Bible exchange

[Skaloop]

A group of atheists at the University of Texas have started up an exchange program similar to "Toys for Guns." Theirs is called "Smut for Smut" and promises to give out pornography in exchange for Bibles.

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=2005biblesmut
(The link is safe; no pictures or anything)

Anything immoral with this? It doesn't really seem to violate any of the commandments.

Anything unethical about it? It's an exchange of legal goods between two consenting parties. Really no different than trading in a minivan for a flashy convertible.

Clearly they're poking a little fun, and trying to raise a bit of a ruckus, but is there actually anything wrong with it?

 

[TinkaBella]

Oh college kids! Is there nothing they won't do?

It's seems kind of crass but they are not doing anything that horrible. It's just a stunt to get attention.

 

[.Sabre.]

It's a prank. Personally, I'd not be involved in something like that, but it's their problem if they offend people and/or get in trouble.

 

[MachZer0]

A group of atheists at the University of Texas have started up an exchange program similar to "Toys for Guns." Theirs is called "Smut for Smut" and promises to give out pornography in exchange for Bibles.

http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=2005biblesmut
(The link is safe; no pictures or anything)

Anything immoral with this? It doesn't really seem to violate any of the commandments.

Anything unethical about it? It's an exchange of legal goods between two consenting parties. Really no different than trading in a minivan for a flashy convertible.

Clearly they're poking a little fun, and trying to raise a bit of a ruckus, but is there actually anything wrong with it?

Don't Muslims feel slighted?

 

[quatona]

What are they gonna do with all those bibles they´ll get?

 

[Skaloop]

Don't Muslims feel slighted?

They likely will trade for any religious text, including the Quran.

 

[Voegelin]

The officially atheist Soviet Union and the officially atheist People's Republic of China had and have other ways to deal with the problem.

 

[Skaloop]

The officially atheist Soviet Union and the officially atheist People's Republic of China had and have other ways to deal with the problem.

They do. Luckily, this method is far superior. For starters, it's not forced upon anybody and is totally voluntary, and secondly, people get a little something in return.

Do you find something objectionable about people freely choosing to give up their Bibles? It's not like they can't get another one...

 

[Voegelin]

They do. Luckily, this method is far superior. For starters, it's not forced upon anybody and is totally voluntary, and secondly, people get a little something in return.

The League of Militant Atheists in the USSR had "voluntary" programs too. They organized anti-Christian celebrations on Holy Days. In front of Orthodox churches Yaroslavksi and his associates provided free drugs and alcohol to their supporters. Prostitutes were provided too (even though they weren't supposed to exist in the people's paradise).

Of course the leaders of this atheist league (which had millions of members at its peak) did get the money to do this from ransacking churches and stealing everything people owned.

The 70 million atheists in the Communist Party of China today aren't as rough as they were a few years ago but they are still tossing Christians into prison for being Christians. And they are still repressing Buddhists in Tibet. They aren't killing the number of Tibetans they once did however. Don't think any monasteries are being dynamited off hills either. The PRC wrecked over 5,000 of them. Now they see the tourist value I think.

 

[Skaloop]

The League of Militant Atheists in the USSR had "voluntary" programs too. They organized anti-Christian celebrations on Holy Days. In front of Orthodox churches Yaroslavksi and his associates provided free drugs and alcohol to their supporters. Prostitutes were provided too (even though they weren't supposed to exist in the people's paradise).

Of course the leaders of this atheist league (which had millions of members at its peak) did get the money to do this from ransacking churches and stealing everything people owned.

The 70 million atheists in the Communist Party of China today aren't as rough as they were a few years ago but they are still tossing Christians into prison for being Christians. And they are still repressing Buddhists in Tibet. They aren't killing the number of Tibetans they once did however. Don't think any monasteries are being dynamited off hills either. The PRC wrecked over 5,000 of them. Now they see the tourist value I think.

You go ahead and carry on with your little strawman there. Personally, I'm gonna stick with the topic of a small non-governmental group of private citizens who are part of a minority in America partaking in what is essentially an attention-getting prank. If they were offering steak dinners instead of porn, this wouldn't even be a story. As it is, it has nothing whatsoever to do with "atheistic leagues" or communist governments or imprisoning Christians.

 

[The Nihilist]

No, seriously, I love it when Voegelin blames every terrible occurence he can think of on atheism. Did atheism kill the dinosaurs too, Voegelin?

 

[Futuwwa]

And the Soviet Union has exactly what to do with the topic?

 

[JGL53]

The League of Militant Atheists in the USSR had "voluntary" programs too. They organized anti-Christian celebrations on Holy Days. In front of Orthodox churches Yaroslavksi and his associates provided free drugs and alcohol to their supporters. Prostitutes were provided too (even though they weren't supposed to exist in the people's paradise).

Of course the leaders of this atheist league (which had millions of members at its peak) did get the money to do this from ransacking churches and stealing everything people owned.

The 70 million atheists in the Communist Party of China today aren't as rough as they were a few years ago but they are still tossing Christians into prison for being Christians. And they are still repressing Buddhists in Tibet. They aren't killing the number of Tibetans they once did however. Don't think any monasteries are being dynamited off hills either. The PRC wrecked over 5,000 of them. Now they see the tourist value I think.

I notice not only here but on various other threads that you continue to harp on this subject, which gives raise to the following questions. Please answer and we can then discuss:

I am an atheist, so:

1. Do you suspect me of being a communist, or at least a state socialist, because I am an atheist?
2. Going further, is it actually necessary for me to be a communist or a socialist if I am an atheist?
3. Ayn Rand the famous author was an admitted atheist. Do you believe she was or was more than likely a communist or socialist?
4. Me being an atheist, do you believe it is optional or a necessity or just more likely that I am in favor of suppressing, even committing violence upon, any one who is religious, i.e., not an atheist like I am?
5. Is it possible, or even conceivable to you at all, for a particular atheist to be a supporter of the democratic republic form of democracy like that of the U.S. and to be a peace-loving tolerant person?
6. Many KKK members who were all Christians murdered and tortured many people in the U.S. over many decades.
Are all Christians therefore murderers, more likely than not to endorse murder, or is murdering people optional for Christians - or what?

 

[Ave Maria]

Anyone who would exchange their Bible for porn has a really warped mind. Porn is grossly immoral. It is basically porn stars prostituting themselves. Not to mention the fact that pornography grossly warps the God given definition of sexuality.

 

[JGL53]

Anyone who would exchange their Bible for porn has a really warped mind. Porn is grossly immoral. It is basically porn stars prostituting themselves. Not to mention the fact that pornography grossly warps the God given definition of sexuality.

Oh, really?

Well, I've read the bible - and I've viewed a lot of pornographic materials over the years.

Neither are 100 per cent intrinsically good or bad - it all depends on how you use them and which bible verses you emphasize or what pornographic themes you are attracted to.

IOW, let's be fair about this. Prejudice is such an ugly thing.

 

[The Nihilist]

Anyone who would exchange their Bible for porn has a really warped mind.

Maybe they're just not christian. You think of that?

 

[JGL53]

I suspect that Ted Haggard and I prefer entirely different types of ponography.

Is that because he is a Christian or because I am an atheist?

 

[craigerNY]

I suspect that Ted Haggard and I prefer entirely different types of ponography.

Is that because he is a Christian or because I am an atheist?

I'm thinking it's because your "masseuse" is a woman.....

 

[Forest]

Maybe they're just not christian. You think of that?

Good point, maybe they are doing a favor by flushing out the hypocrites.

 

[Skaloop]

Good point, maybe they are doing a favor by flushing out the hypocrites.

If we got rid of all the hypocrites, there'd be no Christians left...