Comments (17)

The state of Florida passed on this awful idea and now SC has taken it up. Amazing! Anybody heard of separation of church and state? Based on the whackos out there, there is no way I would put a license plate with a Jewish star on my car. Remember the Passion of the Christ where Mel Gibson pushed the "Jews killed Christ"? That brought out hatred on announcement boards of churches - let's see what happens when some poor fool identifies the driver of the car as a Jew! It would be an awful chance to take. The law states that only license plates with a cross could have the "I believe" statement on it! That is the state putting one religion over another.

Anyone who would put a license plate with another religion on their car may as well put a target on it!

RCG:

"Never had a problem with Pagan symbology on vehicles - unless it was really gaudy, and that's just poor taste."

Depends what you mean by 'taste,' I suppose. I think if you want to represent, you don't want to represent as like shocking or something... some people like to cover their cars in stickers, though that seems a bit out of fashion, (maybe there's just less rust to cover, these days, but there's also a lot of just-plain-hostility out there, and not everyone's in a position to deal with additional hassles and vulnerabilities.)

But 'taste' isn't really the point: Pagans put religious affiliation on the vehicle, it's not about special expecting special treatment by the majority.., and minorities within it, ...one might have to deal with quite the opposite.

Some people think it's just in 'poor taste' to admit we exist, which is a bit different from Christians getting territorial about state-issued license plates.

" Even in Nowhere, Michigan, I've found people quite openly talking about attending 'some cousin's gypsie wedding'. When he described what they wanted to do, I said, "oh! That's called a Handfasting. Here's what to expect..." and when he came back today, he described "the beautiful ceremony, so touching... etc" And this in a town that has Christian messages over the radio, newspaper, bulletin boards, and "The Church" is a central social gathering/services spot. "What Church do you go to?" is the DC equivalant of "What do you do?" in conversation. Yet, they're very welcoming and open to the Pagan community."

I dunno, there, Nowhere, Michigan is pretty friendly in that they don't roll out the torches-and-pitchforks brigade, but there's other complications if you don't meet with certain types' approval... They won't confront, generally, but they'll... make life harder, shall we say. Great folks, but you don't get a chance to clear up any misconceptions if they pre-judge you.

'Gypsies' won't thank you for calling them Pagans, but if you have any Roma friends, the weddings are not to be missed... I think they're where they get some of that largely-undeserved, if sometimes romanticized reputation. :)

" Maybe not so much in the "Deep South", I'm willing to concede. Point is, don't hide your faith unless it's a physical danger. In that instance, you're a victim of terrorism, and that's a different issue."

Physical danger doesn't scare me, overly, not for myself, anyway, (I'm *very* good at defusing confrontations, and I'm pretty sure I got one good fight left in me, yet. :)) ... but there's other kinds of things a somewhat-disabled person is less able to deal with. The constant stress of wondering about it would be worse, and I've had too many people come along and casually screw a couple of years' work with the stroke of a pen or something, just cause they felt entitled, allowed, and/or 'commanded' to.

Makes the 'What church do you go to,' sound a *lot* less 'friendly and accepting,' ...not that it's bad that people are friendly, or whatever, but even the best-intentioned overtures seem pretty suspicious when you start eroding *civil* protections and muddying the waters about what someone's rights are.

Someone wants the *connotations* even, of Christianity as a state religion, that has a chilling effect on that very openness... if the state's willing to play favorites, you're on your own. If you'd been a queer person in the Nineties, for instance, you'll notice that people will do darn illegal things, including cops and judges, if they think the state endorses this, and they know you can't hire the big lawyers.

How in heaven's name did this topic move into whatever some of the posters are talking about? Seven sleepers? Apocalyptic things from Turkey?
I simply find it in poor taste to have "I Believe" on a state-issued artifact like a license plate. It offends me particularly because people who want this kind of thing usually are "Christians" who follow a religion of hatred for others and fear. Even though a lot of media outlets seem to believe that such people are the only Christians, it isn't so! Most Christians can be quite happy with their beliefs without cheapening them by wearing them on a license plate.

the history of South Carolina inspired me.
North and Civil War accompanied.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_carolina

so what about Ottomans? Memluks?

Memluks were with Caliphates. Ottomans carried Caliphacy.

what about Ottomans, Memluks and Ilkhanate around Elbistan? planets were witnesses.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abaqa

we are talking about 1200 AC. 600 years after AHmet prophet, till His marriage He was a silver astronomy man, later educated by Nestorian Christian Varaka bin Nevfel, Son of Uncle of His Wife.

and Nestorian Buddhist Christian Turks were with Crusaders against Muslim Army which had been governed by who had tortured the Grandsons and Daughter of Ahmet prophet. and later they have been muslim too after Nestorian Christianity.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbistan
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Elbistan

there is one more Seven Sleepers in Anadolu, it is in Elbistan, in a village whose name is from "Arabsus Efsus", close to the syntax of "Ephesus Efesus", on the road from Israel to Izmir, just above CAnaan Region. TArsus is the beginning of Canaan LAnd.

yes Ms. Claire HopeWoman

You havent deleted a few of my messages
a few of them is worth to keep for ages
and today maybe one of them may be good
so i shouldnt hesitate to write in hood

if only they knew what happen in Turkey
they willed bake paste but not macaroni
Seven Sleepers in Ephesus and in Tarsus
they would intake a plate without sauce

on Courier New, the Earth

FRED:
The depth of your knowledge of Islam is astounding. Please, show your academic prowess.

PAGANPLACE:
Never had a problem with Pagan symbology on vehicles - unless it was really gaudy, and that's just poor taste. Even in Nowhere, Michigan, I've found people quite openly talking about attending 'some cousin's gypsie wedding'. When he described what they wanted to do, I said, "oh! That's called a Handfasting. Here's what to expect..." and when he came back today, he described "the beautiful ceremony, so touching... etc" And this in a town that has Christian messages over the radio, newspaper, bulletin boards, and "The Church" is a central social gathering/services spot. "What Church do you go to?" is the DC equivalant of "What do you do?" in conversation. Yet, they're very welcoming and open to the Pagan community. Maybe not so much in the "Deep South", I'm willing to concede. Point is, don't hide your faith unless it's a physical danger. In that instance, you're a victim of terrorism, and that's a different issue.

"Muslim women are much less annoying the neo Christians" ... Oh..so you prefer a religion that chops people's heads off if they don't convert to Islam? Radical dude.

" Freestinker:

"Bumber stickers alone do not imply that the State Governement favors one particular religion over all the others, therefore they are inadequate."

Not only that, but bumper stickers might get you favoritism with traffic cops, but they also aren't a way to get favoritism from faceless bureaucrats in the DMV and elsewhere.

Starting to label religions on official state things like license tags opens a whole can of worms: can minority religions really do the same? Not really. They don't get special privileges: for them, that's leaving them open to yet *more* discrimination. I wouldn't even feel safe putting Pagan bumperstickers on a vehicle, these days. Not that I'm really the type, anyway.

Muslim women are much less annoying than neochristians with their little fish stickers and crosses - er, bookcases.

Imagine watching a person with an "I believe" bumper sticker/liscense plate cut you off, or get pulled over for drunk driving... How Christian is it to cut people off or drive drunk? - What a good representative of the Christian faith.

ROY must just love muslim women with their easily identifiable and avoidable hijab (head scarves) :)

They could get around their legal problems by borrowing the "holy glowing bookcase" Huckabee used in his Christmas ad.

I favor the idea. Please, neohristians, label yourselves on the road so I can know who to avoid.

Maybe you can tattoo the cross of Jesus on your foreheads, too, so neochristian teachers can tell which of their students are holy and which are the little children of God that He plans to fry in hell.

Or better still, use tattoos for the non-neochristians like Hitler did for Jews and gays.

Bumber stickers alone do not imply that the State Governement favors one particular religion over all the others, therefore they are inadequate.