Normally, I wouldn't approach this with a ten foot pole, but...
I am confused. The BBC have a television programme called the One Show - if you haven't watched it, they do various human interest stories in short bitesize (and sometimes ridiculously easy to understand) pieces, and occasionally touch on articles that are in the news. At the moment they have an interesting report about ants, which I'm idly watching, but before that they did a report/article (not sure what to call it really), which was all about 'our embarrassment about talking about religion'.
Now, as a country, we are generally private about our religions. We don't wish to talk about it unless we're sure that the person that we are talking to aren't going to try and either talk us into changing religion or tell us that the religion we have chosen is wrong. That is a basic human reaction really - we don't like being told that we're wrong. However, most people, if asked in a way that suggests that they're not going to be converted or challenged will share what religion they are. I've never met anyone who will go "I'm not telling you that it's too personal."
I don't mind them suggesting that people are private about religion, because we probably are. However, I object to them saying that they have proved that people don't want to talk about religion using their roving reporter. The set up was thus - she's in a busy shopping centre, and she's going to stop people to talk about religion. Fine right? Wrong. She's standing there asking people if "we can talk about God" and holding a clipboard saying "Are you embarrassed to talk about God?" Now I don't know about you, but I wouldn't believe that woman wanted to know my opinions, but would be stopping me to tell me about her opinions. That's not people being embarrassed of their religion, it's people not wanting to allow themselves to be haranged.
Am I wrong? Have I taken offense at something they actually have proved?
For the record - I like listening to people talk about religion, I admire people who have faith and can tell me about said faith. I am perfectly willing to tell anyone who asks how I feel about religion. I'm not embarrassed, but I would go around with it stuck on my sleeve. But then, I don't shout about anything I am, I don't see why we suddenly have to should about everything we are just to show that we're not embarrassed about it. I'm not embarrassed about anything about me, but I don't broadcast things either.
Now, as a country, we are generally private about our religions. We don't wish to talk about it unless we're sure that the person that we are talking to aren't going to try and either talk us into changing religion or tell us that the religion we have chosen is wrong. That is a basic human reaction really - we don't like being told that we're wrong. However, most people, if asked in a way that suggests that they're not going to be converted or challenged will share what religion they are. I've never met anyone who will go "I'm not telling you that it's too personal."
I don't mind them suggesting that people are private about religion, because we probably are. However, I object to them saying that they have proved that people don't want to talk about religion using their roving reporter. The set up was thus - she's in a busy shopping centre, and she's going to stop people to talk about religion. Fine right? Wrong. She's standing there asking people if "we can talk about God" and holding a clipboard saying "Are you embarrassed to talk about God?" Now I don't know about you, but I wouldn't believe that woman wanted to know my opinions, but would be stopping me to tell me about her opinions. That's not people being embarrassed of their religion, it's people not wanting to allow themselves to be haranged.
Am I wrong? Have I taken offense at something they actually have proved?
For the record - I like listening to people talk about religion, I admire people who have faith and can tell me about said faith. I am perfectly willing to tell anyone who asks how I feel about religion. I'm not embarrassed, but I would go around with it stuck on my sleeve. But then, I don't shout about anything I am, I don't see why we suddenly have to should about everything we are just to show that we're not embarrassed about it. I'm not embarrassed about anything about me, but I don't broadcast things either.