Its perfectly acceptable to be rude to religous people...

[startrek90]

Definately going to get flamed here but oh well.

I get the feeling that this is perfectly acceptable to be rude about religous people. From reading the threads on this forum, and my experiences in RL, the amount of rudeness and sometimes plain nastiness is awful.

I am religous. I don't care if people are not, if they go to church or how they live their own lives or raise their children. As far as I am concerned as long as you obey the law, do what you want.

So far I have seen people imply that all religous people are closing their childrens mind, are ignorant, bigots.... its horrible!

I don't deny that there are people who are that way and use religion as an excuse.... but quite frankly you can be ignorant and rude without religion.

I am being unreasonable to be offended, but it really bothers me that its culturally acceptable to be rude to and about people of faith. You wouldn't do it to someone from a different culture or race would you? I have never bothered anyone with my faith so please stop taking it as an insult!

(Just venting, been lambasted in RL for daring to buy my son a Noahs ark toy. I thought it was cute with all the animals etc... but apparently I am raising him to be ignorant, bigoted and stupid. He will hate gay people and women and generally be a horrible person.....apparently grrr )

"think posters tip toe around the issue as they don't want to offend Muslims or Jews."

Bloody hell, have you ever read a circumcision thread on here? "Tip toeing" is the last description I would use. And plenty of wails of Jew bashing and islamophobia ........

You can make the Bible say anything you want it to say if you pick the right verse. My father, in his job, had a nutcase who used to write in with a religious verse to back up his point. My father could always find one to quote back that meant the exact opposite.

Yes, I have Hakluyt

If posters are negative about religion in MN, it is because it is not acceptable to be in RL, lest anyone is offended. Any questioning of religion is seen as an attack, and it is generally frowned upon.

I am supposed to suck up the fact that my DCs have to pray in assembly, at lunch, that they have a weekly assembly from the local evangelical church. I have to take it on the chin when TEACHERS tell my children that thunder is god moving his furniture ffs, when flyers for church services are given to my DCs and marketed as 'fun days', and when my DCs are told that Christian stories are truth. And when I do go into the school to discuss this, I am told that I am welcome to have my DCs removed from assembly, and asked why I have a problem with my DCs learning about our history and community.

And, possibly unreasonably, I do internally judge people who I find are religious, as I cannot get my head round how ANY of it makes any sense, and how seemingly reasonable people can be linked to something that has caused so much harm.

However, I have never been rude to anyone, and rarely ever bring it up except with close friends.

Totally agree bee.

Unfortunatley my family are christian too- so it is down my throat at every turn.

Well if you've been on circumcision threads and still think people tiptoe around Islam and Judaism, you must definitely be seeing the world through "Christians are a persecuted minority" goggles.......

That's your opinion. I certainly don't see or feel that Christians are persecuted.

scorning of what they believe (as seen on this thread and many others -- asking for proof of events, pooh poohing elements such as the Ten Commandments

The thing is, if you think that asking for proof of extraordinary claims is rude, then it's hard to think where there can be common ground. Why is this rude?

As for scorning the Ten Commandments, some people do think some of them are nonsense. Why are religious people allowed to voice that they agree with thing, but atheists are not allowed to say what they think because it's 'rude'? Especially in the context of a discussion, your bar for being offended seems pretty low.

YABU, it's not acceptable to be rude to anyone, it's just plain bad manners.
I never see people of faith, I see PEOPLE, other human beings living their lives in their way. Sometimes tnat "way" includes talking to others about their faith and sometimes it doesn't.
I have friends of several different faiths and of none, I love them all equally.
We also get regular JW visits locally and I'm not rude to them either, if I haven't got time to talk I say "sorry, can't stop as .....", which they are fine with, other times though I did talk to them. I don't agree with their religion but find them nice people. ive got to know the girl who knocks at my door (I don't ever invite her in) and we usually have a chat about various things and we catch up with life at that moment in time. I don't feel the need to be rude to her, she is a human being.

YANBU to say it's become acceptable to be rude though. Generally I don't find this in real life, only in Internet forums where the person being rude can hide behind the anonymity of a nickname and a keyboard. Says a great deal about them tbh.

On the other hand some people have real reason to hate religion, my auntie for example never got over how sadistic the nuns who taught her at her catholid school were. She left school and never entered a church again until her wedding, occasional christenings (gone through for her husbands family) and finally her funeral. She kept her faith all her life though, just wouldn't enter a church. A friend of mine who is a catholic priest says he can totally see why she wouldn't want to. He says the church has much to be ashamed of in it's past and currently (he's a bit outspoken against them at times).

Pooh-poohing the Ten Commandments?

Well, I did say that it amuses me that the first 4 are about how God wants to be worshipped- is that pooh- poohing?

And asking for proof? If somebody says that there is an intellectually rigorous case for the Resurrection actually happening am I not allowed to ask for proof?

Well of course it was that way around so long ago. People were worshipping the sun etc so it was a preoccupation with men. You can't expect the people of so many thousands of years ago to come up with a 21st century list. Moses list would be his thinking of the time- or are you being literal again?

How can there be proof? Any history is subjective as to who is writing it. We can't know the truth about Richard III so I don't see how you even make a start so much earlier.

Of course I'm not being literal. But the people complaining about the 10 commandments being "pooh-poohed" obviously are being. Or they wouldn't be complaining.

Mind you, I do find it a little odd that every time anybody mentions any element of the Christian Faith you say "oh, that shouldn't be taken literally" or " that only applied 2000 years ago"

Not sure what's left, to be honest!

"How can there be proof?"

I agree. But people say there is. So I ask for it.

"Any history is subjective as to who is writing it. We can't know the truth about Richard III "

Well, we know when he was born and when he died. And we know he didn't come back to life. And we know facts about individuals from much longer ago than 2000 years.

How do we know they are facts? We don't even know the purpose of Stonehenge.

The 10 commandments were fine for thousands of years- suited the Victorians beautifully! We move on (thankfully)

OP - it's not at all acceptable to be rude to anyone; it's OK to question/challenge your beliefs, but if you're truly committed then that shouldn't be a problem anyway... I'm a passionate atheist, but I respect your right to have the philosophy that you do....
P.S. Buy your son a Jedi Light Sabre too ;-)

A good place to finish Brain - why be rude to anyone just because they think differently?

Problem being that some people seem to think that having their beliefs questioned in itself is rude.

Ignore history if you wish. Rudeness to random believers isn't what made the US secular. Nor was it accomplished by broadcasting scorn for religion. It was accomplished by means of reasoned discussion on the benefits to the body politic of a secular society,

I actually never said rudeness is ok. However, I am doubtful of this kumbaya scene you are painting for the discussion at the time the first amendment was drafted.

(as seen on this thread and many others -- asking for proof of events, pooh poohing elements such as the ten commandments, calling it all ludicrous and stupid, etc)

if you think that asking for proof on a discussion forum of clearly controversial assertions is rude, then you have rather unconventional standards for rudeness that I think most people, religious included, do not subscribe to.

Just to state the obvious, you do know that atheists here and in general aren't one entity. Some of us are rude and use words like "stupid" and others don't.

ComposHat, you are confusing the Established Church of England with 'Christian religions'.

No I am not, that's why I made specific reference to the established church in England in the first sentence of my post and the privileged position it holds, I am not confusing the two concepts.

For long stretches of English, British, and even Irish history the Established Church not only enjoyed a privileged position

It is only the established church in England, not in Wales, Scotland or NI.

its competition among which numbered atheists as well as Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, and other non Conformists was severely disabled and in some cases clerics were persecuted, accused of treason by dint of their beliefs, hanged, drawn, and quartered. Property was confiscated, believers were disqualified from certain offices and professions and advancement in certain institutions. As a Christian who is not a member of the CoE and as someone with an interest in history, it really bothers me to see 'Christians' lumped together as if they all shared a position of privilege in the UK and always did. I often wonder how much history and what sort of history is studied in British schools

Wow thanks for the potted history lesson: in no way patronising or condescending! I am about to hand in a PhD (c19th Britain social/cultural history) so after 8 years really don't need the fisher-price version from you thanks. I am not willy waving or trying to pull rank, as there's undoubtedly people more knowledgable than me, but it is a good lesson not to try and patronise people on here.