Re^3: Jokes, ad-hominem attacks, and sensitivity

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?"

Comment on Re^3: Jokes, ad-hominem attacks, and sensitivity

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Re^4: Jokes, ad-hominem attacks, and sensitivity by DrHyde (Prior) on Aug 24, 2006 at 09:41 UTC
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.	[reply]
Re^4: Jokes, ad-hominem attacks, and sensitivity by husker (Chaplain) on Aug 22, 2006 at 15:57 UTC
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.	[reply]
(OT) Re^5: Jokes, ad-hominem attacks, and sensitivity by jdporter (Paladin) on Aug 22, 2006 at 16:50 UTC
I understand your viewpoint, but it is entirely misguided. Christians consider it a blessing to be insulted, mocked, even killed for the sake of their Lord. Being Christ-like is being humble even to the point of death. Taking umbrage at any insult is decidedly un-Christian. God can take care of Himself. It's not the Christian's business to defend His honor. Unfortunately, that tendency is exactly the source of so much violence in the world. We're building the house of the future together.	[reply]
Re^6: Jokes, ad-hominem attacks, and sensitivity by husker (Chaplain) on Aug 22, 2006 at 18:37 UTC
The tendency to be insulted is indeed a human one, not a Christ-like one. I agree that anyone "fighting" for Christ is indeed missing the point entirely. However, nobody who follows Christ, however sincerely or earnestly, is free from these temptations. Christians SHOULD consider any persecution on Christ's behalf to be a blessing, but that is a very difficult thing to acheive. Not all of us are perfect in that regard, however much we wish to be :) Anyway, I was not trying to say anybody SHOULD be insulted, just that a person should expect that at least SOME Christians would be insulted. Hopefully those people would remember their call to be Christ-like and not attack or insult in return.	[reply]