not quite random curiosity

[ratcreature]

The object of today's curiosity is signatures added to blog and journal posts. In particular the practice I've encountered in some blogs (mostly non-fandom) to include random religious scripture excerpts at the bottom of every post, even if the blog itself has no obvious religious content or otherwise preachy slant or anything like that. I tend to find this vaguely annoying, and usually won't subscribe then, even if I otherwise might have. Case in point, just now I came across one of those "a painting a day" blogs, and the art looked nice enough, but I find signature quotes that are unrelated to the content of the post annoying more often than not in general (especially the picture sigs on some message boards, I'd actually take preachy ones over those), but these seem even more obnoxious to me.

I understand that for some faiths there exists some sort of obligation to spread their words or something like that -- I vaguely remember that from confirmation classes at least -- but does it have to be in your art blog posts? It's not like I'm about to be converted by these. So now I'm curious: Do others like/dislike this kind of thing? Are indifferent? Maybe you overlook them, like with ad-blindness? Thus a poll:

Poll #2288 religious signatures?

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 40

View Respondents

What is your reaction to religious quotes as blog signatures?

View Answers

I like them.
0 (0.0%)

I like them only if they are from my religion.
0 (0.0%)

I don't mind them/just overlook them.
10 (25.0%)

I dislike them.
28 (70.0%)

Your radio buttons are oppressing me.
2 (5.0%)

Comments

Go you!

[sherrold]

Alaska Airlines is the biggest local airline, but I try to fly anyone else, just because they put cheesy religious cards in with the airplace food. I shouldn't care, but it annoys me. Yes, Christianity includes a command to 'spread the word', but that doesn't mean I can't find it completely aggravating.

Re: Go you!

[ratcreature]

Yeah. There used to be a really nice vegetarian restaurant I frequented, but it was operated by some kind of new age religious group, and while they didn't actually try to convert you, there were quotes in the menu and posters and such.

After I posted it occurred to me that maybe I should have made a distinction of being annoyed by such quotes from the mainstream religion in your area or minority religions, because obviously there are power differences and such, but I have to admit that all kinds of random religious/spiritual and even inspirational quotes annoy me, if they are slapped onto something else, where they don't actually belong.

[sherrold]

yeah, majortarian religious stuff bugs me *more*, but they all bug me. Maybe partly because I'm a pretty quiet atheist, and I feel like if I can keep quiet, so the heck should y'all...

[ratcreature]

Yeah. Up to a certain point I can understand why messianic religions are louder, after all many of them genuinely believe something awful will happen to everyone who does not believe the same, so from that perspective it would be a shitty thing to do not to try to convince others at all, but there is something to be said for appropriate and frankly also for effective places and means to do that.

I mean, I tend to think of it like my views on vegetarianism. I genuinely believe that we all would be better off ecologically, nutritionally (when considered world wide food production/distribution, obviously as omnivore an individual human with enough money can eat very healthy with meat), and ethically if everybody ate vegetarian, with the possible exception of traditional cultures in places where plants just don't grow well enough, and every vegetable has unreasonable energy/transportation cost compared to say the local caribou or whatever, but I mean in general and in particular in industrialized countries.

And when I first became vegetarian with 16 I actually pointed out my arguments at every opportunity. I pretty much drove my classmates crazy, because I called their cold cut sandwiches cadavers, and lectured about animal rights (sometimes with pictures of industrial farming and its animal torture) and ecological costs of the industrial meat production etc. constantly. But I don't think I convinced a single person, and was totally obnoxious. So once I was past the teenage ardor, I revised my strategy. I still argue in favor of my believes if opportunity arises, but not in every conversation and not with people where I have no chance at all to change their mind just then. Like I don't include a picture of a suffering turkey with every fanfic recs post or something like that.