A Question About Respectful Use of the Prophet's Name.

[joesixpack]

this is intentional cause of offence.

there is nothing but incitement of hatred and anger here.

why cant people see this? What is so hidden that people cant see the bullying here. It is nothing but bullying now !

I agree that the Pineapple incident was meant as a way to tweak the Muslim students. The desire was to get a rise and manufacture a controversy. Someone above had suggested that trollish people like this are best ignored, but I think it's not so simple as that.

In the UK there is a significant (though not majority) segment of the population who are hostile towards immigrants. Some are more extreme than others, certainly, it is a fundamentally bigoted outlook. Among some of the more extreme groups, there are those who have targeted Muslim immigrants with assault, murder, arson, and vandalism. In the context of this background, even a slight insult might easily be perceived as a tacit threat. Remember that reactions are the result of perception of meaning in an act. The labeling of the pineapple was not an action devoid of meaning. It didn't happen in a vacuum. I don't know what the proper response would have been, though it seems that the Muslim students didn't act inappropriately.

Asking the "Free Speech" idealists "What if they'd simply placed a watermelon on their display and called it N*****?" makes them swallow hard and fall back on their script about the inviolability of the ideal of free speech, as if it were self evident. One may just as easily argue for the utility of a screwdriver in a world without screws.

 

[Scimitar]

I once came across a person whose name was Jesus. I commented to a colleague what a lovely that name that was, but she looked horrified and said that it was blasphemous because Jesus was God.

That was the first time I realised that Christians believed that Jesus (peace be upon him) was divine. I thought they believed that he was God's son, but not divine, and didn't realise they believed that he was both God and God's son.

no two Christians have been able to give me the same answer when I ask them to explain the trinity... seriously.

I am not trying to ridicule the Christians, the reason being is because I understand that Christianity has many different denominations, each of them explain the trinity differently.

Scimi

 

[joesixpack]

no two Christians have been able to give me the same answer when I ask them to explain the trinity... seriously.

I am not trying to ridicule the Christians, the reason being is because I understand that Christianity has many different denominations, each of them explain the trinity differently.

Scimi

In the Catholic faith, the concept of the Trinity is rather convoluted seeming because it holds that God is a single entity and at the same time three entities. It is treated as a prima facia truth which is incomprehensible to human beings. This is called the "Mystery of Faith" in Church doctrine, and that the entirety of God is something that a finite human mind is incapable of understanding. I believe (I'm a bit rusty on this, so you may wish to consult an RC priest) that the underlying rationale is that there is no requirement that God be entirely comprehensible to man, that God is infinitely greater than feeble intelligence.

 

[Hulk]

Not that I'm trying to sound arrogant or that I think I'm so smart, but I really find it amusing sometimes how some atheists see themselves as "logical thinkers" yet have such terrible logic.

 

[Scimitar]

ouch... my nose

 

[joesixpack]

Not that I'm trying to sound arrogant or that I think I'm so smart, but I really find it amusing sometimes how some atheists see themselves as "logical thinkers" yet have such terrible logic.

There is a strong emotional component to belief, even among atheists. The atheist's belief in his own rationality is rightly the source of much amusement.

Dialectical materialists to...;D

 

[joesixpack]

That was supposed to be "Dialectical materialists too"

 

[Scimitar]

Joe, you crack me up man

do you follow a faith? or do you believe in God? flying spaghetti monster? aliens? just curious bud.

 

[sister herb]

In my country, if some teacher would name teddy bear as "Muhammad" most people wouldn´t notice it at all. But if "Jesus", all atheists would run over screaming "save our children from brain washing!"

 

[Scimitar]

Over here, in the UK - where there are quite a few militant Muslims, it would be a big deal.

The funny thing is, last year - the most popular baby name was Muhammad... when we put all this into context, we find that it is inevitable that the name Muhammad would enjoy popularity in the strangest of ways - and innocently too. As in the case of the teddy bear.

These militant Muslims need to understand that Islam is growing, and it's influence is spreading in ways that they cannot control - they should just see it as a sign of the times, and seek to educate those who would choose to name a teddybear, Muhammad - and not go and get all fatwa-tastic on them. As that is counter-productive, don't you think?

Scimi

 

[glo]

In my country, if some teacher would name teddy bear as "Muhammad" most people wouldn´t notice it at all. But if "Jesus", all atheists would run over screaming "save our children from brain washing!"

That's a good point!

(Loving your smiley!)

 

[joesixpack]

Joe, you crack me up man

do you follow a faith? or do you believe in God? flying spaghetti monster? aliens? just curious bud.

I'm a dialectical materialist. So I guess some people would refer to me as an atheist, though I don't really like that label (because I don't really like most self-described atheists). I don't like to spend my time defaming religion or insulting believers because there are a lot of the people who I both love and respect who are religious. I was raised as a Roman Catholic, and most of my family are still practicing Catholic. I became a materialist back in my late 30s.

 

[joesixpack]

One more thing, Jesus is a very common name in Mexico. Growing up in Texas there were a lot of people with Mexican ancestry so it was a pretty common name there too. In Spanish, the "J" is aspirated. It sounds like a soft "H". The name and the religious figure are both pronounced the same, "Hay-Seuss", with the accent on the second syllable.

Another common name for Mexicans is "Angel", and in this case the "g" is pronounced like a hard "h". It sounds like "An-(k)hell" (the 'k' isn't pronounced, but you hold your tongue against your palate as if you were making the "k", but you make the "h" sound.) and the accent is on the first syllable. Oddly enough, it's a boy's name also.

 

[sister herb]

I am enough tolerant that "dialectical materialist" is to me some kind of way to think/believe. Most important is that you know what it is.

;D

I have no idea what it is but it doesn´t my problem at all.

 

[Scimitar]

I'm a dialectical materialist. So I guess some people would refer to me as an atheist, though I don't really like that label (because I don't really like most self-described atheists). I don't like to spend my time defaming religion or insulting believers because there are a lot of the people who I both love and respect who are religious. I was raised as a Roman Catholic, and most of my family are still practicing Catholic. I became a materialist back in my late 30s.

No spring chicken then... just a fried one





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