Magical Sky Pixie, Etc. -- Y'all Know You're Being Deeply Insulting, Right?

The BBQ Pit
1

Y’know, far be it from me to tell people what to post, or where, or how. I’m not a moderator, much less an administrator. I’ve pretty much given up discussing my faith on the Board because it seems to me the chances of people treating it respectfully are slim and none. [sub][Groucho] And Slim just left town. [/Groucho] [/sub] That is not a lament or a plea for pity; it’s a simple fact, as seen from my seat.

But it seems to me that there are a lot of people using extremely derisive terms to refer to the deeply-held beliefs of others – the most recent is the ever-so-witty reference to God as the “magical sky pixie,” as found here, and here, and here.

I just have to say: Things like this may seem like a stone riot to people who do not believe – the acme of humor since the first caveman asked the second to take his wife, please. But it’s not funny to people who believe in God and believe the idea of god deserves a modicum of respect. Heck, some of the more observant Jews posting here won’t even spell God (“G-d”) our of respect.

II think that most of the people around here are good-hearted. They are not vicious and not intentionally mean, even about things they don’t believe and even – if we must be brutally honest about it and, hey, why not? – do not respect, so long as they understand that other people do believe and are hurt by overt disrepect to things that are very, very important to them. So maybe you just don’t realize how hugely disrespectful, and therefore painful, this is? And surely there are believing posters whom you all like and respect – not me, maybe, but what about POLYCARP? Or ZEV? Or RTFIREFLY? Or CMKELLER? Or a host of others I could name?

So since I can’t tell people what to post – indeed, don’t want to tell people what to post, I wouldn’t have that job for all the tea in China – I’d just like some reassurance that the people who are joining in these merry little characterizations of the Divine as the Delusional are, in fact, aware of how insulting – sometimes deeply insulting – they are being to many of those around them. And if you see that this is what you’re doing, I hope you’ll at least consider the request when I ask you, respectfully, to stop.

If you can tell me you know that’s what you’re doing, and you choose to do it anyway . . . well, then we’ll both have learned something important about each other.

So, anyway. Not really a rant but there it is.

2

An interesting topic.
Personally, when I think about it, I don’t want to call any god with anything more respectful than the infamous MSP. It’s just that I feel that religion is utter poppycock, and pretending otherwise to believers seems disingenious. I realise that this is probably a character fault on my part, so I try to avoid net discussion on the subject.

3

Oh my, you’re talking to me (among others), aren’t you?

Yeah, I reckon it’s a bit flippant.

Obviously, I don’t believe in…er, Him. I thought it was kind of a funny term. But I wasn’t really meaning to be insulting. I suppose I can see how it would be.

So I apologize for any hurt feelings. You, and the other posters you mentioned, are people I respect, even if I don’t share your beliefs. So there’s no joy to be had for me in gratuitously insulting y’all.

Basically, it was just a throw-away joke, and to me, it isn’t a big deal one way or the other. If it is to you…fine. I can let your strong feelings on the subject outweigh my rather ambivalent ones.

You ask me, respectfully, to stop?

Okay, I’ll stop.

:slight_smile:

4

Well, speaking as one of those Believers, I don’t understand what’s so disrespectful about the term itself. Sure, its use can be intended as snide or disparaging, but the words themselves are pretty harmless (just so long as you remember He can at times be a Great and Fearsome Magical Sky Pixie).

Sticks and stones. Now those are painful.

5

What if you think God deserves to be disrespected? Personally, I’ve had it up to here with the prick.

Just because I make fun of Julia Roberts, doesn’t mean I have anything against people who like her movies, if you get my meaning.

6

Bloody arg, here. Alright Jodi, I’m one of the confirmed, card-carrying, fundamentalist southern-baptist atheists, and I respect you. I can see how a lack of respect for something so fundamental in your personality. (Damn perspective. It makes arguments like this much harder.) But do remember this: religion scares a lot of atheists. “How,” we ask ourselves, “can so many people believe what is logically imposible? They must be idiots.” Then we run into the SDMB. “Holy shit, there are people smarter than I am, and they’re Christians/Jews/Islamic/Pagans/et al. (Yes that’s right, us atheists pronounce slashes. And parenthetical remarks.)” For a while, I was afraid to attend a church sermon, lest the Evil Memetic Virus ™ corrupt me as well. :slight_smile: Try to remember that a lot of atheists feel the need to whistle, metaphorically, while walking past the metaphorical graveyard. The same impulse that drives fundamentalists to frenzies over this pledge debacle is present, although moderated, in things like “Top 10 reasons why God, if he existed, which he doesn’t, would be a total bastard.”

7

Yeah, well, Miller, most people view religion as being a heck of a lot more personally important than Julia Roberts and whatever her lips are up to these days.

Religion does provide many with a foundation of ethics from which to make compassionate decisions. It gives many a sense of who they are, what their lives mean, and how they relate to the universe.

Whether or not you get that isn’t really important. What is important is that you refrain from going out of your way to be an asshole about something this important to others.

It’s common (or, it would seem, uncommon) courtesy.

8

I think “Magical Sky Pixie” has come into popular usage (at least around here) as a reaction to the lack of respect for atheism shown by some religious posters. Outside of religious discussions, I think it’s rude – there’s no reason to be antagonistic toward all Christians based on the actions of a few jerks.

Within the context of religious discussions relating to atheism, I think it can be useful to illustrate how conversion arguments (“Don’t you want to be close to God?!?”) sound to someone who doesn’t believe at all. Same idea as the Invisible Pink Unicorn.

9

Hey, didn’t I just say that?

[sub]Although personally, I’m much more interested in Julia’s lips than religion…[/sub]

10

OK, I’m not Jewish (obviously, or I’d know the answer): why is it respectful to write “G-d” rather than “God?” Is it some kind of “don’t ever speak or write His Name” directive?

How far should we take our political correctness to ensure we don’t insult anyone? Is it insulting to the Wiccans when people refer to God as a He? I understand what you’re saying, and I will discontinue using “Magical Pink Unicorn” now that I know it is insulting (to some of you) and because you asked, and I respect you, but I don’t see how that isn’t just as insulting as saying, instead of “God,” “that human concept of a masculine Creator figure who loves us and watches over us.” Either way, it’s the writer’s way of saying, “some believe in this concept, but I don’t.” I know I haven’t expressed myself well, but it seems that any phrasing other than “G-d,” “God,” “Supreme Being,” etc., could be potentially insulting to Judeo-Christians.

11

Take a look at www.faqs.org/faqs/judaism/FAQ/05-Worship/section-47.html about the “why write as G-d’?” question.

As for the Sky Pixie thing, well, of course it’s meant to be disrespectful. A lot of non-believers of various stripes find common religious formulations disrespectful and insulting as well. Two wrongs don’t make rights, of course, but people are people.

12

So, how are be non-believers to characterize deities which we “know” to be non-existant?

OG? is that OK?

Too bad - OG is taken (it means “I’m just kidding - I know there really is a god, but I’m playing this for yucks”).

I like “invisible pink unicorn” because it can be used as a meaphor for any religious belief - past, present, future.

Would you be offended by a reference to a “post-Christian” world?

Is your faith so fragile that scoffing by non-believers seriously threatens your self-definition?

13

Third Commandment. For Jews, “You shall not take the name of your Lord in vain”

14

Actually, I had always assumed the usage of G-d to be a device so that the extreme christians and extreme athiests would not come up with results on searches, thus enabling one to continue without fireworks one’s reasonable and calm debate about the nature and or existence of a diety.

15

Deity, d–n it!

16

Wow, nice loophole!

Perhaps eventually we can make an ascii character that’s almost an ‘o’, but has a few pixels missing, so it’s easier to read than ‘G-d’.

Not trying to be disrespectful, by the way – I just think that’s a really funny way to get around the rule. Much like calling someone a motherf*cker and pretending it’s not an insult.

17

Well, AlaItalia, accusations of political correctness usually make me think “here’s someone who would rather not be held accountable to easily comprehendable standards of courtesy”. Nobody’s saying you can’t go around referring to the Creator of Everything as the Magical Sky Pixie, the Invisible Pink Unicorn, or SnotRag the Ineffable Kleenex. We’re just saying that if you make a habit of it, some of us will think you’re obnoxious. We’re just saying that in a world filled with strife and unpleasantness, maybe it wouldn’t be too much of a burden to stretch yourself and find a term that isn’t wildly disrespectful of another person’s closely held beliefs.

And as a Wiccan, I can pretty much tell you that it doesn’t even register on my radar if someone refers to the Maker as a He. I just figure they’re coming from a Judeo/Christian/Muslim background. If, however, we’re on my turf, I explain that oh, by the way, Wiccans tend towards a duotheism with a He and a She. It doesn’t have to be a big deal unless someone starts waving around their Mother-given right to be a rude, recalcitrant whiney-baby.

(And, yes, Ferrous, you did just say that.)

18

I’ve heard of some anti-Islamist bigots spelling it that way so that if anyone happened to translate their text in Arabic, the word “God” wouldn’t get translated as “Allah”.

19

It’s not about pretending you believe – it’s about respecting what other people believe. You can think I’m an idiot for believing what I do, but to pass it off as a childish superstition is insulting in the extreme. Referring to other peoples’ deities and beliefs with basic respect is just common courtesy.
– Dragonblink, a polytheistic Pagan who does her best not to take the names of other peoples’ Gods in vain.

20

Again, with respect, I think some of you need to appreciate the difference between respecting someone’s beliefs as beliefs, and refraining from being actively insulting about those beliefs, out of respect for the person (not the beliefs).

I don’t think refraining from being actively derisive means you are embracing something you really don’t believe in; in fact, I think it’s a huge stretch to say that it could be. I may hate your husband, but I’m not going to tell you what a horse’s ass he is, nor am I going to refer to him as King Peckerhead in your presence. Why? Because he’s your husband, and presumably you’re fond of him. As PHOUKA said, this isn’t a question of belief, it’s a question of courtesy.

FERROUS – Thank you. Really.

ALAITALIA –

Do you think this request is an example of “political correctness,” or are you expanding the discussion to “where does it all end”? I ask in all seriousness.

HAPPYHEATHEN –

How about as “dieties”? Or “gods,” small “g”? You obviously recognize the concept of a god; you’ve used it yourself. You can discuss them without being offensive – I know you can because you just did. No one will take you for a Christian (or Moslem or Jew or whatever) if you say “I don’t believe in god.”

:confused: No. Why would I be?

I find it interesting you could see “please don’t do this; maybe you don’t realize it’s insulting, but it is,” and, for that, read “My self-definition as a person of faith is seriously threatened.” Don’t you think that’s a pretty big leap? I may know that my (hypothetical) boyfriend is the world’s nicest guy and I may believe that to the depths of my soul; that doesn’t mean I’d enjoy hearing you habitually refer to him as That Asshole You Date.