A sad and dangerous day for Humanity.

The United Nations Human Rights Council has once again passed a resolution proposed by Islamic countries which urges the creation of laws in member states to prevent criticism of religion (namely, Islam).

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I discussed this on a political forum. Here is what I responded to:

Kaunisto wrote:

To have something you hold sacred or holy offended or ridiculed (worse yet: "defamed") is to many people the worst possible way to insult and hurt them - myself included, after a fashion.

My response:

Yes, but most people like you would have known enough to shut up before you got to the point of being hurt, after a fashion. I'm not going to go into your house and start in on you about how idiotic and unsupportable your personal religious beliefs are, just like I don't invade and attack religious discussion forums that don't welcome non-Christians into their circle-jerks.

However, if your beliefs are taken out into the public domain, which they often are, and if there is a possibility that your beliefs may affect me in even the smallest way, which there is, then I should be quite free to address those beliefs. In fact, I see it as my responsibility to question and provide rebuttals to those things I see as dangerous. (I see your magical thinking as dangerous - it is a prime cause of the environment that creates and supports religious terrorists, for example) This is the key difference between the West and Islamic countries, and the differences are too obvious to bother noting here. It's the key ingredient, possibly the only necessary ingredient, of Progress. This, I believe, is self-evident.

Of course, if I'm not going to put forth any coherent points and am just going to attack you, then I won't last long as a critic. My credibility will be questioned from the get-go and I will have no audience, and no purpose, after a fashion.

Freedom of speech and freedom of expression are the cornerstone of democratic, progressive, human rights-supporting governments. Limits on said freedoms already exist. I cannot shout "fire" in a crowded theatre. And I cannot walk into your church and ridicule you for sitting in it.

The UN's highly ambiguous suggested limitations on those who question the validity of religion, and those like me who openly oppose all religions, go beyond the safe boundaries of protecting individuals. As the Canadian representative said: "It is individuals who have rights, not religions."

What it boils down to Kaun, is that you will be asking for a free pass, after a fashion, and that just ain't cool with me. You're not going to get it, and you never will.