A man once asked if I was a Christian as a pretext for begging some money for me. That was pretty low.

I am an American. What I meant was that my ancestric nationalities are Russian, Ukranian, Czech and Irish, but that I feel no ethnic connection to them, because ethnically I identify with being an Ashkenazic Jew.

I agree with you that the Askenazi are very different culturally than other Jews. I probably have much less in common with Sephardim.

"Are you Christian?"
"No."
"Well, what are you?"
"I'm rather eclectic."
"Huh?"
"I feel whatever you believe will happen when you die is what will happen for you."
"Oh."

True conversation from about a year ago. In the context that I'm a hospice social worker. We talk about death more often than not in the religious context.
I usually just say I'm "eclectic".
There are little things from a number of world religions that I find would be nice to believe in.
If they push me further, as our Chaplain does frequently, I can push back in a way that keeps me from getting fired, but protects my capability to have my own thoughts. It works for me.

The amazing thing about TFP is how I find myself in complete agreement with some posters in some threads and complete disagreement in others.

Jorgelito has had some very good posts, in my opinion, in this thread. Willravel has not, in my opinion.

Willravel, first you write about your complete ease at taking a personal belief of christianity apart by asking simple questions, then you equate true christianity to Fred Phelps. What the hell are you smoking? It's great that you can debate the religion with your dad. I'm sorry the rest of us don't measure up to your high standard of learning. Your knowledge of the word shibboleth astounds me. I didn't know what that word meant until I was oh, 17 or so. 20 years ago. My shibboleth is intelligentsia.

Most of what I know about christianity came from studying with old testament scholars, interpreting what was meant by most of the law. Do you know the law? Tell me about it, Mr. Smartybuckets.

Born and raised one (Goes with living in Ireland) but I can't say I am a very good one.
I guess you could say me and Faith have some issues.

i'm jedi....

This is actually a very considerate thing to do.

You see, this is a context in which the question is valid. You're working amongst people, who are ostensibly not just "strangers on the street," and as most hospice patients are looking down the barrel of mortality, there's validity in their seeking help in their own quest for faith of some sort, so knowing the faith/lack thereof of a social worker in a hospice seems germane. I'd love to have long conversations about the snippets of "the other side" that I've seen here in my time on earth with folks in their shoes. Joe Witness on the street corner, not so much. My time here on Earth is just too short. A blinking of the cosmological eye. too much else to do.

(like surf the web. heh)

I was asked once by a co-worker out of the blue if I was a christian, my answer was that I was a "post-modern existentialist". It pissed her off, because I wouldn't explain it and she had to look it up. Which of course made me happy :D

Mostly my answer to those types of queries is that I am "non-religious". I define that further by saying that religion plays absolutely no part of my daily existence. I'm neither pro-religion of any sort, nor anti-religious. I just don't care.

But.... you're God of Thunder.

It rarely comes up with my patients, actually. I work with kids.
It's my ignorant coworkers that prompt the discussions and get rather pushy about it.

I can't say anyone has randomly asked me about my religion. I would be rather shocked and caught off guard, not sure how I would reply.

Now I previously had a coworker who would tackle me constantly about religion, often speaking of Christ and religion at work. I always found those types of conversations just as inappropriate as sexual subjects in the workplace. She wouldn't let it go until I turned the tables on her. She was quite the hypocrite, and would often do things such as taking things from other peoples desks, throwing a fit because she had to wait her turn on using a piece of equipment, speaking behind people's backs, judging people critically. I would respond with, "That isn't a very christian thing to do." Needless to say, she dropped her speaking from the pulpit to me.

I'm from Utah. I get asked if I'm Mormon all the time. Seriously, at least once a day. I simply say no. Done.

My response would be the same if Mormon was replaced with any religion other than agnosticism. I won't even allow the conversation to continue after I say no unless I'm actually interested in letting this person in on who I am.

"No."

Ahhhh, the enigma that is me :hmm:

You've really got to watch out for those cow orkers. Dangerous folk.

being Jewish makes it easy for me to answer that question "no."

Well, I picked "Christian" in the thread title because I figured it was the question that most people had been asked at some point (in North America)--but as I said in the OP, the original question to my husband was, "Are you Muslim?"--because he "looked" like one, I guess.

So when you get asked, "Are you Jewish?" are you surprised? Or is it pretty normal?

Ktsp and I just returned from another trip to the gym with our married friends (who are ethnically Pakistani, and ethno-religiously Muslim--but born and raised in Norway and NYC, respectively)--and it turns out that the same guy had asked them the same questions recently, and that he works at the gym and cleans there. I don't know if he just singles out all of us brown people to ask this question, or what... but we were all chuckling a bit about it. (Our friends are semi-practicing Muslims, but still not terribly serious about their religion--they don't eat pork, but we get drunk together regularly. :thumbsup: ) So now we know to watch out for this guy, I guess. My Pakistani-Norwegian friend says that it happens in Norway all the time, even though he grew up there and considers himself to be Norwegian--he gets asked "Where are you from?" all over the place, sometimes followed by the "Are you Muslim?" bit. I guess he's more used to it than us, coming from the US and Lebanon.

Hmm..maybe that guy finds comfort in shared similarities. So for this guy, he has nothing else to go on but "looks" so he takes guesses and stabs in the dark to find/meet people he can identify with. Ask him where he's from the next time you guys see him, especially since you are watching out for him which is a lovely thing to do. Ask him if he's Muslim and if he attends a local mosque (if there's one nearby) or maybe even recommend one to him.

It's like when I run into Americans abroad and they're like, "Oh my God, you speak English!" and the look on their faces is priceless. The relief of meeting another person from home in a strange land is comforting for some.

It is not uncommon for people to ask "Where are you from?", especially in homogeneous societies. So a Pakistani guy will stick out like a sore thumb in Morway I would imagine. I get that ALL THE TIME *chuckle*, even here in the US. Usually followed by "Wow, you speak good English". However, I am a very patient and understanding person so I try to use it as an opportunity to educate people regardless of how annoying it can be. The Middle East was very interesting because they refused to believe I was American even when I showed them my passport. It was very frustrating but I held my temper and tried my best to educate these poor people.

I usually can tell if someone is looking for someone to "identify" with, and I don't mind that. I did not get that feeling from this guy, especially when he reacted strongly to ktsp for saying he was "sort of" a Muslim. It was almost a question of, "Are you Muslim?--prove it by saying the Muslim greeting to me" and since ktsp didn't say it, the guy didn't hesitate to make ktsp feel uncomfortable about it within 2 seconds of meeting him.
-----Added 21/8/2008 at 06 : 54 : 38-----
Now, I can understand this as well--and this might have been the guy's approach to the whole thing. But it just felt so aggressive... less about caring, more about judging... nothing about the encounter felt very open or kind.

It also occurred to me that the guy was asking ktsp, not me, this question--and I was standing closer to the guy, and he did not even acknowledge me standing there, who I was, how I was connected to ktsp, or whether I was a Muslim. Again, most likely a cultural thing, but as an American woman living in Iceland--I was thinking, "HEY man, I'm right here, and I'll answer your question too... and you probably won't like the answer!"

Oh, ok, I see what you are saying now. Yes, that's a bit different.

There's a few things going on over there too I would imagine. Him "ignoring" you may be because 1.) you are a woman, and 2.) you don't look "Muslim" to him. Both are awful answers I know. This happens a lot. It's like when people ignore you because you don't fit their preconceived notion of the group. It's one of the pitfalls of diversity estrangement.

Oh, I know--and those two things occurred to me almost immediately, as well (especially after traveling in Lebanon--though really, I've been mistaken for Lebanese now and then, just upon first glance).

I understand it from a cultural perspective, but from a personal one, I always find myself wanting to get right back in people's faces about it and show them what a mistake it was for them to make those kinds of assumptions about me. (Of course, that's usually just my gut reaction and I don't act on it.) I'm an assertive person, but I don't take well at all to aggressive people. Who does, really?

If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked this question, I'd have a hell of a lot of dollars.

I don't recall ever being asked if I'm a Christian, though. Just Mormon. I no longer try to explain my beliefs because it's nobody's business (and seriously, people here tend too be to ignorant to understand any belief system but their own)

Yeah, I've seriously been physically attacked over my non-Mormon beliefs in the past. That's why I just say no.

I tell them I'm a godless heathen.

I always answer "yes," in the kindest way I can, because I believe in being polite to the blind.

I think there's a bit of adversity to the notion people may be asked about religion. If some street corner evangelist asks, there's a certian reply. If you're in an airport in Freedonia and it's a matter of government record keeping, that may elicit a different response.

She's more of an asshole than a Christian.

I'm more Jewish than Christian, more Buddhist than Jewish, but if I had to give a straight answer, I would just say I'm a humanist.

I think the best I could answer is "I'm trying to be."

I would immediately shoot them a question in return, "Why do you wish to know?"

Depending on their answer and demeanor, my response afterwards will vary:

- I don't feel like discussing it.
- It's a sensitive subject.
- No.
- I'm not religious.
- I don't believe in gods.
- No, I'm agnostic.
- In that case, it's none of your business.

Most likely, a simply "No" will suffice, and if they probe, "I don't care to discuss it any further." I'm not one to argue with strangers over metaphysical ideas, primarily due to the futility of it and some unfortunate situations in the past.

As a teenager around the age of 13, I was spending the day with my grandfather and we went to a nursing home to visit with one of his friends from the Korean War. While they were talking privately, this middle-aged man in a wheelchair rolled on up to me in the hallway and started rambling about his time in the Coast Guard, followed by rants on the poor care he received at this particular nursing home. He was being a real bastard, shouting rudely at one of the nurses to bring him some water.

Abruptly, he asked if I was a Christian. I told him that I'm an agnostic atheist. His face turned beet red and he started flinging obscenities, repeatedly telling me that I was going to hell, at which point I walked away, past a room full of seniors with their jaws dropped, out the front door, and back to the car.

It's an easy question for me. I don't believe in the divinity of Christ (regardless of my uncertainty on the historical aspect) and therefore am not Christian. I do, however, believe in the message of forgiveness and treating others as I would want to be treated on the level of Kant's categorical imperative rather than on a spiritual level; I follow the doctrine of being the change I want to see in the world.

Depending on how comfortable I felt with the questioner, I'd either decline to answer, as my religion is "deeply personal, or" tell them "none of your business."

When the pastor of the Presbyterian church QW attended insisted on quoting the Epistles of Paul to me, I asked him why he set such store in the words of the man who denounced Peter as "that hypocrite in Rome" when, after all, Jesus personally anointed Peter to lead the faithful. He got off his horse, and went home to reread the scripture. He never bothered me again.

I'm quite comfortable with my independent Christianity.

Apatheism

Apathy + Theism = "I don't care about religion"

Edit: Cuz I don't speel guud.

Yeah, it kind of annoys me when strangers ask me this. It's happened a few times in NYC, and I think they just want to judge me. I usually just tell them that I don't believe in anything.

My response to a stranger would be, "That's a very personal question," followed by a intense stare.

On a good day I'm an agnostic, on a bad day I'm an atheist. Most Christian principles are fine by me, it's the idea of a supreme spiritual being that I don't follow.

Ten Years ago I would have answered 'Baptist' because I didn't identify with all 'Christian' religions.

Now, I have been asked that question in the last 6 months and my prompt response was "Agnostic". I'm content with that and still exploring the different philosophies out there.

This is one that could get me in deep shit where i live {the bible belt) but I DO NOT believe in god...there, I said it, let the cards fall where they may......how can anyone buy into the concept of an invisible being that lives somewhere in the heavens and has the ability to know everything that every one of us does on a daily basis, created the entire existence that we know today in a week and has all of our dead relatives that weren't SINNERS (quote, unquote) hanging around waiting to meet us when we check out....a little logic and reason puts an end to that farce almost immediately...remember, the bible was written by people that may or may not have known this supposed deity personally and it has been amended , edited and updated many times since it's inception....it was written in a time when most people were uneducated and needed some kind of control to keep them from becoming rampant maniacs....some intelligent people got together and said"Hey, here's a way to control the uneducated hordes" and thus was the birth of the bible...fear and mind control are strong weapons when used against the weak mind.....

I get asked this question a lot. I'm living in Korea now and there are dozens of sketchy Christian groups here. I'm sitting on the bus, subway, naked in the sauna and I get asked...

A: Are you American?
Me: No, I 'm Canadian.
A: Are you Christian?
Me: I'm Catholic. I'm the godfather of all you little Christian groups.
Conversation suddenly is finished and I look up and silently say "Thank God".

If I'm not feeling confrontational, I'll give a nonconfrontational "I was raised as a Catholic" response. If necessary, I'll explain that Catholics believe in the divinity of Christ and therefore are Christian. I'll debate it to the end of the earth and avoid the issue of my personal non-theism.

Why are we so squeamish about religion in this country? So strange.

If you're atheist you're atheist.
If you're agnostic you're agnostic.
If you're Muslim you're Muslim.
If you're Jewish you're Jewish.
If you're Christian you're Christian.
Etc, etc.

What's the big deal? What's wrong with discussion?

For such a liberal country, we sure come off as close minded and intolerant.