Jomo Mojo wrote:
BWAAAAHAHAHAHA!
ahem I’m sorry. snicker You were saying?
Hahaha, yeah that IS pretty funny! almost as funny as closed minded saps like you! BWAHAHAHAHA
Don’t laugh at what you don’t understand.
Its entirely possible that Johnny does understand the beliefs involved and still finds them laughable.
Sometimes the more you understand something the funnier it becomes. Like $cientology.
What’s there to understand? - according to the thread referenced, the person in question can provide nothing more than anecdotal evidence that crystals have some healing power, and falls back on faith as the means of “knowing” this.
If there is some evidence that these crystals work in any way aside from a placebo effect (and I don’t mean “Hey, ten thousand pagans can’t be wrong!”), then I’d like to see it - and I’m sure others on the other thread would as well.
Nah, i don’t really think so, that sounded a lot more like the post of someone who’s never really thought about it, looked into it or experienced it. And neither have I, for that matter. I know nothing about it, not a thing. Never tried it, maybe I never will.
Maybe I’m wrong, maybe Johnny has spent years of his life studying it, i don’t know the guy. I’m just saying there’s a fuck of a lot we don’t understand.
To drag out our grand old banner, we’re supposed to be fighting Ignorance, right? Laughing at it isn’t teaching anyone anything.
People thought magnetism was witchcraft or magic because they didn’t understand it.
I find Christianity hilarious! Don’t hear me laughing at it though, do ya? Know why? Respect.
Oooh, we can all poke fun at someone’s possible religious beliefs. That’s always an open-minded stand point. Let’s stand and point fingers and snicker because they think differently than we do! Let’s not open a constructive dialogue with the person, let’s make fun in the Pit!
Who would laugh if someone posted about Jesus healing lepers? That’s anecdotal, no solid evidence or proof. However very few would laugh publicly at it because they know it would offend someone who believes in that religion. How is this belief different? Right or wrong, it’s what they believe and deserves to be treated with a bit more respect. Educate them if you feel you must, give them a different point of view. But ridiculing and outright laughing at their beliefs? There’s more constructive ways to get your point across.
If I had posted a thread asking for prayers to help me through a rough time, I know I’d be hurt to see a Pit thread entitled You Jesus freaks crack me up with nothing in the OP but a quote and laughter about the quote.
Whether you agree with the healing powers of crystals or not, I think we should have a little more respect for the feelings and beliefs of others.
Sure, sure. I’m narrow minded because I don’t fall for the same bullshit you do.
Come on, it’s hillarious. It sounds like a commercial:
But wait, there’s more. If you order now, we’ll throw in chi absolutely free! That’s a $9.95 value, yours just for calling. Not available in stores!
Chi is supposed to permeate everything, but apparently that’s not jazzy enough. Apparently this crystal came pre-charged with its own special chi – hey, value added. Now how much would you pay?!
And this warrants a thread to mock it in the pit? I’m not going to get into a religious debate on who’s religion is more based on hear say and ineffectual personal anecdotes, but that’s a pretty useless argument.
And besides, we’re not even talking religion here, really. This sort of thing seems to me to me more up the alley of “9 out of 10 dentist recommend you use Crest for shiny green teeth”. We’re talking about a remedy here. If someone started a thread on “should I use Aspirin or Tylenol” it would hardly meet with the same response.
I’d love to see it to, that’s what we’re about here.
No you’re narrow-minded and disrespectful for publicly laughing at someone’s personal beliefs instead of attempting to educate - which is what other posters are attempting in that thread you link to. Those people don’t agree, but they are respectfully offering facts, not just laughing and pointing fingers at the “crystal waivers” for being stupid.
It may not be a mainstream religion, but it’s a personal belief nonetheless. Would do you the same thing to a Jew, Christian, Muslim, or whatever because you don’t fall for that bullshit either?
Johnny what have i fallen for here? i’ve bought nothing, invested no money in to this, i’m just calling a spade a spade.
You’re mocking what you don’t understand, it’s a very natural for an 8 year old to do.
Not to nitpick, but I see no reason to have respect for ludicrous beliefs (or beliefs which I consider to be ludicrous, to be more appropriate). I won’t unilaterally berate and laugh at the person out of respect for the person, although I lack all respect for their belief system. Now, if they feel they need to witness or preach to me, then I feel equally ok in telling them why I think their beliefs are kind of kooky-nutty.
Of course, from what I’ve seen, in the Pit, all bets for respect are off. 
Alright brother, before i kick you in the head would you care to explane just what the fuck you mean by that?
Fine, have as little respect for the belief as you want. Maybe I should have left that word out, since there are many Christian churches I have no respect for (and I myself am Christian).
And as for not respecting “ludicrous beliefs” - that’s your opinion, your belief, as you so much said yourself. Obviously these beliefs aren’t ludicrous to others. So out of respect to the person, unless he’s forcing his beliefs on you, don’t force your beliefs (calling his beliefs ludicrous for example) on him.
As for respect for the person, I still say this was out of line to publicly laugh at what they believe. I’d like to think no one here would publicly laugh at Jews for being Jewish or Christians for being Christians. I’d like to see Johnny start a thread making fun of a specific organized religion and see how long that lasts.
If I started claiming that I was God and demanding worship no one would have any obligation to respect my beliefs or me. You would not have any obligation to respect anyone who believed me either. Some things are clear bullshit.
Agreed though its better to educated than to point and laugh, and I should have realized this and not been so eager to mock.
Since when are people obligated to respect beliefs that are rediculous? Where did this idea come from anyway?
Tim glad to see you say that. Very glad to see you say that.
As far as not respecting someone because you believe their believes to be stupid, though, i’ve got to say i disagree with you there. I mean, how can you really proove they’re wrong? or, for that matter, proove that you’re right. You can’t.
If you want to say you’re a god, by all means feel free. I probably won’t follow you, but i won’t lose respect for your’re thinking you are.
Crunchy, good points.
friedo the people who believe in the “rediculous” obviously don’t think it’s so stupid or else they wouldn’t believe in it. Perhaps they have had some expierences you have not. That, in my opinion, diserves some respect.
Well I can’t prove anything, but I can distinguish between good explinations of what I see and bad ones. To pick on scientology its a really bad one, started by a lunatic/liar/guy who said starting religion is a good way to get rich.
I find that to be adequate to not respect the belief. But as long as they leave me alone I really don’t bother them. Like I said I should have been less rude about my disagreement with crystal waving.
I guess I’m just a disrespectful jerk
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by friedo *
**
I can’t speak for Upham but for me, it isn’t about respecting the belief, I worded thoughts badly earlier.
It’s about respect for the person and their RIGHT to believe it.
But were not talking about Scientology, in fact i’m not sure we’re talking about a religion at all here. I was under the impression that this stuff about cristals was more in line with Homeopathy and whatnought.
Crunchy that’s what i’m trying to get at, the right to believe must, IMHO must be respected.