Please, don't muzzle us atheists

   In the book,  "Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials: The Rise of Irrationalism and the Perils of Piety, by Wendy Kaminer, she cites research from the 1980s showing that Americans believed that freedom of worship  applies to all religious groups, regardless of how extreme their beliefs are, but that only 26% of Americans agreed that  freedom of atheists to make fun of God and religion  in public "should be legally protected no matter who might be offended."

    Now, only 26% of Americans stated in this research from the 1980s, that atheists should have the right to make fun of god and religion. That number might be higher today, I hope so. Ironically, many of those 74% who disagreed, decry the so called political correctness of the left.  But I ask you, is stating that your religion should not be criticized and that any such criticism in public at least, should be banned by the government, not political correctness?  if one took away liberal or moderate theists than the support would go down even more. If one looked at only the views of fundamentalist Christians then virtually none would tolerate atheists poking fun at their religion. 

   Simply we as a society cannot advance if we say certain beliefs can't be criticized. In Ireland a new blasphemy law to protect religions was passed. The Western world should not go back to the 15th century were critcism of religion meant punishment by the state.