The taming and domestication of religious faith is one of the unceasing chores of civilization.
By Christopher Hitchens
A recent blizzard of liberal columns has framed the debate over American Islam as if it were no more than the most recent stage in the glorious history of our religious tolerance. This phrasing of the question has the (presumably intentional) effect of marginalizing doubts and of lumping any doubters with the anti-Catholic Know-Nothings, the anti-Semites, and other bigots and shellbacks. So I pause to take part in a thought experiment, and to ask myself: Am I in favor of the untrammeled "free exercise of religion"?
Read more (Sept. 6, 2010, Slate)
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14 comments:
You know what makes me shudder when I think of you? The fact that soon,all too soon, you will be no more. Your childhood, your family, your friends, your books, your life, all will be blown out into oblivion.Not long afterwards you will be forgotten and, alas, your short journey through life will mean nothing. None of the books you have written or the articles you have spewed out will, at the end of the day, be anything but garbage bin fodder. Your coming along us was an anonymous accident while your passing away will be a notable incident. That's all. So sad!
Very sad.. If it were true.
Hey Anonymous... if you would cut out your hate, screw down your complexes and think a little bit further and more objectively, you might realize that people like Plato, Aristotle, Galileo, Spinoza etc signed out a looooong time ago,.. and despite of what ANYBODY thought of them, their work is STILL valid today and will be tomorrow...
My comment will disappear, so will yours... but not a milestone, groundbreakign work of a great mind
Al.K
Hitchens's position is too neutral. In the end it's either you build the center or not. Hitch is nitpicking, while the country is exploding. Either you side with anti-brown skins or not. Its not rationale debate about Islamism.
I will add this blog to my blogroll.
Your blog added to my blogroll.
I'm not the fan of Hitch I used to be. I still enjoy his arguments.
And it's a scream and a hiss, right out of the gate - oh Christopher - you've hit some nerves this time ;-). Of course - it's what you excel at really ... so no surprise.
Yesh this article agrees with what I was trying to explain to FGFM. He was complaining that Hitchens was a hippocrate for not treating religions equally. I said that was stupid he can think they are all wrong but doens't have to belive they are all equally wrong. Or all equally imoral. This is obvious to anyone with a working brain. Over time, Catholicism, Moromonism, Evangelicalism and Judaism have been watered down and the old form of those religions would be unacceptable to many. I mean, obviously some relgions are more extreme or have more extreme bts in them. What if you worship the Inca relgion and your religion means you have to pull out a beating heart of a virgin. Can you have the religious freedom to do that?
With religions the premise (supernatural) is the same but the consequences are different.
Yeah, I know.
Look now on Hitchens Watch they are supporting mass expulsion of Armenians from Turkey just because HItchens is against it!
They're like, if you're against it then you must be for all illegal immigrants everywhere to be granted immediate citizenship of all countries and you must say it right now. Oh look! Hitchens hasn't said it then Hitchens is a hippocrate! I win! HitchWatch Declares Victory!
I thik they're a bit crazy!
Look now on Hitchens Watch they are supporting mass expulsion of Armenians from Turkey just because HItchens [sic] is against it!
Bullshit.
Over time, Catholicism, Moromonism, Evangelicalism and Judaism have been watered down and the old form of those religions would be unacceptable to many.
The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim.
You fucked up, FGFM. You thick wanker.
"Bullshit."
Nuh-huh! True!
Decents declare victory!
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