Should threatening people with eternal hell-fire be regarded as hate speech?

[1liesalot]

I imagine that like me, the atheists on this board have been told more than a few times that we are all going to burn in hell for ever and ever. Sometimes this message is imparted with ill disguised glee. Is this hate speech? I am disgusted by these people. It is an evil enough doctrine without idiots and sadists relishing it. They are cunts and I never use the "C" word ... except in reference to this set of idiots.

Fuck off, I say.

[Mike Cl]

I imagine that like me, the atheists on this board have been told more than a few times that we are all going to burn in hell for ever and ever. Sometimes this message is imparted with ill disguised glee. Is this hate speech? I am disgusted by these people. It is an evil enough doctrine without idiots and sadists relishing it. They are cunts and I never use the "C" word ... except in reference to this set of idiots.

Fuck off, I say.

I'd be more inclined to say they were 'dicks'.  And need to have them cut off.  "Fuck off"--I've often wondered about that phrase.  Why is that a negative?  How many days would I have just about died to have done so?????  Same for 'that sucks'.  Yeah--really?  Sounds good to me!

Sorry, OP, for going off on a tangent.  But I think they simply deserve a good hard, belly laugh in their face.  Nothing like turning a threat into a joke.

[jonb]

I find it interesting rather than upsetting or laughable. If I understand it right the christiard code is to send out missionaries to spread the word.

To do that you have to persuade, positively or negatively with threats. The thing is though to persuade you have to have some understanding of the person you are trying to persuade. And the stark fact is they never in all of my experience try to learn anything about me.

I have never in all the visitors to my front door (which I relish) have I encountered one who did not make the most perfunctory assumptions before proceeding to proselytise so that they can gain merit in their own organisation. In short it is clear they have no interest in me so how could they hope to persuade?

On the net all I ever seem to encounter (with a very few notable exceptions) are voices like WW that MikeCl showed great patience with, that only seem interested in proving their authority and special understanding not to actually persuade.

So they do threaten me with things that they know will have no effect on me. As far as I know it is the opposite of what their book asks them to do, so I just don't understand why they do it? And questions I cannot answer I find interesting.

It is a puzzlement.

[Baruch]

In a word, yes.  But not in the legal sense is it hate speech, because the threat isn't plausible.

[CrucifyCindy]

If I threaten you to throw in your face my stockpile of radioactive super purple monkey shit in your face for all of eternity would you think it hate speech or just plain stupid?

[Baruch]

If I threaten you to throw in your face my stockpile of radioactive super purple monkey shit in your face for all of eternity would you think it hate speech or just plain stupid?

I would respond with ... "nya nya nya na nya na ... sticks and stones may break my bones but CrucifyCindy will never flummox me"

[Cocoa Beware]

No, but I think it is pretty vile the way they threaten young children in this way.

It might sound strange, but I think it should be against the law to do that to kids. It can cause an immense amount of harm.

[Sal1981]

Why should I feel threatened by someone's fairy tale?

ooooo, If you don't repent, Batman is gonna get ya!

[CrucifyCindy]

I wouldn't call it hate speech when done to an reasonable adult but when you threaten hellfire on a child then it is likely child abuse

[mauricio]

Define hate speech first.

[Mike Cl]

If I threaten you to throw in your face my stockpile of radioactive super purple monkey shit in your face for all of eternity would you think it hate speech or just plain stupid?

All of it??  Your entire stockpile??  That would be some scary shit!

[AllPurposeAtheist]

All those threats of fire and smoke and brimstone and anguish and agony forever and ever and ever and ever and ever are only because god loves you. Gee, how can" gods love" be considered hate speech?  All you have to do is to sing it the next time it comes around on the guitar .. Or you'll burn in hell forever and ever and ever and ever and ever because god loves you  .. It's pretty plain stupid, but hateful?  Nahhh..It's all about love.  If you don't love someone they should kill you ...right?

[CrucifyCindy]

All of it??  Your entire stockpile??  That would be some scary shit!

My endless supply...forever in your face!

[Mike Cl]

My endless supply...forever in your face!

Somehow that congers up visions of those flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.  And that ugly witch. Now that is scary!

[Baruch]

No, the witch that the house fell on at the beginning.  She was the scary real estate witch from Century 21 ;-)  Oh ee oh, ee oh!