[Howie_16]

Originally Posted by jammies

Your example is not even close to being a good analogy - 'hockey fan' and 'Oiler fan' are not two instances of things of the same type, you are trying to link a category and member of a category. Of course the correct comparison "Am I a hypocritical Flames fan if I mock Oiler fans?" doesn't support your point, which is why you didn't use it...

However, comparing a believer of one type with a believer of another doesn't have the same issue of category confusion - IF you believe in one thing, mocking others who believe in something different, but no less plausible, is hypocritical as you are essentially mocking belief itself - claiming that it is a positive characteristic in yourself but a negative characteristic in others.

As far as the OP being overly sensitive, I will remember that next time someone brings up their Christian beliefs and then starts moaning about how misunderstood and reviled the poor Christians are, and how other religions get off easy in comparison. I don't think it's too much to expect that if someone wants to talk to other Wiccans here, the amount of mockery to actual discussion might at least stay under a 1:1 ratio.

Sorry, I think my analogy is perfect. Just because others don't get it, I still know that being a Flames fan/Protestant Christian makes me right and therefore all you Oil fans/Catholics/Canuckleheads/Hindus/Mormons/Wicca Witches/Miscellaneouses are 100% wrong!