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Palestianian atheist arrested
- Thread starter Autodidact
- Start date
Midnight Pete
Well-Known Member
Be thankful you live where you do! Be thankful you are not forced to wear hajib or burqa and be a non-person your whole life. Be thankful for your rights as an individual.
I'm definitely glad for where I live, though I'm not fond of the government too often. The specific city in which I live is very liberal and open-minded... it's very common to see whole swathes of diversity of race, religion, culture, and identity everywhere you go here so much that even conservatives that live here don't even bat an eye when they see things different than they are.
When that guy was going to burn the Quran in Florida, people organized a vigil in the main park to read from several holy texts (particularly the Quran) -- in attendance were Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, people from religions I probably couldn't even pronounce, atheists, black people, white people, straight people, gay people.
It was everything the American dream is supposed to be IMHO: the melting pot and the salad bowl at the same time -- people mix together as one society, as brothers and sisters; but they still have their identity.
Oh, and I should mention it's really, really nice to have a bill of rights that protects us from asinine nonsense like religious thought police. The world will be a better place when all religious thought police (and thought police in general) in the world vanish forever.
When that guy was going to burn the Quran in Florida, people organized a vigil in the main park to read from several holy texts (particularly the Quran) -- in attendance were Muslims, Jews, Christians, Hindus, people from religions I probably couldn't even pronounce, atheists, black people, white people, straight people, gay people.
It was everything the American dream is supposed to be IMHO: the melting pot and the salad bowl at the same time -- people mix together as one society, as brothers and sisters; but they still have their identity.
Oh, and I should mention it's really, really nice to have a bill of rights that protects us from asinine nonsense like religious thought police. The world will be a better place when all religious thought police (and thought police in general) in the world vanish forever.
Midnight Pete
Well-Known Member
Yeah, maybe. But what would it take to make all religious thought police go away? Something worse than religious thought police, that's what!
Not necessarily, America moved away from Puritanical oppression, witch trials, misogyny, and racism over time. We who live right now are witnessing America move away from homophobia in our lifetimes. The world does become a better place over time given there's education and tolerance to set an example for those who are filled with hatred.
The problem is that some governments and people do everything they can to shelter people from tolerance, labelling it as a "corruption" of the West. So it's not going to happen easily or anytime soon, but freedom isn't a unique idea... it's like a pheonix.
The idea of the round table at Camelot died long ago but that idea came back, and it will come back again and again all around the world because basic human dignity and rights are in the backs of all of our minds no matter how much our governments try to brainwash us.
Edit: In fact, this individual who's been arrested is an example of the idea cropping up even in the worst of places! Over time, all it will take is more and more to break the floodgates...
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Midnight Pete
Well-Known Member
How do you feel about Communism as a remedy to religion? An anti-religion, if you will? That will certainly get rid of religious thought-police. Destroying churches, killing clergymen, intimidating churchgoers ... but after that you're left with a Stalin-like dictator in charge of everything. And in place of the religious thought police you have a secular, more Orwellian thought-police.
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Father Heathen
Veteran Member
What a goofy straw man. I don't see anyone here advocating anything of the sort.
Midnight Pete
Well-Known Member
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
That should have been a PM to Meow Mix.
While I cannot speak for her, I'm fairly positive that she doesn't advocate anything of the sort, either.
Midnight Pete
Well-Known Member
It was just an example of how one form of extremism is no better than another form of extremism.
An example that was not needed, as no one in this thread seems to be advocating such.
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
Did someone suggest otherwise? Who the hell still advocates hardline communism, anyway? Is it relevant anywhere outside North Korea? Why do people bring it up?
.lava
Veteran Member
But in my post I also said the world would be better without thought police in general as well as religious thought police, which includes the authoritarian example you just gave
dust1n
Zindīq
I don't know why Muslims insist on killing off, covering over, or excommunicating their intellectuals.
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
Because intellectualism is the bane of Islam.
Midnight Pete
Well-Known Member
There are intellectuals within Islam, aren't there? There must be.
Or are we assuming that intellectuals are a seperate category?
Or are we assuming that intellectuals are a seperate category?
IslamDude
The Islam Dude
Aww... now that's not very nice.
I'd say stupidity and ignorance is the bane of Islam, since it's not really helping things now is it. Especially compared to the Golden era of science and intellect.