Can We All Agree That Religion Does Not Belong In Geocaching?

[+GeoBain]

I feel like someone needs a hug (and I honestly don't mean that in a patronizing way)

Nobody is mad at you op, nobody thinks you are a troll.

You are not the first to not use the search button and you won't be the last.

Honestly, if we didn't create duplicate threads sometimes we'd run out of things to talk about.

 

I do need a hug. But that's irrelevant. And now that we're all peaceful like, we can let this thread die a quick death. Ignore this thread and look at my much more happy thread about the caches people are the most proud of. (Everyone elses [so far] puts mine to shame.)

 

You might ask a mod to close thie thread, otherwise it will probably go on for 2 or 3 pages or more

Will it make it to 3

 

Since keystone doesn't start his shift til around 10, I'm guessing we'll easily make it to page 3.

 

Change your forum settings to 5 posts per page and we're already at 20 pages.

 

Or just respond to your post and push it to page 3.

[+roundnround we go]

 

I'm pretty sure you know why that's different. It again has nothing to do with religion. It has to do with the popular, non-religious meaning of the symbol.

Actually it has to do with the idea that many people don't see the harm in things if it is something they agree with but they might be more against things they do not agree with.

A cross is not just a symbol for a religion the same as a swastika is not just a symbol of a political party.

Neither symbol is universally accepted as a symbol of 'good'.

To you a cross might bring to mind Jesus and Christianity whereas to someone else it might bring to mind fire and the KKK.

Personally I might not have an issue with a cross in a cache but I might with a swastika in a cache. But since they both are legitimate symbols of both 'good' and 'evil' I don't think either should be used as swag. It is not 'fair' to allow one religious symbol but not another.

But your argument applies to everything, not just religious items. You could leave a rainbow pin in a cache, and someone could start a thread about gay propaganda not being appropriate. A General Lee Matchbox car could be construed as racist. An American flag could enrage an anti-war activist. Conversely, you might leave something with non-religious intent that could be misconstrued as religious -- seashells, for instance.

 

that's just it with the wide variety of people that cache it doesn't matter what you leave someone somewhere will find a problem with it.

[+GeoGeeBee]

I don't mind those Jesus tracts in caches. But we have this weirdo around here that worships sweet potatoes. Now that is offensive! Everyone knows that the Idaho Spud is the One True Potato.

[Dinoprophet]

 

I'm pretty sure you know why that's different. It again has nothing to do with religion. It has to do with the popular, non-religious meaning of the symbol.

Actually it has to do with the idea that many people don't see the harm in things if it is something they agree with but they might be more against things they do not agree with.

A cross is not just a symbol for a religion the same as a swastika is not just a symbol of a political party.

Neither symbol is universally accepted as a symbol of 'good'.

To you a cross might bring to mind Jesus and Christianity whereas to someone else it might bring to mind fire and the KKK.

Personally I might not have an issue with a cross in a cache but I might with a swastika in a cache. But since they both are legitimate symbols of both 'good' and 'evil' I don't think either should be used as swag. It is not 'fair' to allow one religious symbol but not another.

But your argument applies to everything, not just religious items. You could leave a rainbow pin in a cache, and someone could start a thread about gay propaganda not being appropriate. A General Lee Matchbox car could be construed as racist. An American flag could enrage an anti-war activist. Conversely, you might leave something with non-religious intent that could be misconstrued as religious -- seashells, for instance.

 

that's just it with the wide variety of people that cache it doesn't matter what you leave someone somewhere will find a problem with it.

Right. So why single out religious items?

[+GeoGeeBee]

We seem to have been diverted by the colorful descriptions in the opening post. I'd like to answer the actual question posed in the thread title: "Can we all agree that religion does not belong in geocaching?"

 

The obvious answer is no. We can't all agree on anything... are virtuals really geocaches? Do the "rules" require a log to be signed before claiming a find? Micros: menace or salvation? Nope, OP, you aren't going to find agreement here.

[+roundnround we go]

 

I'm pretty sure you know why that's different. It again has nothing to do with religion. It has to do with the popular, non-religious meaning of the symbol.

Actually it has to do with the idea that many people don't see the harm in things if it is something they agree with but they might be more against things they do not agree with.

A cross is not just a symbol for a religion the same as a swastika is not just a symbol of a political party.

Neither symbol is universally accepted as a symbol of 'good'.

To you a cross might bring to mind Jesus and Christianity whereas to someone else it might bring to mind fire and the KKK.

Personally I might not have an issue with a cross in a cache but I might with a swastika in a cache. But since they both are legitimate symbols of both 'good' and 'evil' I don't think either should be used as swag. It is not 'fair' to allow one religious symbol but not another.

But your argument applies to everything, not just religious items. You could leave a rainbow pin in a cache, and someone could start a thread about gay propaganda not being appropriate. A General Lee Matchbox car could be construed as racist. An American flag could enrage an anti-war activist. Conversely, you might leave something with non-religious intent that could be misconstrued as religious -- seashells, for instance.

 

that's just it with the wide variety of people that cache it doesn't matter what you leave someone somewhere will find a problem with it.

Right. So why single out religious items?

 

so we wouldn't go off topic since that was the original subject of this thread

[+BruceS]

I think this topic has gone far enough off tract er track. This is one of those topics that agreement either way will not be found. I think it is time for this one to close.