Bumper sticker: What message is this sending?

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The discussion centers around the interpretation of a bumper sticker featuring a fish symbol, often associated with religious beliefs, particularly Christianity. Participants debate whether the sticker indicates the owner's religious affiliation or if it simply reflects their passion for scuba diving. Many contributors suggest that the design is humorous and may not carry any religious significance for the owner, as it could be perceived as a trendy or playful representation rather than a serious statement. Some express that the proliferation of variations on the fish symbol has diluted its original meaning, leading to confusion about the intent behind such symbols. The conversation highlights differing perspectives based on personal experiences and cultural contexts, with some asserting that people often draw conclusions about others based on symbols displayed publicly. Overall, the thread illustrates the complexities of interpreting symbols in contemporary society, especially when they intersect with personal beliefs and hobbies.

Is the owner a Christian? or mocking it?

  • The owner is religious.

    Votes: 7 19.4%

  • The owner is mocking religion.

    Votes: 10 27.8%

  • None of the above.

    Votes: 19 52.8%
  • Total voters
    36
  • #31
DaveC426913 said:
Thank you for your candid responses.

Not only did I not get the answers I expected, but apparently I have been under a misapprehension about the message for quite some time.

You see, it's on the back of my vehicle. Has been for more'n a year.

I am a scuba diver and I am a Darwinist.

Up until just the other day, I'd assumed that was obvious to anyone behind me on the road.
People have different experiences and therefore different contexts.

Some people may see a resemblance to a religious symbol and think either that one is religious as well as a scuba diver, or one finds scuba diving as meaningful as one's religion, while other's may think one is mocking a particular religion, and still others may just see that one is passionate about scuba diving without any religious connotation whatsoever.
 
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  • #32
Rarrrghhh!

http://www.churchhopping.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/fsm.jpg

:smile: I like that one. A little more obvious.
 
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  • #33
Astronuc said:
People have different experiences and therefore different contexts.

Indeed. The problem with any message is the darned receivers, they never get it right! One of my teachers used to say: "I know what I teach but I don't know what they learn."
 
  • #34
I think part of it is that any meaning of the fish has been diluted by the proliferation of these variants of it. It was pretty clear when the only two you'd see on cars were the original fish that symbolized religion (though, to me it's usually more a warning of a slow driver...the two seem to go hand in hand for some reason), and the one with Darwin in it or feet on it that was mocking the religion and Creationist beliefs. But, now I see all sorts of variations that make it impossible for me to know what someone is intending, or if they intend anything at all...I see more of the "joke" fish than the real ones, so it's hard to know if anyone displaying those has a clue how those originated. I really think it has become more of a fad than anything else now.

One that I saw that left me entirely unsure of the interpretation was a car that had a big fish with a trail of little fish behind it. Was that someone who was very religious with a large family diplaying little fish to represent each of their children (this was on a minivan), or was it someone who was joking about those fish symbols and trying to be funny?

Or, there was one that was a fish dangling from a fishing line...avid fisherman, or anti-religious, or both? It's impossible to tell anymore.
 
  • #35
I sort of figure anyone who puts a variation of the Jesus fish on their car is more or less mocking it.
 
  • #36
DaveC426913 said:
I sort of figure anyone who puts a variation of the Jesus fish on their car is more or less mocking it.

Oh, you WANTED to mock, you irreverent pagan. Well maybe if the fish stuck a finger out...
 
  • #37
out of whack said:
Oh, you WANTED to mock, you irreverent pagan. Well maybe if the fish stuck a finger out...

So what have you got against irreverent pagans?
 
  • #38
Integral said:
So what have you got against irreverent pagans?

It was an endorsement. :approve:
 
  • #39
DaveC426913 said:
I sort of figure anyone who puts a variation of the Jesus fish on their car is more or less mocking it.

That is what I have always thought too.
 
  • #40
I didn't realize there was a fish war until this thread. Obviously hasn't caught on in Europe yet.

Entrepreneurs take note. :wink:
 
  • #41
DaveC426913 said:
I sort of figure anyone who puts a variation of the Jesus fish on their car is more or less mocking it.

I used to think that, but I've had enough people ask me why people have fish on their cars to believe there are a lot of people just following what they think is a fad of funny fish without realizing there's any deeper meaning.
 
  • #42
Moonbear said:
I used to think that, but I've had enough people ask me why people have fish on their cars to believe there are a lot of people just following what they think is a fad of funny fish without realizing there's any deeper meaning.
I find that hard to believe. Perhaps I overestimate my fellow man.
 
  • #43
DaveC426913 said:
I find that hard to believe. Perhaps I overestimate my fellow man.

I think it depends on where you live and what age you are. People my age and older mostly know what the fish means. Likewise, if you live in an area where there are a lot of very devout Christians (i.e., the deep south), people generally know what they mean. In a university town, there are so many more of the "joke" fish than religious fish, and enough immigrants from places where Christianity isn't such a big deal, plus enough younger people who aren't very savvy about religious symbolism, that they really don't realize there's something more to it than a whole series of funny fish.
 
  • #44
Kurdt said:
Rarrrghhh!

http://www.churchhopping.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/fsm.jpg

:smile: I like that one. A little more obvious.

Finite State Machine ... ooh I just had exam on that stuff and a lot more

I don't get the fish. I thought it was a circle until someone said fish.
 
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  • #45
I think that it was more humor, more than endorsing or mocking Christianity. No one has yet noticed the biggest part of the humor:

ΙΧΘΥΣ is the ancient Greek word, for fish, but it is also the acronym for (transliterated) "Iesus Christos Theos Umon Soter" which means "Jesus Christ God our Savior." This is why the original symbol for Christianity was the fish. The cross didn't come in until later.

Similarly SCUBA is the acronym for "Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus." The image is of a person acting like a fish with a tank on its back. I think overall its just a well-evolved pun.

So was that.
 

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