Happy Blasphemy Day!

You won't what?

The thing you said no religious person would do.

Religious secularist checking in.

...good for you?

So what group will you/did you commit blasphemy against?

edited 1st Oct '12 3:00:39 AM by DeviantBraeburn

Who cares? We're probably blaspheming against some obscure group just by using the internet.

"some obscure group just by using the internet."

You mean the Amish?

Probably.

I'll be eating meat later, I know some religions consider that evil.

Depends on the meat.

I have no problem with blasphemy, I just find a day revolved around being blasphemous and being proud of that to be ... silly.

"Look at me everyone I'm being blasphemous"

So what do you want, an "I am committing blasphemy" medal?

edited 1st Oct '12 3:07:34 AM by DeviantBraeburn

No, they want to stop people getting killed for it.

I'm sure making and parading signs showing Mohammad having gay sex (while staying in there secure first world nation), is doing a lot to persuade Pakistani/Afghan/Iranian official to get rid of there blasphemy laws.

Hell do we even know that they know this is going on?

edited 1st Oct '12 3:14:41 AM by DeviantBraeburn

Probably. We know that Iranian news channels read the Onion.

LOL. The Onion.

Still while I fully support the freedom of speech, is making them angrier (which is the only reaction I can see them having to this) really the best way to solve the problem?

Is there a best way to solve the problem?

There certainly seems like better ways.

Compassion is one. Encouraging your government to speak up about the problem (thats the main way we ended apartheid) is another (although considering the last 12 years and the current situation in the middle east, perhaps making a western government get involved isn't such a good idea).

edited 1st Oct '12 3:35:12 AM by DeviantBraeburn

Maybe.

I think what we're seeing here is just an example of the Streisand Effect. Perhaps if we could get people to understand that effect then it would do better. The more nations clamp down on blasphemy the more blasphemy happens in the world ... would that make a nation clamping down on blasphemy blasphemous in itself?

It is odd that people couldn't see that by rioting in response to that youtube video they gave the author everything he hoped for.

" would that make a nation clamping down on blasphemy blasphemous in itself? "''

If there religion dissuades that type of behavior, then yes.

"It is odd that people couldn't see that by rioting in response to that youtube video they gave the author everything he hoped for. "

I doubt they cared. Most of the rioters were probably poor, disillusioned with how the Arab Spring turned out, and probably baring some resentment to western nations. They were basically a bomb and that video acted as there detonator.

edited 1st Oct '12 3:42:32 AM by DeviantBraeburn

In which case they'd have done it soon enough anyway.

Probably (although we can't say for sure).

Still I wish people would understand that there's more to it than them being offended simply because there Muslim.

There is always more to it. Which is why something like "Blasphemy Day" is a bloody stupid idea. It focuses on one aspect. That's so dangerous, it brings me out in hives.

Thread Hop:

The reason there's a blasphemy day, per se, is because of religious privilege. That is, the idea that religious beliefs (pretty much alone) can't be criticized/attacked/mocked/whatever. It's basically standing up, en masse, saying that privilege is basically bullshit and and you're going to have to deal with people doing those things because not everybody is going to agree with you.

It's important about doing it as a group, as the saying is that they can't hurt all of us.

Yes. Get that. Yada yada.

It's just over-confrontational in the present climate, is all. Particularly with the chosen name. And, considering the people it's supposed to be aimed at.

In short: wrong way to go about it for the people you'd rather have listen. Secular Islam (and other religious movements) can be supported in other ways over their more rabid kin than this.

This is off-topic, but because you're posting here in English I assume you probably want to know when there's a way you can improve, so I'd like to point out that "they are" is contacted as "they're." This is distinct from "there" and "their." If you look those words up in, say, Wiktionary, I'm sure you'll learn to use the correct one in every situation.

(I know that people can take offence to having mistakes like this pointed out to them, but I for one would be happy if someone told me about something I keep doing wrong, so hopefully you will feel that this is helpful rather than abrasive, especially if English is not your first language, as is the case with me.)

"Compassion is one. Encouraging your government to speak up about the problem (thats the main way we ended apartheid) is another (although considering the last 12 years and the current situation in the middle east, perhaps making a western government get involved isn't such a good idea)."

Please, do enlighten us on how we can commit blasphemy compassionately.

"It's just over-confrontational in the present climate, is all. Particularly with the chosen name. And, considering the people it's supposed to be aimed at."

Confronting the issue is sort of the point. Nothing ever got fixed up ignoring it. As far as those this day (movement, whatever) is aimed at: fuck em. We aren't trying to win them over. You don't win over the fanatics, you win over the moderates. We have pictures of the prophet fucking a goat. They have murdering innocents. Moderates will go with us and with any luck drown out the fanatics.

Or tear up the turin shroud for bandages.

edited 1st Oct '12 11:28:48 AM by Michael

One hopes "moderates" would have the good sense to consider both parties utterly detestable, hateful assholes, and just walk away without dignifying either one. Nothing gets fixed by ignoring it, but blindly throwing a tantrum with no sense of how to socially interact with other human beings will almost always make things so, so much worse.

I must say that I agree with you about that when it comes to things like drawing Muhammed and Jesus doing kinky stuff together. It's not something you'd do more often if there wasn't a taboo against it; you probably wouldn't do it at all except to offend people.

But stuff like talking about the Flying Spaghetti Monster or just publicly declaring that you're an atheist is in my opinion very positive and helpful, as it helps to get rid of the taboo against that kind of blasphemy. The point should not be to offend, but to stop avoiding saying things that you would otherwise say because they might offend someone. Now, whatever you're going to say still should be well thought out and contributing something to the discussion, not just idle trolling. (Still, one day a year for that sort of thing might do more good than harm.)