I’m not Christian and I don’t like the religion much at all but I don’t go around knocking it every chance I get but if I got preached to I would be a little blunt. How would I fare in this part in America? What would happen if I wore a necklace of another religion’s symbol (i.e. not a cross)? I’ve just heard rumours about this part of the world and want to hear what some Americans might say to this.
I lived in Oklahoma for a year in a small town (population roughly 20,000). I was a pagan when I lived there, and I often wore a pentacle necklace. Some people asked me about it, but in all, I wasn’t treated that badly. There were no burning crosses left in my front yard or anything like that. I got along with my neighbors, though I’m sure they wondered about the suspicious smells coming from my apartment (I lived in a quad-plex type thing). I got along with most of my coworkers, who knew about my faith, and was even invited many times to hang out with them after work, or to a club on the weekends.
One of my managers was gay, and he was treated a lot worse than I was. But, after a couple weeks, most everyone followed me in accepting him. He lived with his boyfriend, even, and several of us got to where we’d go to their house after work for beer and movies. It was fine.
I think it all depends on a person’s attitude and exactly where they’re living in the "Bible Belt." Some places are more tolerant than others. The place I lived was pretty tolerant, though I did get strange looks every now and then.