A while back, Dennis Prager (radio personality) posed the question to atheists “If you were alone in an unfamiliar city at night, and a group of men you didn’t know approached you, would you feel safer or less safe if you knew these men had just come from a Bible study?”
Cristopher Hitchens tried to answer this in what may be the defining work of his career – god Is Not Great – but Dennis said for the record that Hitchens dodged the question because he answered the question “…if you knew these men had just come from a prayer meeting,” which Dennis alleges is radically different from a Bible study.
Actually, I suppose it is different since Dennis probably thinks Jews and Christians are better than Muslims, and “prayer meeting” could possibly include Muslims.
Well, I’m going to answer Dennis’ question exactly as he phrased it. Would I feel less safe if I knew they came from a Bible study specifically?
Yes, actually, yes I would.
Why? Because I’ve known people that go to Bible studies (having been raised Christian) and, from my experiences, the kind of person that spends their evenings reading the Bible with a circle of other Christians/Jews is probably 1. Neoconservative 2. Fundamentalist 3. Angry and bigoted (basically the same as the first two).
I’ve known quite a few angry, neoconservative, fundamentalist bigots, and I have both experienced and seen how their ridiculously strong passion for their religion and their faith in themselves and their twisted politics can quickly turn a situation like walking past someone who looks different than you into assault, sometimes verbal, more often physical.
I would feel very threatened indeed.
But isn’t that stereotyping?
Yes it is. I’m sure not EVERYONE at Bible studies is an angry neoconservative fundamentalist bigot, but it’s not possible to answer this question without stereotyping, since the whole point is furthering the stereotype that Jews/Christians are better people than atheists, Muslims, etc. and because you are being asked to generalize a group of people you don’t know and can’t sit down and talk with to figure out if they’re OK.
“and because you are being asked to generalize a group of people you don’t know and can’t sit down and talk with to figure out if they’re OK.”
That’s the problem we need to be able to sit down and at least get to know someone before we judge them, but the problem with this is obvious: some dont want to let you get to know them, and some people are just so stuborn they believe steriotypes and dont look past them.
ohh yah and i renamed my post to
“challenge for christian number one”
see now its different, lol
Wow, what a radical change!
LOL! i know! well what would you suggest i call it then?
“The Christian Question” maybe?
But i already have those, lol
Eh, whatever.
I’ll think of something,
Here is my article on this subject:
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2007/06/19/youre_in_a_bad_neighborhood_and_10_men_approach_you___
Dennis Prager
Steroing people isn’t wrong. If your in the inner city and you don’t want to get muged you have to figure out who wants to attack you and stay away from them if you wanna to live another day. You think that’s wrong? Figures from somenoe who thinks it’s provoking to tell the truth honesty but God gave man feer to keep him out of danger.
Oh yeah and Jews ARE better than Muslims they have the right God but there in the stone age they don’t even realize the prophet already came there still waiting for him when he’s comming back any day now. So their still going to Hell.
Angryxtian:
Let me guess, you would be afraid of the Bible study if there were black people in it, wouldn’t you?
I don’t think Mr Prager would be happy with my answer, but I’d feel MUCH safer if I knew the young men were coming from a medical marijuana dispensary or a “coffee” house than from a prayer meeting or Bible study group.
The sad fact is a lot gets attached to religion that isn’t in there. It bothers me a great deal that religions seem to attract people who are given to seeing things that aren’t there.
Great answer, Alex.
That’s very true. Potheads are nicer, less violent, and more sociable than anyone that would be at a Bible study. lol
but chillinatthtecabstand, you’re the most calm and least angry person i’ve ever met, so wouldn’t you be a great example to those angry Christians returning from their Bible study?
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m going to make the assumption that you are being ironic/sarcastic.
That is a bit funny.
Even if I am angry and uncalm, it does not make me immune to assault or make my life somehow safer.
I would feel more afraid – if I were walking with my unmarried lover, or my gay lover (were I to have one. The second. I have the first). Or if I were wearing some offending article of clothing. So, not only would I be afraid, I’d have relatively good reason to be afraid.