The Blasphemy Challenge is under attack by Christians. This is of course not surprising because blasphemy is considered a sin to Christians. So as an Atheist I challenge them to put some cerebral thinking into this for a minute.
Do Christians feel frightened when they eat the holy, sacred flesh of nurturing cows? Yes I'm talking about eating a hamburger. To Hindu's, eating beef is about the equivalent of denying the existence of the holy spirit is to Christians. Every time a Christian eats beef they are blaspheming Hindu beliefs. Do they feel bad about it? I doubt it. Ever read the number of visitors above the golden arches? Wow! That's a boat load of ass whippings that Vishnu is gonna be handing down with all those arms she has if they are wrong!
Does eating cows mean they are disrespectful to Hindus? No actually. They are exercising their freedom of beliefs and thought. They are unafraid of Vishnu's wrath and refuse to let the superstition dictate their lives. Put simply; Christians are Atheists regarding the Hindu god Vishnu and the sacredness of cows. In that regard they are no different then an Atheist who doesn't believe in the Christian god Yahweh. So what does it mean if they attack Atheists taking the Blasphemy Challenge? It means they believe their belief system is superior and should somehow be held to a different standard - in other words, it means they are hypocrites.
To clarify for Christians frightened for Atheists souls - The Blasphemy Challenge is simply Atheists (people who lack belief in any gods...including yours) declaring they aren't afraid of the christian god. By denying god, they are walking under the christian "ladder", unafraid. They are eating beef and enjoying it. They are showing the world that they have no fear of that which can not be shown to exist, just as you have no fear of eating beef. They aren't afraid of your god because they just don't believe in it.
Now go have a hamburger and think about what I just said - and just as we won't fear denying the existence of a holy spirit, you shouldn't feel bad about eating a quarter-pounder with cheese.
Oh...and for the record:
I deny the existence of the holy spirit and I am unafraid.
PS: If you are a vegetarian christian, then substitute eating beef with claiming that Christ is the savior to a Jew. You and your false messiahs! You know who you are - the big guy is gonna burn you for worshiping that Mr. Christ! Just kidding...that belief is all without evidence too! Don't sweat it!
- Vorax
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9 comments:
Right...but I don't intentionally make a video of myself eating a hamburger in front of some Hindu worship service, cuss, and desecrate their holy icons (whatever they are) and then publish it on the internet.
Perhaps you wouldn't but are we not already doing that and MUCH worse in this Christian society?
Everytime a Jew looks at the image of Christ on the cross, for them it is a brazen idol worship of a false Messiha. Why must they accept these images without complaint yet Christians should feel insulted or threatened by the Blasphemey challenge? If you were a Hindu and felt that cows were sacred, how would you feel when you saw a Big Mac being eaten on a Mc Donald's commercial? How would you feel when you walked into a grocery store in North America and saw cows sliced up and displayed with a price tag and expiration date? The defemation in that case is actually far beyond anything done in the Blasphemy videos. Infact I can't even think of anything that would match that level of complete lack of thought regarding the Christian faith.
In all cases, it's no different. The only difference is that this is something being done that you find offensive. It puts the shoe on a different foot, but just as the Hindus, the Jews or anyone else that has their beliefs dismissed and disrespected, you should just ignore it and read no more into it then - "they just don't beleive"
I completely disagree. The Blasphemy Challenge is being done in an obvious, brazen attempt to offend Christians and "rally the troops," so to speak. Of course, I'm offended by it, but I would not say that people shouldn't be allowed to do it.
The difference is intent. It seems like you are completely overlooking the intent. My intent when I buy and eat meat is not to offend anyone. Many of The Blasphemy Challenge videos were meant to offend.
Why be offended by someones beliefs? They are inteding to shock I am sure, but as a person of faith it isn't an attack on you. They aren't attacking the persons they are attacking the idea and the idea is just that...an idea. Christianity has no feelings. As to rallying the troops, yes it is. It's no different then when I have to listen to a Christian evangelical preacher on a corner tell me I will be burning in hell and rallying christians and all to accept Christ into their hearts.
Christians give Athiests the message that we are going to hell. We give Christians the message that we aren't afraid. Who is in the wrong? Neither of us know if there is or isn't a god, but your religion says we will burn in hell for eternity... why is this message ok? Is your belief superior to my lack of belief? You are personalizing the message. It's not about you it about Christianity.
Good comments though - you really are a thinker - cheers!
I am not typically offended by someone's beliefs. I have many friends (and family members) who do not share my viewpoint on the world I was quite offended, however, when I saw someone urinate on a picture of Jesus and call him a whore. There were others (less blatant) that were also offensive simply because many of the videos were purposely trying to offend Christians.
In terms of the street preacher, I think there needs to be a little perspective. I think that there are some street preachers that have given everyone else a bad name, and those tend to be the most famous ones. If anyone's ever told you on the street that you're going to hell, it's because they don't want you to go there. It's not because they felt like offending you, which is more than I can say for the majority of the Blasphemy Challenge videos.
The main message of Christianity is that Jesus died for you and loves you, even though you are a sinner. I don't know how this has been so twisted that people look at it as "child abuse" these days to raise children in Christian homes. Hell is a part of the message, but that's not what I would call "good news." Jesus said that we (Christians) were to go to all of the earth and preach the "good news."
It's like this, if I see low gas prices, I tell someone because I want them to experience what I experienced. That's how good news works. That's also the message I would share with you or anyone else about how Jesus can transform lives, fill gaps, bring meaning, change hearts, heal diseases, carry heavy burdens, release bonds of evil, etc. I don't see what's so bad about that.
Ann,
I do agree urinating on a picture of Jesus is taking it a bit far. It's unnecessary to make the point. But I do take issue with Christians telling me I am going to go to hell for not following their religion. That is personal threat on me as opposed to the blasphamey challenge attacking christianity (not the christian).
The message of Christianity is not bad to you, but I was raised without any religion and to me it sounds quite frightening and harmful. I am quite happy in the world and I love my kids and family and people (see my post on hope and morals). From my position of non-christian faith - the christian message that we are servants of an invisible god who will torture us for eternity if we don't accept him, and reportedly (old testemant) killed entire groups of people (including children), destroyed the entire planet and condones the murder of gays, stoning of disobdient children and adulterous women and says women are below men...this is not a kind message. This message leaves me without hope, proof of his existence or a purpose..it's hollow and vengeful. To my non-christian eyes, it's a message of fear not hope...I have hope already. This is not a message I want taught to my kids.
If my kids grow up and become christian I have no issue with that, but by indoctrinating children we are not givening them the choice, we are brain washing them. It's not a statistical annommoly that 90% of children follow the religion of their parents... it makes perfect sense. If you were born in a Muslim family, there is a 90% chance you would be Muslim... if you were born in a Hindu family...or Buddhist, etc... I want my kids to decide on their own without fear and without any brain washing.
I tell my kids the same thing my parents told me when I asked is there a god, or why are we here -- "I don't know - no one does - think about it and you decide for yourself"
Fair enough and well-stated. I see immense hope in my faith, though.
vorax, first let me state that I am razorphreak from RRS. This discussion was carried for some time on their forum page so I actually found it interesting that you posted this on your blog.
Anyway with that said, I'd actually like you to take a look at this thread and offer up your explanation as to why the use of Mark 3:29 is simply out of context and not expressed properly in this so called challenge.
I'm afraid I don't have much to offer - to me the blasphemy challenge is only about showing a lack of fear. To get any more meaning out of it then that would require that atheists believe that god exists, which of course would mean they aren't atheists.
Put another way, the debate as to the validity or not of the blasphemy challenge as commiting an unforgivable sin is irrelavent. To me, this is like arguing over the question of weather or not Rudolf leads Santa's sleigh. To those of us that don't beleive in Santa (or god) the entire point is moot, only the fact that we disbelieve is important.
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