Stereotypes of religions that need to go

[Deidre]

Yeah some people actually said that Mary is a part of the christian Trinity! The trinity, according to them, consisted of Mary the mother, God the Father and Jesus the Son. It was a (christian) sect in the middle east. An opponent to orthodox and catholic christianity.

An entire religion created to promote stereotypes. lol

 

[Princeps Eugenius]

An entire religion created to promote stereotypes. lol

Yeah things were strange back then.

 

[Princeps Eugenius]

The idea of devil worship and demonic possession is a stereotype that needs to be purged from neo-Pagan religions. I don't know how common it is throughout America, but in high school a few people started treating me like crap when they learned I was Wiccan.

Lol youre pagan? What do you believe in exactly? The goddess?

 

[Politesse]

So many! Here are the ones I have to correct most often in my comparative religions class, sometimes even after the kids have been "researching" the religion in question. Some are geographically specific to my region, but I'll present them all for your interest.

Atheism

• Atheism is a religion
• Atheists are angry at God
• Atheists are Satanists
• Atheists lack a moral code

Buddhism

• Buddhists worship Buddha
• Buddhism is a "really cool" source of self-affirming quotes
• Buddhism is fundamentally about reaching Nirvana, usually visualized as Heaven without the angels
• Most Buddhists are Indian
• Indian Buddhism is "real" Buddhism
• Tibetan Buddhism is "real" Buddhism
• Buddhism is about "finding yourself" or being at peace with said self

Christianity

• Christians are American-style evangelicals
• All Christians are rule-obsessed
• Christians whose worship includes saints and angels are polytheist
• Christians are fundamentally at odds with science

Catholicism

• Catholics aren't Christians
• Catholics worship statues
• Catholics are Hispanic
• All Catholics are Roman Catholics
• Catholicism is fundamentally about dogma
• Catholics are expected to follow the Pope over civil law if there's a conflict
• A side comment to reporters on a plane has the infallible weight of canon law
• General confusion over what a monastic order is

Evangelicals

• All Evangelicals are very conservative
• Evangelicals go to megachurches
• Evangelicals are theocrats/dominionists
• All elements of Evangelical doctrine come from The Bible, and can be found there

LDS

• Mormons aren't Christians
• Mormons have polygamous marriages
• Mormons are polytheists
• Various conspiracy theories
• Mormons are dour or rule-centric

Lutheranism

• Lutherans are Catholicism Lite

Orthodox Christianity

• Unawareness of its existence, or confusion between the Roman church and various Eastern orthodoxies
• All Orthodox are Greek Orthodox.

Islam

• Muslims are Arabs
• Muslims are terrorists
• Muslims hate Jews/Christians
• Muslims do not value women
• Young Muslim men are dangerous
• Muslims are split between "radicals" and "moderates"
• "Moderate Muslims" are silent on terrorism
• All Muslims identify as "Sunni" or "Shi'a"
• Muslims are looking for a Caliph to rule the world
• The Qur'an is "the Muslim Bible"
• Muslims worship Mohammad
• Muslims reject Jesus
• Muslims worship the moon (I think Jack Chick started that one)

 

[Princeps Eugenius]

So many! Here are the ones I have to correct most often in my comparative religions class, sometimes even after the kids have been "researching" the religion in question. Some are geographically specific to my region, but I'll present them all for your interest.

Atheism

• Atheism is a religion
• Atheists are angry at God
• Atheists are Satanists
• Atheists lack a moral code

Buddhism

• Buddhists worship Buddha
• Buddhism is a "really cool" source of self-affirming quotes
• Buddhism is fundamentally about reaching Nirvana, usually visualized as Heaven without the angels
• Most Buddhists are Indian
• Indian Buddhism is "real" Buddhism
• Tibetan Buddhism is "real" Buddhism
• Buddhism is about "finding yourself" or being at peace with said self

Christianity

• Christians are American-style evangelicals
• All Christians are rule-obsessed
• Christians whose worship includes saints and angels are polytheist
• Christians are fundamentally at odds with science

Catholicism

• Catholics aren't Christians
• Catholics worship statues
• Catholics are Hispanic
• All Catholics are Roman Catholics
• Catholicism is fundamentally about dogma
• Catholics are expected to follow the Pope over civil law if there's a conflict
• A side comment to reporters on a plane has the infallible weight of canon law
• General confusion over what a monastic order is

Evangelicals

• All Evangelicals are very conservative
• Evangelicals go to megachurches
• Evangelicals are theocrats/dominionists
• All elements of Evangelical doctrine come from The Bible, and can be found there

LDS

• Mormons aren't Christians
• Mormons have polygamous marriages
• Mormons are polytheists
• Various conspiracy theories
• Mormons are dour or rule-centric

Lutheranism

• Lutherans are Catholicism Lite

Orthodox Christianity

• Unawareness of its existence, or confusion between the Roman church and various Eastern orthodoxies
• All Orthodox are Greek Orthodox.

Islam

• Muslims are Arabs
• Muslims are terrorists
• Muslims hate Jews/Christians
• Muslims do not value women
• Young Muslim men are dangerous
• Muslims are split between "radicals" and "moderates"
• "Moderate Muslims" are silent on terrorism
• All Muslims identify as "Sunni" or "Shi'a"
• Muslims are looking for a Caliph to rule the world
• The Qur'an is "the Muslim Bible"
• Muslims worship Mohammad
• Muslims reject Jesus
• Muslims worship the moon (I think Jack Chick started that one)

Funny nickname you have Women, where i live, are called this when they put little tickets on wrongly parked cars. And they annoy alot of people because these same people have to pay a fee for every ticket.

 

[Riverwolf]

• Muslims worship the moon (I think Jack Chick started that one)

Wait, Jack Chick was spreading hilariously nonsensical lies about more than just D&D?

Why am I not the lease bit surprised?

 

[Jainarayan]

Voodoo has dolls.

So that's why I've been through more pins than a tailor, and spent a fortune on Ken dolls, and it never worked!

 

[Robert.Evans]

Lilith Dorsey, a Voodoo Priestess (among other things) over at Patheos is on a quest. Like many religious minorities, Voodoo struggles with its image in the minds of the majority, but few religions have been more maligned than Voodoo in my culture. It's been the plaything of Hollywood movie makers for decades, and this, combined with racism, has caused many to have horribly inaccurate and hurtful ideas about the religion. Lilith has five erroneous stereotypes about Voodoo that she wants us to erase from our minds:

1. Voodoo is evil and negative dark magic.
2. Voodoo has zombies.
3. Voodoo has dolls.
4. Voodoo is demonic possession.
5. Voodoo is dead, false, or non-existent.

You can read the rest of her article here, along with more of her writing here that offers a fascinating window into the Voodoo tradition. How many of these five things did you think were true? It's okay, most of us have probably gotten most of our "knowledge" about Voodoo from Hollywood. You can say yes.... I would have said yes to these too for an embarrassingly long portion of my life.

What are some stereotypes of your religion that need to go? Let's see what we can banish!

Most poor stereotypes and poor arguments are held by atheists as far as I can see.

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Another stereotype that needs to go: Zoroastrians are fire worshippers.

 

[Quintessence]

Most poor stereotypes and poor arguments are held by atheists as far as I can see.

Strange. I haven't found that to be the case at all, and in fact precisely the opposite. Which shouldn't be surprising considering the overwhelming majority of the global population is theistic, therefore the overwhelming majority of stereotypes are going to originate in people who happen to be theists. Whether or not the stereotyping has anything to do about their status as a theist is another matter. Sadly, it does in many cases. Stereotypes about Voodoo certainly stem from theists who are members of exclusivist religions and who have an incentive to paint religions that are not their own as demonic and evil.

 

[Milton Platt]

Stereotypes about Atheism

1. There is only one kind of atheism
2. Atheism is a religion
3. Atheists are by default communist
4. Atheists are by default immoral
5. Atheists "hate god"
6. Atheists just haven't read the bible, or whatever other holy book.
7. Atheists are unhappy
8. Atheists believe in nothing.
9. Atheists "worship" materialism
10. Atheists "worship" Satan
Atheists "worship" science

I could make the list much longer but why labor the point.

 

[MARCELLO]

Jews are making cakes with christians' blood.

Muslims will not catch AIDS because they are circumcised.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Jews are making cakes with christians' blood.

I haven't heard that one. But there are many who believe all the money related stereotypes, and I've met someone who even believes the "Jew gold" thing from South Park. And there is the stereotype of controlling Hollywood, but I'm not sure if that one counts as a stereotype or just plain 'ole stupidity.

 

[Robert.Evans]

Strange. I haven't found that to be the case at all, and in fact precisely the opposite. Which shouldn't be surprising considering the overwhelming majority of the global population is theistic, therefore the overwhelming majority of stereotypes are going to originate in people who happen to be theists. Whether or not the stereotyping has anything to do about their status as a theist is another matter. Sadly, it does in many cases. Stereotypes about Voodoo certainly stem from theists who are members of exclusivist religions and who have an incentive to paint religions that are not their own as demonic and evil.

Okay. I will take your point. i guess it depends on which circles you move in.

 

[Godobeyer]

Muslims will not catch AIDS because they are circumcised.

this is first time i heard that, in West had this thought about Muslims lol

 

[Godobeyer]

Islam

• Muslims are Arabs
• Muslims are terrorists
• Muslims hate Jews/Christians
• Muslims do not value women
• Young Muslim men are dangerous
• Muslims are split between "radicals" and "moderates"
• "Moderate Muslims" are silent on terrorism
• All Muslims identify as "Sunni" or "Shi'a"
• Muslims are looking for a Caliph to rule the world
• The Qur'an is "the Muslim Bible"
• Muslims worship Mohammad
• Muslims reject Jesus
• Muslims worship the moon (I think Jack Chick started that one)

I applaud you about this stereotypes about Muslims

just plus steroetype

1- all or most of Muslim men may had 2 wives to 4 wives
2- woman married to a Muslim will treated like slave .

 

[MARCELLO]

All jews are sionist. All christians are crusaders.

 

[MARCELLO]

I haven't heard that one. But there are many who believe all the money related stereotypes, and I've met someone who even believes the "Jew gold" thing from South Park. And there is the stereotype of controlling Hollywood, but I'm not sure if that one counts as a stereotype or just plain 'ole stupidity.

I even watched an Iranian or Palestinian cartoon movie for kids advising that jews sacrifice humans. I will bring it here if I can find.

 

[Quintessence]

Okay. I will take your point. i guess it depends on which circles you move in.

Nah, in principle this is something that could be quantified. But the question we would want to ask is "do people who self-identify as theists or atheists contribute disproportionately to harmful stereotypes?" In other words, you would look at if the quantity of stereotypes being generated by a group relative to the population of the group. Say we've got 100 stereotypes, and are sampling 100 people, 10 of whom are atheists and 90 of whom are theists. All else being equal, we'd expect 90 of the stereotypes to be coming from thesis, and 10 from atheists. If instead it's something like 70 coming from theists and 30 from atheists, we'd have evidence of your point.

Granted, while I see this as possible in principle, I don't see how it would be done in practice in a manner that would be methodologically sound. Nor do I understand what the point such a study would be, other than to paint theists or atheists as "the bad guys" for being more guilty of using harmful stereotypes. I don't think dividing people into "theist vs atheist" is at all useful on the whole - certainly not with combating something as pervasive as stereotyping. It's "us vs them" thinking that helps produce stereotypes in the first place.

 

[Robert.Evans]

Nah, in principle this is something that could be quantified. But the question we would want to ask is "do people who self-identify as theists or atheists contribute disproportionately to harmful stereotypes?" In other words, you would look at if the quantity of stereotypes being generated by a group relative to the population of the group. Say we've got 100 stereotypes, and are sampling 100 people, 10 of whom are atheists and 90 of whom are theists. All else being equal, we'd expect 90 of the stereotypes to be coming from thesis, and 10 from atheists. If instead it's something like 70 coming from theists and 30 from atheists, we'd have evidence of your point.

Granted, while I see this as possible in principle, I don't see how it would be done in practice in a manner that would be methodologically sound. Nor do I understand what the point such a study would be, other than to paint theists or atheists as "the bad guys" for being more guilty of using harmful stereotypes. I don't think dividing people into "theist vs atheist" is at all useful on the whole - certainly not with combating something as pervasive as stereotyping. It's "us vs them" thinking that helps produce stereotypes in the first place.

hmm... but when an atheist says we believe in the skyd-ddy that is not only offensive, it is a sterotypical lie