Fundies as griefers?
by Alphaville Herald on 01/07/04 at 10:59 am
Kudos to Betsy Book for breaking this story on Terra Nova. It appears that a Christian fundie is getting VERY zealous about advertising his faith in There. To quote Betsy:
“a born-again Christian is ruffling feathers by using There as an advertising vehicle for his particular denomination. Specifically, he’s set up a large ?Sacred Place? zone just outside of Karuna Plaza, There?s main entry point for newbies with glowing crosses and billboards proclaiming ?Jesus is Lord.? “
This raises the question of at what point (if any) ideological advertising becomes invasive. Expect this issue to crop up a lot more. I would expect it to arise in Second Life shortly as well. I hear the Church of Mephistopheles has started building some big-ass billboards…
humdog
Jul 2nd, 2004
i’ve noticed when i go to tso that there are various churches: catholic, fundie, whatever.
it sort of makes sense. fundie churches place a pretty high value on social interaction. they tend also from what i read to see people-on-computers as capable of great sexual evil etc. so i guess they’re kind of like the jesuits going to the new world to convert the heathen.
heathens r us, i guess.
NetizenNation
Jul 2nd, 2004
This is as good a place to start as any. The concept behind NetizenNation is very simply, it’s that the lives, the daily routines, the culture, the beliefs, the social networks, the practices, the technologies, the language, etc, etc, etc,
swger
Jul 3rd, 2004
I happened to run across a guild in Star Wars called and this guild leader was standing on the corner of a major location preaching “show your love for god and join Holy and be with like minded God loving players” Im sorry.. but I have always felt that the church going population needs to contemplate pray, honor the faith of choice in church or private. The idea that if it was on a real life street corner or a knock on the door begging for donations is just as much of an invasion when it is happening in online games.
Bible hump in private!
SWGer
swger
Jul 3rd, 2004
Guild was called Holy.. it erased my text because I used arrows /gapes
humdog
Jul 3rd, 2004
what interests me about this is that the bible-thumping/evangelism/message-spreading that is so unpleasant to people is actually part of fundie culture. if you talk to fundies they will tell you right away that telling people about their belief system is so important that any method, even those that may seem obnoxious, is allowed. they see it as their right to free speech in the same way that another person might see pornography as free speech.
generally speaking, many people are more willing to silence pornographers than they are willing to silence evangelical fundies. certainly the fundies are willing to silence pornographers on the basis that the porno people do harm, in their opinion. the fundies also do harm, but it is harm to a person’s interior by means of distortion.
Cocoanut
Jul 5th, 2004
Are we going to value free speech or not? Or maybe just free speech for everyone as long as they don’t talk about religion?
coco
humdog
Jul 5th, 2004
not sure what you mean, coco. free speech requires that we put up with the pornographers and the commercials and the fundies, i think.
Ian
Jul 6th, 2004
Oh I see, so free speech for SOME, but not for ALL. Humdog, would you like a dictator, gov’t?
Maria LaVeaux
Jul 6th, 2004
Having been at the centre of one of these “Freedom of speech/expression” discussions myself, i DO sympathize with the “Fundies” (I am not sure i like this description, it seems a little disparaging) to a point.
What they do/are/have become obviously brings them great joy, and it is their fondest wish to share that joy. This i can understand. when what they do is done Without respect or consideration for the feelings or belief systems of others, that is where my sympathy stops. I and my kind tend to keep to ourselves, we welcome those who actively seek us out, but we don’t “Preach” in others homes. If asked, we will answer, but that is all. Ads in Public places, and spamming, be it for events, commercial enterprises or touting belief systems, I find to be annoying, but it is done, and is an accepted practice So, i just try to live without letting it get to me. That is just Me. Do i feel that every practice that i personally dislike should automatically be banned “For the Public good”? No.
I have always asked for, and given Tolerance, and acceptance. and i will willingly share any on line space with the Fundamentalists Provided that they extend to me the same Courtesy.
We live in a world full of people all with different views and experiences than our own. Learn to live with them, they will NOT just go away.
Maria.
P.S.
Coco is quite right, but every society, even those with freedom of speech engrained in their structures have set certain reasonable limits on that freedom. Freedom of speech does not protect the person who yells “Fire” in a crowded movie theatre, Nor does it protect Libel or slander. Destructive use of those rights seems to be the obvious limit and every day, American, and Canadian courts explore and define those boundries. is is an ever evolving principle that we will not solve once and for all in this blog when our courts have been working at it for over two centuries. No right, Not even freedom of speech is absolute.
M.
Cocoanut
Jul 6th, 2004
I agree with Maria’s analysis and consider her way of handling her own controversial situation the ideal way and done in the spirit of tolerance and acceptance. That others may be obnoxious about their beliefs is not a good reason to interfere with their greater rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion.
coco
Ian
Jul 6th, 2004
isn’t this just like (tries to remember), when peter, the leader of the way (before they became christians), was going to be executed, however, some guy (forgot his name), told them not to interfere with this “religion”, because if it is not meant to be, it will go away, but if it is, it will be like fighting a far with god.
Maria LaVeaux
Jul 7th, 2004
In answer to Ians observation:
“if it is not meant to be, it will go away, but if it is, it will be like fighting a far with god.”
Not quite chere,, it is simply, I have yet to recieve my certificate of Omnipotence in the mail, so, Until i acheive personal perfection, i am simply Not going to tell other people that i know better than they how to run their lives. I have enough trouble managing my own. Others may try to do that with me, but all they will get is an indulgent smile that i reserve for people who do not posess all the facts of my life.
I share this world because there is no other alternative, and even if their were, I think sharing it is the preferrable path in any case.
Let them be, and if they bother you in your home, well, you have the tools to prevent it.
Maria.