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We recently published a reader's letter: 'We enjoyed Incredibles 2 until Superdad used the Lord’s name in vain'. The parent wrote that all too often we say things without being mindful of their impact. In the film, for instance, one of the characters exclaimed “Oh my Gxx!”, which he explains is blasphemous and “clearly forbidden in the Bible”.
He continues, “They will not dare say anything about Mohammed because they know Muslims will take offense and there will be serious repercussions. They will not dare say anything about race, LGBT, etc because that is socially unacceptable, and again, there will be a massive outcry. Yet there seems to be no problem to use God's name in vain and everyone just assumes it's fine with Christians.”
- Read the full letter here: "We enjoyed Incredibles 2 until Superdad used the Lord's name in vain"
We asked our readers if they too felt that nowadays we aren’t mindful enough when it comes to others and their faith. We received quite a few responses; some seemed to fully agree, others were in complete disagreement and felt people are being too sensitive, while others still recognised everyone’s right to practise their faith but couldn’t understand why he was so offended.
Here’s exactly what our readers had to say:
“I totally agree”
Melissa continued, "Most importantly to stand up for what you believe, no matter the criticism. We need more 'godly' parents desperately, looking at all the nasty comments on here. Instead of criticising other people's belief system why don't you tell us or better still show by action why your belief outweighs others'? Get some integrity.
"On that note: My God teaches love, tolerance and kindness despite my human flaws, that's what I would like to show as an example to my children. Believe what you would like to believe. I'd rather be wrong believing in God, than take a chance and not believe and find out I was wrong."
"I'm not a Christian but I agree"
Another one of our readers wrote that, although he's not a believer, he understands where this parent is coming from:
"I completely agree with this article. I am not even a Christian, but it smacks of hypocrisy when everyone is so sensitive about everything, and so politically correct the whole time, except when it comes to Christianity. I know the reason is because in general Christians are viewed as bigoted, self-righteous people, and therefore people feel they can say what they like about the religion. But if we really want an inclusive society, what is fair for one needs to be fair for all."
- Also read: How to talk about God
“You can’t shield your children from every single thing you deem wrong”
“Who says it’s just your God?”
“We have to respect your choice to be religious, but we don’t have to respect your God.”
“Dear author of the piece titled 'We enjoyed Incredibles 2 until Superdad used the Lord's name in vain':
"Look, our constitution states that everyone is free to practise whichever religion they choose. We have to respect your choice to be religious, and we have to respect your choice of religion, but we don’t have to respect your God. Another thing, you assume that when someone says “Oh my God” that they are being disrespectful towards your Christian God. That is a wild assumption. There is no proof that any God exists, even less proof that your God is the only God that exists. So when someone says “Oh my God” it is an open-ended question to which God they are referring to. So there is no need for you to be offended by that.
"Regards, Anna”
"Regardless of whose God it is, we should respect others"
But Jessica Bullen-Smith pointed out that it really doesn’t matter which God you believe in or even whether or not you believe at all – it’s simple about respecting others.
- Also read: OPINION: We should teach our children about different religions, no matter what our beliefs are
What do you think? Was the dad being overly sensitive or do we need to be more sensitive of other people's beliefs? Tell us by emailing chatback@parent24.com and we may publish your comments and letters.
Read more:
- The kids will love Incredibles 2 but you’ll relate on a spiritual level, darling
- ‘Godless parenting creates better kids’
- When your children are in a religious school and you're an atheist
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