Secondly, these anti-Christian tests that Brown is proposing have already taken place and we know the results: in the case of 'Piss Christ' and dung covered Mary, most anger was non-violently directed at the federal government for financing such literal waste. And, more recently, supposed pop singer Kanye West posing as the crucified Christ on a Rolling Stone cover was greeted by Christians with a collective shrug and the thought that, even with all his money, Kanye is still a loser.
The overall difference: Christians have a strong God Who wants them to live as free people; Muslims have a weak prophet who calls for submission of the individual to his totalitarian fiefdoms.
Clueless in Chicagoland.
Jesus and Christianity are not above criticism, many people have mocked Jesus, even the Koran mocks Christianity, claims Jesus was not the Son of God, and he was even a Muslim and not a Jew.
However, Christianity and Christians always stands firm in the heat of criticism. In fact as christens we are called to continually test that what is presented as truth.
1 John 4 “ 1Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
If something is true then it can within the test of criticism, while a false prophecy cannot, therefore one needs to question the motive to silence the criticism of Islam, as if what are they afraid the world or themselves will find out?
If America was a Christain Theocracy and New Testament was civil law, then editorialists would have every right to mock them with cartoons, oped criticism, etc. without being stoned to death for "blasphemy"
This column carefully avoids mention of the many murdered and or maimed by the peaceful followers of Islam and that they espouse a worldwide Jihad by any means available. The argument put forth is phony and insulting. All cultures/religions aren't equal and anyone buying into that nonsense is likely to end up dead.
Does this sentance offend SLimes?
P>
Sura 9:5 of the “Koran,” “Slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush.”
Written the other way IT OFFENDS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!
I would have a slight different reaction to the one I had about the cartoons mocking the child-raping spawn of Satan. I'd be a bit annoyed and move on. I don't think I'd be joining thousands of others and rioting in the streets. Such behavior is inappropriate to civilized people but not that unusual for illiterate, meteorite worshiping, moon-god lovers
To Mr. Brown.
I wouldn't want to be in your shoes in the End times.
What an IDIOT!
I conclude that they give an IQ test before they hire columnists, and hire the ones that flunk..."HERE'S YOUR SIGN!"
Cripes - it's not how we would feeeeeel that's the issue. It's how we act out the feeeeeelings. Duh! The left is increcibly dense.
We already have a prancing Christ in the form of a play.
I haven't gutted any actors because of it. I usually ignore puerile attempts to denigrate God. It seems rather silly in the context of who is Creator and who is createe...
The problem with Islam is that it is an externally enforced belief. Christianity is an internal belief system that changes the spirit itself.
Islam does not deal with the spirit, but the flesh. I'd have to consign it to the World instead of the heavenly realm.
Jesus Christ HAS been depicted as a sodomite. He HAS been depicted as a fornicator--and in productions a HELL of a lot more substantial than a cartoon.
The cartoonist 'Martlett' once drew a cartoon about as offensive as the 'bomb in the turban' cartoon. It was printed without hesitation, apparently, by Long Island Newsday.
It depicted Pope John Paul II. An arrow pointing to His Holiness' head and the caption "Upom this rock I will build My Church".
No one rioted.
Newsday began it's terminal slide.
The bottom line is, that despite our revulsion to what may be printed, Westerners, Christians and Jews wouldnt riot and burn Missions and Consulates over it..
...???...like it hasn't happen before?
They would have gotten a government grant and the artist would be up for the Pulitzer Prize.
Exactly.
But who knows? The day may come when Christian's 'take to the streets' -- except it would more likely be 'take to the rooftops'.
markbrown@suntimes.com
I read your article and the key line is this: "I'll bet some of you would have a slightly different reaction to that."
"Slightly" is the key word.
Yes if you ran some of the cartoons you imagined some people would be upset. Do you think they would be burning down your building trying to kill you if you ran those cartoons? Nah, but they'd be upset. Attacks on Christianity are common. Attacks on the church are common, many justified. I still am waiting for the anti-Semitic pogrom that is supposed to happen after Me Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ."
"I'll bet my imaginary Jesus Christ cartoon could get a few protesters outside the Sun-Times, and if we told the protesters to buzz off, citing freedom of the press, I'll bet we could get some death threats, too. Rioting in the streets? Probably not. Unless we kept it up."
Well, if that happened, the death threats, you would stand up and defend your right to free speech saying you will not kowtow to extremists. And you would be right. But the fact is though you might get death threats, I bet no one would die.
The liberal hero Bill Clinton says the publishers of the cartoons should be prosecuted. Do you agree? And the cartoons are offensive? Please tell me how they are offensive. Most are benign. One shows Mohammed with a 'bomb turbine." With how the muslim world has complete silence on Islamic terrorism, I think it is true. The problem is that the muslims think ANY depiction of Mohammed is blasphemy. We have now seen that they will riot and kill and offer large sums of money to kill anyone that offends them.
Let me tell you other things that offend them: You not bowing to Mecca offends them.
The women in this country that have jobs, or go to schools, or choose who they will marry, that offends Muslims.
In England a town government will not allow any employee to have any thing on their desk or person that represents a pig, out of fear of offending. So if you have a picture of your child with Winnie the Pooh you are offending muslims. You are a hatemonger. If you eat pork, you offend muslims. You right to free speech is offensive.
First they just wanted to destroy Israel, but I was in America so I didn't care. Then they wanted to suicide bomb any Jews, but I was gentile so I was silent.Then they wanted to make a European newspaper give up it's right to free speech, but hey, I was safe in America, so I kept quiet. Then they decided to burn and riot and threaten newspapers, then I saw their point.
You opened with the comment: "Opinions Are Like Belly Buttons (everybody has one) " Courage and guts are not like opinions though.
You don't look so hot waving a white flag Mr. Brown.
Signed,