Be grateful you live in a country
that still has a freedom of speech tradition. Nothing that “is” cannot be
changed, and the slippery slope of security sometimes lets freedoms we love
slip as well.
So what prompted this? A 17 year
old Egyptian Christian boy has been sentenced to 3 years in jail for insulting
Islam. Three years for expressing his opinions. In Egypt. He put a cartoon or
two on his Facebook page that poked fun at Islam. Several Christians not related
to him or his opinions were killed in the riots that followed, and many
Christian homes were destroyed. These acts of terror were done in the name of
peaceful Islam. Peaceful my ass.
I know, the Koran does not encourage this kind of outrage, but it doesn’t do much to stop it either. Many Muslims in the world are extremely intolerant of any religion or philosophy that is different from their own narrow constructs. Not all, but many. God help us all if the fundamentalists among them ever gain world power.
Ah, but the same is true of all fundamentalists, isn’t it? Give them power and the first thing they try to do is eliminate every idea that doesn’t fall in line with their beliefs. Look at the laws passed in several states to ban or severely limit a woman’s right to control her own reproductive processes. There is no natural law that requires a woman to have multiple births at the risk of her own life if she chooses not to. There is no natural law that guarantees the right to free speech either. The state laws that attempt to restrict personal actions are based on a fundamentalist idea that their reading of their holy book should be imposed on all of us.
I ask all my Christian friends to think a minute about the imposition of their belief on others. Think how you would feel if you had a fundamental Islamist government who arrested you for your beliefs, and killed you for publicly speaking out against their Prophet? Not so good huh? Well basically that is what you are trying to do here. Legislate your beliefs to control everybody.
Don’t like birth control? Then
don’t use it. Don’t approve of abortions? Then don’t get one. Don’t approve of
stem cell research? Then refuse the life-saving treatment that it provides. Don’t
believe in man-induced climate change? Then sweat, starve and die with the rest
of us. I know, the Koran does not encourage this kind of outrage, but it doesn’t do much to stop it either. Many Muslims in the world are extremely intolerant of any religion or philosophy that is different from their own narrow constructs. Not all, but many. God help us all if the fundamentalists among them ever gain world power.
Ah, but the same is true of all fundamentalists, isn’t it? Give them power and the first thing they try to do is eliminate every idea that doesn’t fall in line with their beliefs. Look at the laws passed in several states to ban or severely limit a woman’s right to control her own reproductive processes. There is no natural law that requires a woman to have multiple births at the risk of her own life if she chooses not to. There is no natural law that guarantees the right to free speech either. The state laws that attempt to restrict personal actions are based on a fundamentalist idea that their reading of their holy book should be imposed on all of us.
I ask all my Christian friends to think a minute about the imposition of their belief on others. Think how you would feel if you had a fundamental Islamist government who arrested you for your beliefs, and killed you for publicly speaking out against their Prophet? Not so good huh? Well basically that is what you are trying to do here. Legislate your beliefs to control everybody.
1. http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-sends-christian-student-jail-insulting-islam-163455405.html
Image: http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/images/danish_cartoon_protest.jpg
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1 comment:
I think we need new round of crusades just to see which god is better and which book is heavier. Here is an idea of how to fix over-population dilemma: Gather all religion fanatics from all major religions. Clear up Australia and ship them all over there (wasn't that how america and australia were formed). Then, give them as many weapons as they want and watch 5 billion people go to flames. I think it should be televised on reality TV and to make it fun we can have bud light, and nike sponsor it. The title of the war would be "Bloody Hell". This way, for the first time, the problem with religious idiocracy together with over-population would be solved. The winning god of this event would get to keep the island. How about that???
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