The arrogance of religion
Posted by Rich...! under Uncategorized on March 21 2006 at 10:36 PM
Local punk rock band Fokofpolisiekar is at the centre of a religious scandal started when guitarist Wynand Myburgh wrote “Fuck God” on some guy’s wallet. From IOL…
| “It was 5am. We were drinking shooters. I was having a discussion with a guy about religion. I jokingly wrote ‘F*k God’ on his wallet,” explained guitarist Wynand Myburgh.
After seeing it, a friend of the 18-year-old’s mother started a chain e-mail slating the band as anti-Christian, sparking an outcry in the Afrikaans media. |
So here’s my problem, I don’t want to be seen as advocating hate-statements of any kind, regardless of my own personal beliefs. However, having said that, how can people immediately jump to the conclusion that the statement “Fuck God” is anti-Christian? To do that is to make a pretty big assumption regarding the ownership of “God” in this debate, and given the statement, it’s safe to say that Myburgh is not a religious guy himself (although he was), thus would not be reffering to any specific god, but rather the concept of god in and of itself.
In the excerpt above, it states that the debate was about religion, so surely “God” in that context could belong to any of the religions, be they Mulsim, Christian, Judaism or any of the world’s other many deity worshipping groups.
I would thus argue that the statement could be seen then as anti-religion, and not anti-christian, and my guess is that that concept would not warrant or receive the backlash that was given here.
My suggestion to the Christians offended is simple, follow your bible and stop the hate-campaign (two R40k adverts in the Beeld + other pressures). That’s not your job. No, rather spend your time and efforts doing good things, and as far as these guys go:
Let god be the judge…!
March 22nd, 2006 at 12:53 am
Sheesh. I remember the good old days when some anti-christian street cred was essential for a punk rock band. What’s the world coming to?
PS ownership of god is what it’s all about. If you’re a Christian, there is only one god. Your bible says that everyone else is wrong, their religions are false. Their gods don’t exist, only your own god does. Ditto for the other monotheistic religions. The notion of god as an abstract concept just doesn’t compute. Devout people lack the conceptual vocabulary to discuss religion in this way because their brains are wired to filter it through their own faith, anything else would be heresy.
*koff*
March 22nd, 2006 at 8:56 am
You have to love the insecurity of people as to their relationship with their God if they start hate campaign’s over a statement on someones wallet.
Religion is a personal relationship, not an advertising campaign to get people to “use your product”. One day the zelots will realise this.
Until then I await a demonstration and mass burning of all the bands record and T shirts, and hey we may get the odd band member on the “Fires of Hell” as well.
Tolerance is a wonderful thing.
March 22nd, 2006 at 10:38 am
Well said… I think it comes down to everyone’s right to their own opinion, which is fundamentally important. Just as christians have the right to think that they’re right in believing, non-religious people have every right to think that christians are wrong.
As someone (Gabbahead, if I remember correctly) once said: “It’s impossible to offend anyone. It’s only possible to be offended.”
March 22nd, 2006 at 10:46 am
Amen.
March 22nd, 2006 at 11:18 am
Heard on the radio this morning that they’d been cut from the upcoming KKN Karoo Kultuurfes thing. Pretty pathetic, if you ask me.
Steve Hofmeyer’s still a big star, notwithstanding his entourage of not-so-Christianly-conceived love children. And Dozi’s a big twat. Which has nothing to do with Christianity, except that he’s a twat.
Just when Afrikaans is starting to develop some liberal, progressive cred, some fucking useless tannie has to come along and stamp die Kerk’s authority over the language all over again. Come on…its a language, not a denomination.
Wow.
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:11 pm
The band name “Fokofpolisiekar” in itself is a futile attempt at being controversial in a “less tolerant” Afrikaans community.
Ey… Mr Myburgh was very well aware of what he was writing, where he was doing it and who he will be insulting by doing so – 3 words for him “DEAL WITH IT”. There is a huge difference between being controversial and trying to be.. he was simply the latter.
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:14 pm
Good thing that “Not My Dog” (band from Pretoria) aren’t dyslexic.
March 22nd, 2006 at 3:39 pm
Eish, i came across a jem of a post on a japense blog – i didn’t understand anything he had written except the title
‘fucking christians’
As to being cut from the festival, prehaps the organisers should have a read of the bible and scout around for tolerance, acceptance etc etc
March 23rd, 2006 at 2:44 pm
I hate the band anyway. I’ll sign anything to get these guys to stop playing! I don’t care what I must do.
As for the topic, people should make up their own mind whats wrong or right.
April 11th, 2006 at 1:38 pm
well said Daedalus.
I wonder what dear Mr Myburgh would have said if I had written “F*ck You”, or “F*ck your Mom” or “F*ck your useless wannabe piece of trash band” on HIS wallet….? He probably would have “defended” himself, his mom or his band.
And personally, I applaud the churches who put pressure on for the removal of the band from the line-up: at least they aren’t being half-arsed about things for a change.
April 29th, 2006 at 12:16 am
I agree, its up to oneself to deside, “its wrong” or “its right”. For the church making such a fucking big deal, mmm, whell at least people are thinking about God again!!! so stop fighting it and make someting with the added atention. And like Jo said, who knows if he ment God as in God God, christian God?? I know I’m no tellepath and dont tink there is one.
Peace
June 15th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
Ah hell, we all know what he meant, as does he. If he mentioned some ‘other’ deity like Allah there would’ve been severed heads in the streets! And he’ll do it again for its sheer publicity-value. The upside is this band doesn’t travel well, Afrikaans-rock just isn’t that big in Japan, or the US, or the rest of the friggin world!
This is the kind of sh1te that happens when kids start bands, period. They’re not bad on stage though…
July 12th, 2006 at 5:47 pm
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