Jerry Coyne on Criticizing Religion
Despite the obvious difference in our beliefs about religion generally, Jerry Coyne is precisely correct in his comments on the right to criticize religion. He’s also right to point out that however obnoxious some critics of Islam are—face it, that recent video is just bad—that doesn’t compare to actually killing people. Yet somehow we’re supposed to see insult as a justification for killing people.
And while we’re at it, yes, of course, this same thing should apply to criticism of my religion, including speech that offends me, including speech that ridicules me or my beliefs. There is nothing that can be said about Christianity that would give me the right to kill other people. I’m fairly absolutist about freedom of speech.
A payoff quote:
No, Muslims don’t have to take it on the chin and smile. They can counter anti-Islamic speech with their own speech, and match Qur’an burnings with American flag burnings. And I don’t care whether Muslims question whether defense of free speech is pretext for condoning bigotry. Free speech can indeed be a blanket for bigotry, but if we don’t protect the rights of bigots, we can’t protect the rights of anyone. …
Precisely. The proper response to criticism is criticism. The proper response to ridicule may be ridicule, but it more likely is criticism. Responding to ridicule with violence is never justified.
Oh, and I agree on the cat videos too. Like I always do.
