GOOD comedy is social criticism….Religion is nothing but a “social experiment to re-inforce morality among the uneducated masses”…Therefore RELIGION is NOT above criticism…which includes teasing….Teasing includes light and affectionate parody, satire, and good-humored mockery….
Satirical works often contain “straight” humour, usually to give relief from what might otherwise be relentless preaching.
Straight-Laced Humour
Humour with a bite or edge to it, often involving some form of thought or analysis to really get or understand. Often used to teach or inform, much like satire or subtle sarcasm.
Although this has always been so, it is probably more marked in modern satire. Yet some satire is not “funny”, nor is meant to be. Obviously, not all humour – even on such topics as politics, religion or art, or using the great satirical tools of irony, parody, and burlesque – is necessarily “satirical”; the most light-hearted satire always has a serious “after-taste“.
The Ig Nobel Prizesatire on trivial scientific research describes this as “first make people laugh, and then make them think” – a fair definition of satire itself.
Several hundred people, including residents and students from Severna Park, rallied at the intersection of Disney Road and Route 175 Thursday morning to counter the presence of five Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) demonstrators near Meade High and Meade Middle schools.
The counter-demonstration included local students Ben Pershall, Kylie Davis and Kate Neal of Severna Park High School along with Steve Anstett, a Severna Park resident and a group of parents who gathered well before sunrise to rally against the message of the Kansas-based church, which is known for its anti-gay views.
The members of Westboro Baptist are known for their highly charged protests of the funerals of military members, claiming their deaths are punishment for America’s acceptance of gays.
Earlier this week, community members, like Anstett, began to use social networking sites including Facebook and Twitter to raise awareness about the counter-protest. ” The highlight was the motorcycle group that kept going up and down the street revving their engines as they drove by the protest,” said Anstett in an e-mail to Patch.
For some, the counter-demonstration was more than just an opportunity to make their voices heard—it was personal.
Jamie Hensley, a Fort Meade resident, Army wife and disc jockey who broadcasts over the Internet for soldiers, said Westboro Baptist members specifically targeted her in the past because of her involvement with the military.
“I’ve gotten hate mail from them. [The counter-protest] means a lot to me because they have wished that people in my family would come home in body bags,” said Hensley.
Sharon Lewis, a state department of transportation worker from Brooklyn Park, led a small group in singing “Amazing Grace,” while holding her Bible. She said the views of the Westboro Baptist Church were counter to her understanding of God’s teachings.
“My partner and I have been together for 26 years. How dare they?” Lewis said. “Hate can never win. I’m sorry, hate can never win. It’s all about love.”
So there I was on Saturday @ the African Americans for Humanism (AAH DC)Monthly Meeting sponsored by CFI Washington DC…and thankfully we had a great group of peeps that showed up…two peeps had basically just graduated college from UMBC, in Maryland. Much to the shock & horror of those in the room they both stated there is a general feeling that their generation is becoming more religious than their parent’s generation. That’s just crazy…and flies in the face of anything that I’ve seen such as: STUDY; Young Americans less religious than their parents.
Of the two that just graduated UMBC, one was female and the other was male. The guy who graduated stated that he was shocked by how many 20 yr old virgins there was @ UMBC. The girl who graduated UMBC stated that her girlfriends didn’t even hardly talk about premarital sex, and that there were Xian social fraternities/sororities all over campus.
WTF…are you kidding me?
Hah…maybe you assumed this already, but I didn’t tell you the race/ethnicity of both these students…they are black.
So we’re talking about something that may be unique within the black community…and here is something else that you might find very disconcerting I asked her how the black community @ UMBC viewed someone like Neil deGrasse Tyson:
The Fucking Man
Her response: Who the F#$K is that?
She does know who this fucking character is though…
You know…you need all that cash money american to pay off all those gay prostitutes, and then cover all those legal fees.
Of course it helps to have friends in HIGH places:
Wonder what the caption will read @ this moment in time???
Now that’s what I like to call some good old fashioned BIG PIMPN’
It’s too bad there aren’t more Secular Role Models out there for the Black Community like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ayaan Hirsi Ali:
I bet you really want to know what the heart of the problem…well the recurring theme of yesterday’s discussion was RACIAL SEGREGATION:
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines. The expression refers primarily to the legally or socially enforced separation of African Americans from other races, but can more loosely refer to voluntary separation, and also to separation of other racial or ethnic minorities from the majority mainstream society and communities.
Racial segregation in the United States has meant the physical separation and provision of separate facilities (especially during the Jim Crow era), but it can also refer to other manifestations of racial discrimination such as separation of roles within an institution, such as the United States Armed Forces up to the 1950s when black units were typically separated from white units but were led by white officers.
Racial segregation in the United States can be divided into de jure and de facto segregation. De jure segregation, sanctioned or enforced by force of law, was stopped by federal enforcement of a series of Supreme Court decisions after with Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. The process of throwing off legal segregation in the United States lasted through much of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s when civil rights demonstrations resulted in public opinion turning against enforced segregation. De facto segregation — segregation “in fact” — persists to varying degrees without sanction of law to the present day. The contemporary racial segregation seen in America in residential neighborhoods has been shaped by public policies, mortgage discrimination and redlining among other things.
Hypersegregation is a form of racial segregation that consists of the geographical grouping of racial groups. Most often, this occurs in cities where the residents of the inner city are African Americans and the suburbs surrounding this inner core are often European American residents.[1] The idea of hypersegregation gained credibility in 1989 due to the work of Douglas Massey and Nancy A. Denton and their studies of “American Apartheid” when whites created the black ghetto during the first half of the 20th century in order to isolate growing urban black populations by segregation among inner-city African-Americans.[2]
It breaks down like this…
Black peeps feel like they need to stick together and that white peeps can’t be trusted…and there is a lot of emperical evidencethat would cause this sort of attitude. The crazy part is that Black folks feel like the white peeps sabotaged religion {which they did of course} and it’s their job to fix it…which is crazy b/c any dogmatic Xian religion {based on the Xian bible} is inherently prejudiced against those who are minorities or make up the lower social class. For instance it’s a well-documented fact that SLAVERY is justified in the Xian bible. So why in the world would Black Peeps in the USA want to make such an evil dogmatic religion full of immorality and destruction the cornerstone of their segregated society?
If black peeps truly want to RISE ABOVEthe white folks:
RISE ABOVE IT
One would think that black peeps would be the first to get out in front of dropping Xianity likes it’s hot.
Yes it’s going to be hard to open up black people’s eyes to something that has been ingrained in them for so long.
Especially when you start to consider that the notion that “Black is beautiful” has been attacked so often in today’s society…and by attacked I mean societal peer pressure has convinced black men & women that if they show up to an interview with their natural hair, that will inherently put them at a disadvantage.
Black is Beautiful...an especially important concept to embrace for Black Women
This also brings up a bigger more foundational human psycho-therapeutic of “self-hatred“…and with self-hatred comes anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, low confidence, low self-worth, and feeling like this place is hell on earth. Now you have convinced yourself that this place is horrible, and you need a way out of here. We call this concept “Escapism“. Super Ideology like dogmatic religion has a way of feeding off of unhealthy attitudes of “self-hatred” & “Escapism“. Eliminate those mechanisms from your life through seeking help thru psychotherapy & medication & neuro-biology and learn to become healthier in mind & body.
The only way to overcome that is for the black man/black woman to look at themselves in the mirror and embrace their own humanity…and realize that a lot of shit is beyond your control…like how people judge your appearance, and how they perceive black peeps in general…you know what - if they are closed-minded and bigots…then fuck em anyway…you’ll never change their minds no matter how you try to conform to society…so just live your life how you would as a normal rational reasonable healthy productive member of human society.
Black History is rich with great leaders:
Another generation of great leaders will have to emerge once again within the Black Community and challenge the “Establishment” and establish “secular” alternatives to Black Churches {right now black churches are being used as the only viable form of community centers that black peeps trust}. Sure this will be largely unpopular, and you risk immediate “ostracization” not only from the black community, but also from your family….yeah I know…I’ve been there and I’ve done that….that shit ain’t easy…but I know if you want real change…that’s never easy…and somebody has to start the free-thought movementwithin the black segregated community.
And if you encounter those who absolutely need to supplant their “comfort level” of resting their head on the breast of Institutional Authoritarianism offered by Xianity…then offer the following suitable, healthier fit:
SAM HARRIS:The Moral Landscape; How Science Can Determine Human Values
I will leave you with the following deep thought…
In a similar vein to Sam Harris’ thinking, just imagine how much better human society would be if instead of basing our morality on culturally influenced moral relativismor basing it on dogmatic religious text which is inherently immoral and evil, we based it on the following simplistic guidelines:
Civility and Decorum
Disagreement is to be expected in any discussion group exchanging different ideas which is why we debate in the first place. We address a variety of controversial topics, so be prepared to be exposed to ideas that you may disagree with and sometimes even find offensive. At times, discussions may become heated. Of course, you are welcome to share your own well considered point of view. But remember that the point is not to cram your ideas and opinions into other people’s ears, but to learn from your fellow discussants. No single one of us is as smart as all of us together. However, we can only share ideas if we are civil and courteous about it. There is one basic rule of thumb: always treat everyone with respect and dignity. Accordingly, these are the rules:
Criticize arguments, not people. Always aim your criticism or doubts at what someone has said, not at the person who spoke …
Use appropriate language, and an appropriate tone. Don’t shout, but talk loud enough so that everyone can hear you. Avoid vulgarity and name-calling. Insults and racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory language are unnecessary and unacceptable.
Do not interrupt others. Wait until the speaker has finished before offering your response.
Take turns. Don’t dominate the floor; if you’ve talked for a while, let others have their say. In fact, it’s good to pay attention to those who seem hesitant to speak and to encourage them to do so.
Listen attentively to what others say. Don’t tune others out; good discussion requires more listening than talking on everyone’s part.
If you feel your temperature rise, take a minute to cool off. If you get angry, count to ten -really. It will distract your mind from what made you mad, and then you’ll be better able to calm down. And if you get really riled up, feel free to excuse yourself for a few minutes to calm down.
If other discussants (or your organizers!) forget to be fair and courteous, remind them, but do so fairly and politely. It’s easy to forget to be respectful in the heat of an argument, so pause and listen if someone politely points out that you’ve broken one of the rules. There’s no need to be defensive or to continue to try and prove that you’re right; it’s OK to admit when you’ve lost your head, as long as you correct your behavior.
Respect your organizers. We volunteer our time freely, and organizing can be difficult and sometimes stressful. A spirit of cooperation on your part helps us continue to organize Cafe Inquiry for everyone.
Respect your discussants. Treat others as equals and be courteous. Please turn off your cell phone, avoid distracting side conversations, and don’t be disruptive.
10. Respect yourself. Enjoy yourself, but put your best ideas forward. Put thought into what you say and do your best to present deliberative, well-considered opinions, not gut reactions ( or over-reactions).
When I drove up to their “industrial complex” the entire lower half of their 50,000 car parking garage was entirely full…and it immediately had the feel of a fully functional college campus..then I saw this sign:
the ROCK
You want to talk about a “state of the art” facility with all the trimmings…HOLY SHIT was I impressed…
Xian Palace on earth
All you need is some Babes swinging around poles and you got a RAP VIDEO
They have Leather LAZ-E-boy reclining chairs & sofas as their “lounge” furniture, and they have digital stations where anyone can swipe their credit/debit card to make a charitable donation to the MCB…and it will print out a gorram receipt that one can use for tax returns.
There was a full on Xian rock band that was practicing for Sunday’s service while I was there:
Rolling Stones eat your hearts out
They have two gigantic stadium auditoriums that fit anywhere between 5 – 10,000 folks for service:
Lights, Camera, ACTION
Holy Stunningly Super Video Batman
This place blew me away….I’m no longer an atheist
I mean they spared no expense…and everything was as nice as it could be…I can’t begin to imagine how many millions of dollars went into this place…
We’re talking about the square footage of a NOVA-community college campus…with a fully functional Cafeteria…a huge DAY CARE Center….and Hilton Hotel style conference rooms everywhere….
So as you all know the purpose of me going there last night was to scout out the JEWS 4 Je$u$ Weekly Bible Study…
While walking around to find the place where this event was taking place, I saw some things that reminded me that no matter how “cotton-candy” and “feel-good” and “luxurious” they have made the MCB campus…I saw a Marriage couseling seminar packed with 100 couples and an Orwellian “talking head” on a huge flat screen projection screen telling them how to live the “holy” married life….then in another room packed with 300 gorgeous women..another talking head on a digital screen was preparing them all for marriage, and their role as a Xian wife in the home….and then yet another room had choir practice…and the scariest of them all was the room with the middle school kids & teenagers that were learning from a talking video screen that was just feeding them line after line after line of canned messages…
ORWELL
1984
FATHER watches over us & protects us from evil
This of course reminded me of Joel Osteen and his Cotton-candy “prosperity” gospel:
Prosperity theology (also known as prosperity doctrine, the health and wealth gospel, or the prosperity gospel) is a Christian religious belief whose proponents claim has “tens of millions”[1] of adherents, primarily in the United States, centered on the notion that God provides material prosperity for those he favors.[2] It has been defined by the belief that “Jesus blesses believers with riches”[1] or more specifically as the teaching that “believers have a right to the blessings of health and wealth and that they can obtain these blessings through positive confessions of faith and the ‘sowing of seeds’ through the faithful payments of tithes and offerings.”[3] In the words of journalist Hanna Rosin, the prosperity gospel “is not a clearly defined denomination, but a strain of belief that runs through the Pentecostal Church and a surprising number of mainstream evangelical churches, with varying degrees of intensity.”[1][2] It arose in the United States after World War II championed by Oral Roberts and became particularly popular in the decade of the 1990s.[1] More recently, the theology has been exported to less prosperous areas of the world, with mixed results.[4]
My other keen observation was how all the “bad” “bloody” “sacrificial” Xian materials and imagery (such as the suffering Jesus on the Crucifix) has been completely scrubbed from everything.
Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th day of the Hebrew month of Adar (Adar II in leap years), the day following the victory of the Jews over their enemies. Purim begins at sundown. In cities that were protected by a surrounding wall at the time of Joshua, such as Jerusalem, Purim is celebrated on the 15th of the month;[3] Everywhere else, Purim is on the 14th, while the 15th is known as Shushan Purim.
Purim is characterized by public recitation of the Scroll of Esther (keriat ha-megillah), additions to the prayers and the grace after meals (al hannisim), giving mutual gifts of food and drink (mishloach manot), giving charity to the poor (mattanot la-evyonim), and a celebratory meal (se’udat Purim);[4] other customs include drinking wine, wearing of masks and costumes, and public celebration.
According to the Book of Esther, Haman, royal vizier to King Ahasuerus planned to kill the Jews, but his plans were foiled by Mordechai and Queen Esther. The day of deliverance became a day of feasting and rejoicing.
So I caught them on a little bit of an off-night…but still had some biblical teachings associated with this event.
I sat down with the guy who runs the group, Steven, and he said the format is tackling one book of the bible on any given night and talking about he history, culture, and theological implications as well as philosophical ones.
This didn’t seem to make logical sense to me…so I stated that this sounds like a Socrates Cafe Meetup Group, or the Philosophical group I used to go to run by my jewish friend Dan Spiro, The Spinoza Society.
He asked me if I was a practicing Xian from MCB…and I stated, No, I am very much like a “nomadic searcher” looking for answers, and wanting to be intellectually stimulated…and I asked him if that matters to him…
And here comes the SHOCKER ladies & gentlemen…
Steven said that his group (which by the way is the nicest, fun-loving, cheerful, group of Jews 4 Je$u$ I have ever had the pleasure of meeting) is made up mostly of Jews…but also gentiles, regular Xians, and NON-BELIEVERS…
NO FUCKING SHIT Boss?
I laughed and I asked how he was able to get away with that in a super conservative hard core MCB campus…
He replied that they left him alone, b/c they would rather keep the Jewish people happy in readiness for the 2nd coming of Jesus…b/c that’s what Revelation clearly states.
So I stated that I had a group of “friends” that were also seekers of knowledge and asked him if it would be ok with him if I asked them to come next time and anytime after that…and he stated…that would be super….
He really didn’t care whether one is a believer or not…no really.
If it’s not obvious…please allow me to make the case as to why it should be:
1. IF you’ve never been to something like this ever before in your life (exposure to this kind of stuff can be eye-opening and reveal a lot)
2. To understand how a well organized/well funded Xian org defends the “faith” (apologetics) and to get a better understanding of the argument from their point of view..in other words you learn how to debate these religious folks more effectively…especially when it comes to quoting the bible and understanding the meaning behind biblical dogmatic text
3. Education Education Education…how else are we gonna learn anything unless we experience it first hand…. …Now maybe you know everything there is to know about the hebrew/Xian bible, theology, philosophy, and apologetics…but most people don’t know that much about the cultural “contextual” meaning behind the book Genesis, the book of Revelation, the four Gospels, Thanatology, Soteriology, Missiology, Roman pluarism, Greek methodology, hebrew missenterpretations by greek/roman scholars…for example:
Catholic religion is based on a mistranslation. The Septuagint scholars mistranslated the Hebrew word for “young woman”…
… into the Greek word for “virgin”.
It was an easy mistake to make…
… because there was only a subtle difference in the spelling.
So, they came up with a prophecy:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear us a son.”
You understand? It was “virgin” that caught people’s attention.
It’s not everyday a virgin conceives and bears a son.
But leave that for a couple of hundred years to stew…
… and next thing you know you have the Holy Catholic Church.
Oy vay, “what are you saying?”
I’m saying, just because it’s written…
… doesn’t make it so.
4. How many atheist groups in the world can say they go to a weekly bible study in a state of the art Xian Campus?
5. The more we learn about what makes MCB so effective in their Marketing/PR …the more we can borrow and imitate their strategy
6. There are apparently other non-believers that come to this bible study, and we can network with them
7. Documentary material
8. We’re talking about making a “inter-faith” dialogue/connection that would be pretty damn strong
9. It’ll be a fun time, and once again show believers how “normal, good, and upright” kind of folks we atheists are, further breaking down the myth and stigma that atheists are inherently evil peeps.
In mario kart 64, the act of running over a bomb when equipped with a star while playing battle mode with three or more players. The bomb then disappears and the screen stands still, leaving that player in horrible shame and barring them from further play. While the screen stands still, the smoter has the opportunity to perform the “star dance.”
Jafari: Aw, I’m a bomb. I’m gonna get you.
Dave: (gets star and runs over Jafari) In your face!
Eric and Louis: Damn, you got smoted, Jafari!!!
(Jafari sets down his controller and hangs his head in shame.)
To be ‘burned’ or dissed. Usually used in the past tense. Usually used for extreme cases of smiting…
“OOHHH! You just got SMOTED!”
One Nation Under the Pope…
Xian Flag
With Theocracy…
I RULE!
And Absolutely NO Justice for Anyone who dare opposes me!
Now Have some Cake…
YUMMY
Wait NOT SO FAST…we need my HOLY BLESSING before consumption…
In the Name of the Four Horesmen (Dawkins, Dennett, Harris & Hitchens), The DEVIL (Bill Maher), and the Heavenly Body (Charlize Theron)…Ah ah ah ahhhh ahhhh ahhhh ahhhhhhh AMEN!!!
I LIKE GOOOOOOOLLLDDDD
BLESS YOU oh worshipper of mine for Visiting my Page…ONE GODZILLION Plenary Indulgences for you on this day!!!
