Things People Might Misunderstand...

[Haibane Shadsie]

Face it. Everyone is, on some level, misunderstood.

I've been thinking of starting this topic for a while. There are a number of things about me that I think a great many people would misunderstand, especially in the Christian community.

I rememember one time, when out in the desert gathering certain art supplies, thinking about a particular form of art that I do. Many people misunderstand it, many people like it, and think it's really cool...

If you've been to my Higher Rhlem site, you've probably seen it - I enjoy painting animal bones. I got my idea from seeing painted cow skulls in art galleries and fairs out here where I live. However, I take my bone painting to extremes.

I paint not just cow skulls, but the creepy skulls of calves, of coyotes, javelina... whatever I can find. I also like painting shoulderblades and jawbones (of cattle, mainly, sometimes of elk or deer if I happen to find them). I've even fashioned a few of my bone art pieces into candle holders. (Two creepy calf skulls made so that when you light the candle, you can see the light shining through the eye sockets, and one piece I made with a small canine pelivs).

Anyway... this thought struck me when gathering bones out in the desert and has stayed with me ever since: I wonder if people who saw my work but didn't know my religious convictions would think that I was a satanists or a voodoo priestess or something?

I mean... bones... I like them. Most people find them creepy. It's part of why I like them. But... you know, I'm a Christian. I think some people would look at some of my bone art and automatically assume that I was something other than Christian, just because, in popular thought, Christians aren't "supposed" to be creepy or morbid in any way.

- though I once knew a Bhuddist/Wiccan lady who told me that she thought that Christians wearing crosses was morbid. (The cross being the symbol of our Lord's death).

Anyway...


Also... the stories I write. I write fantasy and science fiction. I also write fanfiction for anime. My stories have a great variety of styles... though I'm rather known for writing dramatic/creepy. I tend to like having something creepy happen in my stories, someting like a detailed, gorey description of wounds suffered in a battle, a nasty death scene, or sometimes, I write a story that has an overall creepy feeling to it. I think people who read my work might mistake me for a heartless or creepy person, or even for a violent person, when I am completely non-violent in life. I just love to describe things and tend to relish describing gore for some reason.

Some of the movies and tv I like might fall into the misunderstood category, too. I'm not into horror or anything... but I do like to watch the occasional "serial killer thriller" with my mom... (She's into all those shows like Law and Order and CSI and all that. I've watched those with her, too). One of my favorite movies of all time is "Seven". - I tell anyone who hasn't seen it... that is one CREEPY movie. I like it because it was intelligently done and made me think.... it also sent delightful scary shudders up my spine, and does whenever I see it. I also really, really love "The X-Files". I was a fan from the first airing of the pilot. I, like many, was dissapointed in the last seaons of the show, but, I was a longtime fan, and I still love reruns.

I know that I'm by no means a goth, but I like certain "gothic" things... creepy things, anyway. I just wonder if it makes me really misunderstood, particularly by fellow Christians.

[Needle Noggin]

Eh...Bones are just bones to me...Dead things you know?People misunderstand me all the time!I like when I am acting normal they think I am trying to be funny.I have grow quite accustomed to it though...I guess that kind of a bad thing.

[DrNic]

You sound like you have a pretty kool life! Plus I like the sound of painting bones...its just so...original and kool sounding. But seriously, you think people think YOU'RE wierd. I like:

Horror movies
Heavy metal
Collecting knives and other small weapons like bayonettes and brassknuckles (I don't use them though )
Dark Clothing
Long hair

I'm not a goth. But I'm pretty sure some people think I am.

Don't worry about what other people think. Just remember: THEY DON'T KNOW YOU! Only you know yourself and if other people laugh then they got a problem that they need to deal with. Just my two cents there...

Lol, I should send a picture of myself sometime. The feedback would be amusing...

[Mave]

There is something that I haven't really shared much, lest that everyone misunderstands me. I'm risking my reputation here but oh well...out with it.

I admire the female figure a lot. In high school, I used to stare at my female teacher coz she's got a great figure. My friend asked me what I was doing, I said, "I think Mrs. ____'s calves are very well-shaped and she's got a great waist."

She gave me this weird look and that was the last time I opened my mouth. Ppl didn't understand that I appreciated it from an art point of view. It's as if, it's only OK if MEN appreciate the female body (even if it's not in holy terms). Some may have thought I was a lesbian or I was some twisted male-in-a-female body pervert. I may have had some sexual struggles in the past but this is different. I'm innocent so I'm not going to even bother defending myself.

[ShiroiHikari]

I don't have a prob with bones. They're just bones ^^; From what I've seen, I don't think you're morbid in a bad way or anything ^_^v

[cbwing0]

I can see some areas in my own life that people might misunderstand, assuming they also knew that I was a Christian.

For one thing, I collect humorous, insulting, or disturbing t-shirts. If someone saw me wearing them, they might be offended, and think that I wasn't a Christian.

Other than that, some of the conversations my friends and I have over dinner are not exactly up to Christian standards.

Do I think this is something to be celebrated? No. We should seek to be different from the world, and our lives should show the we are Christians: "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God--even as I try to pease everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved" (1 Corinthians 10:31-33).

It is difficult for most of us, who come from individualistic cultures, to accept the fact that it may be necessary to give up some of our freedom for the good of others; but this is what we are told to do.

though I once knew a Bhuddist/Wiccan lady who told me that she thought that Christians wearing crosses was morbid. (The cross being the symbol of our Lord's death).

Actually it is a symbol of our Lord's resurrection, since the cross is generally displayed without Him hanging on it. As for those that are otherwise, I suppose they would be a symbol of His death, but even then, it could also be a symbol of the atonement for sins and God's grace.

[Ashley]

Oh, this was a great misconception in high school:
Year younger than class + good grades = child prodigy

People, I am not a freak of nature. And furthermore, I won't do ANYONE's homework.

But my personal favorite (at least on site anyway) has to be Texan = cowgirl

[Bobtheduck]

Oh... There's also a less ubiquitous one that says "Californian = Surfer"

I fear all manner of sports... I'm deathly affraid of the ocean... I can't even SKATEBOARD let alone trust the WATER to hold me up! I am very far from being a surfer.

[Aka-chan]

There is something that I haven't really shared much, lest that everyone misunderstands me. I'm risking my reputation here but oh well...out with it.

I admire the female figure a lot. In high school, I used to stare at my female teacher coz she's got a great figure. My friend asked me what I was doing, I said, "I think Mrs. ____'s calves are very well-shaped and she's got a great waist."

She gave me this weird look and that was the last time I opened my mouth. Ppl didn't understand that I appreciated it from an art point of view. It's as if, it's only OK if MEN appreciate the female body (even if it's not in holy terms). Some may have thought I was a lesbian or I was some twisted male-in-a-female body pervert. I may have had some sexual struggles in the past but this is different. I'm innocent so I'm not going to even bother defending myself.

I totally understand what you mean. It's just that everything in this world seems so twisted, people don't believe in innocence anymore, even if it's right in front of them. And it's from an artistic view, too, though, unfortunately, people don't seem to be willing to buy that much anymore, especially not in high school. I mean, God created the human form -- male and female -- I don't think there's anything wrong with appreciating the miracle of creation in it.

Also, sometimes I just say things that are totally innocent, but they get misconstrued. -_-

Oh, and Hawaii resident = you live in a grass shack on the beach or in some tropical nowhere and do the hula all day or go fishing in canoes.

[TheMelodyMaker]

I often find myself having to repeat myself when speaking to people because I haven't spoken up/clearly enough for them to hear/understand me. (And here I thought that that's what this thread was about when I read the title... ^_^; )

[kirakira]

If you wear a plaid uniform - you're a fantastically rich snob, who is not only gorgeous, but incredibly smart as well.

>.<

*lol* Ok, well, I really like weapons. Knives, swords, guns, explosives-that kinda thing. People who see me doodling knives, or looking through gun magazines often seem to think that I'm dangerous and should be actively avoided. ^_^;

[Locke]

i really like the bone art, especialy the bovine shoulder blade with the bull real kool

i do the opposite melody maker does, i cant really hear people when they speak

[shooraijin]

Oh... There's also a less ubiquitous one that says "Californian = Surfer"

Dude, that's like so gnarly, bro. Hang ten?

Misconceptions and stereotypes about being geeky strike home in a big way, since I identify myself as pretty geeky. I'm proud of it, though.

[The Grammarian]

[quote="kirakira"]*lol* Ok, well, I really like weapons. Knives, swords, guns, explosives-that kinda thing. People who see me doodling knives, or looking through gun magazines often seem to think that I'm dangerous and should be actively avoided. ^_^]

I feel your pain, kira. Since I'm so obsessed with military hardware of any stripe, people often look at me like I'm a sociopath. Maybe that's part of the reason I like Full Metal Panic! so much: because I can sort of empathize with Sosuke.

[Spirit_Wolf8356]

I've got the same weapon thing you have, Kira. ^_^

I havea few things, actually, that most people don't understand about me.

One: I've always wondered what it would feel like to be shot. How bad would it hurt? Would it hurt right away or would it be a delayed pain? Would the pain come on gradually or all at once?

Two: I've wondered what it would be like to die slowly. Would you sort of fade until you can't feel anything or would it hurt all the way til the end? What would it feel like, if it felt like anything at all?

Three: To be hit by a car. Also only to know what it would feel like.

Four: My notebook. This one is especially difficult for people. My notebook is my most prized posession, with the exception of my Bible. It is the only thing in my house I consider irreplacable. I have it with me almost religiously. It goes everywhere with me. Why is it so important to me, you might be wondering by now. My notebook is my heart. My mind is what people see, God is my everything, my soul is what people don't see, and my notebook is my heart. It holds all of my secrets, pains, sorrows, joys and vairous musings, rants, and dreams. I can never get back the things I have put in there. If anything were to happen to my notebook, I would die. Maybe not literally, but close to it. I don't let anyone see inside, and even when other people touch it, I stay on high alert for any threat to the contents. Does anyone get what I mean by this?

[Technomancer]

If you wear a plaid uniform - you're a fantastically rich snob, who is not only gorgeous, but incredibly smart as well.

Given the ubiquity of Catholic schools here in Ontario, that's not a perception that I've ever run into.

[JediSonic]

SpiritWorf, I would advise making.... I dunno, some kind of backup of that thing if its really that important to you Do you have a scanner?

Anyway, I dunno... I guess people can just think of me as the computer nerd with the skateboard

[Fsiphskilm]

So i went to a

[Fsiphskilm]

[quote="Haib

[EireWolf]

Shadsie, I don't think you're weird at all for painting bones. Sounds like something I would do, in fact... if I had access to that many bones. ^_^

There is something that I haven't really shared much, lest that everyone misunderstands me. I'm risking my reputation here but oh well...out with it.

I admire the female figure a lot.

Hey, I can relate to that. I'm taking a Life Drawing class right now, and the women are much more fun to draw than the men. (No offense, guys.) So... yeah, a few people have thought it weird that I am taking (and enjoying!) a class where we learn to draw nudes. But most of my Christian friends are pretty open-minded anyway. They know I'm an artist, and artists are weird in general, right?

Another thing that some fellow Christians might find strange is my chosen genre. I love to do fantasy art-- dragons, fairies, etc.. They might wonder when I'm going to decide to actually glorify God with my art... but I already do, I think. You don't have to sculpt or draw something religious in order to glorify God. The very act of creating, and caring about good craftsmanship, is glorifying to God in my opinion. (Of course, there are some art pieces that do not glorify anything but shock value, but that's a different story.)

An older gentleman in my sculpture class who is also a Christian told me something interesting, that got me thinking about this. He said, "I admire your freedom." When I asked what he meant, he told me that he liked the fantasy genre before he became a Christian, but afterwards he felt he shouldn't anymore... not because of personal conviction, but because I guess the church tends to look down on that kind of thing. But he admires that I don't worry about that, and I just do my thing. That got me thinking, and I went back to him a few minutes later and said, "It is for freedom that Christ set us free."

The Bible doesn't say it's wrong (please don't let's start a "graven images" debate), and the Holy Spirit doesn't tell me it's wrong. Therefore I'm not going to put false guilt on myself. My sculpture may take a different turn in the future if the Lord leads me a different way, but for now I'll do what I do.

[Fsiphskilm]

Another

[SwordSkill]

i don't think i've been misunderstood. either that or i'm just plain dense, which is very likely.

anyway, it's natural that people would misunderstand people. it's what we humans do - we make mistakes. so don't give yourself so much grief about it. ^^

[Spirit_Wolf8356]

Unfortunately, Jedi, a scanner is lacking in my house, and I wouldn't use it anyway. My dad tends to snoop at the stuff on our computer, and I'd really rather not have him getting into that. ^_^

People misunderstand that yes, I do enjoy talking to myself and I don't find it weird at all. What do you think? No, not weird. It's only weird when someone asks 'Wereyou talking to me?' To which I promptly respond, 'If you wanted me to be then sure!'

[skynes]

Some things ppl misunderstand me on.

1. Heavy Metal. It makes up 75% of my music. Does this make me a satanist or something? ehh... No. My music is 95% christian inlcluding all my metal bands.

2. I focus more on the darker aspects of Christianity. You're first thought would be WHAT!? Darker Aspects!? Who is this guy? Christianity doesn't have DARK aspects its all about love and truth. This guy CANT be a Christian with an attitude like THAT!

Let me explain myself:

This world sucks, it is sin filled and disgusting, it is a fallen state of the perfect world it once was.
All humans are sinners, we all deserve destruction and damnation.
NOONE can keep the Law. (Cept Jesus)
Ultimately all mankind will die. We gotta choose who's side we're on before then.

Thats what I mean by darker aspects... The stuff generally 'left out' of the modern day Gospel.

3. I'm not against war and violence. I do believe there will be a time when wars and violence is necessary. the Bible is riddled with it, fair enough most of it was either done by God or commanded to be done by God but it still shows that their IS a time when it's needed.
"Do not think I came to bring peace on earth, I did not come to bring peace but a sword" - Jesus.

4. I like fantasy stuff. I've heard some ppl say before that the word fantasy itself is satanic and Christians should 100% avoid it and hate it.

I'm like ehhh.... No. Fantasy is a term given to written/art/graphical pieces of a specific genre. It can be used to glorify God or curse God the same way anything else can.

To me fantasy is another word for Fiction. It's a story that isn't either modern day or sci-fi.

[TwilightKissC3]

Spirit Wolf~ maybe you can use my scanar then we can delete it right away off the hard drive and you'd be safe(or you could type everything but that would take centuries, lol)

People misunderstand how i can be positive all of the time. I like to smile and laugh at whatever i want and enjoy life. but most people dont get it and think i'm weird('cept my friends in the possie of course, )

I'm also deep into fantasy and magic i think it's cool it fansinates me but most people i know who are christians as well think it wong and i shouldnt like it but if you dont base faith on/in it then why is it wrong.

but just because one is missunderstood doesnt mean that they are wrong.

[skynes]

^ That pic of yours is cool.

[Shinja]

im a conspiracy theorist, nuf said.

[Link Antilles]

People from South Carolina = Uneducated Rednecks that believe the South will rise again.


Ok, the Public Education System in South Carolina is lower than that of a third-world country…. which is under the rule of a communist dictator. That doesn’t mean we all are mildly retarded or slow in the head. It’s just the State lacks the general funding and determination….It’s a still a nice state… the people are real nice and the country side is beautiful. Great place to retire…. not a place to look for a job. Anyways, we’re not all rednecks… just average Americans trapped here….

[chibi_chan]

my fear of animal heads. it's a strange fear and i don't know how i got it

[SwordSkill]

Ok, the Public Education System in South Carolina is lower than that of a third-world country…. which is under the rule of a communist dictator.

well, that's a relief. glad we're not considered to be at the bottommost part of the education barrel yet.

just kidding, man, just kidding. don't get your x-wings crossed on my account. (sorry, i really couldn't help it since this one strikes quite close to home XD...thankfully the communists haven't taken over yet)