Originally Posted by
Odlov
I don't think it's childish. Mocking silly ideas is healthy.
If someone tells you that your opinions and the opinions of everyone you agree with are stupid and for ignorant idiots, are you inclined to see the error of your ways? Hate responds to hate, this behaviour only amplifies the behaviour that you disapprove of.
Originally Posted by
Odlov
I guess you're one of the prunes gasping when comedians make fun of religion, or any other ideas fervently held by some people. All the offense they cause, those children! It's criminal, downright criminal! QQ
Don't be stupid, you are extending my opinion to ridiculous extents so you can make fun of it. That is not true at all. It is fine to poke fun at things in the right context.
However wearing a spaghetti strainer in a license photo ONLY proves that the department that handles the licenses is very tolerant and good-willed. It does not prove that all religions are as much a joke as Pastafarianism...
Originally Posted by
Odlov
It's not just about 'religious people wearing hats', but religion as a whole. If you don't see how humor and mockery corrodes religious influence, fine. I tend to notice. Humor arguably accomplishes more than argument.
I see it, but it is irrelevant. This act proves nothing against religions. The department obviously allowed this to happen, since Pastafarianism does NOT prescribe any required headgear (except perhaps pirate hats...) People are making this in to a much bigger deal and reading much more in to it.
Sure it is funny that he is wearing a spaghetti strainer, but it is no hit against religion.
Originally Posted by
Odlov
Bahaha, hate? Are you serious?
THIS is more like hate:
As far as I can see there are as many atheists that are as hateful as any other religion.
We could stand here forever pointing out very specific examples... But in the end it would not solve anything when you can plainly see hate from both sides.
Originally Posted by
isaac
What's the point of the religious wearing hat's that basically say I'm going to heaven and you're going to rot in hell? If I want to wear a silly hat I shouldn't have to be crazy in order to do so.
If you truly believe that is all there is to religion then you have a long way to go. Hats symbolise many things and serve many purposes. Heaven and Hell serve many purposes too, and are different even across sects of religions (even within Christianity you can see major differences between Catholics and Church of England).
One of the major examples I would like to point out is Sikhism, in which religious practitioners are prescribed to carry a special knife at all times. You are probably thinking "wtf that would cause all kinds of problems, why the hell do they need a knife? To stab people I assume! Probably a stupid reason anyhow." In actual fact the knife is a symbol representing the power of truth to cut through untruth, it is a reminder to keep them honest and good willed. A Sikh must also have the courage to defend the rights of all who are wrongfully oppressed or persecuted irrespective of their colour, caste or creed. You would think that you would have heard of such an extreme religion in which orthodox members wear knives, especially when they number more than 30 million. But the truth is they live peacefully, and although you may find them extreme, they cause you no trouble most probably. Among their "silly" beliefs is carrying the knife, a comb, and a bangle on them. They are symbolic, as are the head gear of other religions.
You should read about the actions of the Sikhs in WW2, they kicked ass!
Originally Posted by
Hyde
Those catholics are very, very nice. An example of their kindness can be found here. Pastafarianists are mean old trolls who do not want children to be taught creationism in schools, and they all should die.
All religions (or anti-religions) have all parts of the bell curve. Extremists, peaceful members, all kinds. As I said to Odlov, we could sit around all day pointing to highly specific examples of when they go too far, but the fact remains that in any religion 99% of the members cause no trouble. Your Spanish Inquisition example is one that we can look at, the Inquisition was tiny compared to the Catholic population of the time, so even in such extreme case you can see that it is a minority. You will also note that there is a specific context attached to the situation, and you cannot simply ignore it and analyse it in a modern context.
Last edited by Gorman; Jul 17, 2011 at 06:45 AM.