Too true. The day after the first 9/11, I met with our pastors (UMC) to plan a prayer service open to the community. We were going to have a section with a prayer leader offering a series of one-sentence prayers, and the congregation affirming with "Lord, hear our prayer." One of the prayers I suggested was that people around the world would awake into a true understanding of Christ's teachings.
At this point, a Democrat woman at the meeting responded with great indignance that such a prayer would be "offensive" to Jews, and that Jews might come to our service. I was astonished and said, "This is a Christian church, and surely if any Jews joined us, they would be welcomed, but they would also expect to hear prayers affirming Christ's Lordship." However, she continued to huff and puff, and then the pastor sided with her and told me I should be "nicer" to any strangers who might come.
(That was one of the final straws in my abandonment of the UMC, although there were several other moral outrages.)
However, she continued to huff and puff, and then the pastor sided with her and told me I should be “nicer” to any strangers who might come.
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How can we— ‘us common folk’— understand that if I were to go to a Synagogue or Mosque for ANY reason and they even thought of ‘saying the Rosary’ or singing “The Lord’s Prayer” that I would be humbled, grateful, and mildly shocked.
And if I were to go back and it ‘didn’t happen again’, I would just go about my business.
Sorry Mr. Barkeep, if my money isn’t good enough to have you treat me correctly, then I shall not bother to come back.
How is me taking him to court going to make me any more ‘welcome’ in the future?