Here is the descripiton of the Blasphemy Ring(Bedlam Web Group):
Welcome to the Blasphemy Ring. These sites are generally irreverent, blasphemous, and usually anti-religious. This can be in any form from general religion bashing to Bible-debunking to Jesus jokes, it really doesn't matter! Seeing sites like these makes baby Jesus cry. Note: this is not a ring for Marilyn Manson sites.*****************************************************************************
Here is the response I got from the Webmaster of that Ring:
"I am curious. Do you refer to yourself as a 'Jew' in a religious or a racial context? I do not pretend to be an expert on race, religion or semantics, but I have noticed that even a fair number of Jewish people seem to be unsure of the 'race or religion' angle.
Secondly, what is the significance of your use of the expression 'Bacon Eating...'? I can understand why anybody might consider dietary restrictions introduced to avoid problems in a desert climate to be rather redundant - especially if you happen to be living in a western country and in possession of a refrigerator - but does that justify using the 'Bacon Eating...' label if the intention is just to be offensive to people who do observe the traditional restrictions of their race/religion?
Personally, as a vegan, I find the notion of eating any animal offensive for entirely different reasons.
You applied to The Blasphemy Ring - a community that ideally promotes sites which question the very basis of organised religions and religious dogmas. So far you have offered a few thoughts about the value of Christmas as a 'Happy Holiday' that is barely touched by Christian concepts, you have somewhat ambiguously poked fun at Kosher Laws and made references to anti-semites, Marxists and the presence of a Jewish jockey in an Islamic country. I seriously doubt if this material is searching enough to genuinely fit the theme of our ring.
Just a thought: If I was Jewish (by religion or ethnicity) and applying to the Blasphemy Ring, I would probably want to use my background to help me discuss some of the undeniably scary statements made in the Talmud and other texts. I would not be looking for gags about bacon or pondering the reasoning of the Arabian horse racing fraternity.
I'd welcome your thoughts about the potential directions of your site.
It does not appear to be 'blasphemous' enough for the Blasphemy Ring and (in all honesty) I am concerned about any material which potentially divides human beings."******************************************************************************
I don't have my response unfortunately, but I was pissed off by his tone. Read the last paragraph. My blog isn't blasphemous enough, yet he is also concerned by material that is offensive to certain people. I did answer his questions though and I questioned how he didn't find me blasphemous, especially with my Bacon and God cartoon.
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His next reply:
"Well, thank you for your deeply unpleasant communication. The last time I received an e-mail as uncivil as that, it came from a neo-nazi skinhead who couldn't believe that I had rejected his "Aryan Humour" site.
It was not my intention to 'piss you off', I took an interest in your pages and asked some questions based on genuine curiosity about your intentions. However, it is not hard to see that you avoided my queries because you didn't like any of the possible answers.
Are you incapable of defining yourself without recourse to meaningless rhetoric? I asked if you considered youself a 'Jew' in the context of race or religion - I asked that question because, after viewing your website, it struck me that you are unsure of your own identity and too willing to simplistically define yourself merely in relationship to the people and things you hate.
Since you are a self-proclaimed aetheist, it seemed logical that, without any religious foundations, you might wish to base your 'Jewishness' on race or ethnicity. But, you could only respond with a baseless spiel. Could it be that your ancestors were not native to the Holy Land and that is a touchy subject? I can only guess because your answer was devoid of information. I really do not wish to offend you or waste time with needlessly cutting remarks; my point is this: The Jewish culture has one main unifying aspect - its religion. Many people who consider themselves to be Jews are not able to claim genuine Middle-Eastern ancestry - if I was being pedantic, I could add that most of the 'Jews' who complain about anti-semitism are not even semites...but let's not open that can of worms. I unswervingly believe that racial hatred is wrong regardless of how it is labelled.
Believe it or not, this online community has serious biblical scholars who are not afraid of tackling controversial issues. If you are scared to prise out the superstitions and inconsistencies in the Talmud or to ask if the present population of Israel has any real right to the land they occupy, those genuine researchers and investigators are not. As mature adults, they can consider such matters without finding it necesary to hate anybody and without seeking to justify themselves by pretending that people from other ethnic or social groups hate them.
You are quite wrong to suggest that I merely glanced at your site. Sadly, I viewed more than your first page. In point of fact, I took the time to look at your site in some detail. I found it to be unoriginal, 'unblasphemous' and (the worst crime of all) unfunny. You are entitled to hold a contrary opinion - this is a democracy and I won't lose any sleep if you prefer Seinfeld to the Marx Brothers.
Incidentally, you should not expect a vegan to die laughing at a cartoon which features a slice from an animal corpse as its main character.
I summarised your latest entries because they generally had one thing in common - a tacitly belligerent and self-serving assumption that people hate you for your ethnicity/religion. If you regularly go around insulting folks who invite you to explain your website, it isn't very hard to guess why you feel so isolated.
I was deeply disturbed by your statement that you 'mock' the Islamic religion and the efforts of soldiers, sailors and airmen who are serving overseas. As a former paratrooper, I cannot think of anything more saddening to those brave men and women in uniform than mean-spirited mockery from unsympathetic people at home.
This ring promotes the sane, lucid and scholarly discussion of organised religion and religious beliefs - it is NOT an excuse for people to parade their prejudices and hatreds in public. Personally, I believe that hating anybody on the grounds of race, creed or colour is a betrayal of our best human qualities - I simply see people as people (regardless of their origins) and I don't choose my friends or colleagues because they conform to certain ethnic or religious stereotypes.
I asked you to explain your intentions so that I could do my best to see how you might fit into this ring. You responded with harsh words and it seems that we must agree to disagree. I wish you well and hope that you find out who you really are in the fullness of time.
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Lots of baseless assumptions. I said in my first reply that I go after Islam and the War on Terror on my site. I probably worded it wrong. I am obviously pro War on Terror. He obviously didn't read my site as much as he said he did. What an assumptive anal retentive hypocrite he is. He says he is offended by my Bacon character because he is a Vegan. He should really read the description of the Blasphemy Ring over again. He just doesn't get it.
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Next came my rejection:
Your site submission to The Blasphemy Ring has been denied. system email Sent: 03/26/2006 23:50:17
The web site you submitted to The Blasphemy Ring Ring has been denied due to the reasons cited below by the RingMaster.
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My last reply:
"You are obviously taking this webring thing way too seriously. I can't believe you are offended by a piece of bacon as a character because you are a vegan. You must have thin skin, yet the title of your ring automatically is offensive to many believers I believe.
I'm aware that many scholarly sites that rip the OT and NT are on the web, in fact many have me on their blogroll and many leave messages on my site.
You have to be anal not to find my site funny. Many people feel it is funny. And many people consider my site completely blasphemous.
I would ask you to let someone else give you a second opinion about my blog. You are too anal. And don't worry, if you change your mind, I wouldn't become a member no anyways. I am going to write a blog entry about this experience because I find your opinion and assumptions about me laughable. And so will my readers. I get 300 hits a day these days.
As far as me being a Jew. My father is of middle eastern descent and I have a very biblical surname. Everyone who knows me, knows I know who I am.
I grew up secular so I am not a bible scholar. The heading of my blog explains what a Jew is. You said you are no expert on race, religion, or semantics. I explained what a Jew is. I defined myself. My blog heading defines who I am.
I found it offensive that you were telling me what I should focus on in MY blog.
The fact that you don't find much of material funny means you have issues. If you find that insulting. Too bad.
Where do I mock soldiers? You are making stuff up now. I mock radical Islam.
I honestly don't think you are very bright. I don't need to explain the contents of my blog to anyone, most people get it.
Where do you get the idea I feel isololated???
My blog is simple to understand. The views of the world from the eyes of a mostly sarcastic Atheist Jew.
What is so hard about that to grasp?"
The Atheist Jew
