Is religion like a penis?

[gwendally]

There's a picture going around on (my extremely leftist) Facebook flist that says, "Religion is like a penis.  It's fine to have one.  It's fine to be proud of it.  But please don't whip it out in public and start waving it around.  And PLEASE don't try to shove it down my children's throats."

Having been raised as the daughter of a Jew and a

Comments

[nebris]

Okay, I'm assuredly the most Radical Feminist/anti-Father/God person you've got within shouting distance and I think that whole 'like a penis' thing is fucking stupid.

~M~

[gwendally]

Oh, believe me, he's more RadFem than anyone I've ever met. There's a peculiar sort of self-hatred going on, combined with peculiar everything else. Don't even ask. You don't want to know.

[allyphoe]

Yeah, that billboard doesn't mean "my parents sent me to mainstream religious education classes, and now I'm scarred for life." It means "the kid I sit next to in public school tells me every day that I'm going to hell." Or "the teacher in my public school class lets one kid pray loudly during the state-mandated moment of silence." Or "my kid went to a Halloween party that gave no indication of being religious in nature, but turned out to be a hell house." (If you aren't familiar with the concept of a hell house, Wikipedia.) Or "the football team has a Christian prayer before every game, and my non-Christian kid reasonably anticipates that failing to participate will have negative repercussions."

All of which still happen in the part of the country in which I live.

[gwendally]

This sounds like what happens to me when I go to parties and they turn out to be Democratic rallies. Everyone I know assumes I'm leftist and if I'm not that I should go straight to hell (not that they believe in hell.) One of our shared friends goes so far as to assume anyone who identifies as Christian is Evil. The dominant culture here is VERY different than the one in your part of the country!

I guess it's what people are talking about when they shout about wanting to "take back our culture", a concept I'm pretty shaky on. I think what they're saying is that they feel they aren't part of the dominant culture and the dominant culture FORGETS they exist.

[gwendally]

For example, two different people - both Leftists - told me that I'm a racist today. Well, one called me "ignorant racist scum", to be precise. The reason for this judgment was that I would consider voting for Ron Paul. (I believe this guy to be a white anglo-saxon male, but I admit to being unsure on that point

[allyphoe]

I personally might consider those people to have beliefs that were in the nature of a religion.

I personally am as racist as the statistical next person, which is to say "mostly unintentionally, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions." That said, I try not to foist that belief on unwary bystanders, although if racism in general comes up in conversation, I'm happy to explain subconscious bias / implicit association.

[gwendally]

As I said up above, it appears to be a matter of being a minority in the dominant culture.

I agree that people who proselytize their religions are annoying, though.

[squidb0i]

Absolutely. We're talking about an overarching negative effect on everyone in the region due to policy enacted at the behest of well funded and organized groups with a specific agenda.

[aloha_moira]

I LOLed. Seems like a perfect metaphor to me... a penis can certainly be used to bring joy, if you're using it right, or it can be used to violate and dominate. All a matter of whose hands it's in, so to speak

$0.02

[rev_mac]

Why does believing it is part of a plan comfort people, large because it offers a measure of control, in a world that only by illusion offers any control. You do x, y and z and things go the way they should, if something bad happens it happens for a reason. The reality is a the world is a harsh and random place something people find hard to accept. Bad things happen because they can and do. Believing that there is some plan lifts the burden of the unexpected.

It is part of the wiring in the human brain that see patterns even if those patterns aren't really there, it is also the misapplication of logic. Further it requires an individual to accept that they are no different than any other animal on the planet, not special or whatever. Bad things happen to wild life all the time, is there a plan from on high, most people would tell you no, but when it comes to them that is a different matter.

It is really a matter of magical thinking.

[gwendally]

"since I don't actually KNOW which answer is true, I chose the one that gives me the most comfort, the most guidance, the most tools for stubbing out answers to the big stumping questions that could paralyze me if I couldn't put a pin in them for the time being."The thing that stumped me was "what happens to my soul after I die." I found that I was sort of paralyzed by needing an answer. Perhaps another person will get stuck on another element, like "why do bad things happen to good people." I never had much trouble with that one, personally. Shit happens. Why NOT to me? But the the place I felt I needed an answer is what happens after I die. Are we just meat here to gobble up some nitrogen and oxygen and then return to compost? Is there something that is divine and sacred in human life

[aloha_moira]

Hm. Believing that your soul will live on in some way after you're gone is considerably different than thinking there's a divine plan for your life (at least, in the way I'm understanding it), which I guess was what I was really responding to (the quote you posted). As far as what happens after we die, I dunno, I really have no idea. I can't begin to pretend to understand how consciousness arises from our physical selves. I struggle with depression too, but personally, I don't find the idea that we get our 0-100 years and that's it to be especially discouraging or frightening - more motivation to make the most of the time I have, eh? And beyond that I guess I am motivated to make the world a better place for my kids and fellow humans. But I have no way of knowing, so who am I to say your hunch is wrong and mine is right

[werz_waldeau]

I guess I'm even pretty tolerant of those who wave their philosophical genitals around in public, as long as they're doing it out of a sense of pride. My big problem is with those who tell you that you're inferior for having different genitalia.

[gwendally]

Yeah, I'd go along with that. Having a religion, sharing what it is... that doesn't bother me. Treating me shabbily because I don't share yours? That's simply bad manners at BEST.