Specifics

[dcullen7]

Dear Melanie,

I find this statement to be offensive:

A simple "God Bless" or "May your God go with you" would offend no-one. They are non-specific, polite, and equally apply to whatever Deity you happen to believe in. And if you don't believe in any, then remarks such as those are pretty much unoffensive.

Why should I be forced to acknowledge other people's gods when one of the foundations of my faith is "Thou shalt have no other gods before me"? Why should I have to water down my faith to please other people?

I find this statement to be bullying and offensive:

It's all down to politeness and behaviour in a wider society. Polite people would moderate their message when it has been pointed out to them. Die-hard religious types I suppose will continue to broadcast their missionary statements to those who would rather not receive them.

Who made you judge of politeness? When I find a post or signature offensive, I ignore it. That would be my definition of politeness. Your definition of politeness is censorship of anything you disagree with.

Please God, these quotes are specific enough for you.

May God bless you,
David Cullen

[Melanie]

Dear David

Your “Specifics” are a little ‘strange’ to say the least, but I’m glad you’re taking some of what I’ve said on board, even if it’s probably accidental…

You say you find offensive quote “God Bless" or "May your God go with you". Those were two examples I gave. I didn’t say you had to use them, they were just examples. OK, you don’t acknowledge the possibility of other Gods existing than your own. That’s fine, so “May your God go with you” is out (even if all that does is acknowledge that some people might believe in other things). There is a difference in acknowledging the fact that not every one believes in your God (in fact 80% of the folks on the planet don’t believe in JC), and putting their God or beliefs before yours.

Now what about the “God Bless”… I note you’re actually using a simple variation of that at the end of your posting in “May God bless you”. You see, it’s sweet, it’s simple, and nobody objects. It can apply equally to whatever God the reader might believe in, and if they don’t believe in one, well its sweet enough not to cause offence. So on behalf of everyone Thank You for moderating at least that one message. Now – was that censorship on your part?

Now for your other complaint. Your original postings to the PIClist contained a ‘huge’ paragraph specific to your particular religion. Now I’m sure most people would love to read your posts and contributions, but to be force-fed a monster chunk of religion as well is completely over the top. It’s not just a simple blessing, it’s a packaged advert for your brand of belief. Now this wasn’t a one-off, it’s a repeating advertisement every time you post. You are therefore in effect preaching your religion to everyone whether they like it or not – hence my “missionary statement” comment.

If I repeatedly did something that other folks didn’t like, and it was pointed out to me, and I continued to behave in that manner even though I had been made aware of the fact, then that’s just plain rude behaviour. So there you have my definition of politeness, and if you rationally thought about it, you’d subscribe to that definition too.

So it’s really down to you David. I’m not going to comment or make an issue of it any further. I’ve done my bit and pointed it out to you on behalf of those people that don’t follow your beliefs, and if you take it on board or not then it’s completely your choice. I'm sure people will form their own opinions thereafter.

Have a nice Day.
Melanie

[dcullen7]

Dear Melanie,

You still don't get it. In my culture, it is impolite to tell someone that they can't say something. We ignore what offends us.

Your point of view is still, "The minority defines what is rude and offensive and anyone who disagrees with our definition is rude and offensive."

You want to define how I express my faith. In my culture that is _extremely_ rude. It is also a violation of my civil rights as defined by our Constitution.

That is what make you a bully. You throw your intellectual weight around as if you are the final judge of rude and polite.

You do _not_ define what is rude and polite, you do _not_ define what is right and wrong, and you do _not_ have the right to limit my expression of my faith. If you and your friends are so offended, then use the tools that are available for blocking my message. But take your censorship back to whatever place you come from where that kind of behavior is considered polite.

I would rather you were offended by my very specific blessing than appeased by some watered down, meaningless phrase devoid of any real intellectual content. In effect, you are asking me to leave my faith and convert to Meaningless-ism.

In truth, you should be more offended by people so unsure of what they believe that they can say self-contradictory things like, "All gods are acceptable and all religions are acceptable." These statements are self-contradicting because _some_ gods say that they are the true god and _some_ religions say that they are the true religion. The intellectual uncertainty of these people should offend you. Your attitude should be, "If you don't know what you believe, please don't waste bandwidth spewing forth meaningless gibberish." Instead, you attack the one person who takes a stand, who is sure of what he believes, and has confidence in his faith.

Once again, take your censorship home.