I must insist that yes Islam currently has in the world, the biggest PR problem when it comes to religiously justified violence and political theocracies. Not all Muslims is a bad argument. There are still just enough of a minority who are still of a theocratic mentality politically that are holding that region's majority hostage. It really is no different than when liberal or moderate Christians say "Those right wing Christians don't represent most Christians". But we still have a big enough minority of those Right wing nutfucks that want to turn the clock back on secular law.
But again, ALL holy books have to be treated as poison, like a volcano. Most 7 billion humans are inherently good at heart. But the human invented construct of religion poisons how we interact and for all the good any religious person may claim it can do, it causes divisions to the point of oppression and violence.
Hitchens is right, religion gets otherwise what could be a reasonable human to take bad ideas and justify really bad acts to their fellow humans.
Islam, sorry, you have a problem. We really don't, or most should not want, to force you out of existence. But the west, which is not perfect by any stretch, does have better management between different religions, and really all the west wants is for the East to catch up with modern pluralism.
But again, ALL holy books have to be treated as poison, like a volcano. Most 7 billion humans are inherently good at heart. But the human invented construct of religion poisons how we interact and for all the good any religious person may claim it can do, it causes divisions to the point of oppression and violence.
Hitchens is right, religion gets otherwise what could be a reasonable human to take bad ideas and justify really bad acts to their fellow humans.
Islam, sorry, you have a problem. We really don't, or most should not want, to force you out of existence. But the west, which is not perfect by any stretch, does have better management between different religions, and really all the west wants is for the East to catch up with modern pluralism.
