Comments on: Who wants to be a disbeliever?

By: ermintrude

ermintrude — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:43:57 +0000

On a lighter note, here is a fatwa on the permissibility of eating mermaids. It asserts, inter alia:

“Many of the fuqaha’ mentioned mermaids and differed on the ruling concerning them. Some of them said that they are permissible (to eat) because of the general meaning of the evidence which says that whatever is in the sea is permissible. This is the view of the Shaafa’is and Hanbalis, and is the view of most of the Maalikis and of Ibn Hazm and others. And some of them regarded it as haraam because it is not a kind of fish. This is the view of the Hanafis and of al-Layth ibn Sa’d.”

This should sponsor a few conversions to Islam (not).

source: http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/103991/mermaids

By: ermintrude

ermintrude — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 11:01:08 +0000

Trundlemaster,

“The desire in a religion to ’soul win’ to use a Christian evangelist term does lead to oppression of others because of the evangelising religions need to have the whole world under one doctrine or deity whatever that may be.”

Agreed absolutely. It rather falls under what the wonderful opponent of Calvin’s intransigence and bigotry, the French humanist Protestant, Sebastian Castellio, called “the vanity of theology”.

By: Josh Scholar

Josh Scholar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:24:20 +0000

If you did a “who wants to be an atheist” program, where would you send someone as a prize?

I kinda lean towards something like a space station. They can be in the real “heaven”

By: Martin

Martin — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:18:52 +0000

You can read my post about this here:

http://martininthemargins.blogspot.com/2009/07/any-god-will-do.html

By: Trundlemaster

Trundlemaster — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 08:55:23 +0000

Lynn T said:”I guess you’ve never run into a Lubovitcher. I understand they ambush all sorts of males, Jewish or not, and strap phlactyres on them and get them to recite prayers with them.”

I live amongst the Lubavitchers and other Hasidim and I’ve seen this. Haven’t seen them collar non Jews though.

None of the Rabbonim I know would ever dream of breaching someone’s inherent right to freedom of thought and and religion and try to PERSUADE a person to become Jewish.

Having seen up close the ways that some Christian evangelists gain converts (aggressive persuasion, playing on a person’s weaknesses, spiritual ‘demonstrations’ such as exorcisms etc etc) I respect and admire even more the normative non evangelist policy of Judaism.

The desire in a religion to ’soul win’ to use a Christian evangelist term does lead to oppression of others because of the evangelising religions need to have the whole world under one doctrine or deity whatever that may be.

By: Trofim

Trofim — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:45:34 +0000

Converts will be monitored to ensure their religious transformation is genuine and not simply a ruse to gain a free foreign trip.

Impossible, of course.

By: peterthehungarian

peterthehungarian — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:26:40 +0000

No cats in the house. They are the representatives of some Egyptian gods.

By: Venichka

Venichka — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 07:02:16 +0000

Oh look at the arrogance of the atheist personified prancing about in this thread. Go and feed your cats…

By: peterthehungarian

peterthehungarian — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:41:41 +0000

I’m a true non-believer and want to apply, but first I have to check the credentials of the theologian members of the commission.

By: ermintrude

ermintrude — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:52:48 +0000

Colin,

There is a rather funny on-line flash game where various deities or prophets beat the shit out of each other… it rather upset the Big Bearded Ones a while back.

Faith Fighter One can be got here:

http://www.molleindustria.org/faith-fighter-one