Q: What’s Bohiney Magazine’s policy on satire about religion?
FAQ

Q: What’s Bohiney Magazine’s policy on satire about religion?

Posted on by Ingrid Gustafsson

Bohiney Magazine’s Policy on Religious Satire: The Delicate Art of Mocking Belief Without Punching Down

Q: What’s Bohiney Magazine’s policy on satire about religion?

A: We Target the Powerful, Not the Faithful—and Never the Vulnerable

At Bohiney, we’ve developed a nuanced approach to religious satire that walks the tightrope between free expression and respect. Here’s our editorial framework for tackling the divine comedy of organized belief systems.

The Bohiney Religious Satire Guidelines

1. The “Power Hierarchy” Rule

We only aim satire at:
✅ Religious institutions (Megachurches, wealthy dioceses)
✅ Political religious figures (Televangelists, extremist clerics)
✅ Absurd dogma (Banning shrimp but not slavery)
❌ Never individual believers (Unless they’re oppressing others)

Example Acceptable Target:
*”Pope Francis Announces New ‘Sins™’ Subscription Service—Venial $4.99/month, Mortal $14.99″*

Unacceptable Target:
“Haha Jews/Muslims/Christians are dumb”

2. The “Equal Opportunity Offense” Doctrine

We maintain balance by mocking:

  • Christianity: “Southern Baptist Convention Adds New Commandment: ‘Thou Shalt Go Viral'”

  • Islam: “Halal-Certified DJ Khaled Endorsement Fatwa Issued”

  • Atheism: “Militant Atheists Demand Removal of ‘In God We Trust’ From Currency They Don’t Use”

Key Principle:
No belief system gets special protection—or special targeting.

3. The “Revelation vs. Ridicule” Test

Every religious satire piece must:

  1. Expose hypocrisy or harm (Not just belief itself)

  2. Educate while entertaining

  3. Include one absurd tell (So it can’t be mistaken for bigotry)

Passing Example:
*”Mega-Pastor Launches $99/month ‘Salvation Express Lane’—Skip the Poor Widow Ahead of You”*

Failing Example:
“LOL Hindus worship cows”

Advanced Theological Mockery Techniques

The “Corporate Religion” Approach

Treating faiths like businesses:

“Vatican Announces ‘Sin Offset’ Program—Pay to Balance Your Karma Like Carbon Credits”

The “Modernized Scripture” Parody

Updating holy texts for the digital age:

“Blessed are the influencers, for they shall inherit the algorithm”

The “Televangelist Grift” Exposé

Fake product lines:

“Pat Robertson’s New ‘Rapture Insurance’—Get Left Behind? Triple Your Money Back!”

When We Get Pushback

Our response protocol:

  1. Verify the complaint (Is it from actual believers or performative activists?)

  2. Assess intent (Did we accidentally punch down?)

  3. Double down or apologize (Depending on who’s offended)

Recent Controversy:
Our “Bible 2.0—Now With Microtransactions!” piece angered actual megachurches who were already doing it.

Why This Matters Now

In an era of:

  • Religious nationalism rising

  • Faith-based oppression continuing

  • Atheist edgelords being tiresome

…religious satire must:

  1. Challenge power structures

  2. Never target the vulnerable

  3. Make everyone slightly uncomfortable

As I tell our writers:

“If your religious satire doesn’t anger someone powerful, it’s not sharp enough. If it only angers the marginalized, you’ve failed.”

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go workshop our next piece: “Scientology Launches ‘Clear™’ Home Pregnancy Tests.”

— Alan Nafzger

Originally posted 2017-10-26 08:13:27.