Missionary Position
(via Pharyngula)
There was one time when I was a Mormon missionary that the Jehovah’s Witnesses started to canvas the same street we were on. Lucky for them they backed down. I’d hate for things to get ugly.
Tags: Jehovahs Witness, LDS, missionary, Mormonism, religion, satire, video, violence
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August 29, 2007 @ 3:17 pm
Daddy, Pappa and Me has some more hot missionary action. A must see.
September 1, 2007 @ 7:57 am
Really, it’s an accurate representation of the “spiritual battle”. My favorite line/scene: “Jesus was black!” We said and thought similar things as missionaries. And how much was the war/warrior theme a core part of missionary-mind formation? This stuff can and will break out into the physical world — it’s just a matter of time and circumstances.
Funny as hell. Scary as hell.
September 1, 2007 @ 8:43 pm
I think that might have been the filmmakers’ point: that religious violence is pointless.
cybr said,
September 1, 2007 @ 9:24 pm
Ah yes, the typical view that all religion is the source of violence…
September 2, 2007 @ 6:41 am
Except maybe Jainism, I think all religion has been the source of violence at some time in its history. Even Jainism may have been, but it seems less likely. That’s not to say that all violence is based in religion, just some of it. Most violence probably arises out of competing for scarce resources.
September 2, 2007 @ 9:03 am
Ah yes, the typical apologist view that any criticism of religion’s tendency to incite violence must be countered by a “shock and awe” clubbing about the head with a bag of straw.
There certainly are many things that factor into the violence equation … but we’d be fools to not admit the lunacy of allowing the limitless randomizing introduced by the imaginary “realities” of religion. Taking Jonathan’s point about resource scarcity a step further …
We have hope of solving the world’s resource problems and thereby minimizing the associated violence. But so long as folks can band about with competing claims of god’s will, there will be violence of the most perplexing sort.
cybr said,
September 2, 2007 @ 5:13 pm
Now correct me if I’m wrong, I’m wrong quite often on many things. But, I don’t recall apologizing for being a Mormon or apologizing for anything members of the LDS church have said or done. Can’t I agree that religion has caused violence? But in regards to Jon, I see his attitude toward the church as what he said his attitude was not when this started. That is his right. I personally am torn between my LDS views and my fatalist views. And I don’t apologize for my views other than my contemptuous existence being here and annoying you all. You can always ask me to leave.
As to the violence, I’m a war monger. I won’t apologize for war. Hell, some wars need to be fought. Even more, I don’t think that religion is a primary reason for violence. I find that it is an excuse used for justification. Violence is human nature (the fatalist side of me) and whether we have religion or not, we will have just as much violence. You only eliminate one of many excuses to try and justify violence.
September 2, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
I have been feeling a bit… annoyed … lately, bordering on angry. But I recognize the futility of anger except in motivating myself. Mostly it just makes me have a bad day. I can find better ways to be motivated.
You must admit that “Ah yes, the typical view that all religion is the source of violence…” sounds a bit dismissive as if you think this viewpoint is shallow. That’s why I reacted to defend my viewpoint.
I agree that religion is often just an excuse like the War on an Abstract Noun (i.e. Terrorism). It’s one way that the rabble rousers in power get us into war for their own purposes. The leaders create an artificial or overblown threat to play on our emotions.
September 2, 2007 @ 6:37 pm
And let us not forget that, much like the fear-mongering behind terrorism, the appeals to violence in religion would have no power if folks did not believe.
Cyber, while I appreciate your cynicism around human nature and have shared it at times past, I’m currently seeing our race with much more hope — and I suspect that leaving god behind has played a significant role.
cybr said,
September 3, 2007 @ 12:36 am
I find the view to blame war on the the godly or godless (no insult intended just the wording) to be the back and forth excuse from both sides. Both sides use the same argument just with opposite source and starts to nullify and become annoying to me. Jehovah’s Witnesses blame all wars on other religions and that all these other false religions are the reasons for war. One of the reasons they don’t participate in the military and political process.
Mell, history is replete with examples of how the human race seems bent on destroying itself with or without religion. If anything, I see things as getting worse. We as a society are trying to become more advanced, accepting, conservative with our resources, politically correct, etc (begrudgingly at that). However, we now have a group of countries and societies that will soon outnumber ours that are coming into the issues that for example the US and Russia have just tried to get over. And I don’t see the deletion of god as making the situation better. But, that true religion and quest for deity to turn to in order to help verify if we are on the correct course that would lead us to a better tomorrow. I believe it isn’t about global salvation but individual salvation. However, individual salvation is dependent on our desire and efforts for global salvation.
But, I still see our race dooming itself.