The funny things you think when commuting

[muck_a_luck]

So. You know that sticker, usually seen on the back windows of pick up trucks, of the mischevious little boy peeing? You can't see his penis, but there's a perfect arch of pee that splashes off to the side. Yeah. That's the one. I always found it crude and annoying. What kind of person would want to put that on their vehicle. But I find lots of the things people put on their cars annoying. And other things funny. I saw a bumper sticker in Russian a while a go that said, roughly translated, "Well, I don't like your car either!" Which I found hysterical. Cause you know, insulting my car, but in Russian. Whatever. And I DESPISE those new ribbon bumperstickers, for every cause under the sun. The ribbons were annoying enough as little ribbons. As bumperstickers, they are just retarded. But I think it would be really cool to have the firey writing from the One Ring on the rear window of my car. Except that I drive a Crown Vic, which would look really dumb.

But anyway, back to my original weird commuting thought.

The Christians have adopted the little peeing boy. No kidding. They took him, and put him in front of a cross. Kneeling before it and in its shadow.

Now, I'm thinking, what's the point of that? I guess they coopted the obnoxious sticker and made it holy? They saved the soul of the snotty little brat? The snotty little brat is worshipping now, but will soon be back performing his same pissing deeds, but at least you can feel better about it because he's saved? What?

I dunno. I consider myself a Christian. But I have never been part of organized religion. I've read the bible on my own a couple of times. I trust in Christ to save my soul. I try to live as a good and charitable person, both in thought and in deed.

But I just don't have the group religion mindset. Maybe I never learned it. I'm sure that to some people, the coopting of the pissing boy into something of religious significance is very clever. A comment on the power of God and the poverty of our culture. Or something. But to me, it seems kind of inane and stupid. The original symbol was of such little value. Who invested it with enough thought to think of putting the kid in front of the cross. I get it intellectually. And yet, it seems hollow and petty to me.

In fact, the weird thought that I had was that faith experessed like that sort of strikes me as the fandom of Christ and God. The manip of the pissing boy is like a clever LJ icon (and I get the "icon" irony, don't doubt it). People who put God bumperstickers all over their car are the same people who read the "Left Behind" fanfic, which in a way is sort of religious porn, since these are the sinners who didn't make it to Heaven, and are paying the price here on Earth...

(This is what I cut!) It makes me wonder if that's what so many conservative religous groups find threatening about rock music and popular culture. The fandoms have such a religious zealotry to them. But that makes me wonder if what they should really be thinking is, wow, how dumb is that? Why is our religious behavior so much like a bunch of squealing teenagers at a rock concert?

I understand the importance of prosetylization (or however you spell it) to many, many religions, but seeing the little pissing boy on a Honda Element on the Dulles Toll Road... I dunno. What is the missionary purpose of that. To make poser-Christian secular humanists like myself think deep thoughts about the importance of God in my life?

And that's it. Except don't put those damn ribbon stickers on your car, OK. I think Satan created them just to torment me.

Comments

rambly rant

[mresundance.livejournal.com]

Why is our religious behavior so much like a bunch of squealing teenagers at a rock concert?

Except the squeeing teenagers don't necessarily say everyone and their mother are going to hell. But word. I went to a messed up church when I was 13, and had a very unorthodox best friend who was spiritual but definitely not Christian. Between these two things, I never got into Christian religion and find the "group mentality" of some Christian organizations to be - sickening?

For instance, I hate the Jesus fish things that have the words THE TRUTH in them and eat a fish that says DARWIN. That is messed up. I don't mind people having their opinions. It's just when their opinion has be shoved down everyone else's throat. (Besides that, I can be a bit of a postmodernist, and I think there are many truths, and they are largely subjective.)

That's totally not the kind of approach I think Jesus would take. At all. These kind of people all have to show off their supposed "faith" as if they are "holier than thou" because they have a silly bumper sticker or X amount of crosses and know this many Bible verses by heart (never you mind if they do not know the context of said verses in their historical setting). These kind of people are the ones that pretend that XYZ people are going to hell.

Dude, far as I know, Jesus didn't care. Jesus let everyone come play in the sandbox. But this idea is, I suppose, far too threatening for some Christians . . .

And I can't stand it. I think the powers that be are looking out for us all in whatever way were are willing to listen, irregardless of the specifics (you read the Koran, I read the Torah, so and so's and Atheist but believes in love, whatever). I don't understand why everything has to be set and sealed and in black and white. Doesn't that take away the mystery of spirituality and faith? Some of the fun of the unknown?

It's like not actually having faith.

[cocoajava.livejournal.com]

Almost half of my commutes to work plop me behind this bigass blue van that has the kneeling Calvin/Chross thing in the back window. It gives me instant road rage! You've summed up the mess of it pretty well here!!

BTW, that same van is apparently trusting Jesus to drive their van for them, cause they can't stay in the damned lane. Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

[muck-a-luck.livejournal.com]

Are you trying to say that Jesus doesn't know how to drive?! *snickers*

[cocoajava.livejournal.com]

Maybe he's using a cellphone to Phone Home and not concentrating on the road!

I am so bad. :)

[muck-a-luck.livejournal.com]

Oh, you are *so* going to hell! Now I want a bumper sticker of Jesus driving a huge blue van and talking on his cell...

[burningchaos.livejournal.com]

I have always felt faith isn't something you advertise. You either have it or you don't. What difference is a "christian" bumper sticker going to make??? And Calvin praying Yeah that will happen right after he decapitates some more helpless snowmen *sniggers*

[kalliopeia.livejournal.com]

Wait, wait. THey have CALVIN kneeling in the shadow of a cross? CALVIN? Who delights in creating snow scenes of mayhem and massacre? HAHAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHA!

I love Calvin...though I hate the peeing bumperstickers, too.

[wyldestarr.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, I just love you to bits. :D

Personally, the One Ring Script sounds good to me...would match my Brothers of Gondor window clings. *snickers* Sadly, they're getting all lightning effected, so I'll have to find more when I can't see the lovelies as they fade into shadow. But it would be geeky. ;)

Most bumper stickers are truly obnoxious, so you're not alone. Only a few really amuse me. Quit telling me to save this, that, the other, or my soul and BLEEDIN USE YOUR SIGNALS AND LEARN TO DRIVE!

That said, zealotry never makes sense. My brother and I are greatly amused that the groups who ripped the Christians for protesting Harry Potter as evil are now protesting Narnia as Christian. Zealots always have something to say...it's just not normally worth hearing. ;) In case you can't tell, I'm not a group religion person either.

*hugs* Missed you, sweetness. Working on another post too, but this one deserved its own.