Subject:
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Re: The Brick Testament parts the Red Sea
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Fri, 29 Nov 2002 05:48:01 GMT
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Viewed:
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1743 times
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John wrote:
> > it makes little
> > sense to point out the flaws in being black. This holds whether or not you
> > are a member of the group in question. (Judaism is somewhere in between
> > because it is commonly used to refer to both a religion and a particular
> > ancestry).
>
> I would say that it makes little sense to point out the flaws in someone else's
> religion, unless you were trying to discredit that religion. And if that is
> your intent, than a frosty reaction to the BT by Christians could be understood.
Please note that Brendan said he was raised Christian. I would also
argue that almost everyone in the US is sufficiently affected by
Christianity to have sufficient reason to question it. I would also
argue that if a religion can not withstand poking (or for that matter,
any philosophy), then perhaps adherents of that religion (philosophy)
might consider critical examination.
> > > If BPS *were* a Christian, I think it would be different, because he would be
> > > laughing at *himself* as well as others; as it is he is only laughing at
> > > others, and religion is probably the touchiest subject an individual could
> > > choose to mock.
>
> > By illustrating Bible stories in LEGO, I am casting light on parts of the
> > Bible that I find, in turns, extremely disturbing, morally questionable,
> > confounding, humorous, and strangely interesting. While I admit to poking
> > occasional fun at little inconsistancies (such as God killing the Egyptians'
> > livestock three times over), and generally illustrating with a sense of
> > humor, I don't consider the tone to be mocking. Or would you consider any
> > atheist who points out these parts of the Bible to be mocking Christianity?
>
> I guess it would depend upon how they did it, but no, I do not consider polite
> disagreement to be mocking. But here's my point. Religion is a pretty
> personal issue, and some take it more personally than others. When you (as an
> outsider) decide to take it upon yourself to criticize Christianity, your
> motivation comes into question. It's not your religion, so why criticize it?
> I can see why other Christians might look at Christianity in a critical light
> (to better understand their own religion), but not so easily an outsider, and
> that type of criticism can easily be construed as being mockery and as an
> attempt to discredit it as being silly.
As noted above, while Brendan doesn't currently consider himself a
Christian, he has indicated he was raised Christian.
> I don't think that you had any particular malice in your intent with the Brick
> Testament; all I am saying is that it is certainly conceivable to me to see why
> someone might think you did. But certainly you must have realized that,
> generally speaking, non-Christians would find your work a lot more humorous
> than Christians, and that some of those Christians would probably be pretty
> offended by it as well. One doesn't get the sense that you are laughing *with*
> Christians or Jews, but *at* them. You really could have done the BT in a
> non-offensive way, steering clear of the "controversial" stories, but it
> appears that that wasn't really a concern of yours. If I were to accuse you of
> anything, it would be of being insensitive to those who take those stories very
> seriously. But as I said before, it is certainly your perogative, but just
> don't be surprised that some may find your work offensive.
Well, clearly Brendan's point was to examine the "controversial"
stories. I think this is a valid public debate since there are elements
of our population who keep claiming we are a "Christian" nation and our
laws should reflect that. Some of these folks also claim the Bible is
infallible and everything is God's word and that should be the basis of
our law. Pointing out the "controversial" passages and "flaws" in that
is certainly a legitimate part of public debate in the US.
On the other hand, I symphathise with some of your feeling that
Christianity gets a bad rap in the US. Of course Islam and Judaism get
their fair share of bad rap. I am always disappointed in my own religion
when things seem like: "All religions are worthy - except Christianity."
Frank
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: The Brick Testament parts the Red Sea
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| In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Frank Filz writes: <snip> (...) <snip> (...) Hear Hear! If people cannot undergo scrutiny of their belief system, then there is something wrong. The difference b/w scrutiny and all-out harassment is hard to determine, but (...) (22 years ago, 29-Nov-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: The Brick Testament parts the Red Sea
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| (...) I'm curious as to how you think the BT is worthwhile to a Christian by showing that what they believe in is silly (I can see why is it useful to *you*-- a "creative" expression of your rejection of your perceived silliness of Christianity, and (...) (22 years ago, 29-Nov-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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