Standing up for Je ...er, free speech
I know, I know, I haven't opened my big mouth in awhile. But believe me, it isn't by choice. As most of you know, I'm going through a divorce. I'm afraid to say anything that my soon-to-be ex could used to try and wring money out of me. Hey, when you're dealing with a woman who wouldn't think anything of telling a 15-year-old girl to lie under oath, you never know what she may pull.
However, over the weekend, I've found out something that had me so steamed that I can't in good conscience remain silent. I speak of the Blasphemy Challenge, a project to get atheists to "come out of the closet" and declare themselves as atheists. The way it works, atheists are supposed to submit videos to YouTube in which they record themselves denying the Holy Spirit.
Naturally, this has a lot of Christians mounting a heated response--but nothing like what I saw from the Yahoo 360 page of the daughter of a gal (also posted on her MySpace)who attends some of the online praise sessions I've lately started hanging around. She urges her friends to contact the 700 Club to let people know about the danger to children.
Sorry, but when you want to enlist the services of Pat Robertson, you don't just want to make people aware of something. You want to snuff them out. As a Christian, I find the concept behind Blasphemy Challenge appalling. But as someone who is a near-absolutist on the First Amendment, I find it even more appalling that there is still a certain element in Christianity that feels any form of criticism against the faith shouldn't be allowed.
Voltaire once said, "I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write." And such is my stance with the Blasphemy Challenge. As much as I want to lend my support to the numerous Christian sites who wish to counter this by praising God, I can't in good conscience do so when their ultimate goal is to snuff out their opponents.
However, over the weekend, I've found out something that had me so steamed that I can't in good conscience remain silent. I speak of the Blasphemy Challenge, a project to get atheists to "come out of the closet" and declare themselves as atheists. The way it works, atheists are supposed to submit videos to YouTube in which they record themselves denying the Holy Spirit.
Naturally, this has a lot of Christians mounting a heated response--but nothing like what I saw from the Yahoo 360 page of the daughter of a gal (also posted on her MySpace)who attends some of the online praise sessions I've lately started hanging around. She urges her friends to contact the 700 Club to let people know about the danger to children.
Sorry, but when you want to enlist the services of Pat Robertson, you don't just want to make people aware of something. You want to snuff them out. As a Christian, I find the concept behind Blasphemy Challenge appalling. But as someone who is a near-absolutist on the First Amendment, I find it even more appalling that there is still a certain element in Christianity that feels any form of criticism against the faith shouldn't be allowed.
Voltaire once said, "I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write." And such is my stance with the Blasphemy Challenge. As much as I want to lend my support to the numerous Christian sites who wish to counter this by praising God, I can't in good conscience do so when their ultimate goal is to snuff out their opponents.