History CowboyBebopAtHisComputer / MythAndReligion

* The UsefulNotes/TheosophicalSociety is often accused of being a haven for Nazis and racist. This comes from three main sources: some of the writings of its co-founder Helena Blavatsky haven't aged well; the term "Aryan race" sees frequent use; and its logo is a Swastika. But it's not a Nazi philosophy, predating the Nazi Party and ideology by several decades, and it's considered quite progressive for the time (for example, one of the Society's goals was the end of all discrimination by gender, religion, race, or caste -- in 1875). All these can be addressed in turn:

** The Navajo Coyote is sometimes referred to as the "Native American {{Satan}}". He's actually a... complicated character, and it [[DependingOnTheWriter depends on the specific tribe]], but by and large he's ChaoticNeutral -- sometimes malicious, sometimes really stupid, sometimes just in it [[ItAmusedMe for the lulz]].

* Christianity does not ''require'' adherents to be virulently racist, sexist, or homophobic. It has that reputation because of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_right politically powerful]] VocalMinority leading to the [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Spotlight Fallacy]] -- the people who are most openly Christian, and who get into the news for their antics, tend to have opinions of this kind. Most rank-and-file Christians don't particularly care about those things. While there is textual support for all those things in the Bible[[note]]Even then, it's a bit sketchy. While God famously [[SoiledCityOnAHill obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah]], and one ''could'' read the cities' great crime as being full of homosexuals, it's just as logical (if not more so) to conclude that their crime was being full of [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil gang rapists]]. From the New Testament, the Literature/BookOfRomans does denounce same-sex activity, but it does so in the context of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_ancient_Rome same-sex concubines and prostitution in ancient Rome]] -- its author Paul, himself a Roman citizen, was trying to present himself as a DefectorFromDecadence[[/note]], there's also textual support for things most Christians never bother with like the Kosher diet, and most people see the Bible as FairForItsDay and update their system of morality accordingly[[note]]There is a strong argument, in fact, that the six verses most commonly used to attack homosexuals are in fact either poorly translated, due to the very concept of romantic homosexual love not being in existence yet, or badly misunderstood by homophobic modern Christians. There is even some evidence that some of the more direct passages, such as Romans 1 or 1 Corinthians 6 have actually been edited as recently as the 1950's in order to justify homophobic beliefs[[/note]]. In particular, the Bible is pretty consistent with its concept of "love your neighbor as yourself", no qualifiers attached -- it dovetails with the idea that God loves all of humanity unconditionally, and while many Christians might not be ''comfortable'' with homosexuality, they can generally get along with gays and lesbians. The ones who don't tend to be hunting for an excuse in Christian texts to back up pre-existing hatred. That said, part of the reason for [[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/22/us-churches-closing-religion-covid-christianity the decline in church attendance]] among younger, more liberal generations in TheNewTens and TheNewTwenties is the ValuesDissonance created by this conservative minority, meaning the reputation may end up a SelfFulfillingProphecy.

* Similarly, Jesus probably didn't look like the popular depiction of him as a [[JesusWasWayCool fair-skinned hippie]]. In all likelihood, he would have had pretty dark skin, like many people in the Middle East, and he probably would have kept his beard and hair short, too. The depiction of Jesus as looking more "European" probably comes from his European worshippers projecting themselves[[note]]or, in many works of art, the artist's patron -- note how many old paintings of baby Jesus have an unsettlingly detailed adult face[[/note]] onto Jesus, with the most ridiculous depictions having him look positively Nordic, with blond hair and blue eyes. Compare African and East Asian depictions of Jesus, which often show him as the dominant ethnicity there.

* God defies description -- YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm of God. While He must be ''somewhat'' humanoid, given that humans were created in "His image and likeness", God is no more likely [[GrandpaGod an old white guy]] than that weird three-foot-tall hippo-monkey creature from ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. In the Bible itself, God usually interacts with people using angels as intermediaries or as a symbol, like the famous burning bush Moses encountered, so no one can say what He really looked like. A handful of Christians really ''do'' believe that God is an old white guy who sits on a cloud, but they tend to be ''really'' [[TheFundamentalist fundamentalist]]. Or really uneducated. Or both.

** Most Greco-Roman gods are thought of as {{Flat Character}}s with a single trait -- Athena is very wise, Aphrodite is very pretty, Zeus hurls lightning and will chase AnythingThatMoves, ''etc.'' In reality, they were exceptionally complex in every facet of their existence, with a ''very'' wide variety of roles and depictions, DependingOnTheWriter and [[CharacterizationMarchesOn time period]].

UsefulNotes/{{Islam}} is subject to all manner of misconceptions in the West, many of them negative, owing to the religion being an {{Acceptable Target|s}}. Indeed, it's been a target for centuries among Christians, leading to some weird misconceptions.

** EverybodyHatesHades, because he's in charge of the Greek Underworld. This idea comes from analogy to Christianity, where the underworld is a FireAndBrimstoneHell[[note]]Well, actually it isn't -- that comes from ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' -- but that's another story[[/note]] and [[{{Satan}} the guy in charge]] is the BigBad. But in actual Greek mythology, Hades was a very nice guy, probably one of the most benevolent gods in the pantheon. Nor was the Underworld equivalent to the Christian Hell. Chalk this one up to Hollywood, which tends to portray Hades like this (''e.g.'' Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' and the ''Film/{{Percy Jackson|AndTheOlympians}}'' films[[note]](funnily enough, the ''Literature/{{Percy Jackson|AndTheOlympians}}'' books ''didn't'' do this, and both the fandom and the author of the book series have openly denounced the movies)[[/note]]).

** Mormons are not explicitly forbidden from drinking caffeine. Admittedly, the point is unclear. The original revelation through Joseph Smith listed "hot drinks" as one of the things not to be consumed; it was also introduced as a voluntary covenant, "not by commandment or constraint" but as a "word of wisdom" that it was sensible to follow, with blessings promised to those who do. Later development within the LDS Church after Joseph Smith's death made following it mandatory for temple worthiness (it is now usually taught as a "commandment", even though it was not originally introduced as such), and defined the reference to "hot drinks" to refer only to tea and coffee, but at any temperature. But even then there is wiggle room, as other products like hot chocolate and soda are okay. Many Mormons still choose not to drink caffeine anyway, noting that it isn't great for you, and BYU didn't sell caffeinated Coca-Cola on campus until 2017 (and school leaders were quick to point out it was nothing more than a [[MoneyDearBoy business decision]].[[note]]There's a different UrbanLegend out there that suggests that the "real" reason Mormons can drink Coke is that the LDS Church owns a substantial stake in the Coca-Cola Company, but this isn't true.[[/note]]

* Christianity does not ''require'' adherents to be virulently racist, sexist, or homophobic. It has that reputation because of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_right politically powerful]] VocalMinority leading to the [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Spotlight Fallacy]] -- the people who are most openly Christian, and who get into the news for their antics, tend to have opinions of this kind. Most rank-and-file Christians don't particularly care about those things. While there is textual support for all those things in the Bible[[note]]Even then, it's a bit sketchy. While God famously [[SoiledCityOnAHill obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah]], and one ''could'' read the cities' great crime as being full of homosexuals, it's just as logical (if not more so) to conclude that their crime was being full of [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil gang rapists]]. From the New Testament, the Literature/BookOfRomans does denounce same-sex activity, but it does so in the context of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_ancient_Rome same-sex concubines and prostitution in ancient Rome]] -- its author Paul, himself a Roman citizen, was trying to present himself as a DefectorFromDecadence[[/note]], there's also textual support for things most Christians never bother with like the Kosher diet, and most people see the Bible as FairForItsDay and update their system of morality accordingly[[note]]There is a strong argument, in fact, that the six verses most commonly used to attack homosexuals are in fact either poorly translated, due to the very concept of romantic homosexual love not being in existence yet, or badly misunderstood by homophobic modern Christians. There is even some evidence that some of the more direct passages, such as Romans 1 or 1 Corinthians 6 have actually been edited as recently as the 1950's in order to justify homophobic beliefs[[/note]]. In particular, the Bible is pretty consistent with its concept of "love your neighbor as yourself", no qualifiers attached -- it dovetails with the idea that God loves all of humanity unconditionally, and while many Christians might not be ''comfortable'' with homosexuality, they can generally get along with gays and lesbians. The ones who don't tend to be hunting for an excuse in Christian texts to back up pre-existing hatred. That said, part of the reason for the [[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/22/us-churches-closing-religion-covid-christianity the decline in church attendance]] among younger, more liberal generations in TheNewTens and TheNewTwenties is increased ValuesDissonance causing them to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere feel unwelcome and/or morally unable to justify attending]], meaning the reputation may end up a SelfFulfillingProphecy.

* Christianity does not ''require'' adherents to be virulently racist, sexist, or homophobic. It has that reputation because of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_right politically powerful]] VocalMinority leading to the [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Spotlight Fallacy]] -- the people who are most openly Christian, and who get into the news for their antics, tend to have opinions of this kind. Most rank-and-file Christians don't particularly care about those things. While there is textual support for all those things in the Bible[[note]]Even then, it's a bit sketchy. While God famously [[SoiledCityOnAHill obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah]], and one ''could'' read the cities' great crime as being full of homosexuals, it's just as logical (if not more so) to conclude that their crime was being full of [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil gang rapists]]. From the New Testament, the Literature/BookOfRomans does denounce same-sex activity, but it does so in the context of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_ancient_Rome same-sex concubines and prostitution in ancient Rome]] -- its author Paul, himself a Roman citizen, was trying to present himself as a DefectorFromDecadence[[/note]], there's also textual support for things most Christians never bother with like the Kosher diet, and most people see the Bible as FairForItsDay and update their system of morality accordingly[[note]]There is a strong argument, in fact, that the six verses most commonly used to attack homosexuals are in fact either poorly translated, due to the very concept of romantic homosexual love not being in existence yet, or badly misunderstood by homophobic modern Christians. There is even some evidence that some of the more direct passages, such as Romans 1 or 1 Corinthians 6 have actually been edited as recently as the 1950's in order to justify homophobic beliefs[[/note]]. In particular, the Bible is pretty consistent with its concept of "love your neighbor as yourself", no qualifiers attached -- it dovetails with the idea that God loves all of humanity unconditionally, and while many Christians might not be ''comfortable'' with homosexuality, they can generally get along with gays and lesbians. The ones who don't tend to be hunting for an excuse in Christian texts to back up pre-existing hatred. That said, part of the reason for the [[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/22/us-churches-closing-religion-covid-christianity the decline in church attendance]] in TheNewTens and TheNewTwenties is the bigots [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere causing younger, more liberal generations to drop out of the church]] due to ValuesDissonance, meaning the reputation may end up a SelfFulfillingProphecy.

* Christianity does not ''require'' adherents to be virulently racist, sexist, or homophobic. It has that reputation because of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_right politically powerful]] VocalMinority leading to the [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Spotlight Fallacy]] -- the people who are most openly Christian, and who get into the news for their antics, tend to have opinions of this kind. Most rank-and-file Christians don't particularly care about those things. While there is textual support for all those things in the Bible[[note]]Even then, it's a bit sketchy. While God famously [[SoiledCityOnAHill obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah]], and one ''could'' read the cities' great crime as being full of homosexuals, it's just as logical (if not more so) to conclude that their crime was being full of [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil gang rapists]]. From the New Testament, the Literature/BookOfRomans does denounce same-sex activity, but it does so in the context of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_ancient_Rome same-sex concubines and prostitution in ancient Rome]] -- its author Paul, himself a Roman citizen, was trying to present himself as a DefectorFromDecadence[[/note]], there's also textual support for things most Christians never bother with like the Kosher diet, and most people see the Bible as FairForItsDay and update their system of morality accordingly[[note]]There is a strong argument, in fact, that the six verses most commonly used to attack homosexuals are in fact either poorly translated, due to the very concept of romantic homosexual love not being in existence yet, or badly misunderstood by homophobic modern Christians. There is even some evidence that some of the more direct passages, such as Romans 1 or 1 Corinthians 6 have actually been edited as recently as the 1950's in order to justify homophobic beliefs[[/note]]. In particular, the Bible is pretty consistent with its concept of "love your neighbor as yourself", no qualifiers attached -- it dovetails with the idea that God loves all of humanity unconditionally, and while many Christians might not be ''comfortable'' with homosexuality, they can generally get along with gays and lesbians. The ones who don't tend to be hunting for an excuse in Christian texts to back up pre-existing hatred. That said, part of the reason for the [[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/22/us-churches-closing-religion-covid-christianity the decline in church attendance]] in TheNewTens and TheNewTwenties is the bigots giving younger people the impression that their liberal values, especially their acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, [[ValuesDissonance are increasingly gauche in the church]], meaning the reputation may end up a SelfFulfillingProphecy.

* Christianity does not ''require'' adherents to be virulently racist, sexist, or homophobic. It has that reputation because of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_right politically powerful]] VocalMinority leading to the [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Spotlight Fallacy]] -- the people who are most openly Christian, and who get into the news for their antics, tend to have opinions of this kind. Most rank-and-file Christians don't particularly care about those things. While there is textual support for all those things in the Bible[[note]]Even then, it's a bit sketchy. While God famously [[SoiledCityOnAHill obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah]], and one ''could'' read the cities' great crime as being full of homosexuals, it's just as logical (if not more so) to conclude that their crime was being full of [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil gang rapists]]. From the New Testament, the Literature/BookOfRomans does denounce same-sex activity, but it does so in the context of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_ancient_Rome same-sex concubines and prostitution in ancient Rome]] -- its author Paul, himself a Roman citizen, was trying to present himself as a DefectorFromDecadence[[/note]], there's also textual support for things most Christians never bother with like the Kosher diet, and most people see the Bible as FairForItsDay and update their system of morality accordingly[[note]]There is a strong argument, in fact, that the six verses most commonly used to attack homosexuals are in fact either poorly translated, due to the very concept of romantic homosexual love not being in existence yet, or badly misunderstood by homophobic modern Christians. There is even some evidence that some of the more direct passages, such as Romans 1 or 1 Corinthians 6 have actually been edited as recently as the 1950's in order to justify homophobic beliefs[[/note]]. In particular, the Bible is pretty consistent with its concept of "love your neighbor as yourself", no qualifiers attached -- it dovetails with the idea that God loves all of humanity unconditionally, and while many Christians might not be ''comfortable'' with homosexuality, they can generally get along with gays and lesbians. The ones who don't tend to be hunting for an excuse in Christian texts to back up pre-existing hatred. That said, part of the reason for the [[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jan/22/us-churches-closing-religion-covid-christianity the decline in church attendance]] in TheNewTens and TheNewTwenties is younger people gaining the impression that their liberal values, especially their acceptance of LGBTQ+ people, [[ValuesDissonance are increasingly gauche in the church]], meaning it may end up a SelfFulfillingProphecy.

* Christianity does not ''require'' adherents to be virulently racist, sexist, or homophobic. It has that reputation because of a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_right politically powerful]] VocalMinority leading to the [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Spotlight Fallacy]] -- the people who are most openly Christian, and who get into the news for their antics, tend to have opinions of this kind. Most rank-and-file Christians don't particularly care about those things. While there is textual support for all those things in the Bible[[note]]Even then, it's a bit sketchy. While God famously [[SoiledCityOnAHill obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah]], and one ''could'' read the cities' great crime as being full of homosexuals, it's just as logical (if not more so) to conclude that their crime was being full of [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil gang rapists]]. From the New Testament, the Literature/BookOfRomans does denounce same-sex activity, but it does so in the context of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_ancient_Rome same-sex concubines and prostitution in ancient Rome]] -- its author Paul, himself a Roman citizen, was trying to present himself as a DefectorFromDecadence[[/note]], there's also textual support for things most Christians never bother with like the Kosher diet, and most people see the Bible as FairForItsDay and update their system of morality accordingly[[note]]There is a strong argument, in fact, that the six verses most commonly used to attack homosexuals are in fact either poorly translated, due to the very concept of romantic homosexual love not being in existence yet, or badly misunderstood by homophobic modern Christians. There is even some evidence that some of the more direct passages, such as Romans 1 or 1 Corinthians 6 have actually been edited as recently as the 1950's in order to justify homophobic beliefs[[/note]]. In particular, the Bible is pretty consistent with its concept of "love your neighbor as yourself", no qualifiers attached -- it dovetails with the idea that God loves all of humanity unconditionally, and while many Christians might not be ''comfortable'' with homosexuality, they can generally get along with gays and lesbians. The ones who don't tend to be hunting for an excuse in Christian texts to back up pre-existing hatred.

* Christianity does not ''require'' adherents to be virulently racist, sexist, or homophobic. It has that reputation because of a VocalMinority leading to the [[UsefulNotes/LogicalFallacies Spotlight Fallacy]] -- the people who are most openly Christian, and who get into the news for their antics, tend to have opinions of this kind. Most rank-and-file Christians don't particularly care about those things. While there is textual support for all those things in the Bible[[note]]Even then, it's a bit sketchy. While God famously [[SoiledCityOnAHill obliterated Sodom and Gomorrah]], and one ''could'' read the cities' great crime as being full of homosexuals, it's just as logical (if not more so) to conclude that their crime was being full of [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil gang rapists]]. From the New Testament, the Literature/BookOfRomans does denounce same-sex activity, but it does so in the context of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_ancient_Rome same-sex concubines and prostitution in ancient Rome]] -- its author Paul, himself a Roman citizen, was trying to present himself as a DefectorFromDecadence[[/note]], there's also textual support for things most Christians never bother with like the Kosher diet, and most people see the Bible as FairForItsDay and update their system of morality accordingly[[note]]There is a strong argument, in fact, that the six verses most commonly used to attack homosexuals are in fact either poorly translated, due to the very concept of romantic homosexual love not being in existence yet, or badly misunderstood by homophobic modern Christians. There is even some evidence that some of the more direct passages, such as Romans 1 or 1 Corinthians 6 have actually been edited as recently as the 1950's in order to justify homophobic beliefs[[/note]]. In particular, the Bible is pretty consistent with its concept of "love your neighbor as yourself", no qualifiers attached -- it dovetails with the idea that God loves all of humanity unconditionally, and while many Christians might not be ''comfortable'' with homosexuality, they can generally get along with gays and lesbians. The ones who don't tend to be hunting for an excuse in Christian texts to back up pre-existing hatred.

* In Myth/NativeAmericanMythology, TheTrickster tends to be thought of as AlwaysChaoticEvil. But this comes from Judeo-Christian mythology's tendency to assign ''everything'' as [[BlackAndWhiteMorality good or evil]]; Native American tricksters tend to be more nuanced. Different traditions tend to be different about it; some are more clearly evil than others, but they've all got their own quirks.

* Similarly, Jesus probably didn't look like the popular depiction of him as a [[JesusWasWayCool fair-skinned hippie]]. In all likelihood, he would have had pretty dark skin, like many people in the Middle East, and he probably would have kept his beard and hair short, too. The depiction of Jesus as looking more "European" probably comes from his European worshippers projecting themselves[[note]]or, in many works of art, the artist's patron -- note how many old paintings of baby Jesus have an [[UncannyValley unsettlingly detailed adult face]][[/note]] onto Jesus, with the most ridiculous depictions having him look positively Nordic, with blond hair and blue eyes. Compare African and East Asian depictions of Jesus, which often show him as the dominant ethnicity there.

** EverybodyHatesHades, because he's in charge of the Greek Underworld. This idea comes from analogy to Christianity, where the underworld is a FireAndBrimstoneHell[[note]]Well, actually it isn't -- that comes from ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'' -- but that's another story[[/note]] and [[{{Satan}} the guy in charge]] is the UltimateEvil. But in actual Greek mythology, Hades was a very nice guy, probably one of the most benevolent gods in the pantheon. Nor was the Underworld equivalent to the Christian Hell. Chalk this one up to Hollywood, which tends to portray Hades like this (''e.g.'' Creator/{{Disney}}'s ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'' and the ''Film/{{Percy Jackson|AndTheOlympians}}'' films[[note]](funnily enough, the ''Literature/{{Percy Jackson|AndTheOlympians}}'' books ''didn't'' do this, and both the fandom and the author of the book series have openly denounced the movies)[[/note]]).

Being around for thousands of years doesn't prevent some stories from falling victim to CowboyBebopAtHisComputer. This is a massive problem because unlike misgendering Ed and mistaking her for a title character, misconceptions about religion are misconceptions about the morals and culture people were raised in, meaning such misconceptions can have and have had dangerous societal consequences. See also CommonKnowledge.MythsAndReligion.

Being around for thousands of years doesn't prevent some stories from falling victim to CowboyBebopAtHisComputer. This is a massive problem because unlike thinking Ed is both male and a titular character, misconceptions about religion are misconceptions about the morals and culture people were raised in, meaning such misconceptions can have and have had dangerous societal consequences. See also CommonKnowledge.MythsAndReligion.

Being around for thousands of years doesn't prevent some stories from falling victim to CowboyBebopAtHisComputer. See also CommonKnowledge.MythsAndReligion.

[[/folder]]