The Pope has a Good Point

The Pope today suggested that perhaps Freedom of the Press should have limits when it comes to respect of religious beliefs.

After all, even if there are 100,000 jihadists across ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Taliban, Al Qaeda and anyone else, that is only about 7 one ten thousandths of a percent of the world's 1.5 billion followers of Islam.  And I think 100,000 is probably too high.

Jihad wouldn't have any momentum without financial support.  The West needs to work with the government's of the Arab world to cut off the financial support that Jihad benefits from.  And if they won't work with us on them, we have to find ways to cajole them into working with us.  That is diplomacy, and sanctions if Western Europe will agree with us.  Military force without any work on this has led to the undesirable conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

As for the concept of respect.  Right now there is ridicule in conservative circles about anyone who suggests the Charlie Magazine or anyone else should curtail their statements.  Yet, when Duke University wanted to let Islamic students use a traditional call on Friday afternoons to come to service, they were relentlessly criticized by Evangelical Christians to not allow it.  But what would those Christians say if I as an Atheist suggested that all religions were a crock of sh*t and that anyone who has beliefs is an idiot.  They would come down on me with the full force of their fury and I am sure someone from within their midst would want to take their automatic assault weapon and kill me. What if that same killer thought arose in an Islamic youth who feels discriminated against by the Evangelicals?  There is a horrible circularity here that must be broken through respect.

That is why I believe that all religions should be respected, even though I as a non-beleiving Jew am an Athesit.  I don't criticize anyone for having faith in God through whatever religion.  There is no answer to the unknowable.  I may be right, you may be right, they may be right.  And Islam is as deserving of respect as Mormanism.  After all, Mohammed was Joseph Smith 1400 years earlier and half a world away.  And Mohammed was following Jesus's disciples after his death.  That is why I believe that if I am wrong as an Atheist, the only answer is Judaism, Buddhism, or Hinduism because we were 1st and everyone after that definitely made it all up, except for what they copied.  But that doesn't mean the followers of any religion today do not deserve respect.  A failure to respect 1.5 billion Muslims or 2.0 billion Christians will not lead to peace.  The Pope has a good point.

And Franklin Graham, the son of Billy Graham, should know this when he criticizes all Muslims for the acts of a minority.  After all, does he care about the NRA's position on teen age access to assault rifles for school shootings.  I doubt it and that is terrorism also.

RSL disagrees with me on this coming down on the concept of absolute freedom.  But I prefer to call it a preference for civility and a recognition that we all need to get along.