Westboro Baptist Church

[Winter wind]

Quote by: janedoe I disagree. I think that the fringe lunatics make the lunatics a step IN from the fringe seem less insane, thereby one step closer to "acceptable" "Well, they're looney, but they just want the 10 Commandments in the classroom, at least they're not shouting God Hates Fags at the baseball game!"

I think it depends on the person looking. One person could go "that's what Christians are like" another can say "oh so this is crazy, that makes the others look sane."

Or both....

[Anmon]

Quote by: Aussie Do other Christian groups publicly denounce groups like this?

lol their weirdos, and theres only about a hundred of them at most, who cares what they say.

[Winter wind]

Quote by: anmon lol their weirdos, and theres only about a hundred of them at most, who cares what they say.

Probably the smartest thing I've heard you say in a while.

He's right, who gives a flying f what they say?

[tommy5x]

It's the fact that some people, are quite frankly, idiots, and will believe anything thrown at them if no ounter-assertion seems to fit. Idiots then beget, raise and indoctrinated more idiots. The particular worry is that one of these idiots will gain some degree of power.

[Anmon]

Quote by: tommy5x It's the fact that some people, are quite frankly, idiots, and will believe anything thrown at them if no ounter-assertion seems to fit. Idiots then beget, raise and indoctrinated more idiots. The particular worry is that one of these idiots will gain some degree of power.

like a lot of socialists have now.

[Tycoon]

like a lot of socialists have now.

Don't push your other agendas in this thread.

[Anmon]

don't tell me what to do, your not a mod.

[Tycoon]

don't tell me what to do, your not a mod.

Don't make me go get one to say the exact same thing I did.

[Anmon]

Well go get one you little squealer.

[Jack]

Let's stay on topic, which is " Westboro Baptist Church".

DO NOT RESPOND IN THIS THREAD TO THE PRECEDING MESSAGE. Please contact a member of the staff privately if you have any questions.

[Tycoon]

I think it depends on the person looking. One person could go "that's what Christians are like" another can say "oh so this is crazy, that makes the others look sane."

I don't think so. There's obviously discrimination against gays already, but most people probably keep their prejudice to themselves and under control. When people such as the WBC come along they make it seem acceptable to be intolerant. They even make it seem the intolerance is justified, in this case by God.

[Winter wind]

But your living proof that one can say "See, many Christians are like that"

[Tycoon]

I don't exactly get the point you're trying to make. Could you elaborate a little?

[Jack]

I'd hate to think even the most militant atheist would think that all Christians are like those of the WBC.

Sam Harris, among others, has suggested that by being tolerant to moderate or liberal religions we are enabling groups like the WBC as well as the suicide bombing Muslims. By allowing the more benign among the religious to go unchallenged, we as atheists are giving a pass to the more extreme elements in any religious context. So in that spirit, I would say that while I don't believe that the "average" Christian sympathizes with the WBC inbreds, that does not imply I don't find any fault with more moderate religious beliefs. It's a difference of degree, not of kind.

[Winter wind]

Quote by: ty I don't exactly get the point you're trying to make. Could you elaborate a little?

I don't remember the point anymore actually.... -_-

Wait, it was that there are two ways of seeing this. That this makes the crazies on the right look saner, but makes Christians as a whole look a little more crazy.

Quote by: jack Sam Harris, among others, has suggested that by being tolerant to moderate or liberal religions we are enabling groups like the WBC as well as the suicide bombing Muslims. By allowing the more benign among the religious to go unchallenged, we as atheists are giving a pass to the more extreme elements in any religious context. So in that spirit, I would say that while I don't believe that the "average" Christian sympathizes with the WBC inbreds, that does not imply I don't find any fault with more moderate religious beliefs. It's a difference of degree, not of kind.

Sam Harris' opinion sounds rather dumb in my opinion. Not because I'm a Christian, but because I know exactly what suppressing free speech in any form does. It allows the speaker to say "I'm being prosecuted" (especially effective for Christians) and the speaker becomes that much more popular. Just ignore them, they thrive on media attention.

[Jack]

Harris isn't an advocate of suppressing their free speech. Rather he advocates, as do I, encouraging others to abandon superstition and fantastic beliefs. The point I was making is that by giving moderate religious beliefs a pass, we permit the more radical elements to exist. Non-believers should challenge all religions, not just the radical members of those groups. Radical or moderate, they both spring from the same root.

[Winter wind]

Oh, an atheist evangelist. Well I take my argument back