Offended? Why should we care?

Ahhh, Philosoraptor, billions of years have taught you so much....

I have spoken about this before (although not with the bent that rant with today).

It is on the subject of offense.  People use it as a cover behind which they can hide.  

"That is offensive"

"That might offend someone"

Or even conflating offense with hate.

This is the flip side to the old "Everyone is entitled to their opinion". Both as used to keep people from disagreeing with them, and they are both cowardly.

What they are really saying is "You are not allowed to SAY that you disagree with me out loud."

What I say is "Yes! You have the right to an opinion, and you have the right to be offended"

And I have the right to say that you are stupid....

The point that needs to be made is that no one has the right NOT to be offended. You have no right to ask that others not offend you.  

None.

Low hanging, underwear exposing pants offend me, sideways hats offend my wife, sassy kids offend my mother, but that doesn't give us the right to go yell at the offending people telling them to stop what they are doing immediately.

That is because offense is subjective.

But seriously... fuck these guys

You have the right to be offended by the things that you deem disgusting or inappropriate, but unless there is harm being done, you have no right to ask that person to stop.  

Don't misunderstand me.  You can ASK, but you have no RIGHT. They can stop because they are civil people, but they are under no obligation to do so.

Everything is open to critique.... EVERYTHING.

Every thought that is expressed, every belief that is manifested by action OR word, and everything that we do. 

I have a friend who was harshly criticized a while ago for stating her opinion about the Burqa. She was called racist (Islam isn't a race people!), intolerant, and even hateful. It is NOT intolerance nor offensive to speak up. It is her stating her opinion as freely as everyone else asks to be allowed. I have to say that I find that kind of intellectual cowardice VERY offensive. They are free to be that way, and I am free to say that they are closed minded cowards who haven't the brainpower to defend their positions rationally.

If you want to hide behind your "right" to an opinion, then you can't deny others their rights too.

Except them

If you are offended and disagree with an unpalatable opinion expressed, then speak up.  Have a modicum of courage and defend your position.

Or at least find a logical position from which to deride the one that you are offended by.

BECAUSE I HATE THEM

If someone says "Jesus was a homosexual who ran a backyard brothel for lepers and told Jews that ham was awful just so that he'd have more to serve his own guests", don't just cry how that hurts your feelings.  Speak up and explain to them how Jesus was a genuine boob connoisseur and hated ham in all it's forms.

On the flip side if YOU think that gay marriage is wrong, then you better have a good and supported position that extends outside of your religion to support this position, because you can bet that someone is about to rightfully call you on it.

Think he's a Muslim born in Kenya?

Do not confuse "intolerance" with "critique". Do not even confuse intolerance with something that is always bad. We are intolerant of a lot of things.

Racism

Bullying

Spousal Abuse

Pedophilia

AND THESE GUYS!

It is not intolerance that we should be careful about. It is spurious logic. It is learning how to differentiate between things that get on our nerves that really cause no harm, and things that we should protect ourselves and others from.

If you are offended, you should take a look at what is offending you.  Look to see if that offense is YOUR issue and whether or not it causes anyone harm but your butt-hurt feelings, or if it is something that we really should be intolerant of because of the harm that you see it can cause others.  

Discuss it.

Be open minded, and willing to change your opinion if shown evidence or support for the opposing position.

Why should we NOT be critical of things that we see are harmful? 

You have a right to be offended, and you have a right to defend your position. 

Just remember that saying "I'm offended" is merely another way of whining that you don't like how someone doesn't agree with your way of seeing things.  

That is right.  If you express only that you are offended, or that you are offended because of some personal experience, you are just whining. 

You don't have a right to ask that others "respect you" if you aren't willing to respect them back by allowing them the free speech that you are asking for yourself.

and fuck this guy too (for my wife)

The Immoral Power of Prayer

This is an issue that is very close to my heart, because I feel that it is something that is ingrained in children at a very young age and is harmful to their development as humane members of our society.

The immorality of prayer.

Why do I say this?

Not everyone who prays is praying for personal gain, or mundane things, most are praying for very humane and caring things.  

God, I knew that you wouldn't mind taking time out of your
 busy day for Monday night Football....wanna take sides?

People praying for a loved one's cure from cancer, 

Friends praying for friends to find a way out of the dark reality of drugs,

Fathers praying for daughters to find the strength to escape violent relationships,

etcetera, etcetera, and on and on ...

What could be wrong with that?

I mean, even if God ISN'T real, what is the worst that can happen?

We'd still have to see THIS!

The worst that can happen is already happening.

INTENT

Are people really trying to help? I know that the answer would generally be yes, but are they really?

Do they really think that their god will ignore the plights of needy people unless someone kneels and begs him to intercede?

Do they really think that he doesn't already know?

Do they think that it will make ANY difference at all if they believe that their god is a good and just god?

I would say that, if pressed, most people would have to consider their answer and say no to all those questions.

So why do they do it then?

Who does it help? To whom does it offer consolation? To whom does it give relief?

The answer to all these questions is: It helps only the person who is praying.

It makes them feel like they have done their part, like they have some real sympathy for the person in need.  Like they have a sense of humanity and caring that surpasses others. It makes them feel genuinely good that they are a good and caring person.

Seems like all the positive manifestations of prayer are all in favour of the person praying.  At worst, it makes it lazy, self aggrandizing, arrogant, UNcaring, and selfish.

At best, it is just arrogant, self aggrandizing and selfish.

Ummmm, that touchdown was for the whole TEAM!

When someone prays they are thinking that they have a special connect line to the creator of the universe, the artificer of the laws of physics and the writer of all morality. That is the very definition of arrogance and is worse than the worst case of nepotism that you have ever encountered.  

Ok, the second worst

When someone prays they are not bothering to bake a cake, or make a call to raise funds, or write a letter to help someone get a job, or even buying a card. What it does is give someone is a sense that they have done something. It gives them the sense that they are a good person and a feeling that they have proof that they really do have the person in need's issues at heart. Since no one would say that God would ignore the plights of the needy without THEIR voice to plead the case of the needy, it follows that the act of praying is lazy, self aggrandizing and uncaring (since prayer only benefits them, it is clearly not out of caring for the person in need).

At the very best, when the person praying DOES bake a cake as well, or DOES make a phone call as well, or even DOES pay a visit, it makes the act of praying useless.  What bothers me about those people praying is that if something good DOES happen, they attribute the prayer and god for the improvement, not the interceding of caring people. That spreads the wrong message in my mind.

So I can't see a single instance where prayer is a good thing unless it is for yourself and for the comfort that your beliefs give you.  (Even then I would argue that there are better ways to do that, but this is where opinion rings pretty heavily and I can't really back it up with evidence.  Just more opinion.)

Let's give credit to the people who really deserve it.

Doctors, case workers, wives, husbands, children, loving friends, policemen, science, caring strangers, and sometimes even bald chance.

But don't give credit to the prayer that did nothing but make the person praying feel as though they were finished and had to do nothing more to help.

If you really believe in God, and that he is a good being, then don't worry ... he's got it under control.

If you believe that your prayer is helping, then what you are saying is that God really is a self important, narcissistic, malevolent being who cares nothing for the needy but only for the praise that begging for help gives him.

And

If you really want to help someone in need, get up off your knees and use your hands.

Place a call, buy a card, send a donation, or just make a cake ...

Trust me, that is the kind of help, that actually helps.

maybe it doesn't help THIS guy

Peace

Atheist Haiku of the Month

that cat should DEFINITELY not be walking under there....(not sure why)

There is evidence

For all beliefs....if there's not

it's superstition