LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas -- A secular humanist was sentenced to death for purportedly insulting Christianity's founder Jesus, and a human rights activist yesterday urged Arkansas' governor to spare the man's life.Satire? I wish it were, for Younis' sake.
Joachin Huck, 43, was arrested in September 2005 on the outskirts of the eastern city of Bibleville after residents told police he made derogatory remarks against Christianity and Jerry Fallwell.*
On Wednesday, a court sentenced Huck to death by cream corned casserole under Arkansas' harsh blasphemy laws, which rights groups say have been misused against atheists since former President George W. Bush enacted them in the 2000s to win support of hard-line religious groups.
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Amerika is a Bapt...er...Christian state where non-Bapt...er...Christians comprise just 3 percent of the population. Anyone accused of insulting Christianity, Jesus or the Bible can be sentenced to death.
Christianity - you can call it a fable, say it's founder rots in a tomb and its moral imperatives are unjust, and you're likely to get ordained and put on the payroll!
Islam - say something less than ululatingly adulatory about their war-mongering pedophilic prophet and you're likely to be asking "watFa hit me?"
*Please don't read this as "Baptist bashing" - I have great respect for them and enjoyed every class I took at their premier seminary. I simply use it because in the South, you can't spit without hittin' a Baptist - and where I'm from, they tend to lead the charge in getting upset about moral laxity. I just wish Presbyterians had that kind of courage!
Islam should become more tolerant, but Christianity should become less so. Gotcha :)
ReplyDeleteClever, very clever, Chris.
ReplyDeleteDefine "tolerant" and I'll see if I can agree with your statement.
ReplyDeleteHeh, ok. Here's a shot: (dang, can't find my OED. American Heritage will have to do)
ReplyDeleteTolerant: 1. Inclined to tolerate* the beliefs, practices, or traits of others; forebearing.
*Tolerate: 1. To allow without prohibiting or opposing; permit. 2. To recognize and respect, as the rights, opinions, or practices of others, whether agreeing with them or not. 3. To put up with; to bear; to endure.
As I've mentioned before, I don't think that damaging or injurious practices need to be tolerated, but one has to be able to demonstrate the injury that is being done (and I always prefer that the injured party does the demonstrating, though that isn't always possible).
Doug,
ReplyDeleteIf that's what you mean by "tolerant" then I agree that Islam should become more tolerant. At the moment, if you disagree with Islam in a country that is dominated by Islam you face political oppression, violence, and live as a second-class citizen.
Christianity has made nations more tolerant, not less. Among people groups who killed each other over disagreements of faith, conversion didn't instantly eradicate that practice. But the long haul of history shows that where Christianity flourishes, so does toleration and liberty.
If you disagree with the statement, you are free to do so. I'll tolerate it. However, if you want to move conversation forward from this point, you'll need to provide a sound argument that is well-stated and supportable.