So there is an anti-mask protest going on right now outside my shop window in downtown Coeur d'Alene Idaho. There are a lot of American flags waving about and a new flag I haven't seen...it is mostly white with a blue square in the upper left corner with a red cross in the middle of the blue square. I read that it represents "Christianity of all denominations"...something like that. Is that a thing? Do the majority of Christians support the anti-mask movement? Many of the protesters are packing firearms. I suppose Jesus wants you to be a self-appointed soldier.

This makes me feel even more dimly towards Christians. I know that they are all not like this but man, could someone tell these folks that Christ wasn't about flag-waving, packing guns, and yelling obscenities at people wearing masks?

To me, those aren't Christians.
Putting yourself First above the safety of others?

Not for me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/2020 08:59PM by GNPE.

But yet they'd be furious if while in a crowded movie theater (remember them?) someone yelled "FIRE!!"

And they tell their kids to wear their seatbelts.

Poseurs ...



A poseur is someone who poses for effect, or behaves affectedly, who affects a particular attitude, character or manner to impress others, or who pretends to belong to a particular group.

Onward christian soldiers

Yes, it's a thing:

https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-flag.html


Excerpt from blurb:

"We can interpret the colors and symbols of the Christian flag as follows: the field is white, representing peace, purity, and holiness. The blue canton is emblematic of loyalty and truth (and possibly of heaven or the waters of baptism). The cross in the center of the blue canton is, of course, a symbol of Christ and His work of salvation; the cross is red, typical of Christ’s shed blood. Taken together, the symbols of the Christian flag portray the basics of the faith: Jesus Christ, the Holy One, died on the cross to grant us salvation, and we serve Him in fidelity and holiness, as He is faithful to us.

"A salute to the Christian flag may be accompanied by a pledge:

“I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands, one Savior, crucified, risen, and coming again with life and liberty for all who believe.”

"Some use a theologically liberal version of the pledge, which plays down the gospel element and emphasizes ecumenism:

“I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands, one brotherhood, uniting all mankind, in service and love.”

-----

Disclosure: I've never heard of this before.

And after my trips through JWs and LDS I'm allergic to making pledges. :)

More information I found on the Christian

Flag.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Flag

So, basically a multifaith org adopted this image of the flag to represent all Christiandom. A symbol used to represent a belief but in the poster's example is being used as a symbol of authority.

I live in the Bible Belt and most conservative churches are closed due to Covid. My own pastor is immunocompromised as well as many attendees. Our pastors preach that we are all hear to serve our community first, not ourselves. (Very different from most churches in general, thus why I joined)

Part of our service to the community now is protecting the health of others. Wear the mask :)

RMM

I think you hit on the part that bothers me - the Christian flag is being used as a symbol of authority. Like all Christians are supposed to rally around the flag and support the no-maskers.

Last month they were all marching around "on patrol" with actual firearms. Apparently Christ prefers the AR-15. It is creepy. One of them walked into my shop and asked if he could have roof access. I told him to take it up with the building's owners.

I am a little bothered by all the gathering, flaunting the rules and gun-toting going on around here.

"...a multifaith org adopted this image of the flag to represent all Christiandom..."

Yes. It is dishonest of them to do this. Or at least they could tell all the other Christians about it so we'd know. I read a lot about religion and god knows I've been to my fair share (and beyond) of various denominations and I've never heard there's a special universal flag.

The very idea of that and the spectres it raises give me the shakes.

Not many Christians round here are protesting. Inc LDS.

It is not the short term quarantine measures that concern me but the permanent restrictions and monitoring this crisis is being used to bring in.

For the record, I was wearing a mask months ago.

Locally, we are required to wear masks when out in public. This doesn't stop some anti-mask crusaders from venting about it. This past week, we had a specialty food market shut down by the Health Department, since some of its food handlers were not wearing masks (This was after at least two warnings.) This of course, provoked outrage about undue government influence by the anti-mask brigade.

On a local website, I responded to the anti-maskers, the health department shuts down restaurants and food markets every day for not following health directives (I know this having cooked for a restaurant in my youth, plus it's also reported in the local paper.) There are a number of regulations about how food handlers must dress, including the wearing of closed shoes, hats or hair nets, and beard nets if applicable. Have the anti-maskers ever gotten worked up about any of those regulations? If not, why not? Why start now?

It is my observation that many Christians in the US see little separation between their Christian faith and their conservative Americanism. To them, it seems,the Constitution and the rights they see it affords them are one and the same. I have been asked whether or not I think God might be using CV to punish America for some wrong doing or other, which suggests to me that they think that America is somehow top of God's priority list since at the same time it ignores the rampant nature of CV around the rest of the world. A symptom of this is the combining of faith with a societal issue as if they are one and the same.

Some anti-maskers are casual "don't bother me" (right now, stranger) [when before no one bothered them or gave them the time of day], follow, hastle, or hate me on my EVERY MOVE or step (and chastising me with your fear or prediction of my every movement), not to mention your predisposed guess that I MIGHT BE ILL and going to infect you and make you sick and/ or die; LEAVE ME ALONE; I am in control of myself and I don't need the hassle, bother, phobia, superstition or fearmongering that you bring, and others who are more in-your-face blatant, mean, rude, and hateful about it all.

We're talking about the maskless, or masked, giving others hard times.

I go about my business - and pleasure - and avoid most discussions, arguments, situations, or would-be confrontations where these things may arise that might bother me or someone else.

Seeing someone else bothered, needlessly, I may take up for them.

We can't police each other and call the police at every little turn and not expect something, often negative and wholly unnecessarily, to come of it.

If someone is wearing a mask, I am nice to them. If someone isn't wearing a mask, I'm often nice to them.

If a lot of people appear angry and aren't wearing masks I don't appear there.

and there is some of this going on. She is appalled, but she says it is expected in Idaho. She said there are a lot of rednecks up there. Her son-in-law is one of them in terms of being a redneck. He "ain't" religious.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/31/2020 01:03PM by cl2.

Since the reopening, my church in Idaho has gone to two services. The first is mask only while in the second masks are optional and some do wear them. The first is more heavily attended than the second, which is something I have been told since I have not attended since the lock down.

I see nothing sinister about the flag in question to which attention is usually only drawn on world wide church commemorative days like Reformation Sunday. What is most unusual is to see it used in the manner stated.

I seriously would like to gather these folks together & send them to Israel.

I don't consider them patriotic or even citizens of the U.S.

'wearing a mask isn't a political statement, It's an I.Q. test'

GNPE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I seriously would like to gather these folks
> together & send them to Israel.

Huh?

Why would you want to inflict these particular people on Israel?

Good point, Tevai; How about the Sahara desert?

I.Q. test! Nailed it.