Posted on 10/30/2015 5:39:06 PM PDT by xzins
An atheist professor said Tuesday that it’s acceptable to criticize Christians but not Muslims, because he does not “fear†retaliation from Christians.
“I know what keeps me from critiquing Islam on my blog is just fear,†Phil Zuckerman said at a discussion on religious liberty at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. “I’ve got three kids.
“So I know I can say anything about Christianity or Mormonism, and I’m not living in fear, which is a testament to Christianity and Mormonism, and that’s wonderful. Thank you,†said Zuckerman, who is a self-described atheist and professor of secular studies at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif.
Zuckerman was a panelist at the discussion as part of Georgetown University’s Religious Freedom Project at its Berkley Center.
Kirsten Powers, a Democratic pundit, recent convert to Catholicism and author of the book “How the Left Is Killing Free Speech,†said at the event that she does not understand why Muslims can oppose same-sex marriage and not be targeted by the Left for it, but calling out Christians for their beliefs is acceptable.
Powers cited the hidden video recordings made earlier this year by Steven Crowder, who asked Muslim bakers in Michigan if they would bake a cake for a same-sex wedding and they refused.
“If these had been Christian bakeries, it would have been on the front page of the New York Times, so I’m wondering why we’re able to have this amicable, disagreement with Muslims for having this view,†Powers said. “Why are we not able to do that with Christians?
“I absolutely agree with you,†Zuckerman said.
“I absolutely agree that it is okay for those on the left to critique, mock, deride Christianity, but Islam gets a free pass, which is so strange, because if you care about women’s rights, if you care about human rights, if you care about gay rights, then really Islam is much more problematic – sorry to paint Islam with a huge brush – and much more devastating,†he said.
“As an atheist – where on planet Earth is the death penalty meted out to atheists?†Zuckerman said. “It’s only in, I think, 24 Muslim countries.
“Where have human rights flourished the most? In Christian nations,†he said.
“I see Christianity as a great friend of secular culture,†Zuckerman said. “I see Islam as much more of a threat, much more debilitating. I’m not talking about Muslim individuals that I happen to sit next to on an airplane or are my neighbors. I’m talking about doctrines and those that have the power to enforce those doctrines in the form of Sharia law.â€
AD FEEDBACK Zuckerman mentioned comedian Bill Maher, actor Ben Affleck and atheist and author Sam Harris and the reaction to their remarks about Islam.
“I would say two things,†Zuckerman said. “I know what keeps me from critiquing Islam on my blog is just fear.
“I’ve got three kids,†he said. “So I know I can say anything about Christianity or Mormonism, and I’m not living in fear, which is a testament to Christianity and Mormonism, and that’s wonderful. Thank you.
“I would never write the same kind of stuff that I do about certain religions – Judaism, Christianity, LDS, whatever – as I would about Islam – just straight up fear,†Zuckerman said.
So could Pacifism.
They need the fear of the Christian version of God put in them too.
What he doesn’t say is that it is only Christianity that has a prayer of defeating Islam.
It’s like Ann Coulter said
We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.
Islam is a believe system. The only way to defeat Islam is to replace that believe system. We should do that with Christianity; the belief system most compatible with freedom.
My point had to do with their founding documents.
How come nobody bothered to ask him what is he doing to overcome his fear, because sooner or later the only choice he’ll have left is growing some balls or losing his head.
He is quite forward on the matter although he probably does not even realize it himself.
He comes right out and admits that he will not criticize Islam because he is afraid of retaliation against himself or his children.
Apparently he has not thought about what is the end of the road he travels. If no one stands against the march of Islam we will all be Muslims and he will no longer be able to write his screeds against religion.
Buck up and grow a pair little atheist.
No, I’ve never seen any quotes attributed to Charles the Hammer. We probably know most of what we do about him from an effort to copy older Merovingian court records and such into a Carolingian text. By the time of his grandson Charlemagne’s reign, the spread of Christianity brought with it more writing. Even Charlemagne was not fully literate, though.
They love the ROP because they hope it will help them eliminate Christianity.
I would also add that given the politically correct climate today, the professor has shown some courage. After all to keep one's mouth shut and murmur a few incendiary comments in private against Islam, is all too easy.
Lol!
Aren’t you confusing a religion with a country?
No, I’m quite fine disparaging radical Islam.
I carry the antidote for fear.
I keep saying this. Every time an Atheist organization distributes literature, we should get a copy, change all the verbiage to reflect an attack on "Allah" and "Mohammad", Make sure their names and addresses are on it, and then discretely push it back into circulation.
Getting the Muslims and these Bastards fighting each other cannot go wrong whichever side wins.
How do you say, “Molon Labe” in Latin? That is most likely what Charles Martel said to the Islamic Moor Commander.
Which is what they think they want, but after which they will have time to contemplate their logical error while they are bowing on prayer rugs five times a day.
I keep saying this. Atheists are not going to get a society free of religion. They are going to get a society dominated by Christian religion, or they are going to get one dominated by the Islamic (SUBMIT!) Religion.
There is no "none of the above" choices on this test.
When Islam comes, he will submit to his fear and bow the knee to Islam in front of his children. He will then join the ranks of a 1400 year religion of cowardice, that must force itself on people because it cannot fight in the arena of ideas.
Has there ever been a willing martyr to atheism?
Will this professor surrender his life for his atheistic ideals when the Islamist holds a sword to his neck and says convert or die.
More likely “Deus vult” made popular 300 years later.
I don’t know about that.
It depends on who is in the arena.
Islam is very successful in prisons. I think of Islam as the religion of criminals.
It is also becoming more successful on our college campuses. I think because we as a nation are disarming or failing to arm our children with a Christian education before they go out in to the spiritual battle field of life on campus.
If a young person is an empty spiritual vessel it easy for Satan to come with Islam and fill that vessel with poison.
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