Recently, there has been a steady and worrisome trend of stories in Western countries restricting free speech in the name of tolerance of religion, sexual orientation and other values. Now, United Nations General Assembly President Miguel d’Escoto Brockmann has called for a world ban on anyone defaming any religion. A suspended Nicaraguan priest, D’Escoto is little concerned about the devastating blow to free speech and free press in such a rule — dangers already realized in various countries where speaking against a religion has resulted in criminal penalties and even death. In making this outrageous call, D’Escoto has given critics of international legal systems a great boost — showing the dangers of such rules in restricting cherished constitutional rights.
D’Escoto once worked for those freedom loving folks The Sandinistas and was suspended by the Catholic Church. He caused a ruckus in literally embracing that voice of tolerance: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Perfect guy to forge a new world order with less disturbing speech and more state-enforced consensus.
In his frightening remarks, D’Escoto sought what would be an international blasphemy law. He told the members, “Yes, I believe that defamation of religion should be banned.” Showing little concern or knowledge of free speech principles, D’Escoto simply reached for soundbites that likely pleased representatives from Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other blasphemy-punishing nations, click here and here and here and here.
He noted: “People talk about bailing out the Wall Street when, in fact, humanity needs to be bailed out.” When reporters points out that he would gut free speech principles, D’Escoto responded “What we are only trying to do is to forge a front against ignorance, hunger and disease.”
This was a response to a Saudi Arabian proposal, which D’Escoto endorsed in principle. For the press conference record, click here.
I get it now. Iran and Sudan is a bastion against ignorance, hunger and disease by imprisoning or executing blasphemers.
The problem with this trend is the complete silence of Western powers and the United States. Indeed, the West has begun to punish those who speak on taboo subjects or in a way that is offensive to the majority. Click here.
I’d prefer to see a worldwide ban on practicing a religion.
“What we are only trying to do is to forge a front against ignorance, hunger and disease.” DUDE–you’re going to have to criticize religion if that’s your cause! Religionists don’t allow women to have rights. They cannot use condoms to prevent pregnancy or AIDS, resulting in more death and hunger. Relgionists don’t like science because it contradicts their text of choice. If you want to see a nexus of ideology that promotes ignorance, hunger and disease, check out religionists from every faith. Is telling the truth the same thing as defamation anyway?
Jill said,
“Religionists don’t allow women to have rights.”
“Relgionists don’t like science because it contradicts their text of choice.”
“If you want to see a nexus of ideology that promotes ignorance, hunger and disease, check out religionists from every faith.”
Wow. I never knew that I did any of those things.
From the context by ‘religionists’ you are refering to anyone who’s not an athiest? I would just want a clarification on the finer nuances of your point.
The UN is incompatible with free speech.
UNICEF and UNESCO have both degenerated in racist phenomena
I wonder what can possible be accomplished there which furthers the cause of the Founding Brothers, and all men’s (yes I mean women as well) individual freedoms?
Acheson was right.
Really sad, actually.
MASkeptic,
I use the term “religionists” to refere to people who desire the domination of their religion over any others or non-believers– people who would like to see a theocracy if they could. That is a term I use to distiquish the desire for power under the guise of a religion. That being said, I believe it is incumbent upon those people who do practice a religion to take a look at what it is actually teaching. Are we being unjust to others as the result of our belief system? Many religions do teach the inferiority of women. In the new age movement, there is the practice of despising the poor and sick. Just becuase something is taught as a religious practice does not mean it should not be questioned. Ethical questions pertain to atheists as well. An atheist who believes in the inferiority of women or the poor and sick should not be left unchallenged either.
Jill – like most atheists, you seem to have missed the point. In my experience, atheists don’t have problems with religion (mine is never criticized, for example), but with STUPID people who are religious. Atheism is not the only answer – imagine Lenin and Stalin, for example, and their strict anti-religion atrocities. Stupid people are stupid, whether they’re religious or not.
As for the actual post – wow. Talk about blind. Criticism is necessary to any healthy religion. It’s sad that the UN gave this man time to speak about removing yet more rights.
Hi Aidan,
I didn’t miss the point. I know there are many kind people in many faiths and you’ll neve hear me dispute this. I will dispute the texts and tennants of most faiths from a ethical basis.
The whole world can tell a snake from a dragon, but you cannot fool a zen monk.
Jill,
I’m glad you included the New-Agers. My wife and I have heard many times that she doesn’t NEED her anti-depressants, but that she can choose to feel better, never-mind that whole “chemical imbalance” thing.
Aidan,
I like that you assume that because Jill is a part of a particular group people that Jill missed the point about not assuming things about other groups of people.
Maskeptic,
If you have a minute could you please explain that snake,dragon,monk statement I don’t get it. Thank-you.
One interpretation given the context would be:
People seem to think there is some kind of difference between atrocities committed in the name of religion and atrocities committed in the name of politics/war/justice/ect. They are all the same, the difference is merely one of perspective, as with most issues.
I’m going home and wiping my ass with my Bible. Then I’m going to make fun of that elephant-headed god. What’s his name, Ganesh? Then I’m going to eat lots of pork while I fart towards Mecca. Then I’ll contemplate the sound of one hand clapping while I slap my wife’s ass. I’ve always defended the U.N. fro m wing-nut criticism, today I say fuck the U.N. and the horse baby Jebus road in on.
All atheists can come to the exact same conclusion about gods regardless of race, country, economic status, gender or period in history.
Religious people on the other hand can be raised in the same house still disagree.
One conclusion is objective and repeatable, the other is not.
How many people have met (a) God and how many are just playing along with the crazies and con-men?
Ugly,
There’s a wide variety within the Atheist community. The problem is that Atheist is a term used by Theists to describe everyone who disagrees with them, regardless of how much their viewpoints have in common with each other.
What you are saying is similar to someone saying, “There’s a wide variety of people who are born in France; All non-french people aren’t born in France so they are all the same.”
seamus,
What about the nihilists? You left them out, so I’ll take care of it by making this comment. By doing something, anything, for a nihilist you insult them. And for your information, the sound of one hand clapping is indeed much as you describe. Now quit making me dragon’s breath Coke on my monitor.
“Much further out than inevitable,
Halloween is thy game.
Sky king is come and Wilma’s done,
Uncertain as it is uneven.
Give us today hors’douvres in bed,
As we forgive those who have dressed up against us.
And need us not enter inflation.
Butter liver, onions and potatoes.
For wine is a shingle, and a mower,
And a story for your father.
Allright.”
———–John Hartford
(pardon me for another interlude…)
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
And that’s good enough for me
It was good for the Hebrew children
It was good for the Hebrew children
It was good for the Hebrew children
And that’s good enough for me
It was good for Paul and Silas
It was good for Paul and Silas
It was good for Paul and Silas
And that’s good enough for me
We will pray to Aphrodite
Even though she’s rather flighty
And they say she wears no nightie
And that’s good enough for me
We will pray with those Egyptians
Build pyramids to put our crypts in
Cover subways with inscriptions
And that’s good enough for me
O-old Odin we will follow
And in fighting we will wallow
‘Til we wind up in Valhalla
And that’s good enough for me
Let me follow dear old Buddha
For there is nobody cuter
He comes in plaster, wood, or pewter
And that’s good enough for me
We will pray with Zarathustra
Pray just like we use ta
I’m a Zarathustra booster
And that’s good enough for me
We will pray with those old Druids
They drink fermented fluids
Waltzing naked thru the woo-ids
And that’s good enough for me
Hare Krishna gets a laugh on
When he sees me dressed in saffron
With my hair that’s only half on
And that’s good enough for me
I’ll arise at early morning
When the sun gives me the warning
That the solar age is dawning
And that’s good enough for me
——————-C.Tillman
Wow!
Jill, you opened up Pandora’s box here. I, for one, agree with your comments. You don’t have to be an atheist to believe that many religions, including the one I was brought up in, Catholicism, do not allow women any major role in the Church and certaintly not equality. How many people throughout history have been killed in the name of someone else’s God? I think the answer could be millions. I am not anti-religion as I still consider myself a Catholic, but I do not accept tenets that insult my intelligence or that do not follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Maybe I am a hybrid or a mutt when it comes to religion, but if everyone isn’t allowed at the table, it can’t be what Jesus wanted.
Well I’d go one step further than Jill
Yes the religionists as Jill calls them are a serious issues, however more worrying is the number of “moderate” believers who fail to condemn the extremists within their midst.
The reasons for this are many, but one for sure is the infallibility of dogma. If this bit is wrong what else can you trust?
Another is that all the dogmatic texts claim to be right and declares all other beliefs wrong.
If this is so then conflict is not only inevitable but built in.
So combine this unavoidable conflict with a belief in the inerrancy of dogma and there really is only one way for an adherent to go, crusade, jihad etc.
If you don’t see this you are an apostate therefore an enemy. The “moderates don’t want to leave, but don’t want to be excommunicated so they allow their armed wing to do the killing for them.
Hi Jonathon
try as I might I cant find another source for this UN activity.
could you provide me with a source please.
This is outrageous!
The world should abolish the United Nations.
I was hoping for a bill that would BAN religion.
Religion is delusion. It deserves no special protection whatsoever, and should be mocked and ridiculed at every opportunity.
How do we stop this UN effort? Islam is an international crime syndicate masquerading as a religion. Who else can issue an international order to kill someone (Salman Rushdie for Satanic Verses) and get away with it? See what the late George Carlin thought about religion at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeSSwKffj9o&feature=related
“Here is where the intelligence that has wisdom comes in: The seven heads mean seven mountains, where the woman sits on top. 10 And there are seven kings: five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet arrived, but when he does arrive he must remain a short while. 11 And the wild beast that was but is not, it is also itself an eighth [king], but springs from the seven, and it goes off into destruction.”
~ Revelation 17:9-11
It is absolutely BEYOND awesome that there exists a book that actually has history WRITTEN IN ADVANCE within it!
‘Impossible!,’ some say.
Yet, there IS a book that really did tell history in advance—HUNDREDS, sometimes even THOUSANDS of years BEFORE the events occurred!
That book is… the Bible, no other book (religious or otherwise) ANYWHERE on planet earth is capable of doing this.
No imperfect human being of their own originality has the ability to actually ACCURATELY fortell the future before it happens and get it right 100% each and everytime WITHOUT FAIL.
I’m talking about ACCURATELY fortelling actual HISTORY IN ADVANCE (before it happens)… NO IMPERFECT HUMAN can do this.
But yet, the Bible DOES just that! That reason alone is ONE of the main reasons (if not THE main reason) why I KNOW (not simply just believe) that the Bible IS DEFINITELY the holy book from God THE Almighty and what is written within it is DEFINITELY NOT from the source of ancient imperfect humans.
The Bible not only reported ancient events WITH ACCURACY but in a most amazing way it even foretold the major outline of WORLD HISTORY as it would affect God’s people, from the time of ancient Babylon, more than 2,500 years ago, down to and even BEYOND our present day!
Daniel, a prophet who lived in the sixth century before our Common Era, was given four separate revelations that dealt with the future of world history. Where did he get his information? Said Daniel himself at Daniel 2:28… and I quote:
“There exists a GOD in the heavens who is a Revealer of SECRETS.” ~Daniel 2:28
That and what follows in what I am posting is how I KNOW that individuals such as Atheists are absolutely beyond the shadow of any doubt 100% WRONG in their belief that God does not exist… unless of course they can somehow justify that imperfect human beings DO have the ability to accurately foretell HISTORY IN ADVANCE and get in spot on, dead center CORRECT 100% each and every time they do so. Yet, the Bible (which WAS written by imperfect humans) does this.
Archaeologists, uncovering the remains left by ancient world powers, have found astounding proof of the truthfulness both of the HISTORY and of the PROPHECY found in the Bible.
Two of the great world powers of Biblical history, Egypt and Assyria, existed long BEFORE Daniel’s time. Babylon WAS RULING in Daniel’s day, and the names of the SUCCEEDING TWO world powers were revealed to the prophet (Daniel 2:47, 48; 8:20, 21).
Two OTHERS would follow these, bringing us up to our present time in which we now live.
According to the Bible, how many of such world powers would there be? The answer was given to the aged apostle John and shows EXACTLY where we are in the stream of time from God’s standpoint. An angel told John at Revelation 17:10… and I quote:
“There are SEVEN kings: FIVE have fallen, ONE is, THE OTHER has not yet arrived.”
~Revelation 17:10
What FIVE world powers had already come and gone by the apostle John’s day?
#1) Egypt
#2) Assyria
#3) Babylon
#4) Medo-Persia
#5) Greece.
Which one STILL EXISTED during the apostle’s John’s time when he wrote the Revelation he received?
Rome (#6).
Which power had “not yet arrived”? The Anglo-American World Power of our day (Brittain & The United States of America).
These are the world powers with which God’s people, ancient and modern, have been primarily concerned.
An especially important FACT is this: There was to be a SUCCESSION of ONLY SEVEN such world powers! A contemporaneous EIGHTH power, which would include remnants of the seven, was foretold to exist for a short time during the days of the seventh (Revelation 17:10, 11).
The United Nations (formerly known as The League of Nations), IS this EIGHTH king/power.
This means that we are NOW living during the time of THE LAST of the great world powers ruled by imperfect man. There will be NO MORE!
Soon now, the world powers of imperfect man will have had their day. Daniel prophesied at Daniel 2:35 that these human systems will be CRUSHED and ‘carried away by the wind’.
What will replace them?
Something far better!!! Daniel reports at Daniel 2:44… and I quote:
“In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. . . . It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite”. Times indefinite means FOREVER.
So nothing less than GOD’S HEAVENLY KINGDOM will REPLACE these imperfect human world powers. What a magnificent improvement in world rulership!!!
Now then, picture this scene of Revelation 17:1-4. A disgusting harlot is sitting on the back of a fearsome beast. The beast has seven heads and ten horns. Whom does the harlot represent? What is recorded in Revelation says that she exerts INFLUENCE “over the kings of the earth” (aka political powers). What is recorded in Revelation also says that she dresses in purple, uses incense, and is exceedingly wealthy. In addition, what is recorded in Revelation also says that by means of her SPIRITISTIC PRACTICE, ‘all the nations are misled’ (Revelation 17:18; 18:12, 13, 23).
The Bible helps us to see that this harlot IS a worldwide RELIGIOUS entity. Contrary to popular belief, she depicts, not any ONE religion, but ALL religions that produce ROTTEN fruit. In otherwords, she represents the worldwide religious empire entity of FALSE religion which is not of and or originates from the One true Almighty God whose personal name according to Psalm 83:18 is… JEHOVAH (http://tinyurl.com/27qrodn ).
The beast that the harlot rides pictures the world’s political powers (Revelation 17:10-13). False religion straddles the back of this political beast, attempting to INFLUENCE its decisions and to control its direction… which is EXACTLY what religion does.
Soon, though, an amazing event WILL take place. According to Revelation 17:16 the apostle John was told… and I quote:
“The ten horns that you saw, and the wild beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire.”
In a sudden, shocking move, the world’s political powers (which will be under the authority of the EIGHTH king, aka the United Nations) will turn on false religion and completely destroy her!
What will prompt this action? The Bible book of Revelation answers at Revelation 17:17:
“GOD put it into their hearts to carry out HIS thought.”
~ Revelation 17:17
Yeppers, JEHOVAH GOD ALMIGHTY is very soon about to call false religion to account for ALL the despicable acts of crimes against humanity she has committed in his name. In a stroke of perfect justice, God will use her political paramours as his instrument of execution, in the same way he did with the ancient city of Babylon itself.
What must people in our day do if they DO NOT WANT to share the fate of what is about to soon happen with false religion? “GET OUT OF HER, my people,” urges God’s messenger at Revelation 18:4!
Now is the time for people to flee from false religion! GET OUT OF HER!!! But to where can people flee? DEFINITELY NOT into Atheism, since its future is also bleak according to 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9.
The ONLY haven is within TRUE religion. How sincere people identify true religion? The following 100% Bible based article provides THE answer:http://tinyurl.com/n6uml8
{HOW TO FIND THE TRUE RELIGION}
Carefully read it with a copy of ANY Bible… it IS LITERALLY a matter of life and death people… SERIOUSLY, you are being warned.
When these things that are destined to occur actually SOON COME ABOUT, all of you people who think what has been stated here is utter nonsense and or who don’t take this as SERIOUS as it really is, won’t be able to claim that you weren’t given WARNING well in advance.
**Mindy lowers and slowly shakes her head from side to side at the person/people who in their ignorance give whats being relayed a “thumbs down”**
Your destruction by God’s wrath will be on YOUR OWN heads:
“Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon EVERYONE LIVING ON EARTH. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough TO ESCAPE these coming HORRORS and stand before the Son of Man.”
after all this has passed next is Rev 19-17 I saw also an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice and said to all the birds that fly in midheaven: “Come here, be gathered together to the great evening meal of God, 18 that YOU may eat the fleshy parts of kings and the fleshy parts of military commanders