The Atheist Voice | Should We Mock Religion? @TheAtheistVoice | Uploaded November 2014 | Updated October 2024, 3 hours ago.
Should We Mock Religion?
Hemant Mehta (friendlyatheist.com, patreon.com/Hemant , facebook.com/friendlyatheist)
Link to Seth's podcast: youtu.be/Vtyr3Tl4VaQ
...
My friend Seth Andrews of The Thinking Atheist podcast recently did a show asking the question: Should we mock religion?
I wanted to offer my own answer here:
Yes. We should absolutely mock religion. But we should be careful about what we're mocking.
Bad ideas deserve to be criticized. And mockery is a form of criticism.
When it comes to something like politics, we understand this completely. No one's ever afraid to challenge Republicans or Democrats.
There are comedians like Jon Stewart and Bill Maher who have made careers out of mocking bad political beliefs.
But for some reason, we're afraid to make fun of religion.
I understand that when it comes to Islam, where mockery could bring a death sentence. But not all religions are like that, and yet we still treat those beliefs with kid gloves.
Why is that? Maybe because a lot of people build their lives around their religious beliefs, and we're afraid that mocking their beliefs is equivalent to mocking who they are as people.
I understand that thinking. It's commendable, in some ways, that people think like that, that they don't want to make fun of religion for that reason.
But I don't think that should immunize religion from mockery. Sure some people may not react well to it, but a lot of people will.
In fact, I think it provides a more useful way to get people to rethink their beliefs.
When you straight up challenge people's ideas, they get defensive. They'll rationalize whatever position they hold, no matter how absurd it is. If you've ever seen a politician getting interviewed, you know what I mean.
But if you can make people laugh about the ideas they already hold? That's powerful. That'll get them rethinking those beliefs in the future.
You could make the argument that George Carlin has changed more minds about religion than, say, Richard Dawkins. Because Carlin took those ideas you held and made you realize how illogical they were.
The next time you thought about death or the Ten Commandments, it's hard not to think about what he said.
Humor makes it easier to internalize criticism.
Another reason I believe it's okay to mock religion is because it's something people choose for themselves and they can still change their minds about. Religion, unlike your race or your looks, is something you have control over.
So have at it. Religion's basically a long setup just waiting for a punchline.
I should mention a few caveats: Not everyone can do it well. Not everyone will receive it the same way. And mockery is not appropriate in every context.
I'm much more likely to mock religion when I'm speaking to a large audience instead of a one-on-one conversation.
I also hope, if you're gonna make fun of religion, that you're making fun of a belief people actually hold. Because if you mock Christians for believing Jesus is an old white guy with a beard, a lot of them will tune out right there because it's not what they believe.
Also, it's important to think about why you're mocking faith. Are you doing it to put someone else down and show they're idiots? Or to show why, for example, those ideas shouldn't be used as the basis for public policy? I hope it's the latter.
Point being: mockery of religion should never be off the table. It's an important tool.
Ridicule is a good response to ideas that are ridiculous.
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The Atheist Voice provides a platform for discussion for atheist leaders, authors, bloggers, activists, and everybody else who is passionate about atheism, and secularism. Join the discussion by commenting under the videos or submitting video responses. If you'd like to collaborate on this channel or if you'd like to appear in our videos please visit our website www.TheAtheistVoice.com
Should We Mock Religion?
Hemant Mehta (friendlyatheist.com, patreon.com/Hemant , facebook.com/friendlyatheist)
Link to Seth's podcast: youtu.be/Vtyr3Tl4VaQ
...
My friend Seth Andrews of The Thinking Atheist podcast recently did a show asking the question: Should we mock religion?
I wanted to offer my own answer here:
Yes. We should absolutely mock religion. But we should be careful about what we're mocking.
Bad ideas deserve to be criticized. And mockery is a form of criticism.
When it comes to something like politics, we understand this completely. No one's ever afraid to challenge Republicans or Democrats.
There are comedians like Jon Stewart and Bill Maher who have made careers out of mocking bad political beliefs.
But for some reason, we're afraid to make fun of religion.
I understand that when it comes to Islam, where mockery could bring a death sentence. But not all religions are like that, and yet we still treat those beliefs with kid gloves.
Why is that? Maybe because a lot of people build their lives around their religious beliefs, and we're afraid that mocking their beliefs is equivalent to mocking who they are as people.
I understand that thinking. It's commendable, in some ways, that people think like that, that they don't want to make fun of religion for that reason.
But I don't think that should immunize religion from mockery. Sure some people may not react well to it, but a lot of people will.
In fact, I think it provides a more useful way to get people to rethink their beliefs.
When you straight up challenge people's ideas, they get defensive. They'll rationalize whatever position they hold, no matter how absurd it is. If you've ever seen a politician getting interviewed, you know what I mean.
But if you can make people laugh about the ideas they already hold? That's powerful. That'll get them rethinking those beliefs in the future.
You could make the argument that George Carlin has changed more minds about religion than, say, Richard Dawkins. Because Carlin took those ideas you held and made you realize how illogical they were.
The next time you thought about death or the Ten Commandments, it's hard not to think about what he said.
Humor makes it easier to internalize criticism.
Another reason I believe it's okay to mock religion is because it's something people choose for themselves and they can still change their minds about. Religion, unlike your race or your looks, is something you have control over.
So have at it. Religion's basically a long setup just waiting for a punchline.
I should mention a few caveats: Not everyone can do it well. Not everyone will receive it the same way. And mockery is not appropriate in every context.
I'm much more likely to mock religion when I'm speaking to a large audience instead of a one-on-one conversation.
I also hope, if you're gonna make fun of religion, that you're making fun of a belief people actually hold. Because if you mock Christians for believing Jesus is an old white guy with a beard, a lot of them will tune out right there because it's not what they believe.
Also, it's important to think about why you're mocking faith. Are you doing it to put someone else down and show they're idiots? Or to show why, for example, those ideas shouldn't be used as the basis for public policy? I hope it's the latter.
Point being: mockery of religion should never be off the table. It's an important tool.
Ridicule is a good response to ideas that are ridiculous.
You Might Also Like ...
7 Things That Prove God is Real
youtube.com/watch?v=EQ50omyWziE&list=PLZGLqPtxUOKEZxzukuev1YpLUQp-CtKDq&index=128
78 Questions for Christians
youtube.com/watch?v=SI-_FJuTPns&index=138&list=PLZGLqPtxUOKEZxzukuev1YpLUQp-CtKDq
4 Creative Ways to Deal with Preachers.
youtube.com/watch?v=u3kHcV36dak&index=133&list=PLZGLqPtxUOKEZxzukuev1YpLUQp-CtKDq
Join the conversation. Leave your questions and comments below and we'll try to address them in future videos. Don't forget to subscribe for more!
Also, follow us at ...
twitter.com/atheistvoices
facebook.com/TheAtheistVoices
plus.google.com/u/0/b/106662137332631352312/106662137332631352312/posts/p/pub
theatheistvoice.tumblr.com
theatheistvoice.com
The Atheist Voice provides a platform for discussion for atheist leaders, authors, bloggers, activists, and everybody else who is passionate about atheism, and secularism. Join the discussion by commenting under the videos or submitting video responses. If you'd like to collaborate on this channel or if you'd like to appear in our videos please visit our website www.TheAtheistVoice.com
