Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kenneth Montville D.D. on March 11, 2011 at 9:34am

I believe that as supposedly rational human beings it is our obligation to call out bullshit in all of its guises. The blatent hate-mongering that Rep. King is spreading clearly falls into this category.

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Permalink Reply by Nelson on March 11, 2011 at 11:07am

but let's make sure we keep in mind that we're talking about Muslim PEOPLE. there's a big difference, isn't there, between standing up for the rights of people against bigotry and standing up for a religion. we can and should do the first while refusing to do the other.

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Permalink Reply by Violet Chartreuse on March 11, 2011 at 2:18pm

I really like this idea. Education should shine a light on all the varied interpretations and contradictions, teaching reason and critical thinking along the way. Why isn't education doing that already?

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Permalink Reply by Heather Spoonheim on March 11, 2011 at 9:44pm

Perhaps we should target Christian schools and demand they teach 'alternative theories' on God - including Zeus and whatnot.

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Permalink Reply by Violet Chartreuse on March 12, 2011 at 11:09am

I wonder how difficult this would be, legally. That is exactly what is needed. Does the government have any say-so in curriculum guidelines for private learning? What about home-schooled children? What if they wre teaching kids that 2+2=12? I'm betting there is no government meddling, but if the religious folks can make sure religious options to science exist in public schools. ......then they should be required do the converse. Either that or they need to take ALL religious theory out of public education.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa on March 11, 2011 at 6:07pm

There's something about learning about all religions that makes one take a step back and examine their own illogical beliefs.  I wish they would have a unit on every religious belief in the public schools.

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Permalink Reply by Nelson on March 11, 2011 at 6:10pm

true. once you see  clearly how absurd everyone else's religion is you're forced to consider that everyone else must think the same of yours, and all that that implies.

 

"The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also."

--Mark Twain

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Permalink Reply by Evey on March 11, 2011 at 8:54pm

In the US, the schools aren't allowed to be worried about education anymore, just standardized test scores. :/

 

It would be a lovely thing though.

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Permalink Reply by Mo Trauen on March 12, 2011 at 10:15am

No.  Not as such.  We shouldn't stand up for anyone that wants to kill us.  By the same token, however, we shouldn't stand up for most other religious groups either.

 

What we should do is use this as an opportunity to point out that the religion of those holding these "hearings" isn't much better, if any.  The big difference between the two is that the Christians have had to learn to be more subtle because they have had to live in multi-religious societies for so long. 

 

We should demand hearings into why there is discrimination against non-believers and why we have such obviously un-Constitutional laws and activities in the U.S.

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Permalink Reply by Mo Trauen on March 12, 2011 at 10:20am

Many posters in this discussion are distinguishing between the people and the religion.  I agree with that, but one point that has always bothered me about Christians also bothers me about Muslims.  If the religion itself is hostile to non-believers and their rights, then how can these supposedly decent people belong to it?  After all, as I mentioned before, these religions are not races, people can choose to leave them.

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Permalink Reply by Kraig Kolkowski on March 16, 2011 at 4:13am

Behead those who say atheist are violent!

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