Thoughts on the "Coexist" Bumper Sticker

246 Comments

Comment by Brandon Corbin on February 17, 2008 at 1:15pm

I applaud you for bringing up such a sensitive topic for discussion!

I personally love the concept. A unified respect and open discussions on religion, spirituality and individual beliefs can not be a bad thing.

For this piece specifically, I find the result of combining and selecting the most common base principals they each represent, to be completely beautiful. Defining a simple and mindful approach to life:
Have true compassion for all beings and continually fight the temptation of hate.

Comment by Nila Nealy on February 17, 2008 at 1:54pm

I have this bumper sticker hanging on my bulletin board in my office. I love the concept of diverse religions living and working together. I really enjoy the many conversations I have with different people on their own faith and their views on religion. On a personal level, this image represents the concept of "many paths" that I learned in an excellent philosophy class in high school...in good old Anderson. I am so grateful for the progressive teacher who set the stage for my mind to open up to a variety of valuable experiences.

Comment by Nicki Laycoax on February 17, 2008 at 2:48pm

Don't know if HTML is accepted... but here's my input.. :~)

Comment by Chris on February 17, 2008 at 3:33pm

I agree with @brandon way to bring up a sensitive issue. I think that we can all agree the beauty of SI is the diverse community of people who have chosen to share their ideas. I think the bumper sticker speaks to that general belief that it truly takes a wide variety of people, beliefs, religions etc to make special things happen.

Comment by Ben McCann on February 17, 2008 at 3:35pm

Nicki... I love it. I don't care who you are, if you have any good in you, that video just speaks to you. Way to go.

Commenting on the video.... all I can say is this... Oh the Hair!!!!!!!!!!!

And I thought Bruce Springstein was going to pass one giant terd a couple of times... His face looks just like mine when I have to take a monster dump :o) Sorry for those of you that offends, it is just true and it just came out... oooopss sorry there I go again.

I am a Chrisitian and if you want to boil the entire Bible down to 4 words it is this:

LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE.

Now to define LOVE:

.Here is the Bibles definition of what True Love is since we are just finishing our Valentines Day:

1 If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part; 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away. 11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. 13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

If someone has the true fruits of the spirit of God, they will look like this as described in Galatians 5:22

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law"

WOW if I read these 2 scirptures and just apply them to my life and teach them to my children... then that would be great... If I am able to replace the word LOVE with my name BEN, then I would then reread in 1 Cor 13... then I have achieved what God has called for me... Hey now you try it... Can you honestly replace the word LOVE with YOUR NAME. If not, then you know what you will have to do when you get to the part that you can't honestly put YOUR NAME where it says that LOVE IS...


using 1 Cor. definition of Love... If people just did that, we would eliminate most of the pain, suffering, death anger etc...

James puts it this way as he points out one of my flaws in James 1:26-27: 26Do any of you think you are religious? If you do not control your tongue, your religion is worthless and you deceive yourself. (ouch... that's me, that hurts... he's right, what about you?)

27What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world

(basically, put your money and your actions where your mouth is. quit talking about the pain and suffering inthe world and do something about it.)

If anyone wants to see a Local organization that is having an International impact go to www.phpnetwork.org and watch some videos about PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE. Also another organizatoin that has been succesful as a steward in mobilizing people from different backgrounds and cultures is Faith Hope & Love International www.fhlinternational.org

For those of you who want to know my position on Religions and Suffering, Death and Dying... you can view the string of conversations that were developed on Ken Sweigels Blog here on Smaller Indiana, "Will We Learn Our Lessons Before We Kill Ourselves?"

Warning: This is not for the people who are easily offended or cannot handle strong conversation... It asks serious questions and requires deeper thought and reflection beyond "here's what I think..." My postings are, here is what I think and here is why.

Comment by Bill Hodge on February 17, 2008 at 7:56pm

I believe many times religion gets in the way of spirituality. The two things are not the same, but also should not be mutually exclusive. I have on occasion found a religious setting to very spiritual, but I have also found the opposite. Love God, Love People does seem to say alot. God is everywhere and in everything is something else I would add.

Comment by Bonnie Benshoof on February 17, 2008 at 9:01pm

Well if coexist means Religion and Evolution can exist together according to my upbringing and what I believe is False, Just read the Holy Bible and figure it out, there is no such thing is Evolution or Big Bang theory there is one God which is whom we came from so my answer is No I don't agree with Coexist, I agree with Ben above, just read the Holy Bible that is whats true in my book!

Comment by Kyle Lacy on February 17, 2008 at 9:09pm

I don't think the bumper sticker is saying anything about evolution. If I am missing something please clue me into the symbol that stands for evolution. I think the bumper sticker is saying that we can all live in peace and harmony despite the way we choose (in a religious sense). I am tired of hearing about whether someone is right or wrong in terms of religious belief. I have chosen just to love people whether or not they believe the way I do. If someone reads the Torah or the Bible or any other "book" for that matter we have no right to question beliefs. Just love each other.

Comment by Bill Hodge on February 17, 2008 at 9:17pm

Well done Kyle!

Comment by Kyle Lacy on February 17, 2008 at 9:20pm

Thanks Bill. :)

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