from the tv show penn & teller’s bullshit comes this short clip talking about which biblical commandments so-called fundamentalist christians will pick and choose from. while they make some good points, and i completely agree, two things occur to me: (1) that they’re trying to reason with people who will not be reasoned with, and (2) that they come across as unnecessarily offensive/insensitive. 

so what’s the point in posting this? that many christians i know (and especially the more prominent ones) apparently spend their free time actively looking for something new to be offended by or to declare as an enemy of their faith. but why give them another reason to cry “martyr!” because they feel persecuted? the principle should always be that if you’re going to denounce someone’s religion on the basis of logic and reason, at least employ some basic reason and decency enough to say what you have to say without – for example – kicking a bible at the end of your rant.

the reality is this – that even though they might use their own scriptures as their reasoning for oppressing others even to the point of removing human rights or even committing acts of genocide, you’re only going to incite more hatred and prejudice approaching the situation with insensitivity. while it might appeal to their audience on a sort of childish-humor level, it won’t bridge any gaps or open any dialogues, and shouldn’t that be the point of calling “bullshit” on something?

-h

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