ENDING THE CONFLICT
It feels like we’re having a really tough time with this. So let’s walk through it together.
There is no conflict between freedom of speech and freedom of religion. There is no trade-off to be had, no balance to be struck. This is an absolutely pernicious lie.
Freedom of speech does not and cannot impinge upon freedom of religion. There is simply nothing that could be said by a person that could ever possibly infringe upon someone else’s freedom to practise their own religion. (Anyone arguing otherwise either has not thought through the issue or they are trying to foist their religion on you.)
On the other hand, if your freedom of religion results in forcing those who DO NOT share your beliefs to CONFORM to those beliefs, well, that’s not freedom of religion. No. We have another name for that: it’s called “theocracy”. (Google it.)
The insistence that, oh I don’t know, the blasphemy laws of a given religion be adhered to by all humans, in all contexts, everywhere across the globe is nothing less than an attempt at creating a global theocracy. And at present, in case you’ve been locked in a cave for the last fifteen years, this insistence is backed by highly credible threats of violence and murder in every country on Earth.
No, it is not some sort of fuzzy cosmopolitanism on offer; some form of enlightened multiculturalism; some kind of mutual, politically correct respect. No. And, moreover, your defending this idea is actually putting people’s lives at risk. Can you not see this?
I fear we have lost our way, and the most rational, reasonable, and pleasant among us – the very ones we normally look to for guidance – are misleading everyone and walking us in increasingly blind and precarious circles. This cannot continue.
Comments