People love to caricature the beliefs of others. And it’s not hard to see why. After all, let’s be honest: it’s fun. Caricaturing the beliefs of others makes them look stupid and makes yourself feel smart. It builds your self-confidence at the expense of others. And what could be wrong with that?
Consider, for example, this caricature of atheism:
Now that’s a great way to make atheists look stupid and make yourself feel smart.
(Momentary pause for high fives with Christian friends.)
But there is a downside with all this caricaturing of others: those others might start caricaturing you. For example,
Now wait a minute, that’s not funny. That’s a complete, disrespectful caricature of the Christian doctrines of Trinity, incarnation, and atonement.
(Momentary pause to grumble over the rank injustice with Christian friends.)
So to sum up, caricaturing others can be loads of fun. But, if you do it, you must be prepared to receive caricatures in kind.
Or, as the Golden Rule of caricaturing states, Caricature the beliefs of others only if you would like them to caricature your beliefs.
