Absurd email from supposed teacher about blasphemy
Offline I'm posting this here in hopes that students of this incompetent teacher will find it and realize, their teacher is incompetent.
From: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, March 25, 2010 4:53 PM
Subject: [General Question] Blasphemy Challenge.
Marion Lipski sent a message using the contact form at
http://www.rationalresponders.com/contact.
Hello,
Just came upon your website as a possible source for a "Critcal Thinking/Problem Solving class I teach. Regarding you "Blasphemy Challenge" ... how can one blaspheme or damn oneself to hell if he/she does
not believe in any kind of deity?
I think I will be using your site in future terms. Keep up the good work.
Seriously, you teach a class about critical thinking? fucking christ.
You might as well have asked: how can one eat an apple if they believe it's a vegetable?
Your question is ridiculous, and as a teacher you should be embarrassed.
And here are my psychic abilities: I'd be willing to wager a lot of money that you teach at a religious school, not a secular one. And if I'm wrong my follow up guess is that you're Christian, possibly even not a teacher.
You have no place teaching that class, you need to take a class on critical thought yourself. Or at least learn the definition of blasphemy, for you would know one isn't required to believe in a deity to commit blasphemy against it. That notion is absurd, fucking absurd.
- Brian Sapient
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Some notes;
Conclusion:It is highly doubtful this person is involved in education. The person is passive aggressive, enjoys dropping flamebait in the laps of strangers, and may not even be old and mature enough to graduate from a university, let alone teach at one...
“A meritocratic society is one in which inequalities of wealth and social position solely reflect the unequal distribution of merit or skills amongst human beings, or are based upon factors beyond human control, for example luck or chance. Such a society is socially just because individuals are judged not by their gender, the colour of their skin or their religion, but according to their talents and willingness to work, or on what Martin Luther King called 'the content of their character'. By extension, social equality is unjust because it treats unequal individuals equally.” "Political Ideologies" by Andrew Heywood (2003)
Hold on just a second .. This is very odd
What was she teaching again ?
Apparently she was expecting some set of guidelines this instuctor wanted ? No one must have be available for comment. Other institutions train new workers in religo~cultural sensitivities , might not hurt in the course work. Then keep on trucken, I guess
For someone who claims to teach critical thought they totally missed the intent of the Blasphemy Challenge.
TO SHOW AND DEMONSTRATE the absurdity of being afraid of the non-existent.
It would be like if a kid came up to you and said, "Be afraid of the shadows in your closet at night, they can get you".
What we do is say , "There's nothing to be scared of, shadows are just shadows, they cant harm you". Just like we in the west don't bow to the threats of Islamic terrorists.
Myth is just myth and that is why we blaspheme them, to show people they don't have to scare themselves, or others into believing a myth.
AND if this "teacher" is into critical thinking I wonder if they'd ever quote Jefferson "Question with boldness even the existence of a god,"
You cant blaspheme fictional characters anymore than you can blaspheme Mickey Mouse or Lex Luthor. But you can poke fun of the absurdity of someone if they literally believed that Mickey Mouse or Lex Luthor were real. We do this to demonstrate that humans have nothing to fear from giving up on an old myth.
If humans never questioned social norms our species never would have left the caves. We would still believe the earth to be flat.
So don't be half assed about this "teacher", if you value critical thought then don't be afraid of it being aimed at you, by us, or by your students.
AND I am sure Brian doesn't mind at all that you use him in your "teaching" as long as you allow your students to come here and decide for themselves. But I suspect you will just go "look at those horrible evil people".
It wasn't "evil" when Toto pulled back the curtain. It wasn't evil when Dorathy realized it was just a dream. THAT is what the Blasphemy Challenge is about. It is about telling people the good news is that their is no cosmic dictator to be afraid of.
I am sure this "teacher" has no problem questioning the myths of others. We merely reject one more myth than you do. Try understanding why you reject all other myths besides the one you hold and then you will understand why we do the "Blasphemy Challenge". It is basically telling people to stare at the shadows that frighten them until they realize they are just shadows. Myths are just myths and nothing to be frightened of.
"We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers."Obama
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