Now that it's okay to make fun of this rapture silliness...

[edhopper]

Is it all right to also have the same attitude toward other religious ideas. Like not eating bread for a week because of an event that, in all likelihood, did not take place 3500 years ago. Or drinking and eating the body of someone who may have lived 200 years ago. Or following the writings of a known con-artist from the 1800s whose claims were debunked even then?
Just want to know when it is appropriate to not take a person's beliefs seriously.

[vandelay]

1. Or writing a whole book M claimed God dictated directly to him.

Just wondering why you left one important religion off...

[edhopper]

4. I was just listing examples

it could have been a much longer list.
I didn't have a Muslim example off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are plenty of them to.
As long as you think it's fine to make fun of all these notions.

[vandelay]

5. Who is M? You are kidding right? M = Mohammed. Oops

I better be careful.

[edhopper]

10. I just had a brain fart on that

I got it after I replied and edited my answer.

[jberryhill]

38. And Moses, you nitwit /nt

[Snoutport]

8. Book of Mormon fits into that statement too, doesn't it?

[edhopper]

12. 1800s con artist

is Joseph Smith.

[Taverner]

15. With "Magic Glasses"

Scientology is fun too...even besides that whole Xenu shit

Do you know what being "clear" is? Besides Scientology's definition?

It's classical brainwashing. The person being "audited" is slowly being broken down, so that they have no emotional response to any stimuli. Seriously!

[Silent3]

18. Being audited is also collecting dirt on you...

...getting you to confess all sorts of things so that if you ever think about saying anything bad about Scientology, they've got plenty of blackmail ammo to silence you.

[Taverner]

23. There is that too - and they are all taped

David Miscavage likes to host parties where they go through vids of other Scientologists and laugh at them. No joke.

[Generic Other]

2. I don't think condemning your neighbors to suffer and die in misery

is silly. In fact it sounds a lot like what Osama and Al Q wants to happen to me.

[Fumesucker]

3. Eh, it sounds a lot like what at least half the politicians in America want for me..

[Generic Other]

20. too true!

I don't see how those who believe these doctrines can be offended when those they condemn snicker at them.

I do not generally mock people's extreme religious beliefs. If you want to crucify yourself on a cross at Easter, I refrain from ridiculing you because I kind of feel sorry for you. If you find the Virgin Mary's image in a tortilla shell, I have a hard time suppressing a giggle, but I will try to be polite. If you drive Christ on a cross on the back of a trailer hitch to Terry Schiavo's bedside to protest her husband's decision to take her off lifesupport, all bets are off. I am going to laugh.



Same with the Endtimers. Bless their little hearts they are as singleminded as the birthers. With as little evidence.

[treestar]

6. I don't think making fun of this is making fun of all Christians

Just the extremists who really believe this.

Even the Rapture Ready board is against it - they don't believe Camping.

The average Christian should not be offended and just join in, IMHO. They know there is no secret math in the Bible. Jesus said we would not know the date or time.

[Taverner]

14. Definitely not - and most Christians think Camping is just as koo koo as they come

Or, my theory, he's a huckster who just flew the coop (Someone asked me for a link - I couldn't find the original story, but it's somewhere on sfgate.com)

[edhopper]

16. So you are differentiating

between getting ready for the rapture and believing Jesus will return, or eating his body as a wafer, or a golden tablet given to a man by a salamander. And so on.

[treestar]

19. No, but between mainstream beliefs which really will offend people

And extreme ones which would only offend the extremists.

The things you are describing sound silly to you but mean something to a lot of people, so when you make fun of them, you'll get blowback. But making fun of Harold and his ravings - you're not likely to run across many people who will take it ill.

It's a social decision basically.

[edhopper]

26. My OP

was based on many of those mainstream believers who are making fun of these rapture people.
So do they understand that their beliefs can look equally silly?

[treestar]

29. Yes, of course

It's amazing how if you just have a huge number of people following them, they will sound less logical. Though by now a lot of Catholics are probably not taking it literally.

Not all Christians have communion either, or believe it is really transformed into someone's body and blood.

[edhopper]

30. Yes

I just am pointing out a few mainstream beliefs that are also silly.
Not all Christians believe "X", but the believe "Y" which is also as illogical.

[treestar]

44. Muslim and Jewish beliefs

some of them may also be "silly."

Certainly to an atheist it all is.

[jberryhill]

40. Given that astronomers predict that the sun will eventually swallow the earth....

What would you say to a Christian who believed that such is the event prophesied by the Bible?

Would you call that person silly?

[edhopper]

50. Some one who tries to squeeze

a ambiguous quote in the Bible to align with an evidence based prediction by science. Yes i would call that silly.

[ZombieHorde]

33. Is making fun of Rapture believing Christians more OK than making fun of God believing Christians?nt

[treestar]

45. Is it wrong to make fun of anyone ever?

Even Sarah Palin?

Or Donald Trump and his hair.

Or the teabaggers with their misspelled signs?

[ZombieHorde]

46. I don't tease handicapped children for their disabilities. nt

[treestar]

47. OK.

That's a good one.

There are things one would not make fun of. But then I wouldn't find that funny, I suppose.

But the rapture fundies - I just do and don't know what the line is between them and handicapped children, but they seem to my mind able to take it. Or old enough and responsible enough to be responsible for their opinions.

It's not always a bright line, I suppose, in some cases.

[ZombieHorde]

48. Oh. I am not saying we should not make fun of the Rapture people. I am saying we should make fun of

all religious beliefs.

[MH1]

7. I think it's always ok to make fun of religion on an anonymous message board

considering the religions being made fun of generally persecute other people in the real world.

'Generally' ... I'm aware that there are very decent sects out there that don't directly demonize or persecute others. But most of the mainstream religions certainly do. And then there's the pedophilia.

[MH1]

9. on the other hand, I try to be polite with people I have actual real world relationships with.

although with the fundies, it is becoming more and more difficult.

[Taverner]

13. Yep. I'm with you all the way

[Taverner]

11. Hey I love making fun of the whole "Mohammed flying to heaven on a winged horse" story

It's just ludicrous - flew to where? Heaven? Considering we are on a ball of rock, spinning around a big fire, spinning around a big black hole, going "up" to heaven is kind of a joke, is it not?

[frogmarch]

25. Odin’s horse, Sleipner,

was cooler than Mohammed's horse. Sleipner may not have had wings, but he had eight legs. Eight legs!

[SidDithers]

17. Yes. It's appropriate to mock all those things...

If you don't want people to laugh at your beliefs, don't have such funny beliefs.

Sid

[FLPanhandle]

21. +1

If people believe in funny things, they should expect to be mocked.

[Taverner]

22. +100

[coalition_unwilling]

24. One could say, as the Socialist refrain had it, "There'll be pie

in the sky, when you die, by and by." Somehow that humor is lost on the faithful, however.

[WhollyHeretic]

61. That's a lie!

Great song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhhzElzTZJw

[La Lioness Priyanka]

27. laughing about a cults idea that the world will end is ok

i think there is a line between mocking religion and strange religious beliefs, and hating people from particular religions. so long as you mock more or less equally, i dont think it makes you a bad person.

however, i have learnt that you should laugh amongst your friends at things you find silly. not all of du, is your friend, and therefore isnt willing to give you the benefit of the doubt

[edhopper]

28. Yes

But i am trying to point out that many here who are mocking this sect, find great umbrage when their ox is gored.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

31. ofcourse. when prop8 happened everyone blamed the mormons, because i suspect few mormons are on du

however if you pointed finger at the catholics, and their invitation to the mormons to get involved in prop8 all of a sudden you were a catholic basher.

ofcourse whenever there is a thread on islam, you see the real hatred there. however people who hate on islam, try to compare it to the issues people have with the catholic church. hating islam is not the same as criticizing the catholic church. the church is much more centralized and has a clear set of dictates. islam is run differently per country, mosque, race and SEC. its one thing to mock 72 virgins, its another to call the religion violent when it has no centralized authorities.

[fishwax]

32. so it's not appropriate to laugh at someone who takes to the media with absurd predictions?

Most Christians I know don't believe in the rapture anyway--those that do, it's their business. I think it's a bit odd, but what the heck. So are plenty of other things.

But believing, as you take a thin wafer in your hand, that it has actually transubstantiated into the actual body of someone who (may have) lived 2000 years ago, is not the same as telling another person (or the general public, through the media) that, in x number of days, they will be left behind while the chosen are raptured and the end times appear.

[edhopper]

34. I understand that you are

saying the repercussions of these two things are different. But the silliness of them is not.

[fishwax]

35. I don't necessarily disagree with you about the silliness, but one is private and the other public

In the same way, privately believing that the world will end on Saturday May 21 is different from publicly proclaiming it in the media and elsewhere.

[cleanhippie]

36. You are absolutely right! Your example is WAY more kooky.

[edhopper]

51. But it is all right

to mock the Pope when he makes a public pronouncement. Right?

[fishwax]

52. I suppose -- it happens all the time

[Taitertots]

37. Stupid ideas should always be mocked

However, well meaning people shouldn't be mocked for having them.

[themadstork]

39. Is this the real life?

Is this just fantasy?

[Dreamer Tatum]

41. As long as mostly white Americans believe it, you're safe. Have fun. nt

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Skip Intro]

49. Why drag race into this discussion?

[La Lioness Priyanka]

58. because race is an important part of access and privilege in this country?

along with christianity

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

60. Sigh...

[Arugula Latte]

43. I wish more people would make admit out loud that religion is silly

We're in an Emperor's New Clothes situation, and religion tramples rational thought all the time because people are too afraid to point out it's all B.S.

[seabeyond]

54. i wish more people would admit ego is a falsehood and worked more from original self. nt

[La Lioness Priyanka]

56. that sounds like pop psychology, which i also wish people would stop using

[La Lioness Priyanka]

57. i think people readily admit other people's religions are silly

so in a way religious people are aware of the silliness of religion, just not their own

so many christians have mocked the hindu gods, while completely believing in miracles and saints and angels and other such things.

hindus laugh at the 72 virgins but have gods who have ten arms

etc etc

[seabeyond]

53. how about sending "vibes" as if there is a whole woo woo and something will happen?

gotta say vibes because prayers is a miss and thoughts? well just not powerful enough.

[edhopper]

55. I appreciate

the mockery of New Age thought.

[snooper2]

59. It's always been okay to make fun of mythology incorrectly labeled as "mainstream religions"

That's how we get the young folk to realize how stupid actually believing that crap is...

Ridicule serves a great purpose in advancing society ;-)