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Yes, you do have a right to criticize religious beliefs
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by JerryM | September 13, 2012 at 06:43 am
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As you are probably aware of, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, was killed by thugs. They should be caught and brought to justice. Now, it seems they might have been motivated, or just using it as an excuse, a terrible movie promoted by a Terry Jones. The movie is an attack on the prophet of the Islamic religion, Muhammad. Terry Jones is a far extremist Christian theocrat who has threatened, and has burned copies of the Islamic Quran.
I don't find the Quran holy, nor do I any religious text. But burning Qurans does not promote an Enlightenment in the Middle East. Jones definately has a right to burn them, but it would be as counterproductive for me if I burned copies of the Christian bible outside a church, in order to promote humanism.
Now, I have been a supporter of President Obama but one of the things he said in a statement after these attacks (there was also an attack in Egypt) was “we reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others.” Um, with all due respect Mr. President, no. Religions deserve no more respect then any other beliefs.
Drapping silly religious beliefs with supernatural absurdities does not take away from that fact. Religion in the Muslim world has led to so called honor killings (where women/girls who are raped are killed by their families) and women treated as property. In the U.S. it led to gays imprisoned for sex in their own bedrooms and even interracial marriages banned.
Fundamentalism religion is definately harmful to society. It should be challenged at every level. I as an atheist/humanist do not ask that my beliefs be unchallenged. Go ahead and criticize them, I am an adult. I can handle criticism. Why can't religion?
A couple of last points, since Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney believes fully in the protection of critiques of religion when it comes to Islam, will he defend fully those criticisms of Mormonism, with the same vigor? I doubt it. Lastly, those conservatives who defend the principle of opposing a president's foreign policy (or the term I don't like, politicizing it) didn't seem to believe in that concept very much when Bush II was president.
But it is easy to point out right-wing hypocrisy. My major goal of this column is to ensure Americans embrace the right to criticize any belief, be it religious or not. President Obama is much better on church/state issues than a would be President Romney (it is not even close) but on this issue, he was wrong.
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something to consider (not verified)at 08:59 on September 13th, 2012
1/ Jones just didn't wake up one morning and start burning Korans. He did it as a protest to US open support of Islamist burning Bibles [Iraq and Afghanistan] while Muslims threatened to kill those who made Muhammad cartoons or who spoke about a violent Islam. Salman Rushdie? Satanic Verses ring any bells?2/ The "movie" in question was started by two Egyptian Copts who managed to escape Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood's Islamist regime. It is the protest movie of these two Coptic Egyptians. Not Jone's. The "movie" was released back in june so it could hardly be the motivator of two nations Libya's and Egypt's um.. 'spontaneous' simultaneous attacks on American Embassies.3/ This is not an issue of church vs.state. This is an issue of two countries, Libya and Egypt, who believe that the US is so weakened under Obama that they can dismiss in their entirety the obligations of the State to protect the embassies of nations and their staff with in their countries. Obama did everything he wanted to to insure the Islamist MB was 'elected' into power in Egypt, and on the anniversary of 9/11 how is Obama repaid? An act of war! Obama did everything he wanted to to insure the Islamist got into power in Libya, and on the anniversary of 9/11 how is Obama repaid? An act of war! It is unfortunate that Muslims don't have freedom of speech under Shariah. Had the Egyptians and Libyans been allowed to exercise a free speech/freedom of assembly protest all this 'assumed' angst would have been diffused a couple of months ago and there would have been no ammunition for the governments of these countries to organize a violent attack against Obama's America. The hostility is religious by nature. The hostility is anti-democracy by nature of the religion. Obama is being sent a very loud message. Obama, you are not doing enough to prove your dhimmitude. Look to see in response Obama will send more aid to these countries. More appeasement by Obama as he backs away from having to do anything pro-American/pro-democracy. Obama's terrorist er' freedom fighters have turned against him. Obama better get to bowing and scraping to his betters, and if he's as half as smart as he thinks we should think he is, then he'll have bags of jizyah to lay at their feet.A few not so convieneint truths for the Muslim agitprop: Saudi Arabia Desecrates Hundreds of Bibles Annually 1. Muslim Students Urinate, Spit On Then Burn Bible 2Christians in Gaza Fear for Their Lives as Muslims Burn Bibles and Destroy Crosses 3Muslims burn Bible in Pakistan 4