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No Flying Spaghetti Monster?
August 3, 2006 6:51 PM   RSS feed for this thread Subscribe

Google Your ReligionProfiling Religions with Google. (This will end well.)
posted by telstar (40 comments total)

"Buddhists are known for...

their athletic prowess and willingness to compete to the death,
so buy a shirt today to support the newly formed Buddhist
Basketball Association."
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 6:57 PM on August 3, 2006


Your search - "pastafarians are known for" - did not match any documents.
posted by bob sarabia at 7:02 PM on August 3, 2006


The Christianity section looks pretty whacked out to me. I doubt that there's anything useful to be gleaned from the linked website for any religion. You'd be better off at belief.net. In essence, google does a good job at some things. This exercise in characterizing religions isn't one of them. :)
posted by bim at 7:03 PM on August 3, 2006


Your search - "pastafarians are known for" - did not match any documents.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster Hate Mail Blog.
posted by ericb at 7:08 PM on August 3, 2006


Oh man, tomorrow I'm totally starting "Black people walk like..., White people walk like..."
posted by mathowie at 7:09 PM on August 3, 2006



posted by ericb at 7:12 PM on August 3, 2006



posted by nanojath at 7:17 PM on August 3, 2006


I tried it with my wife's religion:

Episcopalians are known for
-devotion to tradition.
-broad catholicity
-reticence or reserved nature when it comes to talking about our faith.
-standards of learning
-emphasis on apostolic succession
-socializing and love of good food.
-being in the middle—between Roman Catholic views on an actual and literal change to body and blood (known as Transubstantiation) and the Protestant view of symbolic change.
-social Christianity
-pomp and circumstance
-being pretty liberal

Pretty much dead-on. The collective wisdom of the web proves right again!
posted by LarryC at 7:18 PM on August 3, 2006


That's me in the corner.
That's me in the spot...light
Googling my religion
posted by mr_crash_davis at 7:18 PM on August 3, 2006 [3 favorites]


also, Comic Book Characters Grouped by Religious Affiliation
posted by LarryC at 7:20 PM on August 3, 2006


The jews are known for: their Jew gold and the bags of gold they carry around their necks.

Is that entirely from southpark?
posted by delmoi at 7:24 PM on August 3, 2006


Jews are known for "their intuitive genius in getting out of any tricky or difficult situation."
I'll have to mention this to my friend whose father escaped Germany in the 1930s. But I'm not sure how to notify about six million other Jews of this. Perhaps I should try writing them, with a ballpoint pen??
posted by orthogonality at 7:25 PM on August 3, 2006


psyloche is an Episcopalian?
posted by delmoi at 7:25 PM on August 3, 2006


er, psylocke
posted by delmoi at 7:27 PM on August 3, 2006


Druids are known for...

...their curiosity and their willingness to discover the answer to any questions they may have.

...their affinity with all things natural and wild, forests, wilderness, creatures and animals.

...having many celebrations and ceremonies throughout the year.

...their ability to RUN away from combat.

...their pacifist ways, protective nature, and extremely strong warriors.

..."quad kiting" four monsters at one time.
posted by marxchivist at 7:28 PM on August 3, 2006


Atheists are known for " making absurd claims for which there is no documentation, or claims for which there is
considerable documentation in the opposite
directions."

Odd, I always thought it was the the other way around.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:34 PM on August 3, 2006


psyloche is an Episcopalian?

No, Psylocke is hot.
posted by 517 at 7:45 PM on August 3, 2006


Zoroastrians are known for...

"...their ugliness, resulting from too much intermarrying within the same small community"

Harsh.
posted by Pseudonumb at 7:50 PM on August 3, 2006


Scientologists are known for...

...standing their ground in court.

...their tireless work and dedication in helping people change conditions for the better.

...being both extremely wealthy and extremely generous to those who consent to serve their purposes.

...going to extremes to silence criticism of their cult and have engaged in some pretty underhanded things to do it.

...(not) caring about loved ones

...their creativity, their happy family lives and their ability to succeed personally and professionally.

...their harassment of critics

...suing those who criticize them.

...being litigious and combative on the Internet

Ha!
posted by Pseudonumb at 7:59 PM on August 3, 2006


what percentage of MeFi's are Buddhists/Athiests?

I'd bet about half. OK, maybe 15%. I dunno.

Even though 3% of Americans are atheists and about the same are probably Buddhist...(and of course, there is an overlap).
posted by kozad at 8:21 PM on August 3, 2006


Buddhists are not necessarily atheists.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:24 PM on August 3, 2006


MetaFilter users are known for their fondness of pancakes, but they didn’t warmly receive McCormick’s recipe for Fajita Pancakes.*

Metafilter is known
... for sober discussion.*
... for being somewhat liberal... I mean, not Daily KOS liberal, or Talking Points Memo liberal, but liberal enough for my tastes.*
posted by blacklite at 8:39 PM on August 3, 2006


Once I read:
Jews are known for... their love of vegetable (sic)
Everything else just paled in comparison. I think I would like to start a religion based on the love of vegetables, or at least where the love of vegetables is a primary tenet of the religion.

Of course, I don't really like vegetables that much....

Pseudonumb: Scientologists are known for... ...standing their ground in court.

That's pretty much the first thing I think about them. My sister used to work at the Federal Courthouse in San Jose, and she once told me about a case with a Scientologist defendant where the defendant's lawyer nearly had to be physically restrained in his cross examination of a witness. The guy was basically making physically threatening advances and screaming at the witness. Gotta love cult lawyers.
posted by Brak at 9:02 PM on August 3, 2006


Unitarians are known for...

...having, well, let’s call it a less than clear belief system.

...a somewhat cavalier - perhaps pragmatic is a better word - attitude toward much of the formality and strucutre of religion.

...their tendency to discuss and debate issue.
posted by Guy Smiley at 9:05 PM on August 3, 2006


How can you tell when the KKK has been harrassing Unitarians? ... by the buning question mark on their lawn BAH DUM BAH thanks, I'll be here all week.

I tried Wiccans, I especially liked the first result.
Wiccans are known for...

...the Wiccan creed, "If it gets attention, do what thou wilt."
...their independent thinking
...not preaching, and practicing in private
...going around hugging trees and supporting animal rights!

also fun is googling "inability to admit error"
posted by BrotherCaine at 9:32 PM on August 3, 2006


Oh, and Buddhism is an ideology, not really a religion.
posted by BrotherCaine at 9:33 PM on August 3, 2006


"quad kiting" four monsters at one time.

Ha!!
posted by Balisong at 10:14 PM on August 3, 2006


Guy Smiley, you beat me to it. I threw Universalists in there and got:

- Unitarian Universalists are known for our emphasis on ethical living and our dedication to social justice
- Unitarian-Universalists are known for being among the most politically active and socially involved denominations
- Unitarian Universalists are known, for example, to put out bumper stickers on their cars that say things like. “To question is the answer”
- Unitarian Universalists are known for their theological diversity

Yeah, that's us.
posted by booksherpa at 11:22 PM on August 3, 2006


Buddhism can be both an ideology and a religion, depending on the practitioner.

Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese, Buddhists are not necessarily atheists.

Incorrect. Buddhists are atheists (nontheists)
posted by nickyskye at 11:37 PM on August 3, 2006


Pentecostals are known for their radio and TV programs.

Pentecostals are known for their Holy Ghost baptism and speaking in tongues.

Pentecostals are known for gossiping.

Pentecostals are known for being responsible and trustworthy hard workers, and many employers now purposefully seek to hire them.

Pentecostals are known for their exuberance and informality, their contemporary music - and their authoritarian, fundamentalist teachings.

Pentecostals are known for being obsessive lunatics

Pentecostals are known for their exuberant religious rites and cheesy worship rituals.
posted by muddylemon at 1:28 AM on August 4, 2006


Buddhists are not necessarily atheists.

I'm guessing kozad mentioned Buddhists because there are lots of people here who would like to be atheists, but would also like to fill the hole left by their childhood religion.
posted by hoverboards don't work on water at 3:03 AM on August 4, 2006


The jews are known for: their Jew gold and the bags of gold they carry around their necks.

The picture at the lower right goes well with that quote. Where have I seen that mustache/armband combo before?
posted by languagehat at 5:35 AM on August 4, 2006



...the Wiccan creed, "If it gets attention, do what thou wilt."


That was fantastic. I am stifling laughter at my desk.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 6:23 AM on August 4, 2006


I'm for Druidism.
posted by notreally at 8:00 AM on August 4, 2006


Incorrect. Buddhists are atheists (nontheists)

Well, there are several million Therevada Buddhists who will be saddened to know that they don't actually believe in the many gods to whom they make daily offerings.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 2:24 PM on August 4, 2006


Me!

I am known for my winamp skins.

I am known for my book for teenagers entitled The Teenager's Guide to the Real World, now in its eighth printing and selected for the New York Public Library's prestigious Books for the Teen Age list.

I am known for the olives, grapes, pomegranates, oranges, citrons, figs and pears.

I am Known For Greatness, 17 years old, Male, NORTH OLMSTED, OHIO, US, Its Miller Time.

I am known for (among other things) my sneezes.

I am known for my bright shirts and ties.

I am known for keeping "the glorious gospel of the blessed God" above everything else.

I am known for the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

I am known for my antics, along with my laugh-till-you-cry style.

I am known for my thin-rimmed black spectacles and beautiful black eyelashes!

I am known for telling people that you do not make Olympic Gold Medal winner or successful Professional Athletes by just strengthening their best gifts.

I am known for my picky eating habbits and love of chips! *giant grin*

I am known for saying "I know" all the time.

I am known for my harsh treatment of POWs, in particular the British.

I am known for my high acid content.
posted by ORthey at 4:40 PM on August 4, 2006


regarding Buddhism...yeah, many Buddhists make offerings to their Deities; the most poplular Buddhist sect in Japan is Pure Land Budddhism, which emphasizes faith In Buddha as a path to salvation rather than hours of Zen meditation; and many Tibetans pray to their Gods...even though the deities you see on thankas are ultimately insubstantial/nonexistent/representative of temporal inner realities according to most interpretations of Tibetan Buddhist theology (or do I mean philosophy?)...

Anyway, although Buddhism is usually thought of as one of the world's religions, Buddhism is really more of a system of thought and practice: there is not a God in Buddhism. Buddha himself said as much.

And to open another jar of worms (as a Hindu prof I had in grad school put it in his otherwise impeccable English), Hinduism is not a religion.
posted by kozad at 8:02 AM on August 5, 2006


Buddhism is really more of a system of thought and practice: there is not a God in Buddhism. Buddha himself said as much.

This seems to me a narrow definition of Buddhism. For many Buddhist sects the belief system has gone far beyond the teachings of the Buddha, to the point where the Buddha himself is celebrated as a deity, as you point out. And if these people believe in Buddha as a god, then it seems that the "original" definition of Buddhism doesn't really matter. Thai Buddhism, which involves so many animistic spirits and Hindu gods, is still Buddhism, isn't it? It's just an expanded definition of the term.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 10:41 AM on August 5, 2006


Kozad, why is Hinduism not a religion?
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 10:42 AM on August 5, 2006


God is known for....Fun
posted by boaz at 10:52 AM on August 5, 2006


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