There are many churches here in Columbia, MO. Some are old and some are new. I like the two below because of their old architecture.
Picture America – Churches
Category: Picture America
Picture America – The New Generation of the Amish
The Amish are a group of traditionalist Christian church fellowships. The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, and reluctance to adopt many conveniences of modern technology.
The first time I came aware of the Amish was from Harrison Ford’s movie Witness (1985). I didn’t watch the movie in 1985 but sometime in the 90s. In 2002, I saw them in person in Rolla, MO. Here in Columbia I see them very often, mainly shopping at Walmart.
American cities with small Muslim community don’t have Halal meat so some Muslims prefer to buy a lamb from the Amish and slaughter it, while in the farm, according to the Islamic tradition.
Recently, some Amish started adopting some technologies in their daily life. Below, are three teenagers at a strip mall, a place they usually not seen at. In the picture, one of the girls is texting on her mobile phone.
Picture America – No Weapons Sign
When I came to the US and saw the no firearms or weapons signs I didn’t understand their purpose. I thought these signs will not deter thieves from robbing a bank or a store. Then after a couple of years living here I thought they might have a legal reason to use in court but not as a preemptive measure. But then after learning more about the American culture it seems there is another reason. These signs are not posted to warn criminals they are also to warn civilians not to bring their firearms inside. When you live in the USA enough you will learn that Americans really, really love their weapons.
So, why Americans love weapons? There are three main reasons:
- Continuity — Compared to the existence of any country, the USA is relatively a new country. Historically, when only Indians inhabited the land and before there was a civil law, European immigrants used to claim a big land to be their own. Firearms were necessary to protect their property. After the inception of the civil law, these firearms remain important because the USA is a vast country where many people used to live outside of city juristic.
- Freedom — Americans pride themselves of being free. They consider owning weapons (not just a firearm) a form of practicing their right as stated in the constitution. Some believe these weapons are very important for the civilians so they can protect themselves once the government gone wrong. They don’t want to let what happened to their ancestors in Europe happen to them.
- Protection — For some Americans protecting one’s family and property remains an issue even after 400 years, when the first European settled in America. There are many reasons why this is still an issue. Among these reasons are fears of people who can easily obtain an unregistered firearm and maybe the fear of the new immigrants taking over the country which also might be related to the race issue still existing.
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