The God Fuse

[Achán hiNidráne]

Such as make patently untrue generalizations about people with whom you disagree, apparently. I think I've seen that somewhere before in this thread.

I'm making patently untrue generalizations? Really? When last I checked, Fawell's and his supporters believe....

• ...that abortion and using birth control is immoral and should be punished.
• ...that sex outside of marriage is immoral and should be punished.
• ...that homosexuality is immoral and should be punished.
• ...that the state should force the funding and/or observance of religious activities in public schools or other public venues.
• ...that women exist merely to be household servants and incubators for future generations of Christians.
• ...that the world was created 6000 years ago.
• ...that the world will end sometime in the next 50 years.
• ...that anyone who does not follow Biblical tenets will face an eternity in Hell.
• ...that flag burning, erotica, or speech that otherwise offends the ears of the Christian Right should be censored.
• ...tend to have racist views.

What part of that is "untrue?"

If it is true, then why should I not celebrate when a revolting man who wants to take away my freedoms dies. Why should I care that his evil man's supporters feel bad for his well deserved passing?

I save my sympathies for those who actually deserve them. The rest can rot.

 

[David Swidler]

I'm making patently untrue generalizations? Really?

Yes:

You, David Wong, and joobz, can hold hands and cry along with the rest of the red-neck, white-trash, ku-kluxing, Christards at Fawell's funeral if you want to.

If it is true, then why should I not celebrate when a revolting man who wants to take away my freedoms dies. Why should I care that his evil man's supporters feel bad for his well deserved passing?

I save my sympathies for those who actually deserve them. The rest can rot.

They're your fellow human beings, as misguided and delusional as they might be. The attitude of your posts conveys hostility - not unjustified - that ultimately will prove counterproductive. Consider that the intolerance and vitriol they spew exactly mirrors the tone of your posts in this thread. I'd hate to have them set the tone of discourse in our society.

 

[joobz]

The only people who'd mourn Fawell are just as bigoted, backward, and evil and he was.

Really, each and every one of them? You must be privy to information I am not.

 

[Correa Neto]

I just read a chronicle in one of our largest circulation newspaper. The writer is a defender of moral princibles being based - and dependent- on religion. He claims more people were killed in "secular" concflicts since the start of the Age of Reason than in all the religious conflicts before.

The alleged link between distance from religious doctrine, war and genocides is a major fallacy IMHO. It ignores the many pogroms and massacres where religious identity was one of the criteria used by the genocides to to tag their victims. Religion is part of an individual's ethinicity, its an integral part of his/hers culture. And its one of the main (if not the main) "criteria" used to justify persecution and genocide of a giver part of humanity.

 

[thaiboxerken]

They're your fellow human beings, as misguided and delusional as they might be.

So, was it wrong for people to celebrate Hitler's demise because a few Nazi's might be mourning? Get off of your high horse, bad people deserve no special treatment just because they died. If a bad person dies, that's reason to celebrate, I could care less about those people who loved the bad person.

 

[thaiboxerken]

Really, each and every one of them?

Most of them. I'm sure there are a few misguided folk who don't realize that Falwell was a racist, bigoted, religious supremacist. But by celebrating Falwell's death, they'll become informed when they ask the question "why are people happy he died?"

 

[David Swidler]

So, was it wrong for people to celebrate Hitler's demise because a few Nazi's might be mourning? Get off of your high horse, bad people deserve no special treatment just because they died. If a bad person dies, that's reason to celebrate, I could care less about those people who loved the bad person.

No one's getting "special treatment". The point is that the answer to the hostility, ignorance and bigotry coming from Falwellia is not more of the same. Perhaps you missed the next line of my post, which said, "I'd hate to have them set the tone of discourse in our society." Reap what you sow.

 

[thaiboxerken]

The point is that the answer to the hostility, ignorance and bigotry coming from Falwellia is not more of the same.

Celebrating that fool's death is not hostility, ignorance or bigotry. You're like one of those people that say to not tolerate intolerance is.. intolerant.

 

[David Swidler]

Celebrating that fool's death is not hostility, ignorance or bigotry. You're like one of those people that say to not tolerate intolerance is.. intolerant.

Perhaps I've been unclear; I apologize.

There's nothing wrong with expressing opposition, distaste, aversion, or whatever other shade of I'm-damn-sure-these-people-are-wrong, as long as the mode of expression isn't taken from the Fred Phelps School of Political Discourse. The moral high ground is too important in the long run.

 

[David Wong]

Well... if nothing else this is the most e-mail I've gotten on an article in a few years now. I'd say it's been about 80% positive.

The negative (including many dozens of posts in my forums) mainly are people asking "Who are YOU to decide the God/No God question?!?!? You have an Associates' Degree from Refrigerator repair college!!!"

But... the article doesn't really touch on that issue at all (i.e., whether or not religion is true). I don't know if it came off that way, but it was constructed specifically to avoid that.

Anyway, thanks for the kind word (as some have come from JREFers) and even the unkind words that came from people who still found the thing interesting enough to read all five billion words of it and then contact the author.