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When people act as if you're an idiot for believing in a god/goddess/Flying Spaghetti Monster

IcalasariIcalasari
edited 2011-12-11 15:42:43 in Philosophy
No rainbow star
The artist/author for Scenes from a Multiverse is really beginning to annoy me. His second most recent comic (here) has him going on about religion under something that has barely any connection

Yeah, those people have a point. You can't prove that there isn't a god. Some of the people using those argument are using it as a case of, "Drop it, please. This is something that just can't be debated as we're looking at something that is supposed to exist outside of an observable system"

No, a potted plant is not going to give better conversation. You're just being a dick at this point. I'll agree with him that it's annoying when people shove religion down your throat. But calling people idiots just for having a faith?

Just... Gah. Would love it if he'd just shut up about this stuff. At the very least keep quiet about it unless it is an obvious religious comic

And this is a problem in general. When people do this, they are being JUST as bad as the people who shove religion down people's throats ("You're an idiot if you believe this mumbo jumbo and here are all the reasons why!"/"You're an idiot for not believing in x and here are all the reasons why!")

Gah, maybe I shouldn't be ranting about this at 4 in the morning...
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Comments

  • captainbrasscaptainbrass

    ^ I would have agreed with you, before I saw the hair-raising advert that it's taking-off.


    "Hi. I'm Captain Brass. I'm not ashamed to admit to being a Christian either. However, that doesn't stop me from also thinking that Rick Perry is a homophobic, fear-mongering dickhead who makes me glad the Americans won the War of Independence so that we didn't end up with politicians like him. That's what makes us strong."

  • All NinesAll Nines
    edited 2011-12-11 07:55:13
    Has friends besides tanks now
    ^ Wait, it was referencing Rick Perry? How many terrible ads does that bastard have?

    The writer of that comic is also a dickweed; way to care equally as excessively about these things as the people you're talking about and be equally unable to prove the correctness of your opinion, guy.
  • CornucopianSocialistCornucopianSocialist
    He didn't call anyone an idiot. He also has a good point. Believing in god may be the most rational thing ever, but the point when someone says "you can't proov X doesn't exist" is the point when you've ended productive conversation. Now if that were the end-all of all religions, you'd have a point. You don't have to rely on stupid non-arguments to be religious.
  • captainbrasscaptainbrass

    ^^ Whoops. It's actually his previous cartoon that was referencing the Rick Perry advert. Sorry, my mistake. It's still a terrible advert though.


     

  • MyrmidonMyrmidon
    Can we keep Captain Fargle out of this thread?
  • ForzareForzare
    edited 2011-12-11 10:31:07
    Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the last Day.
    ^ Captain Fargle left months ago.
  • GelzoGelzo
    Pony Sleuth
    I don't think it's at all unfair to say religion is stupid. That doesn't make religious people stupid. There are very many cases of otherwise very intelligent people making stupid decisions. No, I don't think it's especially productive to call people idiots for believing in religion, and it doesn't make for especially entertaining media. However, I don't think something that can't be supported by observable phenomena should be treated as though it's an idea worth respectful consideration as a model for reality except in hypothetical scenarios.

    I will point out that there is a documented tendency for less developed countries and less educated individuals to be more religious.
  • ClockworkUniverseClockworkUniverse
    edited 2011-12-11 13:38:45
    OOOooooOoOoOOoo, I'm a ghoOooOooOOOost!
    My religious views, in short terms:

    I don't specifically believe in any religion, but there are only a few that I specifically disbelieve.
  • GelzoGelzo
    Pony Sleuth
    Good scientists can't dismiss an explanation that doesn't contradict with reality as impossible, but that doesn't necessarily mean the explanation is of any real value.
  • gentlemanorcusgentlemanorcus
    edited 2011-12-11 13:45:32
    My views on religion:

    I don't put a lot of faith in religion (I'm agnostic), but (other than many times in history where it has been used to manipulate people) something that has grown so large, albeit in different forms, must have some kind of merit and/or meaning behind it. I know many people who are comforted by the idea of God, and if the idea helps people than who am I to diss it? Religion is only harmful when used to manipulate the masses, like it was in, say, the Crusades.
  • vandrovandro
    He who laments and can't let go of the past is forever doomed to solitude.
    As agnostic as I am, I am also a theist, really, something that comes out of nowhere? That's completely bollocks. And also, there this thing called ethics and social cohension, religion is a great tool for both.
  • MyrmidonMyrmidon
    Worst case scenario, they're wrong.
  • ForzareForzare
    edited 2011-12-11 13:51:32
    Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the last Day.
    My views lean closer to Gelzo's than anything else, really. Maybe a little less utter opposition though.

    ^^ I've said it before, and I'll say it again, that if you absolutely need religion to stay moral, there's something very wrong with you.
  • ClockworkUniverseClockworkUniverse
    edited 2011-12-11 13:52:59
    OOOooooOoOoOOoo, I'm a ghoOooOooOOOost!
    As agnostic as I am, I am also a theist, really, something that comes out of nowhere? That's completely bollocks. And also, there this thing called ethics and social cohension, religion is a great tool for both.
    I agree that some weird shit's going on regarding the fact that anything at all exists, though I don't think any human will ever understand exactly what.

    As for ethics, well, yeah, but on the other hand, I don't buy that ethical religious people only act like good people because they're religious. Maybe a few, but not the majority. And I wouldn't consider those few to be very good people.
  • GelzoGelzo
    Pony Sleuth
    It's also worthwhile to consider the people who are flat out evil because they are religious.
  • IcalasariIcalasari
    No rainbow star
    captainbrass: I linked the comic I meant in case he updated. The link is in brackets. The Rick Perry one I admit is perfectly fair game

    Anyways, yeah, I'm agnostic myself but I honestly cannot stand when either side acts as if they have won the argument by being on their side of an argument. That's not a debate, that's going, "LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"
  • gentlemanorcusgentlemanorcus
  • ForzareForzare
    edited 2011-12-11 14:07:00
    Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the last Day.
    ^ bluh
  • vandrovandro
    He who laments and can't let go of the past is forever doomed to solitude.
    Forzare: Morality, no, ethics, which is not the same, and honestly, the "guy becomes evil by losing his faith" boogeyman is pretty stupid, nobody abandons their ethics at a drop of a hat.
  • ForzareForzare
    edited 2011-12-11 14:10:53
    Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the last Day.
    I've talked to people who have said that religion is the sole source of morality, and that if religion weren't a thing they wouldn't see anything wrong with violence and such.

    These people scare me.

    I'm not saying every religious person is like that, just that people who take it to those extremes do exist.
  • vandrovandro
    He who laments and can't let go of the past is forever doomed to solitude.
    There's extremists everywhere: The muslims have Al-Qaeda and the christians have the general US populace./oooh edgy.
  • RaddRadd
    flat out evil because they are religious.

    What?
  • ForzareForzare
    Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the last Day.
    ^^ I was talking about religion in general, not Christianity.

    ^ As in, people who murder other people solely for being a different religion, for instance. I'm pretty sure that's what he means.
  • MalkavianMalkavian
    MORONS! I'VE GOT MORONS ON MY PAYROLL!
    It's not because they're religious that they do that. Religion is just an excuse in that case.
  • ClockworkUniverseClockworkUniverse
    OOOooooOoOoOOoo, I'm a ghoOooOooOOOost!
    ^Yeah, I have to agree there.
  • GelzoGelzo
    Pony Sleuth
    I don't think you can say that that's invariably the case.
  • ForzareForzare
    Till shade is gone, till water is gone, into the Shadow with teeth bared, screaming defiance with the last breath, to spit in Sightblinder’s eye on the last Day.
    I do think that generally in those kinds of situations, the evil person in question is fucked up and horrible and stuff anyway.

    But I dunno, religion might push him over the edge or give him the excuse he needs or something.
  • MalkavianMalkavian
    edited 2011-12-11 14:58:21
    MORONS! I'VE GOT MORONS ON MY PAYROLL!
    Why not? What evidence do you have that religion has ever caused an evil act rather someone's innate sinfulness?

    ^the same could be said of politics or spprts teams.
  • MillerCrossMillerCross
    You can change. You can.
    >Implying that there's just one big cause for problems such as holy wars, and that politics, human psychology and sociopathy are not involved, as well as religion in and of itself.
  • GelzoGelzo
    Pony Sleuth
    Religion isn't entirely to blame, but there are cases where it doesn't help.

    People are motivated to do things when they believe it benefits them. Telling a person that he goes to infinity paradise if he does X can be a very effective motivation, and it isn't always used for good ends.
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