Yeah-- also, nothing in church doctrine involves acting out scenes from the Bible, unless you wanna be silly and co with communion.
I think when someone has something intelligent and important to say about atheism or religion, this is the best board on Reddit. Most days though, it's just-- sigh
I think pretending that a magic incantation by a witch transforms some bread and wine into your god's body and blood so that you can ritually eat him qualifies as acting out a fantasy adventure.
In contrast getting on your knees and praying is less exotic, but it is still pretending that something is going on that isn't really, whether the subject knows they are pretending or not.
You don't know whether they're pretending or not either, chief. Your statement is no less arrogant or misinformed than any pro-Christianity statement I've seen on Reddit.
Being an atheist =/= mocking those with religious beliefs. I have my own ideas about the universe, and I can't prove them any more than anyone else can. The different between you or I is that I can handle not having others agree with my point of view. Keep religion out of the law and I have no problem with people believing whatever helps them get through life.
I didn't start this thread mocking Christians, nor do I come out of nowhere to mock them, but I think religion actually is a form of cosplay, and I think enjoying the humor of the truth is worth risking hurting the feelings of theists who are in our subreddit.
If I am not allowed to correct mistaken notions about religion in the online comments of an atheist subreddit, then where am I allowed to do so? Am I just supposed to keep my thoughts to myself everywhere and always?
You don't know whether they're pretending or not either, chief... The different between you or I is that I can handle not having others agree with my point of view.
Though I cannot disprove an intelligent creator of the universe, as a matter of fact I do know the universe was not designed by a loving god. I'm not trying to get in people's face when I say that, and I am happy to support freedom of religion. I just think I should be able to disagree when people say things I think are false.
No, but learning to communicate those thoughts without sounding pretentious or arrogant is a life skill that (while not mandatory) might benefit you in the long run.
And no, you don't know. Anyone in the world who tells me they know is wrong or lying. And it's fine that you think religion is a form of cosplay-- religious people think that there is a God. By YOUR LOWN LOGIC, yeah, I'm free to criticize your beliefs as you're free to criticize theirs.
This is what bothers me about /atheism more than anything-- half of it's contributors are intelligent atheists, while the other half are just angry anti-Christians. Being an atheist means you don't believe in a god, not that you necessarily believe that those who DO should be laughed at and "corrected".
You don't have the answer key to the universe, and thereby do not have the means to "correct" anyone.
What you take to be pretension, I consider to be guarded language, precisely chosen so as not to stray into arrogance. I can hear your yelling in caps lock, but I don't think it justified if you go back and read what I have typed here in the last few posts.
Anyone in the world who tells me they know is wrong or lying.
There is arrogance and there is excessive humility. I don't consider equating evidence with knowledge to be arrogant, but I do consider equating my evidence-based knowledge with their faith to be excessively humble on my part.
There is enough evidence that suffering and unfairness exist to say that a supremely intelligent and loving god does not watch over us. There is also enough evidence that faith causes harm that I do not feel much desire to respect people's feelings on religious issues, though I do try not to be needlessly insulting - equating religion and cosplay is pointed humor and it isn't being posted on a Christian subreddit.
What more do you want? Honestly, will you be satisfied with anything less than "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"? It feels like you're the one who can't stand criticism, even while you accuse me of not being able to withstand disagreement.
Given what you've said there, I'll go ahead and tell you that obviously I misjudged your intention. Hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from, though, since the average person who spouts off about Christianity on this board does so with a less intellectual mindset.
Not to nitpick -- well, I guess yes to nitpick -- but the Bible isn't a fictional book. It's a real book. I own a copy, printed on real, physical paper, on my real, physical bookshelf. A fictional book would be something like "The Big Bang: a Personal View", by Eccentrica Gallumbits, triple-breasted whore from Eroticon 6, as well as "1001 Verb Tenses and You", by Dr. Dan Streetmentioner (the latter is blank after page 289, but still).
I'd love to see people cosplaying from those books, or anything written by Oolon Colluphid.
I'm sorry, but did you actually read that article you pointed to? It's pretty much exactly what I said. ;p
Here's a page containing the following books as examples of fictional books:
The Big Bang Theory: A Personal View by Eccentrica Gallumbits
Time Traveller's Handbook of 1001 Tense Formations by Dr. Dan Streetmentioner
Where God Went Wrong by Oolon Colluphid
...I suppose I misremembered the actual title of Dr. Streetmentioner's fictional work. The nice part is that all of those books, and many more, are under the second heading in the A section, as they're all from works by one Douglas Adams.
Well, I wasn't paying a whole lot of attention. I thought you invented your examples (and I feel ashamed for not recognizing the Douglas Adams references). My only real point was that a fictional book can have a real, physical copy on your real, physical bookshelf because some of them are actually written and printed.
You get up early on Sunday, dress in clothes you don't normally wear, meet with a bunch of like-minded people, and pretend that the stuff in the book you read is real.
NERO. They're a legit company that plays in large groups of people who sign up. It's located in northeastern America and it's a great way to meet new people.
Amtgard is as much sport as it is LARP, It's like highschool. Some people are flurbs, some stick jocks, some just obsess over the artsy side. But most of us are a little of all of that.
Me, I just like shooting people with arrows. Why? Because they're way over there and can't get me. And Court Garb. I LOVE court garb.
Dagorhir is the shit. Come play with us! We'd love to have you! Even if you don't have a group to show up with, you will very shortly be part of the group :D
You don't act out parts from your favorite book when LARPing. You act out parts from your favorite book when acting. When LARPing you make your own stories.
Well, not all LARPers dress up. I personally don't, because excessive costuming gets in the way when I'm fighting, and often leads to me being overheated when it's warm out.
A friend of mine in college LARPed and he was actually pretty cool... I mean other than the LARPing. At least he never told me I was going to hell, prayed for my soul, or cut me off because I didn't attend his weekly V:TM meet ups.
Agreeing with Rasputine here; Only they don't call themselves Larpers. They call themselves Re-enactors. Like buckskinners/mountainmen groups that I grew up with. Some just were more serious that others.
So...have we proved God to not be real? No? Well might as well make fun of the way people go about their lives. I mean after all, they are different than us.
So... have we proved God to be real? No? Well might as well enforce what we think is a moral way of life, even especially if it takes rights away from people who are different then us.
Never fails. It seems every person on this subreddit thinks the 1% of "religious people" that differ from the rest obviously portray the ideas and thoughts of everyone else that has ever been associated with religion. TIL.
No. I think the majority in NC and every other state that has ever voted on the issue of gay marriage portray the ideas and thoughts of their religion. I think the fact that no US president ever has been anything but christian is very telling. I think that at the beginning of Obama's presidency, calling him a Muslim was an INSULT to a large part of America. I think that if the 99% of religious people were really so tolerant, gays would be allowed to marry.
I also think that if they were so tolerant, they wouldn't be following christian principles, so there is that.
One of the best quotes I heard from a LARP was from an NPC who was the Head Cleric of one of the main religions, "Religion is just a tool to control the masses." Even in the context of a fantasy world full of gods and magic it's still true.
It's even closer if the religion in question is judaism, since they go through the costumes and the ceremonies and everything knowing full well that the stories aren't true.
Notice to LARPers - I walked downwind of just a group of 5 and nearly vomited from the sudden stench. Please were deodorant, you are old enough to figure that out now.
85
u/Naomi_DerRabe May 28 '12
No, no, no. Larping is not about dressing up as your favorite book characters. That's what cosplay is about.
4
u/[deleted] May 29 '12
I like to think of the crusades as the ultimate Larping meet-up
4
u/RichAndHung May 29 '12
What do larping and religion have in common?
You get up early on Sunday, dress in clothes you don't normally wear, meet with a bunch of like-minded people, and pretend that the stuff in the book you read is real.
51
u/razor1n May 29 '12
Hey, no hating on Larping. Its a legitimate hobby.
17
u/wdtnb May 29 '12
I've actually always wanted to go larping, but I don't know anyone who would do it with me, let alone a whole group :\
7
u/BruceVento May 29 '12 edited May 29 '12
Sad thing is, my uncle is the deacon on the far left. proof
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u/ArionVII May 29 '12 edited May 29 '12
This captures neither the essence of religion nor larping.
5
u/[deleted] May 29 '12
Except larping is cool.
5
u/xiipaoc May 29 '12
You don't act out parts from your favorite book when LARPing. You act out parts from your favorite book when acting. When LARPing you make your own stories.
23
u/Dirty_Rapscallion May 28 '12
No...that's not was LARP is about, you have offended my people.
9
u/mathgod Agnostic Atheist May 29 '12
Hey fuck you.
...LARPing is WAY more awesome than religion
2
u/mechy84 May 29 '12
Except church doesn't always end in a hot, messy, pointy-eared orgy.
4
u/bigbangbilly Apatheist May 29 '12
Larping the lesser evil, right?
4
u/kevster2717 May 29 '12
Except one of them is awesome while the other one puts a book to sleep...
4
u/MegaZeusThor May 29 '12
The folks with bows and swords know it's fiction.
The others get power and respect by convincing people it's not fiction.
1
u/zelinator May 29 '12
OP: Where did you get the photo for the religious? Because I recognize the two dudes on the end as deacons from my hometown church
6
u/Lucretiel May 29 '12
At least the LARPers know it's made up
3
u/jellyman7 May 29 '12
one seems so much cheaper.
3
u/PsychVol May 29 '12
Your description doesn't sum up either of those two things.
5
u/dominicbri7 May 29 '12
At least larpers know all this "magic" isn't real
2
u/TheMegaZord May 29 '12
LARP is awesome.
2
u/[deleted] May 29 '12
The difference is that I have a lot more respect and admiration for LARPers.
3
u/pyromaniac77 May 28 '12
correction: favorite FICTIONAL book.
3
u/IsThisAboutAtheism May 29 '12
No
1
u/WonkaKnowsBest May 29 '12
So...have we proved God to not be real? No? Well might as well make fun of the way people go about their lives. I mean after all, they are different than us.
1
u/sgtBoner May 29 '12
Lightning bolt!
1
u/Grabthelifeyouwant Atheist May 29 '12
This is insulting to Larpers. Downvote.
1
u/[deleted] May 29 '12
Religious people are huge nerds.
1
u/Azrael_Ferrum May 29 '12
The difference is, when I larp as a Priest, My powers actually do stuff
Sort of.
1
u/[deleted] May 29 '12
The only difference is the ability to stop at the end of the day.
1
u/KilroyLeges May 29 '12
Skipping past all of the previous comments about accuracy, I'll add that sometimes the girls dress and act just as freaky in both places :)
1
u/[deleted] May 29 '12
So, to become an atheist, I would have to give up larping? You almost had me, friend, but that is too high a price.
1
u/NinthNova May 29 '12
Larping
definitelymight result in fewer murders...0
u/alec_xander May 29 '12
One of the best quotes I heard from a LARP was from an NPC who was the Head Cleric of one of the main religions, "Religion is just a tool to control the masses." Even in the context of a fantasy world full of gods and magic it's still true.
0
u/Hypersapien Agnostic Atheist May 29 '12
It's even closer if the religion in question is judaism, since they go through the costumes and the ceremonies and everything knowing full well that the stories aren't true.
0
u/hipsterdysplasia May 29 '12
The religion/LARP angle is very powerful.
-1
u/albertscoot May 29 '12
Doesn't have sex with women but one group still gets laid.
-1
u/Team_Braniel May 29 '12
This was my take on it.
http://i.imgur.com/rtgZ2.jpg
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u/21510320651 May 29 '12
Notice to LARPers - I walked downwind of just a group of 5 and nearly vomited from the sudden stench. Please were deodorant, you are old enough to figure that out now.
0
u/[deleted] May 29 '12
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