Blasphemy Challenge?

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:40 pm

I don't know whether to be amused or disturbed by [url="http://www.blasphemychallenge.com/"]this[/url]. In and of itself, someone thinking this on their own wouldn't bother me. However, there are people profiting off of this. If you sign up and do the challenge video, you get paid. So, I think I am just about as disturbed by this as by how most organized religious bodies are run. Except, this is an organized anti-religious body.

I do have to say though, at least it is up front and honest that this is a for profit thing. Not some sneaky, hide it from the believers that we are using your donations to do whatever we want with them type thing. I have to at least respect that aspect of being honest about that.

Morlock · Post by **Morlock** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 8:52 am

Magrus wrote:I do have to say though, at least it is up front and honest that this is a for profit thing. Not some sneaky, hide it from the believers that we are using your donations to do whatever we want with them type thing. I have to at least respect that aspect of being honest about that.

I'm sorry, that's like respecting Facism because they're honest about what they're doing. It is an organization that is anti-several billion people on this planet. Nothing laudable there.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:00 am

Morlock wrote:I'm sorry, that's like respecting Facism because they're honest about what they're doing. It is an organization that is anti-several billion people on this planet. Nothing laudable there.

*shrugs* It's still a step up above lying about it, is it not? It may not be a good thing, helpful, or moral but at least they came right out and said what they were doing. It is possible to respect one action among a group of others you do not like or care for.

Silur · Post by **Silur** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 1:17 pm

Morlock wrote:I'm sorry, that's like respecting Facism because they're honest about what they're doing. It is an organization that is anti-several billion people on this planet. Nothing laudable there.

Not anti-people, it's anti-concept. Big difference. Saying that it is against people is the favourite rethoric of any believer in any such situation, and its really irritating. Basically what you're saying is that "I am my religion" therefore "attacking my religion is attacking me". The conclusion is obviously wrong since the premise is wrong.

I haven't looked at the site, but from what little I can deduce, it's pretty much in line with any other "for profit" site. I question the morality in selling inferiour products, pushing miracle cures, or promoting god/allah/jehova/jesus/littlegreenmen/whatever, or just regular bad press like Fox news/The Sun/The Watchtower, but as soon as it touches on critique of peoples faith, it's suddenly worse? Compared to the campaigns run by christian groups in the US against science, this is nothing.

I've had it with all this tolerance crap, I'm joining Richard Dawkins fan club this minute. Either the moral rules apply to both sides of the issue, or neither. It's time to move religion into it's rightful place - that is, a hobby people can indulge in as much as they like on their own spare time.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 1:24 pm

Just realized I never put the link to the article in the initial post.

My ability to function late at night has been ruined by the day job scene.

I haven't looked at the site, but from what little I can deduce, it's pretty much in line with any other "for profit" site. I question the morality in selling inferiour products, pushing miracle cures, or promoting god/allah/jehova/jesus/littlegreenmen/whatever, or just regular bad press like Fox news/The Sun/The Watchtower, but as soon as it touches on critique of peoples faith, it's suddenly worse? Compared to the campaigns run by christian groups in the US against science, this is nothing.

I don't think it's worse no. The fact people think that it is either important or necessary to put something like this together is what disturbs me. This need to either follow a religion together or denounce it together, it's all the same to me. I'm with you on the above though. I have no respect for companies that do things like sell bad products. Probably my biggest beef with my former employer, they sold out-dated food to people and didn't care. Even told me to leave it there, I had to sneak it out to the garbage like I was stealing things.

Anyhow, I am going to put the link in the first post now.

Silur · Post by **Silur** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 1:38 pm

Magrus wrote:Probably my biggest beef with my former employer, they sold out-dated food to people and didn't care. Even told me to leave it there, I had to sneak it out to the garbage like I was stealing things.

I guess they didn't have a third world country to dump it on like the big corporations do...

It looks like any other site selling some item or other. Nothing immoral, and as for attacking the beliefs of billions, I'd say that's exaggerating quite a bit, since the passage they're asking you to blaspheme against is in the New Testament. Last time I checked, more than 3 billion people would argue that the relevant scripture is completely wrong and void as compared to their own favourite book/stone tablet/papyrus/tea pot/wooden stick/etc. As with everything else of this non-illegal nature, if you don't want to see it, look someplace else.

Moonbiter · Post by **Moonbiter** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:42 pm

This has to be the most moronic fad I've seen on the internet to this day. I've seen a lot of strange stuff since I first logged on, but never something quite like this. It's like watching a Noughties version of an 80s Twisted Sister video, only stupendously more retarded. I pity YouTube. For the last 6 months it's been a dream for me, like an archeological site where I could unearth ancient hidden treasures. Now the dimwits have taken over with their own agenda. People just don't know or respect a good thing...

Chimaera182 · Post by **Chimaera182** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:52 pm

Try not to be so surprised; it's man's natural instinct to dirty that which was pristine or beautiful.

It strikes me as some kind of silly, really. The people who would say that aren't really full-blooded Christians to begin with, so it hardly matters that they say that; they don't believe it anyway. As for it being a fad, I'm usually a rather anti-fad kind of person. But I've been saying blasphemous things since I was ten, so this isn't a fad to me so much as people encroaching on my turf. After all, just two weeks ago, I claimed to be Jesus Christ, and often in telling people since then I would add an expletive to add emphasis (poor though it would be) to the situation. [glares significantly at someone] :laugh: But to see those people putting such so-called blasphemies to video and polluting the internet with them is just grody.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Thu Dec 21, 2006 6:59 pm

I'm surprised you didn't decide to take up carpentry.

Vicsun · Post by **Vicsun** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 7:05 am

Chimaera182 wrote:Try not to be so surprised; it's man's natural instinct to dirty that which was pristine or beautiful.

So why do people "dirty" Christianity then?

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 7:19 am

Vicsun wrote:So why do people "dirty" Christianity then?

The amusement factor?

Chimaera182 · Post by **Chimaera182** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 7:27 am

Religion in general is not a bad thing. As seems to be an opinion I run across a lot on this board, it is organized religion which sucks. Christianity, insofar as teaching values and morals, life lessons and how to behave, is not a bad thing. Christianity, as it has been warped by Man, on the other hand, is a completely different animal. Of course, I didn't mean to imply it was beautiful or pristine.

Vicsun · Post by **Vicsun** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 7:41 am

Chimaera182 wrote:Religion in general is not a bad thing. As seems to be an opinion I run across a lot on this board, it is organized religion which sucks. Christianity, insofar as teaching values and morals, life lessons and how to behave, is not a bad thing. Christianity, as it has been warped by Man, on the other hand, is a completely different animal. Of course, I didn't mean to imply it was beautiful or pristine.

I mostly agree with you. I'd also wager the Blasphemy Challenge was created due to the warped-by-man kind of Christianity, and not the love-thy-neighbor kind of Christianity.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 7:48 am

Vicsun wrote:I mostly agree with you. I'd also wager the Blasphemy Challenge was created due to the warped-by-man kind of Christianity, and not the love-thy-neighbor kind of Christianity.

Of course. If more people claiming to follow the religion weren't intolerant and pushy, chances are others would not be denouncing the religion in such a manner. It's kind of like the politics in this country. You've got Dem's and Republican's shouting at each other that they are stupid for generations. It would work better to be friendly about it, but that doesn't seem to go over well.

Cartell · Post by **Cartell** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 7:41 pm

Of course Christians believe that blaspheming the holy spirit is unforgivable, because it is nonbelief. The act of not believing is the only sin that they is unforgivable, since you haven't put your faith in God. So in a christians mind, doing this would onyl be incredibly sinful, not unforgivable, or a one way pass to hell.

Malta Soron · Post by **Malta Soron** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:52 am

Cartell wrote:Of course Christians believe that blaspheming the holy spirit is unforgivable, because it is nonbelief. The act of not believing is the only sin that they is unforgivable, since you haven't put your faith in God. So in a christians mind, doing this would onyl be incredibly sinful, not unforgivable, or a one way pass to hell.

No. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is like what Ananias and Sapphira did (Acts 5: they sold a possession and brought part of the price to the apostles, however pretending it was all, thus wanting to deceive both men and God). Not believing isn't a sin; it just makes you subject to the law (the Ten Commandments and stuff), by which you might condemned. The point in believing is that your sins get forgiven and you are freed from the law.

Darzog · Post by **Darzog** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 9:21 pm

Magrus wrote:Of course. If more people claiming to follow the religion weren't intolerant and pushy, ...

Don't forget to include scientists in that bucket. They have their share of intolerance and pushiness too.

Magrus · Post by **Magrus** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 10:00 pm

Darzog wrote:Don't forget to include scientists in that bucket. They have their share of intolerance and pushiness too.

Heh, oh, I know that. I so know that. Delusion flows from a bunch of them as well.

Vicsun · Post by **Vicsun** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:35 am

Darzog wrote:Don't forget to include scientists in that bucket. They have their share of intolerance and pushiness too.

Don't forget to include politicians too. And whale-watchers. And the buzzing, stinging spawns of hell we know as bees.

Anyway, what's your point and is it only scientists you have something against or is it also engineers? Because I can fully back you up against engineers; they lack creative flair.

edit: or do you see scientists as the opposite of Christians (what) an feel that if you can convince yourself they are intolerant you can better justify the intolerance of your own group?

Darzog · Post by **Darzog** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 8:22 am

Vicsun wrote:Don't forget to include politicians too. And whale-watchers. And the buzzing, stinging spawns of hell we know as bees.

Anyway, what's your point and is it only scientists you have something against or is it also engineers? Because I can fully back you up against engineers; they lack creative flair.

My point was that you shouldn't be so narrow in your scope to only bash religion and that both sides of the fence have their flaws (as Mag picked up on). I chose scientists specifically because they are held up as the rational alternative to religion at this forum.

Vicsun wrote:edit: or do you see scientists as the opposite of Christians (what) an feel that if you can convince yourself they are intolerant you can better justify the intolerance of your own group?

I don't see scientists as the opposite of Christians, but most religious threads here seem to pit scientists against religion or those that believe in some form of religion. I used them in the same way.

I have never made any claim that Christians are perfect or lack the personal flaws inherent in any other group of people. But these flaws are of the people, not of the religion. People have always used religion (or government or money or military power, or any other form of power) as an excuse to do what they wanted, that is true for all religions not just Christianity by the way. That does not mean that religion is to blame or that everyone that believes in a particular faith shares the same flaws. I don't pretend that my faith is any better (people wise) than any other group so I don't know why you would feel the need to imply that I'm trying to "justify the intolerance of my own group". I would have thought that a mod would be able to leave personal attacks out of this discussion but maybe your personal intolerance just can't be stemmed.