Religion/is It Okay To Make Jokes?

[Tea&Biscuits]

Sorry guys had to edit (will explain later)

[Declan]

similar people prob did Dianna jokes too.

 

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I think it is unfair of you to compare the Pope to that creature. He was a good man who tried to do good (even if he was wrong often). Diana was his antithesis.

 

I think if you were to complain about your co-workers, you'd find it is not taken any less serious to mock Catholics than Jews or Muslims.

[monkey_magic]

I suppose, fair enough, it's bad taste to make jokes about this bloke because he's just died. (Although a story I read on another forum about the Zombie Pope terrorising the Vatican had me chuckling)

 

But mocking religion is OK in my book. I'm not religious at all - I think it's all rubbish, but the fact that people get upset about their religion being mocked just shows how insecure they are about it.

 

That Jerry Springer musical had over 60,000 complaints about it's "blasphemy". How can it be blasphemy if the person saying it isn't religious?

[Cobblers]

Religion kills people. Look at all the wars throughout history and happening right now that were triggered by differences in religious faith or practice. Or the AIDS crisis and the dangerously insane Catholic stance on safe sex. But it's just an excuse like any other. If human beings abolished religion, we'd still find a valid reason to ostracise, torture and kill each other. Put enough people into a room together and sooner or later they'll find the odd ones out and start stoning them.

 

So yeah, it's okay to make jokes about religion. It won't make it any less effective as a killing machine.

[Stavros]

similar people prob did Dianna jokes too.

 

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I think it is unfair of you to compare the Pope to that creature. He was a good man who tried to do good (even if he was wrong often). Diana was his antithesis.

 

I think if you were to complain about your co-workers, you'd find it is not taken any less serious to mock Catholics than Jews or Muslims.

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And to think that for most of the time, I thought that you knew what you were talking about.

 

 

Stav.

[ans]

I think if you were to complain about your co-workers, you'd find it is not taken any less serious to mock Catholics than Jews or Muslims.

 

I'm not so sure about that. Whether it should be viewed differently is open to argument, but I think you'll find that it's generally considered to be much more offensive to Muslims and Jews to have their religion mocked.

 

All religion is retarded though so I mock them all equally.

[Tea&Biscuits]

As before

[hollandaise]

Why is it then that people feel its ok to take the pish? I am so sick of hearing jokes already - its such a cheap shot, and very lazy humour

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Took the words right out of my mouth, Tea&Biscuits. Though I'm not talking about Catholicism.

[Declan]

But mocking religion is OK in my book.  I'm not religious at all - I think it's all rubbish, but the fact that people get upset about their religion being mocked just shows how insecure they are about it.

 

That Jerry Springer musical had over 60,000 complaints about it's "blasphemy".  How can it be blasphemy if the person saying it isn't religious?

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But mocking religion is different from mocking Jews, Muslims or Catholics because they are Jews, Muslims or Catholics.

 

Being an atheist I'm not that up on the whole blasphemy thing, but I would have thought it could only be blasphemous if the person hearing it was religious. Because the person saying it wouldn't be saying it if he thought it was wrong. (Not explained that point very well).

 

Stav - even in your picture she is the antithesis of the Pope.

 

T&B - You should feel comfortable in your workplace. If your colleague's comments are making you uncomfortable (given your religion and current events) you are entitled to put a stop to it. I would suggest, if possible, that a quiet word with them might be a better option than a more formal route (although if you work for a Uni there'll be a policy against it - Uni's have a policy against almost everything) - if they are a liberal as you describe they'll probably be mortified.

 

BTW when did "icon" and "iconic" begin to mean "very famous"? Everyone seems to use it now.

[sirdick]

Being an atheist I'm not that up on the whole blasphemy thing, but I would have thought it could only be blasphemous if the person hearing it was religious. Because the person saying it wouldn't be saying it if he thought it was wrong. (Not explained that point very well).

 

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No that makes sense, it's like they're only saying to get a particular response.

 

I too believe religion is itself a mockery, but I'm not one to judge people having beliefs as they shouldn't judge me or anyone else. They do though, or tell you you should be of a certain religion so many times.

 

Everyone is xxxxed up and there's bugger all we can do about it. Mock if you want, but the people you mock will believe you'll go to hell (or their equivalent) and you will just believe you're having a good laugh.

[Rog]

I’ve got a vested interest in this as most know.

 

In my opinion and in the opinion of everyone that I know (with just one exception) there’s no problem whatsoever with making fun of us, of taking the rise (aka urine), or even mocking us for our religious beliefs for our stereotypical image, or a whole lot more. In fact some of the very best of Jewish jokes are told by Jewish people.

 

It is also my experience that the same is NOT true of mohammedans who are highly offended at any jokes about islam or stereotypes.

 

But back to ‘our lot’.

 

The line gets crossed when the joke is INTENDED to hurt.

 

For example to crack a typical ‘Camp Commandant’ joke when visiting a synagogue would be hurtful and insulting whereas to crack the same joke ‘down the pub’ would have most of us in fits of laughter.

 

Being able to laugh at adversity actually takes away pain. Similarly to conduct a campaign of jokes aimed at a person about something that they are deeply involved in can change humour into persecution.

 

Believe me it is easy to tell in most cases when someone sets out to hurt but it is important not to start out thinking that everyone has that aim. They don’t.

 

But it is also important to let people know if you’re offended, it can be done in a sensitive manner, and if they continue to make jokes about the subject, then that is plainly wrong.

[happy camper]

T&B you of course have the right to protest against anything that you find offensive. The legislation on diversity is subjective, so if YOU don't like it, it makes it wrong.

 

However (and maybe this is because I am not a Catholic, practising or otherwise), jokes that I have heard about the pope seem to be around because someone famous has died, not because a religious leader has died. Incredibly bad taste, yes, but it happens every time. Diana, Hillsborough, Zeebrugge, 9/11, I have heard jokes about all of these.

[Rog]

But ---

 

The pope is not simply ‘someone famous’.

 

I think that is a mistake that many people make who don’t quite understand just how a Roman Catholic person relates to The Church and the Priesthood.

 

Now I stand to be corrected but what I understand from what I have been told, and from what I have learned is that when a Roman Catholic person speaks of The Church as being ‘his family’ then that is precisely the relationship in which he feels.

 

The Pope is the leader of the family. Additionally the title ‘His Holiness’ is not simply a title like ‘her majesty’ or ‘his highness’ which are terms of respect but is far more.

 

As the elected leader of The Roman Catholic Church, elected by the select members of a group of men themselves marked out by G-d to undertake his work and elected with the guidance of G-d and so being G-d’s choice the title ‘His Holiness’ means precisely that. He REALLY IS the Holiest. He speaks G-d will, he is infallible, he is, in short, as near to G-d on earth as can be had.

 

All that, AND the leader of the family to which every Roman Catholic belongs.

 

In view of that to write or speak immodestly of the man, irrespective of anyone’s personal opinion, is at the very least grossly insensitive to the real suffering and mourning that 1 billion people presently feel and further more must border on the cruel and heartless.

 

I look to be corrected by any Roman Catholic member of the forum.

[happy camper]

Yes, Rog, but people who aren't Catholic see him as a famous man who has died. That's why they don't understand and treat him in the same way as other dead famous people.

 

Btw, why don't you say God?

[Rog]

Yes, Rog, but people who aren't Catholic see him as a famous man who has died. That's why they don't understand and treat him in the same way as other dead famous people.

 

Btw, why don't you say God?

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Tradition!

 

It’s a Jewish thing.

 

Sometimes I do write in full, other times I don't.

 

Seeing that I see my ‘Jewishness’ as being about my roots rather than any religious factor (a Jewish Atheist? Well, why not!) it shouldn’t matter, but old habits die hard.