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Hello, Mr. Robinson. I don't doubt that you are a nice person, within your own culture. However, when you refer to someone else's most deeply held beliefs as

Hello, Mr. Robinson. I don't doubt that you are a nice person, within your own culture. However, when you refer to someone else's most deeply held beliefs as "barbaric rituals", perhaps we can be forgiven for jumping to conclusions about whether you are bigoted toward them. I am not a religious man, but for this conclusion I don't have to practice mass, or auditing, or wearing temple garments, or kosher meat production. We can't be sure which of these (or whatever other religious ceremony) you mean when you say "barbaric ritual", but it really doesn't matter which one, does it? Essentially every religious practice is someone else's barbarism. Is there any other meaning to "barbaric ritual" than "religious ceremony I find distasteful"?

mjw 14y ago
Had it occurred to you it might be an off-the-cuff flippant example used as a bit of a joke? did 'penguin murdering' not give you a clue that this might not be a serious example intended to refer to someone's religion? British sense of humour lost in translation I think.
iwejfweoifjweif 14y ago
Perhaps in reference to "penguin murdering" he means people who sacrifice penguins to make sure that linux machines run correctly? Or is there a religion that does murder penguins and he's referring to that?
PaulRobinson 14y ago
Yes, I meant it in a flippant and off-the-cuff manner. I have no interest in a person's religion. In fact if anything, I find religious diversity in the workplace a bonus. I've worked with Catholics, Protestants, Pagans, Muslims, Jews, Satanists (they're fun!), Atheists, Agnostics and I think one Scientologist/Freezoner who didn't want it widely known. So be it. Diversity and different viewpoints on the World and different ways of thinking are good. So yes, there are other meanings. Plenty of other meanings, especially in a sentence that is clearly flippant. I accept your apology in advance.

mjw 14y ago

Had it occurred to you it might be an off-the-cuff flippant example used as a bit of a joke? did 'penguin murdering' not give you a clue that this might not be a serious example intended to refer to someone's religion? British sense of humour lost in translation I think.

iwejfweoifjweif 14y ago

Perhaps in reference to "penguin murdering" he means people who sacrifice penguins to make sure that linux machines run correctly? Or is there a religion that does murder penguins and he's referring to that?

PaulRobinson 14y ago

Yes, I meant it in a flippant and off-the-cuff manner. I have no interest in a person's religion. In fact if anything, I find religious diversity in the workplace a bonus. I've worked with Catholics, Protestants, Pagans, Muslims, Jews, Satanists (they're fun!), Atheists, Agnostics and I think one Scientologist/Freezoner who didn't want it widely known. So be it. Diversity and different viewpoints on the World and different ways of thinking are good. So yes, there are other meanings. Plenty of other meanings, especially in a sentence that is clearly flippant. I accept your apology in advance.