General Discussions

[Mav]

Hmmm … I wonder what Church an English lad with Irish relatives would have gone to? I’m guessing it wasn’t the “Church” of Scientology. But you’re right that the joke mocks many religions. More importantly, it also mocks the religious. He attacked the followers a bit more directly with this one:

Saying that you don't believe in magic but do believe in God is a bit like saying you don't have sex with dogs, except Labradors.

[Mav]

The Project declares jokes about Jesus are off limits. Are we okay with that? The Age.

[Gointocarlton]

The Project declares jokes about Jesus are off limits. Are we okay with that? The Age.

I read with interest today where Em Rusciano (has appeared on the project in the past) reckons the producers threw that comedian under the bus. She reckons the show (and all the jokes) are heavily scripted so its them that are probably to blame here.
In any case, isn't the general rule that if someone is hurt by comments, therefore the comments are not ok? So the person who makes it, owns it, aplogises and we move on.

[Mav]

This is where the difference between punching up and punching down comes in. However much some Christians might see themselves as some put upon minority, the Church still has considerable power (as The Project’s backdown amply demonstrates). And with Christian Nationalism creating problems overseas, I don’t want to see them getting more political power over here.

[Lods]

This is where the difference between punching up and punching down comes in. However much some Christians might see themselves as some put upon minority, the Church still has considerable power (as The Project’s backdown amply demonstrates). And with Christian Nationalism creating problems overseas, I don’t want to see them getting more political power over here.

But the 'Church' isn't one entity...it's dozens of different branches.
Some more influential than others
Some more moderate than others.
Some quite 'evil' in their past dealings.
And they don't always see eye to eye.
There are  Christians killing Christians in Ukraine at the moment.

My religious acquaintances are quite liberal and moderate in their thinking.
They vote Labor and even Green in some cases, they supported the same sex-marriage vote, and other equality causes.
They don't take extreme positions, but keep their faith and attend church and try to live their lives as good folks.

They would hardly have batted an eyelid over the project joke.
I suspect that outrage was more driven by the Andrew Bolts and Paul Murrays of the world.

Minorities have been oppressed, derided and joked about in the past.
But decency and respect isn't just the right of the minority.
It should be for everyone.

I suspect Jesus would have been more at home at Woodstock than in a church.
(The music's better)

[Thryleon]

This is where the difference between punching up and punching down comes in. However much some Christians might see themselves as some put upon minority, the Church still has considerable power (as The Project’s backdown amply demonstrates). And with Christian Nationalism creating problems overseas, I don’t want to see them getting more political power over here.

Arent minorities a minority irrespective?

The most dominant form of religion in Australia according to the census is Atheism.

[Mav]

I was thinking of the Ukraine war when I referenced Christian Nationalists. Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, is a huge supporter of Putin’s war. And the fact that Putin heads a Christian Nationalist government is what makes it hard for right-wingers in the US to regard Putin as an enemy. They love that he’s turned his government into a dictatorship and would love Trump to emulate him. It’ll be interesting to see if the Trumpists now in control of the House will be able to cut off the financial support offered to Ukraine.

What I know is that people are deluded if they expect the right wingers will accept a rule where no person should be joked about or oppressed. You acknowledge that it’s not moderate Christians who are behind the backlash - it’s the Bolts and Murrays. They’re quite happy to defend the rights of right wingers to their freedom of speech or more accurately their right to harass and humiliate those they wish to other. They condemn the Politically Correct or the Woke who stand in their way. But whenever they can act like snowflakes and claim their constituencies are being offended, they play the victim. Returning to an earlier point, it makes my blood boil when the political correctness card is played because, as we’ve seen, it only applies to left wingers not right whingers. I for one won’t fall for the nonsense about needing to stand against anything that might offend as I know there will be no reciprocation from the right. If the right wing wants to carve out sacred institutions that are beyond the reach of satire or humour, they’ll do it without me.

[Mav]

Arent minorities a minority irrespective?

The most dominant form of religion in Australia according to the census is Atheism.

Yep. I can’t understand why the Apartheid regime in South Africa was subject to so much vitriol. After all, the whites were a minority. We should have been as supportive as we are of gays etc. The fact that they were the ones in power and felt no compunction over harming the majority shouldn’t matter, should it?

[DJC]

Arent minorities a minority irrespective?

The most dominant form of religion in Australia according to the census is Atheism.

Atheism isn't a religion and the largest religious affiliation in Australia is Christianity at 43.9%.  38.9% of Australians have no religion while 3.2% are Muslims, 2.7% are Hindus and 2.4% are Buddhists.  Judaism accounts for 0.4% of the population.

If the trend continues, and there's no reason why it shouldn't, most Australians will have no religion by the next census, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and other small religions will grow slightly and Christianity will decline further.  This trend is terrifying for the fundamentalist Christians who are re-doubling their efforts to take control of the Liberal Party.

[ElwoodBlues1]

Yep. I can’t understand why the Apartheid regime in South Africa was subject to so much vitriol. After all, the whites were a minority. We should have been as supportive as we are of gays etc. The fact that they were the ones in power and felt no compunction over harming the majority shouldn’t matter, should it?

Not exactly working brilliantly in South Africa is it?...George Orwell would tell you the farmers(white minority) are gone and the animals(majority coloured population) are in charge and things are worse.
https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-com...s-in-ruins.