Thought this was at least an interesting read. Higher Ground got this email today:

I saw a jeep today with stickers all over it featuring your website,
and I thought I'd write you.

You may find this hard to believe, but I find the name of your site
offensive. "Wh-what?", you say... "How can www.higherground4x4.com be
offensive! You're crazy!!"

It's like this:

Higher ground, in the sense in which you present the double entendre,
is intended to work on several levels. One, as an off-road play, that
higher ground is a physical plce your 4x4's can reach in times of
trouble. That's certainly not offensive, it's the Christian play on
the phrase that's offensive.

When you say higher ground in a Christian sense, you're making two
plays on the phrase. One, that Christianity helps you achieve higher
ground spiritually to be safe from the machinations of the world.
Second, that as a Christian, you possess a moral superiority to non-
Christians, a "higher ground" where you look down upon the poor, sad
people that don't know the Lord.

As a former Christian, I had my fill of that attitude in the church
and am now pretty sensitive to it (mainly because I was beaten with it
repeatedly).

Look, I get it. Your organization is just about getting Christians
together who share a love of four wheeling. Right. You think I'm a
politically correct Atheist who has nothing better to do than fire off
emails that won't even be read. Could be. But I just wanted to say,
just because you choose to believe in an Invisible Sky Father who
occasionally grants small wishes (except for cancer healing), doesn't
make you superior to me. And because I choose to believe that picking
which minute brand of Christianity (or Judaism or Muslim faith or
Mormonism or Hindu, etc.) will be the right door into Heaven is
empirically impossible, doesn't make me superior to you.

Bottom line, your name is offensive to others whether you think it is
or not. I'm guessing, though, as a Christian, you couldn't care less,
right? I'm going to Hell, and who cares if I find it offensive? Well,
I hear Christians griping all the time about what they find offensive,
so I thought I'd return the favor.

How about if I chose a name like, www. highergrounddarwinwasright.com
for my 4x4/Evolution Appreciation Society, or
www. highergroundchristiansarestupidandsuperstitious.com
for my 4x4's for Atheism group? No problem? It's all good?

Maybe you could start up a sister site,
www. christiansrockandeveryoneelsesucksco..., well, you get my drift.

Just sayin'.

Best,
Allan N

Of all the bumper stickers out there to take on for offensive value :eyeroll::P
Feel free to add your helpful responses/views or what you think HigherGround means here, maybe they'll be read.

wow... some people have to much free time.

I was thinking about this a little more. I think the guy should start his own site. Why not? That is what is great about America. Don't like something then do something about it.

WOW, X2 on the free time. I wonder whos jeep he seen? Guess people do look and read our stickers.

I was just glad they weren't complaining about an action of a HG badged vehicle :lol:

A piece of one of your Jeeps came off and...
Your Jesus Musik was turned up to loud...
Your exhaust was too loud...
Your caravan cut me off...
Why'd you lift an Xterra...

Bob's right, and everyone already has. I go into old man mode when I see the F word big as day tattoo'd on a car.
Know who likes bumper stickers besides full-size van driving Christians? Witches. Man, they'll pepper their rear with all kinds of stuff.

Yay publicity.

If you don't have an offensive sticker yet: http://www.higherground4x4.com/forums/payments.php or email me (I hold the copyright ;) )

Someone needs to look up the psychological term, transference. I can only speak in vowels with all those words shoved in my mouth. 8|I wonder if he's offended by Stevie Wonder... that arrogant bastard singing about his morally superior higher ground:eyeroll:

WOW.. that e-mail makes me want to put a HG windshield banner on my jeep.. lol geez.

I think we should change our name to New Direction... now that's offensive:lol:

lol... that'd get the e-mails rolling in.

Wow! I hope Al feels better now that it's out in the open. Reply and ask if He wants to go wheeling sometime. Nothing heals like the AZ trails...:eyeroll:

Cecil wrote:Wow! I hope Al feels better now that it's out in the open. Reply and ask if He wants to go wheeling sometime. Nothing heals like the AZ trails...:eyeroll:

Is this "kill em with kindness"? If so i agree in this instance.

Yep. Is He truly offended, or is He secretly hoping to tag along on a trail ride? Some people reach out in interesting ways. I have a spare seat....:cool)

I, too, have a spare seat (three of them, in most occasions) and he can ride with me. I'm glad, however, that as a group, we still love him. God does, so all we can really do it pray and love him back (unless he has cancer, as he pointed out...). Personally, I liked his e-mail. I thought it was funny, well written, and something I would have sent 15 years ago. }:) It does remind us that people are watching and our lives are our witness.

Back on point: see if he wants to go wheelin.

Official HG response email:

Hello Allan,

Thank you for the email. Instead of speaking for all of Higher Ground, I figured I'd post your questions up in our forum and see what others had to say. This could have been a disastrous decision as not everyone who frequents our site/club is as well written as you. I don’t want to use the word brash, but you understand.

More than anything else it seemed that most of our members were interested in which vehicle of theirs got the rep points for being spotted, and were excited to go “wheeling” with you after you got one of your mentioned clubs up and running.

I am sorry though to hear Christianity was distorted for you in church. I understand how humanity can so perverse the personal relationship God wants with each of us. As a Christian and knowing what and who the definition of perfect is, maybe it is better said that even though we may be doomed to fail, we strive for Higher Ground in our daily pursuits; that given the free choice, we would hope to find ourselves there above the temptations and sorrows of this Earthly ground.

On a lighter note, I was happy your email was one of discourse and not complaint against someone’s particular driving habits. Stickers, like people, can’t always well represent the significance behind what drives them.

Michael
HigherGround4x4.com

Very nicely written reply, Michael!

I read the email this morning but didn't have time to respond to this thread, so I've been thinking about it off and on all day. And the thing I keep coming back to is feeling sorry for Allen, because his image of Christianity and Christians was so badly destroyed and distorted.

The reason I am empathetic to this man is because I so easily could have taken the same (perhaps not quite to vehemently) path. I was treated piously by members of ‘my church’ after my attendance became spotty during the construction of our home. At first I was bitter about it, and distanced myself further from my fellowship with them. And then I found irony in it all; that I had learned better the lessons of Our Father than my own Minister and the person who had baptized me!

Through my pain in reaction to their piousness, I reminded myself, ‘I won’t try to pick their splinters until I get this log from beneath my own skin’. Ultimately, I came up with, ‘Going to Church makes you a Christian as much as standing in a garage makes you a car’. And I realized that there are people everywhere with varying ideas of what they interpret Christianity to be, and God Love ‘Em, none is perfect.

So, I came away with a healthy attitude and a good perspective, and I feel sorry for Allen that he came away with bitterness and hatred. Luckily for him, Jesus loves him anyways.

d

Number 7 wrote:Very nicely written reply, Michael!

I read the email this morning but didn't have time to respond to this thread, so I've been thinking about it off and on all day. And the thing I keep coming back to is feeling sorry for Allen, because his image of Christianity and Christians was so badly destroyed and distorted.

The reason I am empathetic to this man is because I so easily could have taken the same (perhaps not quite to vehemently) path. I was treated piously by members of ‘my church’ after my attendance became spotty during the construction of our home. At first I was bitter about it, and distanced myself further from my fellowship with them. And then I found irony in it all; that I had learned better the lessons of Our Father than my own Minister and the person who had baptized me!

Through my pain in reaction to their piousness, I reminded myself, ‘I won’t try to pick their splinters until I get this log from beneath my own skin’. Ultimately, I came up with, ‘Going to Church makes you a Christian as much as standing in a garage makes you a car’. And I realized that there are people everywhere with varying ideas of what they interpret Christianity to be, and God Love ‘Em, none is perfect.

So, I came away with a healthy attitude and a good perspective, and I feel sorry for Allen that he came away with bitterness and hatred. Luckily for him, Jesus loves him anyways.

d

Very well put, I to had the same thing happen to be a little over a year ago.. I however was bitter for a long time.. and just recently have overcome that. I relate with that he's saying, and it sucks that Christians today can be so messed up in the head and drive so many people away from their relationship with God and not even know it. What we all must remember is, rather you do or do not attend a church, or rather the church is filled with 4 people or 4000 people God only cares about the relationship you keep with him. That, is what Christianity is about.

I find myself closer to Him when I'm camping and exploring in some remote area than I ever did inside a church or chapel.

d

Agreed^^^ Gets you away from all the wordly distractions and it's easier to just focus on the beauty of what he gave us :)

Cant wait to read his response..