About the religious angle; I would be more worried about direct insults to (groups of) real people - which is extremely rare here.

But it's not aimed at you, directly. It's not aimed at your belief either. The remark in question was aimed at Jesus / god.

As far as I'm concerned, deities are public figures and public figures are fair game for jokes.

For example, I might not like it if someone makes a insulting remark about my mother, but I would hardly take it as personally if she was president of the USA.

Also, I did not say it was more offensive to insult a group than single people. I said i was more concerned about insults to people than insults to deities.

"What should it profit a man, if he should win a flame war, yet lose his cool?"

The remark in question was aimed at Jesus / god

Actually, my remark couldn't possibly have been aimed at that Jesus bloke, because I don't believe he exists. I might as well have made a remark about the tooth fairy for all the bearing it would have on reality.

Some points:

- Christians identify with Christ. They aspire to be more Christ-like. Christ is the ideal which they strive to attain. Therefore, to most of that faith, insulting Christ is insulting them, since they are wishing to be, in every way, just like the person being insulted.

- To Christians, Christ is not a public figure. He is God with whom we have a personal relationship. He is family. Your example of mother is well-taken. In my case, jokes about my mother would hurt to the same degree whether or not she was a public figure, because the family relationship trumps that for me.

- your statement about " (groups of) real people" led me to believe that offending a group held some distinction from insulting an individual. I apologize if I misread your intent.

I'm not asking you to change your own opinions about the sanctity of any particular religious figure .. just trying to explain to you how others might feel about it.

Insulting Jesus will usually be considered a direct insult to a Christian. How that Christian reacts to that insult varies, but most all will be insulted nonetheless. Why would insulting me, personally, a member of the communiity, be less offensive than insulting a "group"?

His Dad created the world, if you believe standard Christian dogma. He's an omnipotent, unstoppable force; no mortal can stand against His manifest Will.

I think He can take care of His son's honour himself, if He cares.