General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: About that cross at Ground Zero... [View all]MADem
(135,425 posts)I've lived all over the world and been exposed to many religions. I don't feel threatened by them at all. I find some interesting, some amusing, some a bit irritating...but they don't make me feel "isolated" even if I'm the only one in the room who doesn't know the players without a scorecard.
I guess that has something to do with being raised by folks who taught me to be respectful of others, even if their views differed from mine, and to be interested in learning about differences rather than fearful of them.
And if you can feel "ostracized and threatened" by religious symbols, you've got issues. Do black cats and ladders have a similar effect? Boy/Girl Scout badges? Kiwanis Club tie tacks? Moose Lodge hats? Basically, religions are just clubs. No one's forcing you to join, even if you like to pretend they are.
And you don't have a "right" to go through life un-offended. Personally, I find ostentatious, complicated memorials offensive. That's a minority view in this situation, so I'm gonna put on my Big Kid Pants and suck it up, and not berate people who like the concept and find something worthy in it. Different strokes, and all that. Not everything in the world is designed to suit meeeeeeeeee!! I know how to solve my problem, and that's avoid the location. You could do likewise, or simply avert your gaze when you come across that awful thing that disturbs you so.