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

[1liesalot]

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.

That's pretty true.

[SGOS]

I don't think of it has hate speech, just bullshit.

[drunkenshoe]

It's silly for us, but very seriously real for some people.  Some of them are not even aware they don't actually believe in it.

So, it's mostly funny. But if you look at the side from the person who really believes in, it's incredibly hateful.

But then I agree with Mike.

[Termin]

 Hate speech ? no

Extortion ? perhaps . . .

[1liesalot]

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?

There's no such thing as  radioactive super purple monkey shit. You are making stuff up now.

Though on a slightly more sinister note, maybe my sensitivity to people telling me I should burn in hell has something to do with the fact that I was being told about eternal hell fire from the age of four and it was terrifying. I wouldn't mind, but the priestly cunt that did most of the brimstone stuff when I was a child literally looked like Darth Vader with his helmet off. He had this growth thing in the middle of his forehead, which was in no sense helpful.

Anyway, it's rude. Christians can be very disrespectful.

[SGOS]

There's no such thing as  radioactive super purple monkey shit. You are making stuff up now.

Though on a slightly more sinister note, maybe my sensitivity to people telling me I should burn in hell has something to do with the fact that I was being told about eternal hell fire from the age of four and it was terrifying.

Anyway, it's rude. Christians can be very disrespectful.

I was somewhere around four when my grandmother started indoctrinating me.  Actually, I think I was younger.  I associate the indoctrination with my very rudimentary phase of language development, and just at the very beginning of my cognitive development.  Before that time, my sentience revolved around eating, pooping, sleeping, and avoidance of pain.  My introduction to Hellfire is one of the first cognitive sensations I can remember.  And the indoctrination happens fast when you are at an age when reasoning is still beyond your intellectual capacities.  I just stoically accepted it as part of an inevitable future.  It would be unavoidable.

Yes, it's not only rude to feed this garbage to children, it's child abuse of the worst kind.  It is potentially more damaging than physical abuse.  "Rude" is an understatement.

[Baruch]

In the past I have proposed that actual Bible study be limited to adults ... and uplifting cartoons only, for the kids.  Even if one is old enough to understand the words, having children memorize verses, could be as damaging as you describe, though in your case seems remarkably young.  I would assume your grandmother was acting out of ignorant fear.

[SGOS]

In the past I have proposed that actual Bible study be limited to adults ... and uplifting cartoons only, for the kids.  Even if one is old enough to understand the words, having children memorize verses, could be as damaging as you describe, though in your case seems remarkably young.  I would assume your grandmother was acting out of ignorant fear.

Yes fear and ignorance.  My grandmother was probably more worried about my soul than actually controlling me, however.  Eventually, she backed off.  I'm sure I must have related the things she told me to my mother, and my mother probably told her to "back off".  My mother was a believer, but my grandmother was a Baptist Hellfire fundamentalist.  My father was that grandmother's son, and he would have taken the immediate family, including me, in that direction, but my mother was more level headed.  She probably put her foot down when it came time to pick a church for the family, and there was no way she would have heaped that tin foil hat religion on me.  In fact, there were, what seemed at the time, some rather inconsequential and short discussions I had with my mother that opened up the idea that it was OK for me to figure out religion on my own.  She was partial to the idea that there was a god, but she did point out some of his logical inconsistencies, which I wondered about myself.  Perhaps without intentionally trying to point me in that direction, she opened a door to atheism.  When my mother died, one of the first things my dad did was return to fundamentalism and hanging out with some wacky speaking in tongues cult types.

[josephpalazzo]

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.

You realize that your constant use of the word "christiard" could be considered by some as hate speech!?!

[Baruch]

SGOS .. I am also fortunate that my mother was "religion lite".  Sounds like you had a better than average mother, given the circumstances.  And she was probably also already sensitive to your doubts.

[jonb]

You realize that your constant use of the word "christiard" could be considered by some as hate speech!?!

Yes and that is my problem with codes like 'Political correctness' once we say how a person reads a thing is the important factor rather than the intention of the writer, then you have to face the prospect that I can now sue you because of my traditional cultural sensibilities, you have  caused agony within me  by your use of exclamation marks and a question mark together, it not only deeply offends me, but also my grandma.

[Baruch]

JUST DON'T CAPITALIZE ALL YOUR LETTERS OR I WILL HAVE TO GIVE YOU A GOOD THRASHING!

[trdsf]

Yes, it's not only rude to feed this garbage to children, it's child abuse of the worst kind.  It is potentially more damaging than physical abuse.  "Rude" is an understatement.

And psychological damage is a lot harder to root out; most physical abuse can be physically recovered from, but it's the scars that you don't see that are damn near forever.

[Draconic Aiur]

yes it is hate speech

[trdsf]

Also, if it isn't hate speech when a religious nutjob tells me that I deserve to suffer eternal torture, then it's not hate speech when I tell them they're an inbred brainless bigot and precisely where they can shove their bible.