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Community => Religion and Philosophy => Topic started by: Witchyjoshy on February 28, 2012, 07:39:40 pm

Title: An interesting commentary on religion
Post by: Witchyjoshy on February 28, 2012, 07:39:40 pm
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/unreasonablefaith/2012/02/the-almighty-watering-can/

It uses no words but manages to highlight the oddity of religion, in particular the Abrahamic religions.

Personally, I think it's interesting, seeing how all you have to do is change one single symbol and it's like you're looking at the same thing from a different angle.
Title: Re: An interesting commentary on religion
Post by: Eniliad on February 28, 2012, 08:23:48 pm
Huh... it does highlight some of the crazier things people do in the name of their religion. Though I think mocking prayer was a bit much. Not that I'm offended or anything, I'm just not one to mock earnest belief if it doesn't harm other people.
Title: Re: An interesting commentary on religion
Post by: Yaezakura on February 28, 2012, 08:34:53 pm
In a way, it can. People waste time praying that they could spend doing things that actually help people. And there's way too many cases of kids dying from parents choosing to "pray them better" instead of taking them to a hospital.
Title: Re: An interesting commentary on religion
Post by: Eniliad on February 28, 2012, 10:33:48 pm
Oh, that's entirely true. People who simply pray for illnesses or injuries to go away are being criminally negligent, and in that circumstance it can certainly be harmful. I was commenting on the fact that it satirizes mundane daily prayer, which is in itself harmless.

On an annoyance scale, it's like 1/10 for me, so don't think I'm interested in making a huge deal out of it. Just saying, "hey, prayer by itself isn't bad."

Then again, neither is religion. It's what you do with it.
Title: Re: An interesting commentary on religion
Post by: Auri-El on February 29, 2012, 07:16:08 am
Yeah, taking five minutes to pray in the morning and evening can be good. Like meditating, that's supposed to have some health benefits by helping people relax, etc. I see where it could be a problem though, like the people in my church when I was a kid being all "if you don't pray for three hours a day God won't listen" and that's three hours you could spend at a soup kitchen or volunteering at a hospital or something.
Title: Re: An interesting commentary on religion
Post by: ThunderWulf on February 29, 2012, 12:03:54 pm
Yeah, taking five minutes to pray in the morning and evening can be good. Like meditating, that's supposed to have some health benefits by helping people relax, etc. I see where it could be a problem though, like the people in my church when I was a kid being all "if you don't pray for three hours a day God won't listen" and that's three hours you could spend at a soup kitchen or volunteering at a hospital or something.

Exactly, if you want to whip up a few prayers for a couple minutes right when you get up or before you go to bed, be my guest.  It's when people start substituting prayer for things that are actually helpful for the down or sick that it starts to become a problem.
Title: Re: An interesting commentary on religion
Post by: Old Viking on February 29, 2012, 04:21:14 pm
In Soviet Russia God prays to you.
Title: Re: An interesting commentary on religion
Post by: Sylvana on March 02, 2012, 02:19:25 am
That was a really interesting video.
It is quite insightful because all it does is replace the primary religious symbols of all the religions with a watering can. Everything else is exactly how it is in reality, people really do act like that. Religious symbols are available for sale just like that. People get crazy and burn things and kill each other just like that. Whoever came up with it was really bright.
I also like how it melds all religions together in the video. Multiple different religions are shown but by giving them all the same symbol you can more clearly see how similar they all are.

(with regards to symbols though, am I the only one who thinks the Christians obsession with a roman device of execution is a little sick?)
Title: Re: An interesting commentary on religion
Post by: Jodie on March 02, 2012, 02:47:47 am
In Soviet Russia the Almighty Watering Can waters you.
Title: Re: An interesting commentary on religion
Post by: Star Cluster on March 02, 2012, 09:23:59 am
That was a really interesting video.
It is quite insightful because all it does is replace the primary religious symbols of all the religions with a watering can. Everything else is exactly how it is in reality, people really do act like that. Religious symbols are available for sale just like that. People get crazy and burn things and kill each other just like that. Whoever came up with it was really bright.
I also like how it melds all religions together in the video. Multiple different religions are shown but by giving them all the same symbol you can more clearly see how similar they all are.

Yes to all that.  Plus, the song was deliciously appropriate.

(with regards to symbols though, am I the only one who thinks the Christians obsession with a roman device of execution is a little sick?)
No, you're not.  If the Romans had discovered electricity and how to harness it, Christians would probably be walking around with an electric chair pendant on their necklaces.