According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Gay-dar is now officially a word. It’s the ability of gay people to spot each other.
And now Christopher Hitchens said that as an atheist he can tell that Obama’s an atheist too. The Star reports:
“I suspect he is one of us,” he says of churchgoing U.S. President Barack Obama. “Us” being the forces of atheism.
So why does every group I don’t belong to have some kind of radar to spot like minded people but Christians have difficulty locating other Christians.
I want Pray-dar. I want the ability to spot fellow Christians.
You can’t base it on whether someone’s wearing a cross. That means nothing nowadays. Everyone says “Bless you” when you sneeze.
So, I’m asking you, dear readers, for some “tells” to base my Pray-dar on? Here’s a few that jump to mind:
A) The ol’ fish on back of car. Dead giveaway.
B) More than three car seats in the vehicle. (Except if you’re Madonna who’s adopted like thirteen kids.)]
C) Likes Carrie Prejean and didn’t go hunting around the internet for her racy photos.
D) They don’t work for Notre Dame (What? Just a little joke.)
E) They’re mysteriously not at home on Sunday mornings.
F) Their favorite Bible verse is not “Judge not lest ye be judged.”
G) They own the Narnia movies and Veggie-tales.
H) They’re the people at the party defending Sarah Palin.
Any others?
June 2, 2009 at 4:41 am
Let’s see. No fish. At our peak we only had three car seats (of course, I didn’t start until I was 34). Likes Prejean — check. Don’t work for a University “in the Catholic tradition” — check. Mysteriously not at home Sunday morning, though sometimes also mysteriously not at home on Saturday nights or Sunday evenings (hurrah for the last chance Mass at the Cathedral!). Favourite Bible verse — uh, no. Mine’s “nobody comes to the Father but through Me.” Narnia movies — check. Veggie tales — check. Defending Sarah Palin — check!
How about “more Bibles in the house than people?” Dessicated palms?
June 2, 2009 at 4:44 am
The phrase “not that there’s anything wrong with that” does not pepper their conversation.
June 2, 2009 at 5:10 am
“Likes Carrie Prejean and didn’t go hunting around the internet for her racy photos.”
Oh crap.
June 2, 2009 at 5:12 am
I prefer to look at other things, like doesn’t participate in gossip, always gives the benefit of the doubt, puts others first etc But I guess that’s more for people you may know and have time to observe.
I don’t have much use for the other outward shows. The 3 carseat test wouldn’t quite work for me as I know aethist that have more than 6 kids and don’t plan to stop having kids, they don’t believe in filling their bodies with the hormones and junk and find barrier methods to be unnatural.
But I agree, it would be nice (especially as a Catholic) to be able to tell the real from the fake.
June 2, 2009 at 6:34 am
Doesn’t cuss in normal conversation, tend to be rather close-mouthed at parties when religion comes up, crucifix over at least one door in the house, at least one wall COVERED with pictures.
If you get a chance to find their bookshelf, there’s usually a Bible that weighs more than most small children and is at least as old as their marriage, seldom opened; other Bibles and generally at least two books on scholarly religious topics that are more shopworn (not necessarily even Christian).
This might be more biased towards Irish and Basque Catholics, though– the only Italian Catholic I know well enough to go into her home has a grand-child-proofed home. ^.^
June 2, 2009 at 7:20 am
Like Jesus said, “by your fruits shall ye be known”. So, just try being a Christian and other Christians will know you. It really is just that simple.
June 2, 2009 at 12:12 pm
What’s that old folk song? ” And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love. They will know we are Christians by our love.” Or maybe you would just call it “the absence of hate.”
June 2, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Their children point to the Muslim woman in public and say, “She’s dressed just like Mary!”
Their children are named Peter, James, John, Mary, Anne,
Grace and Teresa.
They eat tuna fish sandwiches for lunch on Fridays.
Rosary hanging from the rear view mirror.
Bumper sticker: I love my German shepherd – with picture of the Pope.
June 2, 2009 at 2:00 pm
-Even at a restaurant they say grace before they eat.
-They wear t-shirts with slogans like “Fear Not” and “Get Your Soul in the Box” and “Hii Saved Me”.
Seriously though, I was wearing such a t-shirt in an airport and another Catholic family approached us and asked us if we were Catholic. They are now the godparents of one of our children and are among our dearest friends.
June 2, 2009 at 2:22 pm
* Blessed Mother garden statue in front of the house – because of that someone who wanted to sell some home improvement asked us for the nearest Catholic church.
* Wear brown scapular –
* have “pray for our priests” car magnets on their vehicles….
Blessings, Mum26
June 2, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Have holy cards on their refrigerator, on their kitchen cabinet doors, in their wallets…
Pause when an ambulance goes by and you realize they’re saying a silent “Hail Mary”…
Have strange chalk markings over their doorway, some initials and a year…
Got good grades in Western Civ classes because they already knew about all the Popes and saints…
Visit cathedrals on every vacation…
June 2, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Expect everyone to pull their own weight – and then are the very first to jump in and help others in a crisis.
Don’t engage in the bumper car demolition derby on their way out of the church parking lot.
Mysteriously absent from home on Saturday mornings when their church offers Confession.
Look at squirming, screaming, crying little kids in restaurants, concerts, etc. with affection and love and pity for the embarrassment of the parents, not disgust at the presence of children.
Rarely if ever refer to children as crumb crunchers, rug rats, or punishments (except when they are two years old and teething LOL)
June 2, 2009 at 3:05 pm
When someone sneezes and another person says, “God bless you!” the first person says, “Thanks, you too!”
June 2, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Hi, I’m glad with this site! It’s really good healthy fun. But my comment is specifically about Sarah Palin you mentioned — I don’t wanna build a politic discussion here, but I’m brasillian and the Info I get about US is basically that republicans generally are the guns-and-war lovers and that Sarah Palin makes no exception… Why is that wrong, and why do you defend her?
June 2, 2009 at 3:33 pm
* have actually gotten to respond with “Nah, they just followed me here” to the persistent question of “Are they all yours?”
* have at least one wall in the house dedicated to the family rosary and family crucifix
* have Marian statues and other saints statues all over the house
* The kids respond to their friends with “Just ask (fill in a saint here) for help.”
* answer the question “So are you finished?” with “Don’t know, we’ll see what God has in store.” when someone asks about children
June 2, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Well the Biblical test is
“You will know them by their love”
And of course this is a love that wills the good and knows what the objective good is.
June 2, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Stickers on cars, books, whatever…that read:
Got Latin?
Save the Liturgy, save the world.
Say the black, do the red.
You can’t be Catholic and Pro-choice
Ad orientem
etc.
June 2, 2009 at 4:57 pm
– Can name more than 10 saints.
– Constantly internally debate Catholic or homeschool.
– Give their little ones rosaries to keep them quite at mass.
– Aren’t chatting-it-up before mass begins.
– Don’t chew gum at mass.
– View a 12-passenger van as a possibility in their future.
– Visit CMR daily! We love you guys!
June 2, 2009 at 5:29 pm
fernando – you’d be hard-pressed to find a “war lover” in either US political party, truth be told. If, however, you mean “war supporter” in the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, then Palin would be an example. Nobody is happy about the war, but some people feel that it ought to be fought, because the alternative is a worse evil.
“Gun lover” is different. The implication is that Sarah Palin wants everyone wandering around armed to the teeth, shooting at anything mildly irksome. This is really a stereotype about people who favor individual gun ownership, and quite untrue. (“Gun nut” is the unkind description.)
June 2, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Oooh! That reminds me!
High correlation between pro-life Catholic women and those who like guns as equalizers– still have yet to meet a Catholic mom who isn’t a momma bear about her babies.