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I found this in the news. Depending on your religious belief this could be quite offensive, so I won't quote it here, but for others it could be very interesting or just plain hilarious.

Basically a vicar in New Zealand took an interesting approach to starting discussions about the virgin birth, it involves a billboard and innuendo.

Safe for work.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/12/17/2775091.htm?section=world

Why is this ok but poking fun at Islam [edited by moderator] a death sentance? I hope Christians start blowing themselves up. I guess they will be taken seriously once in a while at that point.

It wasn't a dig on the virgin birth from what I saw, it's more that it was a humorous statement on how can Jospeh ever hope to follow God's act.

Seriously, Christians (myself included), need to realize that God gave us senses of humor. He's not turned anyone into a pillar of salt recently, as far as I can tell.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA I LOLed hard t that one.

ounumen wrote:Why is this ok but poking fun at Islam [edited by moderator] a death sentance? I hope Christians start blowing themselves up. I guess they will be taken seriously once in a while at that point.

Well it all depends on how you put it. Some Muslims will be more sensitive than others. If you fervently believed the words of the Q'uran with all of your being then jokes aimed at your faith could well be more repulsive than jokes about dead babies.

Also for most of us westerners we can easily confuse the culture of Islamic nations in the middle east with the laws of Islam (incedently only about a third of the worlds Muslims live in the Middle East) . I don't know if joking about Islam is a death sentance by any Q'uranic law, but it could be just be a cultural thing. Do we have any muslims on Dakka to clear this?

Also, stating that you wish that Christians would start blowing themselves up is quite a provocative thing to write. There are a number of Christians on Dakka who probably won't take kindly to it.

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@Teh_K42:

Some of my friends while I was living in Dubai told me stuff about the Qu'arn (spelling fail ) but I'm no expert.

One thing I do remember is that a Jihad, a 'Holy War', has several rules. 1 is that no civilians are to be killed, and the other is that no structures are to be leveled while waging this war. So basically, the Twin Towers was a bit out of step with a Jihad.

Speaking as a Christian, I find that hilarious. As Valhallan noted, we have senses of humour for a reason.

Cheese is a christian?

Good god! That means...

= ??? = Profit

Therefore = Profit!!!

It...it all makes sense now!

I'm more of a guy who believes in God and Jesus and stuff. I don't go to church anymore, as I feel that I'm still finding my spiritual identity.

Until then, I will continue to disregard the crap that Christian 'family' groups spout about porn and stuff.

So you're a pro-porn christian?

... Think of the possibilities...

Yes.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go stare at some 40k porn and then cry about my lack of friends.

I consider myself a pretty funny person...and this is not funny. Not for religious reasons mind you. I just think that this is stupid...a vicar would think this was hilarious...

It's the kind of broad humour that often goes down well in the antipodes.

Although the billboard isnt all that funny, I do find it funny that people are emailing an atheist "go to hell",

I also support Mr Fisher in his campaign

ounumen wrote:Why is this ok but poking fun at Islam [edited by moderator] a death sentance? I hope Christians start blowing themselves up. I guess they will be taken seriously once in a while at that point.

Maybe that its because you and most christian (bar african countries) like in democratic countries who care about freedom of speech, just cos you don't like it, doesn't mean you can supress someones view point, and anyway it was a vicar who did this

Emperors Faithful wrote:
Automatically Appended Next Post:
@Teh_K42:
Some of my friends while I was living in Dubai told me stuff about the Qu'arn (spelling fail ) but I'm no expert.
One thing I do remember is that a Jihad, a 'Holy War', has several rules. 1 is that no civilians are to be killed, and the other is that no structures are to be leveled while waging this war. So basically, the Twin Towers was a bit out of step with a Jihad.

The word WAR in an context does not apear in the Qu'rarn at all, it is only in later works and writings that it apears.

JEB_Stuart wrote:I consider myself a pretty funny person...and this is not funny. Not for religious reasons mind you. I just think that this is stupid...a vicar would think this was hilarious...

I agree, i found it interesting, but not funny. i do think the vicar was trying to make a good point, about the masculine identity of the christian God and whether that is right.




why do they always have to tag on to these articles a viewpoint of a aethist (they're just as relgious in their anti-religion) agnostics (myself included) are far nicer

Hey, If I was Jesus and some stupid Vicar was making fun of my dad down on earth, that guy has got a one way ticket to hell.

I found this quite amusing, and would actually laugh if I passed it in the street.

I don't think its so much inappropriate, simply because, if you're old enough to understand it, you're old enough to be reading it.

I wouldnt say that its funny, but i like the vicar for doing it, its one reason that i have a grudging respect for the religion i was christened into as a boy without being asked, the Church of England. They just seem more.. chilled out about the whole thing than most. Catholics and Islamists no doubt needlessly find this whole thing terribly offensive.

It would be ok if it was funny. God forgives, but only if you're Mel Brooks!


You know back in my day we'd just call the local Inquisition to stop this nonsense...

That poster is so not funny. The only way it'd be funny is if it was a poster of BHO and Bill Clinton in bed together. Now that'd make me laugh.

It was ok in a kind of 'Ha! Yeah, I see what they did there...'-type of way.

The billboard itself was fine. It made me laugh, but I also double majored in political science and religion so its totally up my alley in terms of humor. On an aside, can anyone explain to me why aethists feel the need to be so...well, evangelical? If there really is no God, why do they feel the compulsion to correct people and ridicule them for their believes instead of accepting them as the secular humanist tenants they value preach? Or is tolerance of differing views reserved only for the views expressed by fellow humanists?

PanzerLeader wrote:The billboard itself was fine. It made me laugh, but I also double majored in political science and religion so its totally up my alley in terms of humor. On an aside, can anyone explain to me why aethists feel the need to be so...well, evangelical? If there really is no God, why do they feel the compulsion to correct people and ridicule them for their believes instead of accepting them as the secular humanist tenants they value preach? Or is tolerance of differing views reserved only for the views expressed by fellow humanists?

OOOHHHHH good point.

PanzerLeader wrote:The billboard itself was fine. It made me laugh, but I also double majored in political science and religion so its totally up my alley in terms of humor. On an aside, can anyone explain to me why aethists feel the need to be so...well, evangelical? If there really is no God, why do they feel the compulsion to correct people and ridicule them for their believes instead of accepting them as the secular humanist tenants they value preach? Or is tolerance of differing views reserved only for the views expressed by fellow humanists?

I've noticed some interesting similarities between the evangelical wings of both fundamentalist christianity and aethiesm. Both seem to bring up religion at all points, even when it's boorish. Both are obsessed. Both are so certain their right that they go out of their way to avoid or mock other faiths. Both seem to have very limited senses of humor.

As for the billboard...

It's both amusing and raises a good point. I think that this type of humor is fine because it presupposes the biblical story as true to be effective. It's cheeky, but I don't see exactly how it could offend anybody. I mean, I'm sure it could. I just don't quite get the mechanics of it.

As for there being a double standard with mocking christianity and Islam... I think there's a good point, and it's terrible in theory, but it's fine in practice, and here's why: there are active christian members on Dakka, and not all of us find the same stuff offensive. We can tease our own beliefs a bit. Without any real muslim activity on the board, we are discussing a religion that is completely detached from our own experiences. Also, well, one of the fundamental tenents of Christianity is turning the other cheek, while Islam takes the honor of the faith very seriously. Personally, I think this is one of the reasons that Christianity is a better religion for a civilized people, but part of that is practicing what we believe.

It is almost as if being a fundamentalist of anything creates similarities , even between dissimilar groups. The drive to promote becomes the cornerstone more than the message being delivered.

This pisses me off so much.

There's only one way out of it, I'm afraid, Garret

DEATH TO ALL FANATICS!!

garret wrote:This pisses me off so much.

why?

Because you dont make fun of the virgin mary.

Sorry, but that vicar has the right idea.

Good show!