(January 26, 2015 at 5:19 pm)Vicki Q Wrote:(January 25, 2015 at 7:42 pm)Brian37 Wrote: Depends, I am willing to work with any human worldwide willing to put religion on the back burner, be even with that I still reserve the right to blaspheme religion. I can get along with individuals, but as an idea religion must always be subject to scrutiny.
I think the point is that many Xians in the UK work on environmental issues because that's what they think Xians should do. Mankind given stewardship of the earth with God as owner, that sort of thing. It's important they (we) don't put religion on the back burner.
Blaspheming religion, and scrutinising religion, are two different things. Those atheists I'm familiar with at the cutting edge of the latter generally don't like doing the former.
You really do need to accept that word choice to fundies means nothing, insult or blasphemy, to them any challenge to their social norms is seen as a threat. Trying to separate those two words allows them to move the goal posts. Also like when Muslims and Jews use both race and religion interchangeably. When you call them out they say "no it is race" when you call them on that "they say no it's my religion" that moving back and forth allows them to avoid the real problem which is religion itself.
Same with the words "insult" and "Blasphemy" I just yesterday had a Muslim on twitter say "we don't mind you insulting us, just not our prophet" He used the word "insult" not blasphemy, so they do use them interchangeably. And this was a Muslim who agreed with me that violence is never the solution.
What he still does not face as a moderate Muslim and you are not facing is the same thing. Both books in both religions are used by both liberals and zealots and they still contain the same words.
Allowing word games gives cover to ALL religions and allows excuses for the violent ones to exist. The only way you can stop that is to allow for both insults and blasphemy and insist on non violence.
That will not happen if you allow them to go back and forth between the words "scrutiny" and "blasphemy" and "insults", what protects us isn't being free from being offended. What protects us is common law and laws banning physical violence.
The other reason you don't play that game is long term. Long term power shifts and you might not be in that majority in the future. It is a bad idea to hand "who gets to decide" to a power that might not like what you have to say.
What you can do as far as law without outright bans, is have the regulation of "free speech" and laws against violence.
No one likes to get picked on, and having been bullied as a kid, I know. But when you are an adult you cannot force everyone else to only say nice things about you and sometimes others will say things that offend you.
