What crazy logic from a Priest Karens. You should ask him if the Priest who is an active pedophile is a good person and Catholic.

Such hypocracy in the Church.

So this has become a discussion ofwhether churches are friendly? Yes, we have a passing of the peace which is a brief time of greeting and of some value as I seek out strangers. But "my" church is found in study group friends, not in a formal service. Too bad some have experience "negative church" or a feeling of being condemned.

Getting back to the point, however, I said on 12/11 that this whole thing about friendly states is silly, and as some have intimated, it is a state of mind not a location. So often we gauge friendliness by whether someone shakes your hand with a hearty howdy. I would say that a better measure is who stands by you in pain rather than gushes over you. That includes the stranger who comes to your rescue more than whether someone speaks to you in church.

ozarksbill

beachbum, I will show incredible restraint here and just answer your question by saying: No, I did NOT give them $3,000!!!

Didn't mean to get your blood boiling, karen. I was pretty sure I knew the answer to my question. And thank God, you did the right thing.

I've run into friendly people everywhere, but a larger % of them being in the south and midwest. But I'm always surprised by the friendliness that I generally encounter. Most people do seem to want to help etc.

I agree with rb, the "friendlier state" is your state of mind. I haven't lived in outside of California, so I'm not an expert but I like people. Here what I think.

People have different ways of going about being friendly. It seems like Texans like to talk. It would take me a half an hour to run into to pay for gas. They start out, "That'll be 20 dollars, btw, where ya'll from?...." Pretty soon your petting there dog and meeting the family.

Hawiians are nice, but they seem to get a little testy if people are in a hurry.

On the other hand New Yorkers are friendly in a busy way. Just don't slow them down. I asked one guy for directions to a museum he not only gave them to me but told me not to go any night but the free one, I'd be nuts to pay and where to eat while I'm over there. All in about 30 secs. Who could argue?

Mid westerners seem more community minded. I suppose if you live in a place where you could be snowed in all winter, helpful people are cherished.

City people are just busy, they are constantly reading people and sorting them good bad indifferent. It's the nature of living with lots of people, you tend to create a tribe within the mulitudes and stick with them.

Californians have a bad rap for being unfriendly on the road but I don't think it's true. People always wave/ smile or flash a peace sign when someone lets us in traffic. Or give the universal sign for "I'm an idoit, sorry" if you do something silly. It's not a problem but I've heard people say, "they cut right in front of me and didn't even acknoweledge it!"

If people aren't friendly in a place maybe it's b/c the visitor is reading them with their own notions of friendliness.

Hi,

Mississippi. We have lived here for 10 years and the people could not be more friendly.

We had a flat tire, in the middle of no where ..... according to road side assistance ..... by the time we were out of our car 2 different people had stopped to help.

These wonderful people would not take any money for their help "its not done here". Even guided us to the closest tire dealer.

It is not just this that gets my vote for Mississippi. Have you ever tried to get a parking spot at Publix's in Florida????

Karin ...... all I want now is a drive thru post office as we have had 6 inches of rain and I do need to post a package.