insulting religions

[IneedAgoldenNickname]

Hi, I've never posted on this topic before, I tend to hang out in aibu, but don't want to start a bun fight!

So, I am a liberal Christian. I firmly believe that everyone had to right to believe (or not) whatever they want, provided that belief doesn't hurt anyone else.

Earlier today I posted a lighthearted status on Facebook, which had led to me being called mindless, stupid, stuck up, thinking I'm better than everyone else. I've been told God is a c**t (sorry I hate that word so much I won't type it) and that the Bible is only God for loo roll!

I'm just really angry that people think its ok to insult me/my religion like that, when I haven't once preached or insulted others.

Obviously the easy solution would be to delete them off of Facebook, but they are people I get on with other wise.

Don't really know the point of my post, just hoping id feel better writing it down.

I wouldn't call either homeopathy or Buddhism woo. The first is a fancified version of the placebo effect. Well, some Buddhists like a bit of woo but the woo isn't an essential part of it, as far as I can make out.

Grimma, I've done an internet search, and nothing here either. I'll keep it on my mind! For me to witness a mn fight over a chemistry equation and I'm pretty sure my life would be complete
I'll have to try to think of something....don't suppose I can get much interest in a discussion of what is or isn't a hydrogen bond..

anyway, I'm shutting down now. Goodnight all.

Grimma - I know my friend's spiritual practice isn't in any way woo. It's v well founded. I was just teasing Cote. Which was bad of me.

Well it's been a very interesting thread-(so far). Love to hear different opinions and try to understand why people think as they do. I'm off to bed now to dream about tiny little Gods being discovered at CERN

*Ellie - no, the logic is really easy to grasp. But one of the comical gifts of E.I is presenting an argument designed by himself where he takes both positions. It isn't really 'scientific' is it?"

Just not getting it, are you, Pan. OK. I won't patronise you by trying to explain it yet again.

No, that's v kind of you, Ellie. And I won't deeply patronise you by pointing up your pretense of a 'special pleading' example is again manufactured by you with no evidence other than your reported experiences of such exchanges, but we'll take them as gospel because you have said they happened.

Whoops!

You haven't advanced any case. Hence, I am gently patronising you, as your original post still stands as nothing more than an E.I sketch. Evidence is wished for. Not just your say so.

Thing is, if you announce to a rational person who doesn't yet know you very well that you are religious, that's often insufficient information. If I meet someone who tells me that s/he is a Christian very early on in the conversation then I know that s/he is very keen on his/her imaginary friend and has perhaps only recently been persuaded that the imaginary friend is real - and is probably going to bore me about the wonderfulness of the imaginary friend unless I can deflect the conversation. But the important information, that isn't contained in the declaration that one is brand-loyal to Christian mythology, is about the other stuff (to which the choice of imaginary friend isn't relevant). EG, does 'being a believer' mean 'being nice to other people, ethical in your dealings etc, with a side order of chatting to your imaginary friend and singing songs on Sundays'? Or does it mean misogyny, homophobia, racism, obsession with controlling the sexual behaviour of others and a variety of barking mad flat-earth delusions?

Pan

Blimey

Do you understand what is meant by the term "example"?

Do you understand what is meant by the term "illustrative"?

I wasn't offering "evidence" of anything, I was using an example to explain a point. Most 10 year olds would understand the difference.

I think you are confused by the fact that I used myself in the example. Perhaps I should have dumbed down for you and used Person A/Person B, but it truly never occurred to me that I would need to or that anyone could be this dense.

It was an example of the kind of conversation that, if it happened, would involve the use of the term "Special Pleading". So people can see what it means.

If you don't believe I've ever had a conversation like that, fine. I couldn't care less. But it still illustrates, with an example, a use of the SP fallacy.

Which I suspect you've used, which is why you're adopting this ridiculous & unnecessary passive-aggressive attitude, which Amillion has already picked up on.

Dearie, dearie me.

Now - come back at me with another sneery sounding, completely irrelevant comment which I will read politely, which is only fair, but then know that I am done with this.

Ellie - are you always like this? Brittle, unpleasant, tediously repetitive and wildly dilusional ( worse than the god-squaders)? Outside of asking you that, I cba with you. Have a nice one.

Cote Heizenberg's Uncertainty Principle rather threw my concept of determinism

Grimma - I never tire of telling people on those homeopathy about the world actually works, including, yes, real chemistry. It's fun, you should try it one day. It's amazing to see that it's apparently possible to live to childbearing age without such basic grasp on elementary chemistry and physics, let alone biology. A miracle of life

"I can think of some things I would do! But cant write them here, as I keep having to remind myself that this is a public forum!"

Anal sex?

"I was just teasing Cote. Which was bad of me"

Teasing isn't bad, Pan. Calling someone who has just run circles around you in debate narrow minded, stupid, and dull is bad. HTH

Pan - Ellie is making a point. You are refusing to understand it. She is understandably frustrated and that is showing to some degree in her posts.

She wouldn't have to be repetitive if you showed a sign that you understand from time to time.

Avuncular - Do you really know what that principle says or have you just heard about it and seized it as something to say on these threads?

Because, if you actually knew what it talks about, you would know that it only talks about lack of precision in measurements and doesn't say anything like "we can't really know anything".

golden how horrible for you!
Like niminypiminy says the atheist lobby is on a roll, led by the high priest Richard Dawkins.
They seem to feel that all "Godders" are stupid, ignorant and superstitious and what a lot of back slapping they get when they point it out!
Strangely, they seem to believe they are liberal minded (!).
I'm Muslim, and I believe personal faith is your right as a free human being, not something you should be judged for. And as you can imagine, as a Muslim, I am expected to account for every evil act committed by so called Muslims around the world! Long list, unfortunately.

Fact is, power hungry bastards will use any leverage they can to justify their own actions, whether religious, atheist, political....anything.

If someone is atheist, fair play to them. Just don't shove it down my throat and I won't evangelise to you either.

Funny how atheists seem to be copying the old-style TV evangelists in their approach!

What the superstitous don't seem to get is that really, for most of us ratiional types, you believing in any old load of bollocks and the imaginary friend of your choice is not the problem, any more than it's of interest or relevance how many sugars you take in your tea, or whether you prefer Olly Murs to Dizzee Rascal. The problem arises when other people's lives are affected by superstitious bullshit - men forbidding women to have life-saving medical procedures because their imaginary friend wouldn't like it. Criticisim of corruption and fraud within the big business superstitons being silenced on grounds of it being 'disrespectful' to challenge them.

Personally I just find it bewildering that any educated, civilised person is capable of believing in gods. In many cases it's harmless enough, makes them happy, doesn't stop them being good company etc. In some cases it makes them tiresome but still no big deal. Again, it's when they start getting or pursuing power over others that they become troublesome.

Is there really an atheist "lobby"? I didn't think it was possible to have a lobby not to believe in something. It's a bit like having a lobby for not supporting any football team. (Although all football teams exist, which makes that another imperfect comparison.)

I agree with much of what you have said SolidGold.
Some people who profess to be Christians, use it for their own gain.
There are 2 bits that come to mind in the bible about this.

"Beware of wolves in sheeps clothing".
Genuine Christians themselves can get caught out too. Particularly within their church.

Cant think what the other bit is for now.
Will come back later.

Very well said, Solid.

Thank you, Cotes.

I'm an atheist and I have a lobby, Dad. It's full of wellies & local newspapers and unopened bills. Does that count?

You made me giggle with your post amillionyears. Do you really need a belief in god to enable you to lead a non-debauched life? Sister Emmanuelle wrote in her memoir that she would surely have become a prostitute if she hadn't become a nun. Frankly, a bizarre way of justifying a faith....and remarkably self-serving. Do you also think you believe in god so you can get to heaven?

The atheist movement, if you want to call it that, with RD as a prominent spokeman, is more of a movement against the horrors of organised religion rather than simple individual faith. RD does go on about not encouraging childhood beliefs in Santa for example, but I think the vast majority of atheist protest comes from the desire to see less power in the hands of organised religion.

See, I didnt say or mean debauchery.
Though I can see how you might have thought that is what I meant.
But I didnt say it or mean it.

To clear this up, about what I was thinking, I will pm you if that is all right.

I wasnt trying to justify my faith. So not self serving either.

The only bit of that that is right, is that yes, having jolly done an awful lot of work unseen inside of me, yes I intend to claim my prize of Heaven!
And yes, believing in God has that remarkable ending.
And yes,part, about 15% of me,is believing in God so I can go to Heaven I guess. And if that is self serving, so what! I dont see that as a problem.