Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean the Shen Yun DC web site clearly describes itself as “China before communism” and as a “Heavenly gift” and that ancient China was “divinely inspired” and has a “rich spiritual heritage.”

“Cult” is OP’s characterization. But OP is pretty clearly a racist and hate-filled anti-theist.

BTW, religion and culture go hand-in-glove.

Not sure why you think it’s necessary for the KC to label it a “cult” when its religious themes are transparently emphasized on the organization’s web site.

Why do you think the Kennedy Center needs to hide the religious background to get people to watch this show? You don't think they'd go if they had all of the facts?

Why do you think think the KC is “hiding” anything? I found the description to be accurate. You sound like a right wing conservative complaining that some media outlet isn’t covering some story they think is important.

They are hiding the religious aspects of the performance:
"Shen Yun’s unique artistic vision expands theatrical experience into a multi-dimensional, inspiring journey through one of humanity’s greatest treasures—the five millennia of traditional Chinese culture.

This epic production immerses you in stories reaching back to the most distant past. You’ll explore realms even beyond our visible world. Featuring one of the world’s oldest art forms— classical Chinese dance—along with patented scenographic effects and all-original orchestral works, Shen Yun opens a portal to a civilization of enchanting beauty and enlightening wisdom.

Traditional Chinese culture—with its profoundly optimistic worldview and deep spiritual roots— was displaced by communism in China. Today, only the New York–based Shen Yun is keeping this precious heritage alive on stage. And it’s an experience that will take your breath away."

Why are you afraid of the KC being transparent?

That sounds like an accurate description to me.

The Kennedy Center hosts cultural performances by American Indian tribes too. Many are spiritual in nature. Will you also demand trigger warnings?

Why are atheists such fragile little snowflakes who lack conviction in their value systems?

I would not say that I lack conviction in my value system. My concern is that you religious people learned that it is ok to believe in something with no evidence whatsoever. That affects not only me, but the whole country (see how many Republicans believe that the election was stolen). So why would I support a fundamentalist religious group?

You keep using that phrase. Which is really rather ethnocentric -- "fundamentalist" in an anglicized context is quite the loaded term that paints quite the negative caricature of intolerant, judgmental Bible thumpers who speak in tongues, handle snakes, hate gays, and so on and so forth.

So perhaps you can explain in a little more detail how you are getting "fundamentalist religious group" from a few slogans that atheism is bad? Because I'm not seeing it.

They may not be your cup of tea, but they don't exactly hide their spiritual leanings and so far as I know don't behave in any insidious ways other than, evidently, making comments in performances that make you uncomfortable because you don't share their beliefs.

In other words, your overreaction here kind of disgusting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you don’t think the Kennedy Center should allow performances with a religious theme or you think that all shows that have a religious element should have a warning like - Atheists beware. Religious discussion contained in performance.

I never thought that I will ever hear on a Kennedy Center stage that atheism and evolution are devil's deceit. I have nothing against religious shows as long as they are advertised as such. I don't want to pay them to sit in the audience as they tell me that I am the tool of the devil.

Maybe you need to put more critical thinking into why that bothers you. If you’re an atheist the devil doesn’t exist and neither does God. Why are you bothered to be called something that doesn’t exist to you?

When religious people associate you with the Devil, they don't really mean something good. This association is clearly meant as an insult rather than a friendly association. Should the atheists feel warm inside just because they don't believe in Devil? This line of argument is absolutely ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as a religious person preaching about critical thinking.

It's within their First Amendment rights to insult you. You don't need to listen. Second, it's ludicrous to suggest that religion requires the complete abdication of critical thinking.

I like how you carefully qualified the abdication of critical thinking. Which means that we agree on the fact that there is some abdication of critical thinking involved.

There is something else that I find surprising about your post. You defend the limited capability for critical thinking of the religious people, but you don't judge the critical thinking involved in the post claiming that atheists should not be offended by being associated with the Devil. Would you consider this claim as a fine attempt at critical thinking or just another abdication of critical thinking?

I don't believe being religious prevents one from thinking critically. Newton was a noted theologian and you must admit a fairly impressive critical thinker. I would hardly call his ability limited. His belief in God doesn't diminish his work. Should you be offended by someone else's opinion of you? I don't know. Are they someone whose opinion you should care about? Was their opinion specifically targeted at you or just atheists in general? I am not personally offended by slights at my profession. People need my profession whether they realize it or not.

In short, be a duck, not a sponge.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone knows they're a cult OP. How did you not know, or not google beforehand?

And this isn't "religious discussion" - it's bigoted propaganda (they are vehemently against gay rights). I agree, the Kennedy Center shouldn't associate with Shen Yun.

And to pp: this is VASTLY different than opera. Carmen and other big operas are old stories told in art form. They're not preaching a message.

This. I am shocked every year the Kennedy Center continues to carry this performance. Clearly it’s a money grab and the Kennedy Center is not interested in human rights. Shining rainbow lights in “support” of pride is all a show/façade.

Tons of people obviously love Shen Yun.
Too bad for the haters.

Or tons of people who have no idea what it's about or who is performing.

I've seen ads for it for YEARS and seriously had thought about going. I had no idea that it's a cult performance based on the Kennedy Center advertising.

Thank you, OP, for sharing this. It will help me decide to skip it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you don’t think the Kennedy Center should allow performances with a religious theme or you think that all shows that have a religious element should have a warning like - Atheists beware. Religious discussion contained in performance.

I never thought that I will ever hear on a Kennedy Center stage that atheism and evolution are devil's deceit. I have nothing against religious shows as long as they are advertised as such. I don't want to pay them to sit in the audience as they tell me that I am the tool of the devil.

Maybe you need to put more critical thinking into why that bothers you. If you’re an atheist the devil doesn’t exist and neither does God. Why are you bothered to be called something that doesn’t exist to you?

When religious people associate you with the Devil, they don't really mean something good. This association is clearly meant as an insult rather than a friendly association. Should the atheists feel warm inside just because they don't believe in Devil? This line of argument is absolutely ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as a religious person preaching about critical thinking.

It's within their First Amendment rights to insult you. You don't need to listen. Second, it's ludicrous to suggest that religion requires the complete abdication of critical thinking.

I like how you carefully qualified the abdication of critical thinking. Which means that we agree on the fact that there is some abdication of critical thinking involved.

There is something else that I find surprising about your post. You defend the limited capability for critical thinking of the religious people, but you don't judge the critical thinking involved in the post claiming that atheists should not be offended by being associated with the Devil. Would you consider this claim as a fine attempt at critical thinking or just another abdication of critical thinking?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you don’t think the Kennedy Center should allow performances with a religious theme or you think that all shows that have a religious element should have a warning like - Atheists beware. Religious discussion contained in performance.

I never thought that I will ever hear on a Kennedy Center stage that atheism and evolution are devil's deceit. I have nothing against religious shows as long as they are advertised as such. I don't want to pay them to sit in the audience as they tell me that I am the tool of the devil.

Maybe you need to put more critical thinking into why that bothers you. If you’re an atheist the devil doesn’t exist and neither does God. Why are you bothered to be called something that doesn’t exist to you?

When religious people associate you with the Devil, they don't really mean something good. This association is clearly meant as an insult rather than a friendly association. Should the atheists feel warm inside just because they don't believe in Devil? This line of argument is absolutely ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as a religious person preaching about critical thinking.

It's within their First Amendment rights to insult you. You don't need to listen. Second, it's ludicrous to suggest that religion requires the complete abdication of critical thinking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you don’t think the Kennedy Center should allow performances with a religious theme or you think that all shows that have a religious element should have a warning like - Atheists beware. Religious discussion contained in performance.

I never thought that I will ever hear on a Kennedy Center stage that atheism and evolution are devil's deceit. I have nothing against religious shows as long as they are advertised as such. I don't want to pay them to sit in the audience as they tell me that I am the tool of the devil.

Maybe you need to put more critical thinking into why that bothers you. If you’re an atheist the devil doesn’t exist and neither does God. Why are you bothered to be called something that doesn’t exist to you?

When religious people associate you with the Devil, they don't really mean something good. This association is clearly meant as an insult rather than a friendly association. Should the atheists feel warm inside just because they don't believe in Devil? This line of argument is absolutely ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as a religious person preaching about critical thinking.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you don’t think the Kennedy Center should allow performances with a religious theme or you think that all shows that have a religious element should have a warning like - Atheists beware. Religious discussion contained in performance.

I never thought that I will ever hear on a Kennedy Center stage that atheism and evolution are devil's deceit. I have nothing against religious shows as long as they are advertised as such. I don't want to pay them to sit in the audience as they tell me that I am the tool of the devil.

Maybe you need to put more critical thinking into why that bothers you. If you’re an atheist the devil doesn’t exist and neither does God. Why are you bothered to be called something that doesn’t exist to you?

When religious people associate you with the Devil, they don't really mean something good. This association is clearly meant as an insult rather than a friendly association. Should the atheists feel warm inside just because they don't believe in Devil? This line of argument is absolutely ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as a religious person preaching about critical thinking.

Let's follow the same logic when someone tells some fundamentalist religious people that they evolved from the proboscis monkey. The fundamentalist religious people should use critical thinking and not feel offended because they don't believe in evolution.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So you don’t think the Kennedy Center should allow performances with a religious theme or you think that all shows that have a religious element should have a warning like - Atheists beware. Religious discussion contained in performance.

I never thought that I will ever hear on a Kennedy Center stage that atheism and evolution are devil's deceit. I have nothing against religious shows as long as they are advertised as such. I don't want to pay them to sit in the audience as they tell me that I am the tool of the devil.

Maybe you need to put more critical thinking into why that bothers you. If you’re an atheist the devil doesn’t exist and neither does God. Why are you bothered to be called something that doesn’t exist to you?

When religious people associate you with the Devil, they don't really mean something good. This association is clearly meant as an insult rather than a friendly association. Should the atheists feel warm inside just because they don't believe in Devil? This line of argument is absolutely ridiculous. Just as ridiculous as a religious person preaching about critical thinking.

Anonymous wrote:Ugh, our kids would beg to go see the show every time one of those postcards came in the mail or we saw an add.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does the KC let these crazies use their theater?

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun/amp

They paid to rent the space? Is there a problem with religious organizations renting performance venues?

There is a problem with a fundamentalist religious organization misrepresenting religious propaganda as a cultural experience. KC should properly advertise the show as a cult spewing science denialism.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does the KC let these crazies use their theater?

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun/amp

They paid to rent the space? Is there a problem with religious organizations renting performance venues?

It is when the venue isn't transparent about the performance.

Why are you afraid of the KC being transparent?

What is actually wrong with you? Do you have brain damage or something?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does the KC let these crazies use their theater?

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun/amp

They paid to rent the space? Is there a problem with religious organizations renting performance venues?

It is when the venue isn't transparent about the performance.

Why are you afraid of the KC being transparent?

What is actually wrong with you? Do you have brain damage or something?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does the KC let these crazies use their theater?

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun/amp

"The Chinese Embassy, for its part, warns the American public to “stay away from the so-called ‘Shenyun’ performance of the ‘Falun Gong’ organization so as to avoid being deceived and used by the cult.” Whether Falun Dafa—the name is used interchangeably with Falun Gong—is a cult, in either a strict or loose sense, is debatable. Its practitioners have no record of violence, and the organization does not appear to be coercive. Its stated central values are “truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.” The organization’s Web site notes that the “Falun,” meaning an “intelligent, rotating entity composed of high-energy matter,” is planted “in a practitioner’s lower abdomen from other dimensions” and then “rotates constantly, twenty-four hours a day.” Most of the group’s practices fall roughly within the traditions of Tai Chi and Qigong, and the group itself can be situated within China’s long history of apocalyptic sects promising redemptive transformation, such as the White Lotus Society, which dates to the Ming dynasty."

They may be "crazy" but they aren't a "cult." What actual HARM is there here?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean the Shen Yun DC web site clearly describes itself as “China before communism” and as a “Heavenly gift” and that ancient China was “divinely inspired” and has a “rich spiritual heritage.”

“Cult” is OP’s characterization. But OP is pretty clearly a racist and hate-filled anti-theist.

BTW, religion and culture go hand-in-glove.

Not sure why you think it’s necessary for the KC to label it a “cult” when its religious themes are transparently emphasized on the organization’s web site.

Why do you think the Kennedy Center needs to hide the religious background to get people to watch this show? You don't think they'd go if they had all of the facts?

Why do you think think the KC is “hiding” anything? I found the description to be accurate. You sound like a right wing conservative complaining that some media outlet isn’t covering some story they think is important.

They are hiding the religious aspects of the performance:
"Shen Yun’s unique artistic vision expands theatrical experience into a multi-dimensional, inspiring journey through one of humanity’s greatest treasures—the five millennia of traditional Chinese culture.

This epic production immerses you in stories reaching back to the most distant past. You’ll explore realms even beyond our visible world. Featuring one of the world’s oldest art forms— classical Chinese dance—along with patented scenographic effects and all-original orchestral works, Shen Yun opens a portal to a civilization of enchanting beauty and enlightening wisdom.

Traditional Chinese culture—with its profoundly optimistic worldview and deep spiritual roots— was displaced by communism in China. Today, only the New York–based Shen Yun is keeping this precious heritage alive on stage. And it’s an experience that will take your breath away."

Why are you afraid of the KC being transparent?

That sounds like an accurate description to me.

The Kennedy Center hosts cultural performances by American Indian tribes too. Many are spiritual in nature. Will you also demand trigger warnings?

Why are atheists such fragile little snowflakes who lack conviction in their value systems?

I would not say that I lack conviction in my value system. My concern is that you religious people learned that it is ok to believe in something with no evidence whatsoever. That affects not only me, but the whole country (see how many Republicans believe that the election was stolen). So why would I support a fundamentalist religious group?

You keep using that phrase. Which is really rather ethnocentric -- "fundamentalist" in an anglicized context is quite the loaded term that paints quite the negative caricature of intolerant, judgmental Bible thumpers who speak in tongues, handle snakes, hate gays, and so on and so forth.

So perhaps you can explain in a little more detail how you are getting "fundamentalist religious group" from a few slogans that atheism is bad? Because I'm not seeing it.

They may not be your cup of tea, but they don't exactly hide their spiritual leanings and so far as I know don't behave in any insidious ways other than, evidently, making comments in performances that make you uncomfortable because you don't share their beliefs.

In other words, your overreaction here kind of disgusting.

Here is the definition of Christian fundamentalism: Christian fundamentalism, movement in American Protestantism that arose in the late 19th century in reaction to theological modernism, which aimed to revise traditional Christian beliefs to accommodate new developments in the natural and social sciences, especially the theory of biological evolution (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christian-fundamentalism). Do you see any resemblance?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why does the KC let these crazies use their theater?

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/stepping-into-the-uncanny-unsettling-world-of-shen-yun/amp

They paid to rent the space? Is there a problem with religious organizations renting performance venues?

There is a problem with a fundamentalist religious organization misrepresenting religious propaganda as a cultural experience. KC should properly advertise the show as a cult spewing science denialism.

I believe that's your view of the organization. Why don't you apply to work at the Kennedy Center?