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>"Blasphemy" is one of those things I do not get. Religious criticism seems to unearth the general insecurity that people have about their religion (whatever is

by tsotha 14y ago

>"Blasphemy" is one of those things I do not get. Religious criticism seems to unearth the general insecurity that people have about their religion (whatever is might be). You don't get it because you're not a devout Muslim of one of the more violent sects, and this is a pretty common problem with people in the West. There's no point in trying to divine motivations in this particular area without understanding the Weltanschauung. It's not about insecurity. They believe God wants them to punish (with death) people who insult Him.

rglovejoy 14y ago
It still doesn't make any sense. If God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the Universe, can't He take care of Himself? After all, back in the Bible days, God was taking out His vengeance on people who got on His bad side all the time.
- tsotha 14y ago
  >It still doesn't make any sense. If God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the Universe, can't He take care of Himself? If you really believe your religious text is the word of God, why would you question His motives? It's not your place. The word "Islam" literally means "submission" in Arabic. The context for your thinking is the European Enlightenment. There was no such thing in Islam.
- jlgreco 14y ago
  This is hardly the first case of Abrahamic religions not making sense. If you going in expecting self-consistency and logic, you are going to have a bad time... Anyway, I don't think the GP is entirely correct. Sure, perhaps to a certain extent religious people react negatively to the blasphemy of outsiders because it is the dogma of their religion to do so. I think the greater cause however is that all people, even religious people, tend to be rather rational. When people hear others poking fun of their religion they become upset, not because they "know" they are right (and most would say without hesitation that they do), but because somewhere deep down inside a part of them considers the possibility that the blasphemer just might be right. Blasphemy tickles those deep-seated insecurities. As rational as people are, they really don't like being wrong and made to look a fool.
  - tsotha 14y ago
    I still think you're projecting your cultural context onto people with a different culture. If it was all about insecurity they'd react the way Christians reacted to "Piss Christ". But they don't, do they?
linuxhansl 14y ago
The violence is there for other reasons. Religion is an outlet. I agree it's not a simple matter. Neither is just saying they are violent, and that is the end of the story. That is a bit simple, don't you think? Should I assume that you're "a devout Muslim of one of the more violent sects"?
- tsotha 14y ago
  >The violence is there for other reasons. Religion is an outlet. That's what I'm talking about. Why do you assume this? Why do you assume people who have been beheading each other for blasphemy going on 1500 years have suddenly decided God can take care of himself and it's all really an excuse? >Should I assume that you're "a devout Muslim of one of the more violent sects"? Why would you assume that too? What difference does it make?
  - poli_throwaway 14y ago
    Perhaps because scholarly research into the last five or so decades of conflicts has shown that politics is the main cause of violence, and that groups from the European fascists, anarchists to todays militants have been using similar technicques of warfare, organisation, propaganda, and follow conflicts follow similar trajectories.
    - tsotha 14y ago
      >Perhaps because scholarly research into the last five or so decades of conflicts has shown that politics is the main cause of violence... How could you possibly trust "research" into the minds of millions of people? Doesn't your bullshit detector even twitch a little when you read something like that?
      - Evbn 14y ago
        Your research into a billion Muslims' minds seems untwitching...

by tsotha 14y ago

rglovejoy 14y ago

It still doesn't make any sense. If God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the Universe, can't He take care of Himself? After all, back in the Bible days, God was taking out His vengeance on people who got on His bad side all the time.

tsotha 14y ago
>It still doesn't make any sense. If God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the Universe, can't He take care of Himself? If you really believe your religious text is the word of God, why would you question His motives? It's not your place. The word "Islam" literally means "submission" in Arabic. The context for your thinking is the European Enlightenment. There was no such thing in Islam.
jlgreco 14y ago
This is hardly the first case of Abrahamic religions not making sense. If you going in expecting self-consistency and logic, you are going to have a bad time... Anyway, I don't think the GP is entirely correct. Sure, perhaps to a certain extent religious people react negatively to the blasphemy of outsiders because it is the dogma of their religion to do so. I think the greater cause however is that all people, even religious people, tend to be rather rational. When people hear others poking fun of their religion they become upset, not because they "know" they are right (and most would say without hesitation that they do), but because somewhere deep down inside a part of them considers the possibility that the blasphemer just might be right. Blasphemy tickles those deep-seated insecurities. As rational as people are, they really don't like being wrong and made to look a fool.
- tsotha 14y ago
  I still think you're projecting your cultural context onto people with a different culture. If it was all about insecurity they'd react the way Christians reacted to "Piss Christ". But they don't, do they?

linuxhansl 14y ago

The violence is there for other reasons. Religion is an outlet. I agree it's not a simple matter. Neither is just saying they are violent, and that is the end of the story. That is a bit simple, don't you think? Should I assume that you're "a devout Muslim of one of the more violent sects"?

tsotha 14y ago
>The violence is there for other reasons. Religion is an outlet. That's what I'm talking about. Why do you assume this? Why do you assume people who have been beheading each other for blasphemy going on 1500 years have suddenly decided God can take care of himself and it's all really an excuse? >Should I assume that you're "a devout Muslim of one of the more violent sects"? Why would you assume that too? What difference does it make?
- poli_throwaway 14y ago
  Perhaps because scholarly research into the last five or so decades of conflicts has shown that politics is the main cause of violence, and that groups from the European fascists, anarchists to todays militants have been using similar technicques of warfare, organisation, propaganda, and follow conflicts follow similar trajectories.
  - tsotha 14y ago
    >Perhaps because scholarly research into the last five or so decades of conflicts has shown that politics is the main cause of violence... How could you possibly trust "research" into the minds of millions of people? Doesn't your bullshit detector even twitch a little when you read something like that?
    - Evbn 14y ago
      Your research into a billion Muslims' minds seems untwitching...