- Yes, it is off topic. I created the thread to ask about it in regards to respect for the rosary. I believe I know what my own question was about well enough to say when the thread is going off topic. Nonetheless, I expressed gratitude for the information being posted and assumed only the best intentions from the poster.
You assume best intentions from the poster, to cover the fact that you think intentions are more important than substance? What does it matter my intention, if I raise a safety issue with what you are promoting? I guess that is consistent with saying if the intentions are good, then the safety issue is irrelevant. :whacky:
Out of respect for the Rosary, I suggest you don’t use it in such a way as to possibly bring harm to those who did not participate in your decision to do so.
- The rosary isn’t “junk” and intention (ie; your comment about flaunting one’s Catholicism) was covered in the original post. The safety of hanging something from the mirror is another topic. If you or another person wishes to start a thread on the safety and/or legality of hanging anything from a rearview mirror, I would probably be happy to participate.
You are the one claiming it’s ok to hang stuff, so if you just want to hear others agree with you then just say so up front and we’ll all be on the same page. Why should anybody start a new thread if that’s what you’re looking for?
If you’ll notice I wrote nothing about your ego in my first reply, or made any assumptions about your motives. If you want to do it and you want someone to tell you it’s ok, then go for it because now some have.
So just ignore dissenters and go do it but don’t come back and try to justify what you do just because the potential for increased risk does not speak directly to your motives. It speaks to the reality of hanging a Rosary from a mirror, which is what I thought your thread was about. Specifically about in a car as opposed to wearing it like a head band or around the neck.
OK so back to the topic of how Catholic it is, pretending it was not a risk. Let’s start with whether it’s a good idea to wear your religion as a brand name:
Matt 23:4
"All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. "
In other words, they made it very clear to anybody who saw them, that they were in fact people of God. Why do you suppose Jesus had a problem with it? Do you think Jesus was ashamed of the Scriptures they were promoting?
So it may seem “very Catholic” to you, to display your religion, so I invite you to compare your idea with what is Catholic, with what Jesus is saying here.
Or how about the fact you are willing to risk safety as if it were unrelated to your desire to show your religion? If you had asked about pasting pro-life bumper stickers across the windshield, I would have called out the same problem. It’s about your placing the importance of a religious symbol above safety; i.e. symbolism over substance.
Matt 23:19
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
If you had asked about pasting pro-life bumper stickers on the windshield, I would have pointed out the same problem. It’s about your placing the importance of a religious symbol above safety. Do you deny there is any increased risk at all, by doing so? If not, then you are indeed placing symbolism over substance.
If you had asked me whether it was morally ok to exchange text messages about Jesus, I’d say most certainly UNLESS it is while driving a car. And that would be on topic, wouldn’t you think?
I gather that your opinion is that displaying the rosary openly is always wrong and you see it as flaunting it. I disagree. I try not to assume the intentions of others in such cases, and if I do assume something about their intentions I try to assume the best. As I said in the original post, it seems that sometimes we spend too much time and effort judging, assuming and criticizing other Catholics over things like wearing or displaying the rosary. Anyway, thank you for your opinion. I will note that some people see it as flaunting and ego based.
Note for the record, that I believe Jesus would be more in the camp of keeping a lower profile. That said, it isn’t about displaying the Rosary. It’s about saying it’s OK to display it even if it could hurt people. Two completely different concepts.
And again in verse 27
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth."
I am NOT claiming this applies to you, but it does apply to the OP question. Risk harm, so that others know that I Am Catholic. If the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it. But don’t say the shoe is defective and refuse to try it on, or you’re just asking for affirmation not discussion. If you don’t want to hear the answer to your questions, then don’t ask them. Just go do what you want to do.
