<p>Jumping on the bandwagon- you need to chill. The customer probably did it as an afterthought- a habit, perhaps. But it bothered you so much that you needed to put it on a college forum. </p>
<p>I am not Christian. I am Wiccan and I have people say “God bless” all the time to me. I don’t really believe in God, especially not the God that they are referring to, but I just smile and say “Blessed be.” They don’t mean anything by it- they just are giving you a simple greeting. So chill out :).</p>
<p>And personally, I would rather people assume I’m Christian because once people find out what religion I actually am, they think I worship the devil (they don’t understand that we don’t even believe in the devil lol).</p>
<p>There are lot of people who tell me that I am stupid that I believe that a God exists. Does it bother me? No, because I’m secure enough in my beliefs and believe that what I believe is right. If you believe that there isn’t a God, it shouldn’t bother you when people tell you that Jesus loves you. In fact (I’m just imagining because I’m a Christian), you can probably get a good laugh out of the fact that the person is deluding themselves by thinking that Jesus is God.</p>
<p>I don’t think the customer was assuming you’re a Christian. In fact I may argue that the customer was assuming that you aren’t a Christian. A lot of Christianity is based around “Evangelism” and people think that handing out booklets/Bibles or saying catchphrases like “Jesus loves you” is a way to do this.</p>
<p>You are correct. I retract my statement – I should not have spoken on her behalf. Rather, if it was not an instance of habit, I believe that she probably was not concerned that you may be offended at the statement.</p>
<p>WOW. One person trying to be nice to another person! Would you have been just as upset if she said Buddha loves you? Or Obama loves you? Man! Let’s try to remember it’s not always about us!</p>
<p>Think of the most kindhearted person you know-- that one guy (or girl) that everyone just wants to always be around, because their passion for life is so infectious, that you feel better instantly by just being in his/her presence. Wouldn’t you want to introduce people to that person so they, too, can have a little brighter day than usual? That’s what that lady was trying to do: introduce you to a Friend who lets you be as selfish as you please around them, and still loves you more every day. </p>
<p>Just accept the compliment and stop trying to find reasons to be offended.</p>
<p>I know I would be insulted if someone wished me well in a way that means something to them instead of some other arbitrarily defined way that suited me.</p>
<p>It’s the principle. Having spent the past three years of high school in various Muslim countries, I get irked when people tell me Assalamualaikum (Peace be upon you) or when people here in the states say stuff like that. Not because, what they’re saying is intentionally offensive, but because we (atheists/agnostics/nonbelievers) can’t go around saying “May you decompose naturally once you are dead” or “just know that one day you will be one with the earth.” I assume many people would be very offended were they told that. But when someone says: a man who lived over 20 centuries ago and presently resides in a utopia named heaven with the other version of himself loves you…"
We’re supposed to nod and say thank you?
Small things like this are proof that we still don’t have the same rights as people who belong to organized religion. And that bothers me- as it should.</p>
<p>Honestly, I never thought of it in the way Jannock said…very interesting</p>
<p>As for me, I just say “thanks” with a warm smile. Enough direction to show that I’m not part of any specific religion; but I appreciate the thought anyways. Though when I told my high school friends I don’t go to church they stopped talking to me… :(</p>
<p>Just let them be. Some people can’t help, but say and believe such things since they were brainwashed as a child. It is like how my 6 year old cousin told me something similar and I said some things about it. She then asked me about my religion. I told her I did not have a religion. She immediately said I would go to Hell. I said I did not believe in Heaven or Hell. She said I was being a heretic.</p>
<p>What the heck? One of those is a means of wishing someone well, the other is talking about someone’s death. Death is taboo in society because most people are intrinsically afraid of it. “decompose naturally?” As opposed to ascending to heaven in blinding light? What are you talking about?</p>
<p>EDIT: I think even an atheist would think you were crazy if you went around wishing people to naturally decompose when they die, despite them showing no signs of terminal illness. Most sane people would be creeped out by that.</p>
<p>I’m not talking about political rights here, but at least in the US, it isn’t polite for atheists to talk about their beliefs in public. an openly atheist politician would have zero chance of getting elected.</p>
<p>why atheists would be passionate enough to talk about their beliefs in public is beyond me though . . . it really isn’t a big deal to play your beliefs off as those of a lapsed christian in polite conversation.</p>
<p>it is the result of an electorate that is religious, but also i don’t think that it is unfair to discriminate against people for holding different ideologies than you. </p>
<p>a good amount of political decisions are moral decisions. a politician’s morality will affect his political decisions, even if he isn’t religious. it makes sense to pick leaders that share your ideology.</p>
(they don’t understand that we don’t even believe in the devil lol).</p>