If you live near a university, "adopt" graduate students from Muslim countries. You'll form enduring friendships, and open eyes to the fact Hollywood hides so well -- there are Americans who love God and family. The sharpest young people from abroad are here, having the adventure of a life-time, bright-eyed tourists eager to learn all they can about our country and culture.
(dirty little secret -- we live in "low context" culture. Over the last few years, I've had more friendly dinners with Turkish Muslims than with people in my own church!)
Look me up in a thousand years, and tell me about your adventures in hospitality.
I notice the Turks seem to have a good balance down. I’ve only had one bad experience with any Turk, and that’s because he was a bigtime lib and not really related to his culture of origin.
I think living in that climate, and between two warring cultures, has raised a sort of cautious indifference to the extrema on either side and an emphasis on harmony and productiveness. Kinda like the Swiss, or the Belgians.
“If you live near a university, “adopt” graduate students from Muslim countries. You’ll form enduring friendships, and open eyes to the fact Hollywood hides so well — there are Americans who love God and family.”
I am impressed. Your actions should be those of all believers [including me]—develop relationships with those who do not know the Lord.
Just think: one intelligent graduate student visiting you in your home could be to a currently Muslim country what St. Patrick was to Ireland.
Well, for starters, RJR_fan, I don’t live near a university, seeing as I am one of those doomed to live in “flyover-land”.
And, if I did live near one, my natural grannie urge to cuddle, smell sweet babies after the nighty-nite bath, rocking them to sleep with an off key lullaby probably wouldn’t go over with “ adopted graduate muslim students”.
And they definitely wouldn’t appreciate the affectionate licks from my two Belgian Sheepdogs, who are my ever-present “posse”.
And, we do like to eat ham, pork sausage, and all that other disgusting stuff.
Alas, the opportunities I am missing, all because I am such an infidel!