Junghalli wrote:Scrib wrote:Christians would hate this shit if this happened to them but they have the thoughtlessness of the privileged.
Christianity has the whole exclusive monotheism thing where alternative belief systems are bad and evil and engaging in them is a form of sin, so it's pretty easy to imagine why they would be angered by any association of other religious practices with one of their own. I personally think this is a pretty toxic mindset, one of the worst aspects and legacies of Christianity, and I would hope most atheists don't carry over such toxic attitudes into their atheism (though, unfortunately, honestly my experience is a lot of atheists do seem to carry some of the worst parts of the Christian worldview - dressed up in new "rationalist" and "humanist" packaging - into their atheism).
I don't see what's so toxic about excluding a belief system based on the harm you think it causes. There are plenty of reasons to dislike the world's religions without believing in some weird pseudo-religious form of moral dualism where all religion must be purged by fire and sword.
Your argument is a bit vague so I'll just say: it's perfectly rational to dislike being used to further the narrative of something you consider a problem.
I see where you're coming from, and I do agree when in doubt it's better to err on the side of avoiding something that might inadvertently disrespect a person's beliefs in matters like this, but I gotta be honest, getting offended at something like the cartoon posted earlier ... well, the term "stick up the ass" comes to mind. If I felt more charitable about a Christian acting in an equivalent way it would be because their religion has the legacy of thousands of years of exclusivism; it seems a pity to find the same kinds of attitudes in a group who have no reason to be bound to them.
The cartoon is an easy thing to point to as an example of atheists going overboard. I just don't see a problem with the mindset. Sometimes it leads to people taking it to lengths that you disagree with but such is life. Using it as evidence of a toxic mindset seems unfair to me.
It being more acceptable for Christians to do: I don't see that at all. So if someone has the weight of tradition behind them their bad actions should just be allowed to fly while the people who call them on it need to stop being so sensitive? It's not the same thing at all. It's someone using the fact that they're in the majority position in society to push their viewpoint and someone else saying:" Don't do it to me, stop.". Why would you blame the person who is telling them to stop?
Your argument basically blames the minority for not eating the shit that the privileged unassumingly throw around day in, day out. Sure, some people have a stick up their ass about religion. Others do about sexism as well. Your argument is that they should dislike it, except when it becomes too pedantic for
your tastes. If they're wrong it's one thing but I think that how seriously you take such things is a personal matter and highly variable.
We have a visceral dislike of people we consider nit-pickers, I get that, I just find it odd that the other person
has to be an asshole if the issue doesn't set us off personally. If I were to switch the picture for something else using the exact same logic most people here would be mollified but some more conservative soul elsewhere will be complaining about how everyone has a stick up their ass about the word oriental or niggers or bosses making passes at their employees or something.
But just to say: I have no idea how Ebert felt about being rolled into religion so people may just be jumping the gun which would be another thing entirely.