Catholic Priest: Atheism Sucks Because the Godless Don’t Have Cool Hats Like Religious People

[trotsky]

No, seriously.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2015/05/22/catholic-priest-atheism-sucks-because-the-godless-dont-have-cool-hats-like-religious-people/

The Jews have fun too. They have festivals with lots of good food and laughter and dancing and the guys let their hair grow in those crazy curls on their head and they have hats. Very good hats. We have hats too.

Hats with cool names. We have miters and birettas and zuchettos (which means ‘little pumpkin’ in Italian.) and I have a saturno made out of Norwegian beaver — don’t worry he died a natural death — and one made out of straw.

Name one atheist hat. Just one. See you can’t.

Longenecker’s entire argument boils down to: Silly atheists. They care too much about being honest, no matter where it leads. We religious people rely on bullshit to keep ourselves happy.

But you know what? He's wrong! Atheists have awesome holey hats!

[hrmjustin]

1. Are you saying those who believe in the Flying Spaghetti Monster are really atheists?

That they are really just mocking religion?

[rug]

2. Why, I believe he just let his mask slip.

[hrmjustin]

3. looks like it.

[truebrit71]

4. Religion mocks itself...

...the gnarly colander is simply an added bonus...

[hrmjustin]

5. Yes that is nice but i am glad he was honest where others have not been.

I thank the op for his honesty.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. Belief is not required to be a member in good standing.

I've pointed that out to you before. I don't believe, and I'm an ordained minister.

[hrmjustin]

8. And that is one reason why i don't take it seriously.

[AtheistCrusader]

9. I'm sorry it's not what you want it to be.

[hrmjustin]

11. I have no desires for it at all.

I find it amusing and demeaning.

[AtheistCrusader]

12. I find it highly useful for circumventing legal barriers erected by religious groups.

[hrmjustin]

13. Use it to your hearts content.

[AtheistCrusader]

21. I have no choice.

The only alternative in this state is to become a circuit court judge.

[hrmjustin]

22. I understand and something shoukd be done about that.

[phil89]

55. Demeaning?

you believe an innocent person was tortured an murdered for your sins and you think that's ok... You have some very odd values.

[hrmjustin]

56. I am not concerned about your opinions of my values.

But yes FSM is a parody and can be seen as demeaning to people of faith.

[Act_of_Reparation]

6. God wants you to wear a hat.

[trotsky]

16. A "Slash" hat. Now that would beat the other hats! n/t

[struggle4progress]

10. Link to Dwight Longenecker's article:

Atheism is Just So ... Dull
May 19, 2015 by Fr. Dwight Longenecker

... In religion you have curious things like happy little elephant gods or those holy water bottles with Mary and the crown unscrews at the top. I mean Hindus have festivals where they fly kites and light lanterns and douse each other with paint. They swim naked in the Ganges and say its something holy -- and are they wrong? ... Think of the Catholics. Especially the ones in Spain. They have that huge tomato fight every year and chase bulls around in the street ... We’ve got snake handlers and people who speak in tongues and faith healers and televangelists. That’s all very interesting, and that’s just the Protestants ... Have you ever seen the head of St Catherine of Siena? ... And we’ve got monks and nuns and St Simeon Stylites who sat on top of a pillar in the Syrian desert for 35 years ... Show me an atheist stylite. Show me just one who lives in a cave and eats locusts and throws himself into stinging nettles naked ...

It sounds to me like he doesn't take himself too seriously

[AtheistCrusader]

14. Why the fuck would anyone do any of that stupid shit?

[struggle4progress]

18. Let me explain in what ways I agree with you and with Longenecker:

I share your perplexity at many of the indicated behaviors and read Longenecker also as sharing that perplexity

The difference lies here: while you seem content to notice people engage in what you call "stupid shit," Longenecker seems interested in people and in their behavior; when he pokes fun at them, he does so with a bit of subtlety and turns the humor back against himself and his own religious context as well -- because ultimately he feels a sympathy for them

[okasha]

15. Sounds to me like he has a sense of humor.

Our A&A Puritans don't.

[skepticscott]

30. Anyone browsing Interfaith

and AA can easily decide for themselves which group has a sense of humor, and which group takes themselves with comical seriousness.

[hrmjustin]

32. The sop of interfaith makes it hard to do comedy in there.

And i must admit i don't read AA as much as I used to so i can not speak to your group.

[cleanhippie]

38. And thats what makes it so damn humorous.

Unintentional comedy is the funniest of all.

[hrmjustin]

39. I thought you didn't pay attention to interfaith.

[cleanhippie]

40. How is it that you can respond within seconds at any given time?

Do you literally stay on DU all day and night? I cannot remember the last time I made a response to one of your posts that you didn't immediately reply.

I know that you almost single-handedly keep DU running, but seriously man, you should take breaks occasionally.

[hrmjustin]

41. I was reading a post in mirt when you rang.

We can't all lead the exciting life you do.

[cleanhippie]

42. QED

[hrmjustin]

43. Enjoy your holiday.

[cleanhippie]

44. You should take one yourself.

[hrmjustin]

45. I am touched by your concern.

[cleanhippie]

47. I'm positive you are.

[hrmjustin]

48. Any special plans thos weekend?

[cleanhippie]

49. Just to stay offline as much as possible and enjoy the real world.

You should try it.

YMMV

[hrmjustin]

50. Why you feel the need to personally insult me i do not know.

Not a good thing to do.

Please rise above this.

[cleanhippie]

51. There's no insult here.

Curious question: What do you do for a living?

[hrmjustin]

52. My job and personal life is not your business.

[cleanhippie]

53. Lol

Deflection speaks volumes.

[hrmjustin]

54. Your desire to make this personal speaks volumnes.

And my personal life remains none of your business.

[cleanhippie]

57. Deflect, deflect, deflect.

Relax, Justin. It's just an anonymous message board.

To most, anyway.

YMMV

[hrmjustin]

58. My dear sir I am relaxed.

[mr blur]

31. And you would know this, how?

Trading snide, laboured, self-congratulatory, unfunny one-liners with the other half of your comedy double act hardly qualifies as having a sense of humour, after all.

[hrmjustin]

33. I don't think your in a position to judge anyone on this board sir.

Your snark is rather legendary here.

[okasha]

37. Hardly.

Reading you guys' posts right here in Religion. As a whole, you're a dour bunch.

[longship]

29. Then there's the Scientologists.

And their exemplar, Tom Cruise. Lots of crazy in that guy, and L. Drunkard Hubbard.

[Warren Stupidity]

17. That hat is a hateful bigoted mockery of the sacred hats of serious religions.

Serious hat.



Serious hat.



Seriously?

[gcomeau]

20. Wow... how much does that all sound...

...like a 5 year old's argument for why kids are better than grown-ups?



"And we have Harry Potter, and Harry Potter's like super fun, and the stupid grown-ups don't believe he's real so they don't have as much fun as we do... and also they want us to do homework and go to school... so kids are better and grown-ups are wrong about everything!!!"

[okasha]

23. See post 15.

Learn to laugh a little. Your blood pressure will go down.

[gcomeau]

27. He wasn't just trying to be funny.

It's pretty damn obvious from the read that he also thinks he's making a legitimate point about religion bringing more value and enjoyment into the lives of believers and that that somehow lends religion greater legitimacy over dull boring atheism.

I laugh plenty, I just don't find stupid funny.

[hrmjustin]

24. Didn't get to say goodbye to message removed in the other thread so i will do it here.

[okasha]

25. And I'll thank MIRT for dealing with him so promptly.

[hrmjustin]

26. .

You're welcome and i will pass on the thanks.

[longship]

28. That is what it boils down to.

As the Friendly Atheist said.

[AlbertCat]

34. Those religious hats are soon 11th century!...or older

So out of style. Religion is obviously for people with no fashion sense so they have to be told what to wear.

Beside, the Atheist thinking cap looks so good on anyone.... as long as it's authentic thinking.

[Arugula Latte]

35. We atheists don't have Giant Penis hats like the Pope and his underlings.

Those hats really push the point that Girls Are Icky and don't deserve equal power and rights 'cuz they don't have schlongs.

[rug]

36. But you do ride elevators.

[Cartoonist]

46. We had the Solstice

before you had Xmas.

[struggle4progress]

59. Hilarity and Holiness (May 22, 2015 by Fr. Dwight Longenecker)

Earlier in the week I wrote a light hearted post saying that one of the most wearying things about atheism was simply how mind crushingly boring it is ... I was tickled therefore, when an atheist blogger wrote a post about it, and of course, what was so funny was how serious his post was ... We religious people can be dead boring too ... Whether atheist or Anglican, Methodist or Mohammedan or Mormon, Agnostic or Amish, Hindu or Holiness Church of God -– what makes a person boring is when they take themselves seriously ... This is why I trust comedians, actors, poets and artists rather more than moral theologians, for they stand things on their head and see life aslant ...

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/hilarity-and-holiness