Re: Pagan Bumperstinkers Jehana Sat Mar 4 19:13:58 2000 Beirdd, agreed. *p*I've never really been a bumper sticker person (I advertized a neat, diverse, low-end-of-the-dial radio station on my last car, but have never gotten around to putting anything on my current one.) I have, however, picked up two bumper stickers that I occasionally toy with using, but never have, and probably won't: *p**The Earth is Our Mother, Take care of Her. *br**God is Too Big to Fit into One Religion. *p*The first two Pagan stickers you mention I'd never remotely consider owning, much less using, for just the reasons you mention. Maybe someday, when I find just the *right* bumpersticker -- or maybe I'll just settle for advertizing that radio station again...*p*-- Jehana. *p**p*Beirdd wrote,*br*: I don't know what was going on, but I spotted a flurry of *br*: Pagan and Christian bumper stickers today on the way home. *br*: Comparing them led me to wonder again at the motivations and *br*: intelligence of some Pagans who painfully desire, *br*: justifiably so, to have their beliefs tolerated, at the *br*: least.*br*:*br*: The Christian bumper stickers said:*br*: "God is amazing."*br*: "Jesus is the Light of the World"*br*: "Searching for Him? Let Him find YOU!"*br*:*br*: All in all, three simple exhortations or statements of *br*: belief that, I think, anyone would have trouble taking any *br*: offense at, apart from their differences in faith.*br*:*br*: The Pagan bumperstickers said:*br*: "Goddess is coming back and man is she pissed!"*br*: "My God is horny and I'm glad!"*br*: "Earth, Air, Fire, Water - (Earth symbol) - She holds *br*: us all together."*br*:*br*: Okay...let's get past the chuckling;-)*br*: I like the last one...innocent, yet direct...gets the point *br*: across in what I believe is an inoffensive way. However, the *br*: other two seem to me to go out of their way to shock. I know *br*: the first is a Pagan version of a Christian bumper sticker, *br*: which stinks in that form, too, and easily wins the scorn of *br*: Pagans. The second is really begging for trouble by *br*: purposely calling up images of lust and the Devil. *br*:*br*: Now, why on Earth would it be necessary to *br*: "promote" Paganism by stirring up ill will? I *br*: think that Pagans should live their lives in faith, practice *br*: what they preach, promote community, serve humanity, and not *br*: be afraid to share their belief when the topic comes up -- *br*: following that age-old advice of avoiding, in mixed company, *br*: the subjects of politics, religion, and Rosie O'Donnell. To *br*: make public jokes that seek to offend simply reinforces the *br*: stereotype, and exhibits what, I believe, is a lack of *br*: social and spiritual maturity, and a willingness to treat *br*: all religion, including one's own, as frivolous.*br*:*br*: Those who disagree may take the advice of that other great *br*: maxim of the bumper: "Call 1-800- EAT-...." -- *br*: nah...just kidding ;-)*br*:*br*: --Beirdd*br* Pagan Bumperstinkers Beirdd 506 Fri Mar 3 19:15:12 2000