Sketches On Paper
"Police shot four protesters to death Wednesday to stop hundreds from marching on a southern U.S. military base, as Islamic organizations called for an end to deadly rioting across the Muslim world over drawings of the Prophet Muhammad."
These are the first words I get to read this morning. The cartoons have been fueling outbursts and rioting ever since their first appearance last September. I'm torn on this one. I'm a big supporter of "freedom of speech," however, I do know that it can be taken too far. Just because it can be said, doesn't mean that it should. But, don't get me wrong, I'd rather have the choice to refuse to read something that offends me than have no choice at all. I'm a pretty well-rounded adult (for the most part :) and I feel I can make my own decisions on what I do and do not find obscene. It may just be me, but I feel that rioting to the point of being killed may be a little much.
Though, that may be exactly the point.
We live in a world where religious fundamentalists are painted as insane. Where protesting blasphemy in any form is considered extremist. A world where we are expected to sit quietly and do as we're told and accept the lives we live at face value. Am I saying that I don't think the protestors are wrong? No, I agree that they present a danger. What I am saying is that maybe I don't think their cause is wrong, just the path they are taking to express it.
Do I think that it's a little much to risk your life over some cartoonist's perception of a certain deity (or icon), be it God or Allah or Muhammad? Yes. And no. What of the Christians in the Roman coliseum? What of the Jews in Nazi Germany? What of the Kashmiri Hindus struggle against Pakistan? What of the Hazara under the Taleban?
Is persecution a means to an end? Are we so confident that our belief is the right one that we have the right to physically remove, by any means possible, anyone who does not share that belief? What happened to "judge not, least you be also judged?" Granted, I'm no religious scholar, but I seem to recall that most of the major religions out there preach peace and love. How is this obtained by killing everyone who has a different opinion?
All this fighting. This time, just because someone drew someone else's religious figure in a way they didn't like. Pointless. Or, is it?
"God made so many different kinds of people. Why would he allow only one way to serve him?" ~Martin Buber
These are the first words I get to read this morning. The cartoons have been fueling outbursts and rioting ever since their first appearance last September. I'm torn on this one. I'm a big supporter of "freedom of speech," however, I do know that it can be taken too far. Just because it can be said, doesn't mean that it should. But, don't get me wrong, I'd rather have the choice to refuse to read something that offends me than have no choice at all. I'm a pretty well-rounded adult (for the most part :) and I feel I can make my own decisions on what I do and do not find obscene. It may just be me, but I feel that rioting to the point of being killed may be a little much.
Though, that may be exactly the point.
We live in a world where religious fundamentalists are painted as insane. Where protesting blasphemy in any form is considered extremist. A world where we are expected to sit quietly and do as we're told and accept the lives we live at face value. Am I saying that I don't think the protestors are wrong? No, I agree that they present a danger. What I am saying is that maybe I don't think their cause is wrong, just the path they are taking to express it.
Do I think that it's a little much to risk your life over some cartoonist's perception of a certain deity (or icon), be it God or Allah or Muhammad? Yes. And no. What of the Christians in the Roman coliseum? What of the Jews in Nazi Germany? What of the Kashmiri Hindus struggle against Pakistan? What of the Hazara under the Taleban?
Is persecution a means to an end? Are we so confident that our belief is the right one that we have the right to physically remove, by any means possible, anyone who does not share that belief? What happened to "judge not, least you be also judged?" Granted, I'm no religious scholar, but I seem to recall that most of the major religions out there preach peace and love. How is this obtained by killing everyone who has a different opinion?
All this fighting. This time, just because someone drew someone else's religious figure in a way they didn't like. Pointless. Or, is it?
"God made so many different kinds of people. Why would he allow only one way to serve him?" ~Martin Buber
posted by Josh at
7:52 AM
2 Comments:
Good point. I stand corrected.
By
Josh, At
8:46 AM
I think rioting over a comic strip is pure insanity. No one is hurting anyone or their religious beliefs by making a cartoon of God. I think it is a mark of true fundamentalism to raise such a ruckus over something so trivial. The crazies always get touchy about depictions or what anyone says about "their God." It's a load of crapola, in my opinion. If God's Word is strong enough to outlast civilizations and reach the ends of the earth (in any religion), people are protecting a giant from an ant bite. He does not need any help in overcoming evil. All He needs is for us not to DO evil and love Him. This kind of thing really gets my dander up. Such silliness...
By
Anonymous, At
10:02 PM
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