Thing is, I don't know any intelligent people who are religious. Which makes sense to me, which is probably why I wanted to laugh. And here in Iceland no-one(I hope I don't need to explain I'm generalizing) is very passionate about religion so I knew they wouldn't mind terribly.
You have met more than one here.
Also, I frequently chat online with a Druid who lives in Iceland. So in my perception of reality from my own experience, Iceland citizens are 50/50. And I am assuming you were at a church in Iceland, so there are more people than a generalized 'no one' that takes religion seriously.
You seem to me to be intolerant of religion, rather than ignorance. Ignorance is actually not a bad thing, for we are all ignorant of more subjects than we are enlightened in. It is when you willfully allow this ignorance to persist and refuse to learn so you are no longer ignorant of a subject is when it becomes stupidity, and there is nothing wrong with being intolerant of that. I know quite a few people who claim stupidity is the only sin.
I just had a thought. Why can't we make fun of religions? If every single person in the world except me would start believing in elves I couldn't make fun of them? Just because there is too many of them? Nobody would find it funny but as I've already addressed it doesn't matter =)
Everybody seems to be way too caught up in being PC. Which is one of the worst words in my vocabulary.
Sincerely, your friendly neighborhood agnostic(that's the anti-religion one right?).
You can indeed make fun of religion, but being a
religious forum, this is not the place for it.
And myself, I am the most anti-PC person alive, yet even I realize there does exist a difference between being polite, politically correct, and rudeness. Making fun of another's religion, especially at there own establishment of worship is of the utmost rudeness.
And FYI, an agnostic is one who is undecided about religion/spirituality. The briefest definition is one who is undecided, swaying either way towards theism or atheism.
Allthough not specifically meaning 'anti-religious' the term 'atheist' means one who does not believe in any form of gods, spirits, etc.
And I don't want any pity because of being bullied, that's just as silly as religion
I too was picked on alot as a kid. So much in fact that my mom pulled me out of public school and enrolled me in a home/private school. However, I realize when the appropriate times for certain actions are permissible. Ridiculing someone's religion is usually reserved for one-on-one encounters, such as door-to-door missionaries. But even then, showing them respect and dignity will go much further than blatantly rude and hateful remarks, and will sometimes get them to stop coming around much quicker. Unless you engage in an intellectual debate of the religion in question, and you need to know ALOT about said religion, and have the confidence that you do know more than the person you are debating, then it is best to leave it civil.
Also, some religions are dumb, greedy, and encourage stupidity, but nevertheless, I have seen both the best and worst of man in the name of religion. But calling it silly undermines the massive positive contributions that have been made in the name of religion. It has also been suggested that some people do indeed psychologically function better with religion.
People around you matter regardless of a positive or negative effect on you.
This is very true. You love and cherish those who make a positive effect, and try not to anger those who can have a negative effect, especially when it can be to a severe degree.
However, you can learn stuff from everyone, from the most qualified of scientist, down to the lowest of church goers whose only hope is a peaceful life in Heaven.
Yeah, I hope so as well.
