Vorkosigan

Only if you feel that critiques, criticisms, and commentary are likely to incite hate. In that case we can all stop talking.

When does criticism cross the line?

And here I thought that Apikorus was responding to a particular interpretation of Christianity, namely, that the Bible is the inerrant word of god. Again, if you think that parody is incitement to hate, it will be difficult to dialogue with you.

Roger, at the moment, Christian missionaries are active throughout the world, busily stomping out all competing belief stances in favor of Christianity. Christianity desires a world in which it is the only belief system; atheism does not seek anything -- it is merely the belief that there are no gods. The difference is profound: on one side, the hateful desire to make itself supreme in every man's heart; on the other, a simple non serviam. It is hard to imagine any greater hate and intolerance than that of Christianity for the world it seeks to blot out and remake in its own image, nor does any atheist here -- even though we are all kindly and tolerant and live happily alongside Christians of all kinds (I send my son to the local missionary school and have volunteered in local aborigine churches) -- ever forget that ultimately Christianity seeks the utter abolition of atheism, whereas atheism seeks.....nothing at all.

It's a common tactic to deliberately confuse criticisms of systems with criticisms of individuals. I hope you are not engaging in that here. And further, I think part of the problem is that many Britons simply do not understand what is going on in the US, where a rising Christian theocracy movement is threatening to snuff out democracy in the US. If some here are more militant than others, it is because we know the threat we face.

I do share your distress at hate-crime laws. When the Religious Right comes to power in the US, those hate-crime laws are going to be directed at the Left. And they will have only themselves to blame.

Michael

Ted Hoffman

Is there a site that is dedicated to unmasking the evil of Christianity and Christians - or do you just like using false analogies hidden behing loaded questions?