posted
I'm giving an example speech tomorrow -- today, actually -- for a speech club at my school. The question posed is: "What does the popularity of Christian merchandise suggest about the theological state of our nation?"
I started with two premises:
1) The majority of this nation claims to be devoutly Christian. 2) This nation and its populus do not act, generally, in a Christ-like manner.
I was going to move on to explain the question, but I realized I didn't know the answer.
Why would people who weren't Christian pretend to be Christian? Why purchase Christian merchandise if you are not really a Christian? Why the farce?
As I thought it through, I developed a loose outline of a potential reason. Here it is:
The people need to appear to be Christian. They not only need to appear as a Christian to others, but also to themselves. Why this is, I haven't figured out. But this is integral to the reason for the merchandising.
As much as they consciously pray and tell themselves they are Christian, as much as they tell their neighbors and go to watch and read the Bible, there is an inviolate subconscious honesty -- an honest core, if you will -- that they cannot decieve. It won't allow it. And every time they try to fake it, this honest core screams out against them; it throws the contradiction between what they say and what they do, the simple reality of their lives, in their faces.
So what do they do about this core, this problem?
They cover it. They go out and buy. They carry the Bible around with them, maybe even making notes here and there. They discuss sin and hell and repentance with their co-workers, and their co-workers nod and smile, because they're covering, too.
Then, when that core screams out deep down inside, they can say, "Look at all my Bibles! Look at my bumper stickers, my paintings, my church attendance, my conversions! Of course I'm a Christian! Leave me alone!"
It doesn't work though, because that core simply will not shut up. It's what drives tyrants, so sure of themselves, to internal insanity. It will not leave man alone.
So, what's left for them? They can't talk about. God knows that can't discuss it with their friends and family, even though they know that they're all feeling the same thing. To do that, they would have to admit to each other that the problem exists.
They can't do that. As long as they don't admit it, don't talk about it, and above all else, don't give it a name, they can pretend it's not real.
Because if they admit it's real, they have to face reality and deal with it.
And people cannot bear the reality that their life is a lie.
It still bothers me. It still baffles me as to why people can't face the problem and fix it, going one way or the other. How can someone live like that? Why should they want to adopt a farce for themselves, regardless of everyone else? Why? For what?
Maybe I'm wrong. I hope so.
Posts: 515 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
You are making a presumption that the large majority of people who purchase Christian items (I am assuming you mean biblically-themed bookmarks and bumper stickers and that sort of things, not Christian services like Christian dry-cleaners or used car lots) do so in order to "look" like Christians, but don't have Christian beliefs.
*deep breath--that was a long sentence*
Is that what you are assuming? Because I'm not entirely sure I agree, and if I don't agree with your assumption, then I cannot in good conscience answer your question "Why purchase Christian merchandise if you are not really a Christian?" What is "really a Christian"? Following the bible to the letter? That leaves everyone out, because that is impossible.
If I agree that *some* people pretend to be Christian (and are aware of their 'fakery'), then I can say that it's probably for business reasons.
You have given me some stuff to think about, and I thank you.
Anecdotally: I once attended a certain church (as a teenager) because it was known as a good place to meet cute guys. Hey, what do you want from me? I was a teenager!
Posts: 1545 | Registered: May 2002
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posted
I am saying that people do it subconsciously, without being consciously aware of the fakery.
If you are even attempting to be a Christian, if you are giving it even the vaguest effort, why do you need a bumper sticker to show it? Why a pencil with a fish logo on it? Why a t-shirt with a big verse on the back?
Sure, you could make a case for witnessing on the last one, but trust me -- if you aren't living what the verse on your back says, you're only turning people away at a stunning rate.
Posts: 515 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I can understand purchasing from a Christian organization -- you want to deal with someone you believe to hold similar moral values and ethics as you. But wouldn't that show through in their business without them having to ever advertise or even physically demonstrate it?
It seems to me that the people yelling "I'm innnocent!" at the top of their lungs are often the most guilty; the innocent know that the facts will show their innocence -- they don't need to announce it.
Posts: 515 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Hey, What about about the popularity of Christian music and books? They wouldn't be bought for show, would they?
As for the more symbolic purchases like Tshirts and fish, I always thought a lot of it was to get a sense of belonging to something. A sense of community.
Then also think about this: Why do a lot of Catholics or Christians wear crosses? Is it just to be marked, or are there other reasons for doing so?
Posts: 1014 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
I also see a lot of people do the binge-religion thing. Binge on one church, then fall into "sin" for awhile, then passionately binge on another church, with lots of visual demonstrations/declarations of the new religous fervor, then fall back into "sin" again. Everything to extreme. Why do people do that?
posted
I think for some people it may be a means of evangelism. A conversation starter, perhaps. Or just their way of making people aware of Christian tenets (not that I've seen much merchandise that actually conveys anything close to a complete message).
Some people do this for the same reason that people have rainbow bumper stickers, say. Many Christians feel that they are part of a marginalized, small minority. It is their way of letting the world know they exist, and ought to be taken seriously.
Finally, it is a means for Christians to identify each other. I wear geek T-shirts, partially because I find them funny, and partially to identify myself with a group. It lets other geeks know I am a geek.
Also, consider how certain Christian groups feel about mainstream culture. Why are there Christian versions of secular merchandise?
posted
Hey, I'm not agreeing! But I do run into that attitude pretty frequently.
I once heard a sermon where the preacher claimed that having a family member who is not a Christian "might be a form of persecution."
Posts: 3546 | Registered: Jul 2002
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quote:Shigosei said " Many Christians feel that they are part of a marginalized, small minority."
And many Christians feel that they are persecuted because the laws of the land don't force everyone else to live as they profess to live. Go figure.
But back to the original question, I think HRE is making a hugely judgemental and unfair assumption by implying that the majority in this country are hypocrites.
quote:Why would people who weren't Christian pretend to be Christian? Why purchase Christian merchandise if you are not really a Christian? Why the farce?
Does being Christian mean that you are perfect? Do "real" Christians never fall short of your definition of Christian? I think you are being very holier than thou when you make a statement like the above. Just because someone falls short of perfection does not discount the sincerity of their beliefs.
I could be reading you wrong, but it sounds like your premise is "If you buy a 'Christian' product, you are most likely lying because 'real Christians' wound't buy such things." That's full of un-warrented assumptions.
Posts: 6394 | Registered: Dec 1999
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quote:Does being Christian mean that you are perfect? Do "real" Christians never fall short of your definition of Christian? I think you are being very holier than thou when you make a statement like the above. Just because someone falls short of perfection does not discount the sincerity of their beliefs.
No, I understand that the perfect Christ ideal is unreachable. I'm discussing, though, those whose lifestyle runs completely opposite a Christ-like lifestyle. They aren't even trying. Maybe they've achieved some sort of purposefull intellectual dissonance so that they can go on doing what they do without ever noticing the discrepancy...I don't know.
Posts: 515 | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
I think many people use external symbols (Christian merchandise) as a way of REINFORCING their faith, not hiding their lack thereof.
I have a tattoo that serves no purpose other than to remind me of a promise I made to myself - to be faithful to the woman I was with (I once cheated on my significant other, and it was easily the worst thing I've ever done to another person, and I intend to never do it again). The tattoo isn't there because I'm trying to pretend to believe in fidelity: it's there to remind me that I know what fidelity means, and the price of disregarding it.
I'm not a Christian, nor have I ever been, but I imagine that many people who purchase Christian merchandise use it in a similar fashion: as a daily reminder of some aspect of their faith. A bookmark with the "Footsteps" ditty might strike you as overplayed, but I can easily see it reminding one of the faithful that God is with them, every step of the way, whether they can feel His presence in their life at that particular moment or not.
It could all just be a completely different perception.
Posts: 4313 | Registered: Sep 2004
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quote: If you are even attempting to be a Christian, if you are giving it even the vaguest effort, why do you need a bumper sticker to show it? Why a pencil with a fish logo on it? Why a t-shirt with a big verse on the back?
I'm a big Pat Metheny fan. I wonder why I wear a T-shirt that I got at his concert.
I suppose I should also take down my Red Dwarf poster, since I'm so into the show that there's no reason I should be trying to prove anything.
My wife's a fan of Angel. So could someone please explain to me why she feels the need to have a David Boreanaz wallpaper on her computer?
Why would a democrat put a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker on their car unless they're not really democrats and are just trying to cover it up?
I think KarlEd has a point. I'm not much into the Christian merchandise myself. But if I were, I might feel offended if I heard a speach detailing how my purchase of Christian merchandise is itself a symbol of my hypocrisy. If you have evidence and statistics to back it up, it's one thing. But coming in with an assumption that Americans don't act Christlike in general (an unproven, irrelevant and enormously judgmental assertion in itself) and using that to extrapolate an idea that anyone who tries to involve themselves in Christian culture (to the extent that, say, a fan of Star Trek or Tupac might try to involve himself in his culture) is automatic proof of hypocrisy, might come across as condescending and ignorant.
If you're trying to make a point about one person specifically, you may at least have grounds for an argument. But if, as it appeared in your first post, you're trying to make a statement about American Christians in general based solely upon how much Christian merchandise is sold in this country, I hope you have significantly more to back it up than you've laid out here.
quote: 1) The majority of this nation claims to be devoutly Christian. 2) This nation and its populus do not act, generally, in a Christ-like manner.
I think your first assumption is wrong. There's a difference between claiming to be a Christian and claiming to be a "devout" Christian.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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quote: It still bothers me. It still baffles me as to why people can't face the problem and fix it, going one way or the other. How can someone live like that? Why should they want to adopt a farce for themselves, regardless of everyone else? Why? For what?
Just about any responsible citizen, whether he or she is Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Satanist or even Atheist, believes in some kind of ideal way of living that they can't possibly live up to. No one is perfect in any philosophy, Christian or otherwise. And there's no need for someone to achieve a "purposefull [sic] intellectual dissonance" in order to keep their ideals while attempting, sometimes unsuccessfully, to practice them.
When a Christian does something un-Christlike, why does that have to mean that some hidden heathen core personality is fighting their hypocritical Christian mask? Why can't it be that going to church and buying the fishie for the car is evidence of the fundamental Christian core fighting the hypocritical secular mask? And if it's true that we are all natural savages at heart, what's wrong with using religion as an attempt to fight it? If we find ourselves with non-Christian tendancies, are you proposing that we should just give in to our core selves? Or can you see anything noble at all about using religion as a means of overcoming those tendancies and becoming, perhaps gradually and very slowly, better than we could otherwise be?
Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
HRE, the whole question "What does the popularity of Christian merchandise suggest about the theological state of our nation?" is flawed. It's an attempt to analyze from the aggregate.
You have no way of knowing if the people buying the merchandise are living as Christians. Something can be "popular" if 1 percent of the country buys it once a year - that would be 2.8 million sales a year.
I know more Christian merchandise than that is sold, but there are repeat buyers I'm sure.
Without some kind of study about who buys the merchandise and how they live, you're just guessing about the people you malign in your speech.
quote:And many Christians feel that they are persecuted because the laws of the land don't force everyone else to live as they profess to live. Go figure.
And some Christians see an overtly hostile popular media, fairly constant mocking, and repeated attempts to shut Christians out of the increasingly government-subsidized public square.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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quote: Without some kind of study about who buys the merchandise and how they live, you're just guessing...
This is actually not HRE's fault as much as it is the fault of the topic itself; unless he came up with it, he's a helpless victim. Because the topic is "what does the popularity of Christian merchandise say about this country" -- and unless HRE or anyone speaking on that topic can find some relevant studies, they're all going to be making up conclusions.
Consider this one: "What does the popularity of maple syrup among middle-aged women say about their pets?"
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
Ah. But lacking any hard data, you're forced to make that assumption based on purely hypothetical quantities of maple syrup and pets. What if it turns out middle-aged women are most likely to own fish?Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
Ooh, good point. I didn't notice the part in the first post about it being an assigned topic. I didn't mean to sound snarky in any case, but if I did, please forward the enclosed snark to your boneheaded teacher. Nothing worse than a bogus topic for such an assignment.
Good luck on the speech, by the way. Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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quote:the topic is "what does the popularity of Christian merchandise say about this country"
That people in the United States buy lots of stuff that is connected with Christianity. That's about it.
Lots of Harry Potter books got sold for the sole purpose of being burned. They also happen to be really good stories that are very popular for reading as well.
Unless you can get a good demographic offering why someone bought their Jesus fish, it's totally guesswork.
Posts: 5948 | Registered: Jun 2001
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posted
I really believe that many people say they are Christian because they go to church on major holidays. Most of America, "Christian" and "non-Christian" alike doesn't understand what true Christianity is.
"Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car."
I think it's a question of what defines Christianity. I could get into my own beliefs on this here, but I won't in hopes of not offending anyone.
Posts: 1591 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
If we want to know why people buy Christian merchandise, and what they believe, the only method with a prayer of reliability is to ask them.
But if we're just speculating ...
I have a T-shirt advertising a radio station I never listen to. Buying a piece of merchandise is no big commitment. Maybe they just like the key chains.
Madonna used to wear big crosses as earrings, not to profess faith, but as a fashion statement.
Gifts: few girls, for example, will be offended by a cross pendant, even if they don't care much.
Maybe it's not that lots of people buy some merchandise, but a few people buy a whole lot.
There are lots of possible explanations. Those most odious ones are not necessarily the right ones, of course.
Posts: 1877 | Registered: Apr 2005
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