Any Christian cyclist out there? - Page 2

This is the answer to the last question.
I think that a person tends to get defensive only when they feel threatened. I'm guilty of getting defensive over certain things but only when really backed into a corner. It's human nature. If you can ride, I really don't care what you wear.

I don't believe that I did miss his point and, by the way, Manson had a number of blind followers.

as i was saying...a thread about politics, religion, or sex will be the most active one on the board.

well i didnt actually say it. but i think i intimated it

we need a red devil smilie over there-------------->

__________________
Ride with Xfm London playing in the iPod, eat, drink, sleep, repeat.
Xfm radio 104.9 London
Pilkipedia--for all things Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington!

Would you still go out riding with DiabloScott if he turned up in this though?

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________
www.wheelism.co.uk - Keeping it wheel, every single day.

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, January 18, 1896, Scientific American Magazine

Sounds okay with me. The distinction in my last comment has to do with motive. I am hoping to improve your life by sharing mine.

As for riding in Georgia, yes is can get pretty hot and sticky in the summer months, but I expect it to be about 28 deg and bone dry when we hit the trail tomorrow morning. It is going to hurt at first. The red clay is not too prominant deep in the woods, besides it is not all that much different to ride on than other surfaces. I am not too picky as long as I get to ride.

Chad,

I'm glad you stayed in this thread and answered the questions as completely as respectfully as you have.

I have to admit that, although I considered myself a committed Christian, I rolled my eyes at your first post. And no, I would not consider wearing a jersey that labelled me a Christian. Why do I feel that way?

Well, I wouldn't want to wear a jersey like that because I would not want to solicit the reaction that you got from Cydewayse. Kudos to you for handling it well, by the way. But I would not want the first reaction to my faith to be a negative one.

For that reason, I do not walk around looking for ways to label myself. I look for ways to demonstrate my faith. I try to be polite, considerate, alert to the needs of others, etc. I also try hard (with varying degress of success) to live outside my WASP comfort zone, and take people as I find them. So when people get know me as a good person, I can discuss the importance of my faith in a less confrontational manner.

IMHO, faith is greater than a label. So calling myself a "Christian Cyclist" is off-putting, in my mind. Christianity and cycling are not related and trying to link them is forced and artificial, like asking about Gay Cyclists or Democrat Cyclists. What on earth does one have to do with the other? A cyclist is a person who likes to ride a bike. You can do that whatever other labels apply to you.

Labels are something that we throw on people to control them and diminish them. Faith is something freeing. It frees us from thinking of the world as something to overcome. Faith frees us from looking at people as 2 dimensional. Instead people and the world are things to be embraced and to work with. And faith has this power whether it is a faith in Budha, Allah or one's self. I have found in my wanderings, however, that the person of Jesus Christ is the most powerful guide I can ask for in my journeys.

I respect that you are looking for a means of witnessing the importance or your relationship with Christ. I certainly don't want to cast any aspertions about that! I did want to express how such things appear to others, including some other Christians.

Good luck and God bless,
Padraic

Padraic, thanks for the thoughtful reply. I appreciate your comments and respect your opinion, Obviously, it is critically important that my actions reflect my walk. That comes first for sure, I agree. As for much of the rest, I respectfully disagree.

I am not sure what to say about your issue with the label. It seems kind of silly to rant about that. The fact is I am a Christain and and enjoy cycling. Like my faith, it is something I am passionate about. In cycling apparelas with any kind of clothing, you can find all kinds of designs, some more wild than others. It is a way for each of us to show off our personalities just a little bit to the world. We do not separate our personalities from our activities. My faith is part of what makes me who I am, so finding a way to show it off is just natural to me. I am also kind of bold and straight-forward, so just putting a little fish symbol on my car was not enough for me.

I am sure there are people that are going to be offended by me wearing that jersey. I can accept that. Those are not really the people I am trying to reach. There are going to be people I meet out on the trail who may be at a crossroads in their lives. People that are looking for an answer to why life is so hard or whatever. Hopefully they will see that there is someone out there like them who has similar interests and is having fun with life, but maybe has discovered answers that they are still searching to find.

I am willing to bet you are not afraid of labeling yourself as a cyclist and proudly showing that off in whatever way you choose to do it. Why are you afraid to publicly label yourself as a follower of Christ?

I may offend some, but it seems to me that my methods are more in line with what Christ told his disciples to do than yours. This message is pretty clear throughout the New Testament. Check it out for yourself.

Thanks again for your comments.

Your Brother,
Chad

I'm still trying to figure out why this isn't in the classifieds section.

Actually, I DON'T label myself as a cyclist. I like to describe myself as "a guy who likes to ride a bike.

Why I dislike your tendency to use a label is two things.

First, you say you "feel sorry" for aetheists. IMHO, this only makes peope angry with Christians. I am uncomfortable pointing that out, but if you in fact do feel sorry for anyone saying so is usually a mistake. Sorry if that is more critical than critique

Second, labels can be hidden behind. I would never want to join a "Christian Cycling Club" because I don't believe it serves my call to ministry to withdraw from the world and associate only with Christians. To be fair, it sounds very much like you would eschew this also, but the initial title put that in mind. However, many Christians do just that. And frankly it stinks of elitism as does the feeling sorry for aetheists thing.

I point this out to help, if I can.

Finally, as someone pointed out, if you are charging $75 a pop for these jerseys, than this is an ad. Ads should be in the Classifieds section. IMHO, people who have the little fish on the backs of their cars should be careful to follow the traffic regs and this is a similar situation. If you are "witnessing" than you should do so while following the highest possible ethical standards.

God bless,
Padraic

well now, that's exactly why i don't put the fish on my car. I drive like an a**hole!

This is the classified section, in any event...just look at the 'cycling singles' ad up at the top of the page


i did run the Boston Marathon with a "Team Jesus" blazoned on my tank top.
sure it gave me a chance to witness.

also brought great joy to the gumbas lining the race route who gleefully shouted HEY, TEAM HAY--SOOSE!

and yes, that's funny. i dont think i thought it was all that funny back then.....i was wrapped pretty tight.

maybe i've grown out of doing stuff like this.
or maybe i was never saved in the first place.
oh no, i had better go back to the altar and get saved again.

hey just having a little fun.


besides...i'll focus on seeing my wifey and daughter into glory

__________________
Ride with Xfm London playing in the iPod, eat, drink, sleep, repeat.
Xfm radio 104.9 London
Pilkipedia--for all things Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington!

"IMHO, people who have the little fish on the backs of their cars should be careful to follow the traffic regs and this is a similar situation. If you are "witnessing" than you should do so while following the highest possible ethical standards."

The beauity of salvation is that we are all sinful by nature. The difference being the ability to recognize your sins and show the wilingness to change or, or at least try, to change.

The fact that Chad is not ashamed of showing his loyality to the Lord is testiment. Why shun a Christian cyclist for wearing a jersey that shows his/her faith and not the guy wearing the full team kit showing the loyality to his/her favorite team?

Thank Cod for HenryLaRoy. At least someone is making sense.

Just because there is no god I'm unable to comprehend the need to be a better person?

Why not? Aren't they worth it?

Vulnerable people?

__________________
www.wheelism.co.uk - Keeping it wheel, every single day.

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, January 18, 1896, Scientific American Magazine

I happened to venture in to this thread.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry after reading some of the posts here.

__________________
.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

Damn! I knew I was missing something!!!!! I need a jersey with a Mogen David on it!!!

__________________
"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing." Sir Edmund Burke

Christian and Jewish cyclists arrived at Judaism's holiest site on Thursday on a pilgrimage from the Vatican, in an unusual effort to understand each other's religion.

The 10 bikers pedaled onto the stone plaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, a remnant of the biblical Jewish Temple compound, after a three-week trip across Italy, Greece and Israel, starting at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican.

Ed Kessler, head of Cambridge University's Center for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations, talked about the rewards of such an undertaking.

"You come back at the end of a long day, you're tired, and you sit down looking at texts together and you talk about it as friends," Kessler said. "That's fundamental learning."

Among the 30 participants involved in various stages of the pilgrimage were a Polish student, a financial consultant, a Jewish mother and a college chaplain. The group has raised nearly $60,000 to support interfaith dialogue and understanding, organizers said.

Rabbi Arieh Banner, who helps supervise activities at the Western Wall, said it was the first time he saw people riding bikes into the plaza during his 17 years there, but he was glad to see the spirit of the international group "who have come in the name of faith and peace."

Claire Malone-Lee, 64, a cyclist and student of Jewish-Christian relations, said the group's discussions have challenged each other's preconceived ideas about religious texts or the prospects for peace in Israel.

"All you hear about is the complexity of the situation here, but really when you arrive, hopefulness is reinforced wherever you go," said Malone-Lee, who is from Cambridge, England.

The bikers were awarded special certificates and 'Israel loves you' buttons by the Tourism Ministry.

__________________
"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing." Sir Edmund Burke