridiculous. I could go all political on getting the government out of marriage in the first place and let people get all the civil unions they want and let people choose whatever type of ceremony they want to mark their day, but we’re talking about hosting people in our homes and trying to ensure good fits and balancing faith and people in our homes!
In all religions, there is a book of rules and stories, and you get to pick and choose which ones you will ‘follow’. In the US, the disconnect of those that follow bearded prophets who originally espoused love and understanding with the current ‘leaders’ who allow your hate and fear guide you is never stronger. In the US, imagine this: twisting ‘freedom of religion’ into being allowed to discriminate based on your particular ‘beliefs’ such as homophobia or fear of color. It’s not fun and makes so many people scared of religious zealotry.
I do agree, then, that it is good that you mention a religious bent in the listing, as yes it allows people to avoid staying with someone who has a list of people/beliefs/scientific truths they decide to ‘believe in’. It usually does not end well for folks who are happier when being accepting of all, rather than divisive and discriminatory based on their ‘beliefs’.
Unless they are Pastafarians. I prefer them!
J’adore les Pastafarians!
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Leaving the religion question aside for a moment, surely it’s bad for business to have anything in your listing that might alienate people.
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If gluttony is your weakness; I highly recommend that you don’t try marijuana. The munchies are a real thing. You will find yourself eating things you would never have eaten were you not high. In case everyone thinks I’m a pothead; I’m not. I had hippie parents who got me high when I was a child. I quit as an adolescent and never was tempted again. Wine and gin are a much nicer high for me.
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I see it differently. I think that we should attempt to alienate people before they arrive; not after they are here. This is why I state in my listing that I have dogs, don’t have television, don’t have air conditioning, don’t recommend being a tourist in Los Angeles without a car, etc.
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I don’t think that’s alienation, it’s just education and managing expectations. We are in NYC but not convenient to Manhattan and I state that in our listing. Yes they can get there by public transportation but it’s a bus and subway. A car is easier but parking in Manhattan is VERY expensive except on Sunday.
Why would Christians hold non-Christians to any standard? This is a sincere question. I don’t understand why someone of a certain faith would believe that someone who does not practice the same faith should be held to the standards of that faith.
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…and this is the cause of all the evil in the world, the terrorism, the nationalism, and the fear and hatred that drives people to ‘kill for peace’ (as John Lennon put it)…
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Common sense, right? Not so much. Hence the whole gay marriage thing. While I personally don’t believe in gay marriage, why should I hold someone who believes differently to my standard?
So let those who don’t agree bake cakes for whoever, and let those who do agree market to whatever type of ceremony they agree with. Market to whoever, and the marketplace will balance and those who deny all services for a demographic will get blasted out of business. If someone wants to alienate certain clientele by advertising their faith to make those staying and hosting “more comfortable” that’s up to them and they will probably not be as fully booked as those who don’t. Those who offer the best service at the best value without hindering certain demographics with their specifics will be booked the most.
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There are many stories about Jesus violating some religious or societal standard (e.g. Samaritan woman or the woman anointing his feet with oil, in the temple, healing on the Sabbath) and then him reprimanding the naysayers (oftentimes his disciples). If Christians would spend more time acting Christ-like and less time talking about how they are Christians we’d all be better off.
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Yes, but that’s not different from saying it should be OK for businesses to not serve Black patrons because there will be businesses that do serve Black patrons and let the marketplace regulate.
As a society, we can determine what are completely unacceptable business practices.
Housing developers used to sell homes by advertising that their development was 100% restricted, meaning that no one was allowed to sell their home to a non-white person. The marketplace doesn’t regulate discrimination, it can actually compound it by making it profitable.
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Sorry, I should have said “bake cakes for WHATEVER”. I don’t think you should deny service to individuals, but you should be able to market or turn down service for specific events. I wouldn’t walk into a Muslim or Jewish shop and ask them to make me a pork sandwich, but I would expect them to serve me whatever they have on the menu. I do agree that if you sell wedding cakes or do wedding photos it’s a slippery slope to turn down a wedding, but I think in many cases these places are targeted. If you really don’t want to do a wedding cake for a gay wedding there are other ways to sell baked goods without turning down a type of event for a specific group, or a photographer can do graduation photos if they don’t want to participate in certain weddings… There’s just so many options out there I hate to see small businesses shut down because they decided to turn an event down when there are so many other options out there who would love to take care of that event.
