In Defence Of Disrespect

In Defence Of Disrespect - PhHe > .

Although I agree that, in lacking corroborating evidence, the content of religious claims deserves no respect, I regard philhellenes argument as fatally flawed. After all, provided that they are not deliberately behaving abominably, individuals warrant respectful treatment—regardless of their belief system.

The incident in question was childish, narcissistic, interpersonally-invasive, and could have had negligible or zero effect in saving childish minds from baseless fears of hellfire and damnation. In other words, the video attracted views, but its deliberate offensiveness was more likely to inspire defensiveness, and not a reconsideration of beliefs-devoid-of-logical-support.

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"""A cult is a cult no matter its size. Child molestation, protected priests, brainwashing, thought control, indoctrination, the installation of irrational fear, shame and guilt, homicidal misinformation regarding issues of health; it's ALL there. And I don't respect it. Fuck it. At almost any cost short of violence or the threat of violence. Fuck it, to people or property. CERTAINLY at the expense of a clip taken in a building showing a few anonymous faces none of us will ever see again.

The ONLY people fit to judge if "The 4" were being smug, bratty, arrogant, intrusive, disruptive, rude, etc, were the people IN the church AT the time! And THEY noticed NOTHING. THEY asked Nyk to take the collection plate around, AND HE DID IT!

Some of the reasoning I have heard for the outrage around this is pathetic and hypocritical.

So, to be clear...

If you strongly objected to their video on grounds of privacy, and you have EVER shown or ever will show ONE face without its owner's permission, you're a hypocrite. If you strongly objected to their video on grounds of causing offence, and you have EVER insulted/mocked a believer, you're a hypocrite. Even if you use rationality alone to try to reason with a believer, that CAN hurt and offend their feelings too, and you're a hypocrite. But, luckily there is a way to stop being a hypocrite, and that's to STOP BEING A HYPOCRITE.

We need blasphemy. We need disrespect. We need to cause outrage. How did we get noticed in the first place? You think we "reasoned" our way into the media's attention? We need weak atheists, strong atheists, pussy atheists, militant atheists, funny atheists, old atheists, young atheists, people who weep and people who just don't give a shit. We need ALL the voices...good cop, bad cop.

The changes we're starting to see were only possible because we got noticed, BECAUSE we outrage and offend, sometimes.

When I've spoken on this matter I have been accused of everything from condoning the destruction of churches, alters, priceless paintings and works of art, wanting to film people at home, wanting to spit and laugh at mourners, desecrate graveyards, AND worse. If that doesn't ring your alarm bells as to the standard of counter argument on display your bells are muffled. It's STILL happening in the comments to THIS video: distortions, hyperbole, deflection, evasion, misrepresentation beyond sanity - and most of all, strawmen, EVERYWHERE.

In my opinion.""" ~ philhellenes .