The cartoon controversy of Denmark intensifies. People are protesting the unfair and ridiculous depictions of a holy man---the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
Except, it's not really all that unfair and its really not all that ridiculous. You do NOT have a right to not be offended. Not in this country, not in Denmark.
I think this bruhaha should create a conversation in our country about the first amendment.
As a Christian, I've been mildly upset when I've seen Jesus Christ re-imagined as sexually active, as a gay man, as a heretical crazy man, etc. etc.
But I don't protest outside of Blockbuster because they offer "The Last Temptation of Christ". I don't threaten the artist. And the Christians who DID were out of line.
If an idea disgusts you, don't watch/rent/borrow/read/listen. The free market allows us to entertain ourselves with a million choices, many of which agree with our values system.
I completely disagree with the people who say, "I don't even want to glance at it by accident" Really? It's going to destroy your life to accidentally see it? Will a split second of pornography condemn you to Hell? Cause you to sin?
Are we really that sensitive as human beings; is our religion really that black-and-white? A moment of Allah-bashing and our souls will be lost forever?
Do we really need to declare a fatwa, Salman Rushdie style, against every person who prints a joke about Islam? Doesn't that make your religion look as nutty as the anti-government nuts who claim Christianity as their own?
Do we really need Jerry Faldwell, who complains about the crap that Hollywood produces, deciding what we can watch?
Unless an idea incites violence or directly endanger people, it ought to be protected by democracies around the world.
As the author of the cartoons said (and I'm paraphrasing), if the government outlawed every thing that religious people disagreed with, we'd have ZERO freedom.
A few entertaining examples:
No tattoos a la the Jews.
No sex outside of hetero marriage, a la the Christians.
No meat eating, a la the Hindus.
Mandatory prayers 5 times a day, a la the Muslims.
Let everyone make their own rules governing themselves. Let morality be the sphere of the religion and the individual. Let government concern itself with the well-being of ALL citizens.