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September 30, 2007

Comments

Quite amusing. Photographing religious signage is a pastime that will keep a person busy in the States, for sure. I have to laugh at his assertion, however (I sincerely hope Fentress didn't really say this):

"The religious roadside signage is particularly American... given the First Amendment's guarantees of freedom of speech and religion and the country's religious diversity."

Where's the religious diversity in the States and the sense of freedom to display religious sayings? It's only Christian sayings that I see freely flaunted from barn roofs and beauty parlor marquis. Indeed, in every example shown from Fentress's work, we see only Christian messages. I have to wonder how free an American would feel to put up a big sign that says something more along the lines of "There is no deity but Allah," or even the following wiccan prayer:

"Gracious Goddess,
You who are the Queen of the Gods,
the lamp of the night,
the creator of all that is wild and free;
Mother of woman and man;
lover of the Horned God and protectress of all the Wicca:
Descend, I pray,
with Your Lunar ray of power
and bless your Child this night (morning/day)."
(from A Wiccan Rosary )

—let alone painting a large green crescent or swastika on the side of their barn.

Usha, my thoughts exactly. It is all quite cute and funny as long as it is Christian. Diversity is far from making it to the public square although Jewish groups have had some success, but not quite making it to the billboards yet. My husband did see a bumper sticker on a car before him last week which read, "Choose to be Chosen. Choose Judaism."

I took a good friend of mine (a devout Baptist) to a Buddhist temple last month. We didn't enter the temple but I wanted to see the statue outside which some call one of Houston's 7 Wonders. She didn't say anything but her face was turning a bilious green when I decided to drive away.

But as for the rest, this and this are what we are more likely to encounter amidst the current public discourse.

I have bookmarked this page.

I was spellbound - wow, Thank you for the chance to walk on The Road With Jesus

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