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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder if posters on here would refer to Islam as "a load of old tosh"..

420 replies

OhdearNigel · 22/09/2011 16:33

...in the same way that they think it is acceptable to ridicule Christianity. If a poster had started a thread about considering joining a mosque I wonder how many people would be prepared to post that Muslims were a bunch of bigoted fools due to their religious belief on homosexuality ? Or that a Hindu's beliefs were, to quote " a load of old tosh" ? If you don't think that would be alright to post, it's not alright to post it about Christianity either.

OP posts:
Cocoflower · 22/09/2011 21:20

There are so many different "flavours" of religion though

People assume things and accuse people of things and get quite nasty

The issue is if you say "but I have another view on that stereotype" you do get the accusation of "cherry picking" as it seems critical thinking for oneself cannot possibly be compatiable with faith

worzelswife · 22/09/2011 21:21

Yes! Where are the Mormons with their magic underwear?

worzelswife · 22/09/2011 21:22

Boasting that is GENIUS.

Cocoflower · 22/09/2011 21:23

Boasting I think that is one of those posts that is burned into my brain forever now!

Crosshair · 22/09/2011 21:24

:o Boasting

ThePosieParker · 22/09/2011 21:25

Boasting that is now my FB status!! Grin

porcamiseria · 22/09/2011 21:26

yanbu
i dislike the way christian bashing is OK on here

Fatshionista · 22/09/2011 21:29

All religion is a load of old tosh and I'm prepared to state that to anyone who asks for an opinion.

SuchProspects · 22/09/2011 21:39

OP "I wouldn't tell an atheist that they were stupidly misguided and were going to burn in hell for eternity as they are entitled to believe what they like without me mocking that."

You might not but plenty of people, especially those high up in organized religions (e.g. Nicky Gumbel), do tell atheists and other non-believers this - and more tell everyone this about atheists and others. Many non-believers don't criticise believers, some do. It's hardly a playing field stacked against the dominant Christian orthodoxy.

TheBeast · 22/09/2011 21:42

@Riveninabingle

Well, yes, the shellfish thing is in the Old Testament and therefore Jewish per se but so is the homosexuality thing. The point is that a lot of (particularly fundamentalist) Christians selectively choose bits of the Old Testament to justify their bigotry while conveniently ignoring other bits. I suspect the same applies to some fundamentalist Muslims but don't know the Koran well enough to say this with any certainty.

I think that if you want to rely on the Old Testament but want to eat prawns you are obliged to tolerate homosexuality.

Crosshair · 22/09/2011 21:46

My christian friend couldnt seem to go a conversation without mentioning how 'I was going to burn in hell', needless to say we stopped talking, which is a shame in many ways.

MrGin · 22/09/2011 21:59

Meteorite. Part of being a Christian other than beliving salvation and the afterlife are only reached through accepting Jesus was a God is to spread the 'good news'. I can't think of many denominations, if any, who don't see it as their duty to do this.

Quakers perhaps. Amish I'm guessing.

Church of England ? Well they've had free reign in our schools and influence in our government for centuaries.

Catholics ? Ditto.

Evangelists ? Very agressive in trying to get into schools.

But yep it's a bit unavoidable not to tar with the same brush.

Cocoflower · 22/09/2011 22:07

Shall we tar all men with the same brush based on stereotype then?

MrGin · 22/09/2011 22:11

If you want to say we all have a penis, yes.

maighdlin · 22/09/2011 22:13

its all a load of shite about who has the biggest imaginary friend in the sky and mostly how to keep women down.

MrGin · 22/09/2011 22:15

You're missing the point Coco. Meteorite is saying I'm tarring with a brush in that she doesn't knock on doors. But spreading the word of your God is very much part of the Christian way.

And I think a lot of people object to that.

Cocoflower · 22/09/2011 22:15

Thats not a sterotype that's a biological fact

Cocoflower · 22/09/2011 22:18

Well I even I object to it! I had Jevohas witnesses around this morning... so annoying.

But you are almost assuming a lot if not all of Christians "spread the word" and in you own words "it's a bit unavoidable not to tar with the same brush" thus you are stereotyping

MrGin · 22/09/2011 22:19

Spreading the word of your God is part of being a Christian. It's what Jesus told you to do.

TheBeast · 22/09/2011 22:20

@Cocoflower

Are you saying you do not believe that the only way to get to heaven is to accept that Jesus is your saviour?

If not, what other ways are there to get to heaven? Can a non-Christian get to heaven? If you don't go to heaven what happens to you?

As the primary message of the New Testament (as I was taught and understood) was that the only way to get to heaven was to accept that Jesus is your saviour, I am seriously puzzled by people who profess to be Christians who don't believe it. I also thought that according to (Saint) Paul Christians had a duty to spread this "news".

pointythings · 22/09/2011 22:22

I suspect that 'spreading the good news' is not calculated by the number of people who actually took said 'good news' on board.

I have a colleague who is a fervent Pentecostalist Christian. her argument was that 'accepting Jesus as my saviour and following the Bible would cost me nothing'.

Actually, it would. To my mind, it would mean abandoning my free will, abandoning critical thinking in favour of unthinking acceptance. To me that would feel like abandoning my essential humanity. I feel that I have my brain for a reason - that is, to use it. And so when I come across a faith that tells me that homosexuality is sinful (that is to say, being homosexual is OK, as long as you don't actually have sex) then my intelligence and my conscience tell me that I cannot square this. What benevolent God would allow people to be homosexual (and please don't tell me that gays make a conscious choice re their sexual orientation) and then tell them 'I made you this way, but guess what? You can't enjoy the pleasures that heterosexuals enjoy, no matter how committed or monogomous you are, because I've declared it a sin.'?

This sort of thing is why I have chosen to refuse to believe in God, and this sort of thing is why I will never, ever take the Bible (or any other book) as a literal guide to my life. I would much prefer to trust my own moral compass and my belief in humanity. Accepting Jesus and following the Bible in that way would cost me my self-respect.

Cocoflower · 22/09/2011 22:24

Spreading the word does not mean you need to flog it door to door like some salesman though

Some people simply choose to spread the word by trying to live good life's as examples. Some never say a thing and it is deeply personal.

Each to their own.

Cocoflower · 22/09/2011 22:27

Jesus himself never actually spoke agaisnt homosexuals though pointy

Meteorite · 22/09/2011 22:30

MrGin, has it occurred to you that "spreading the good news" can be interpreted in different ways? It doesn't need to involve pestering people. Surely doing your best to love your neighbour is "spreading the good news" too, just in a quieter way.

MrGin · 22/09/2011 22:32

Indeed each to their own.

But again, if I declared publically that I believe there are little 2" high purple people running around my kitchen and I belive they are Gods , then I'd fully expect to be told I'm talking 'tosh' and be riddiculed.

just because your belief in a sky God is part of a religion doesn't in my mind exclude you from being told it's tosh. You're the one declaring your religion on a public forum, I don't see why you expect it to be respected so much. And I'd say the same to any faith.