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The mission of the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science is to support scientific education, critical thinking and evidence-based understanding of the natural world in the quest to overcome religious fundamentalism, superstition, intolerance and suffering.
The Magic of Reality
for the iPad
Sean Faircloth:
Attack of the Theocrats!
Laws against blasphemy are like laws against assaulting invisible men.
Not only there is no apparent victim, the decision what constitutes an offense is also entirely arbitrary. Anything can be considered an "offense".
"So you claim you were just pointing in the direction of the airport to guide this woman? Seems to me like you were poking the eyes of an invisible man! We won't suffer your kind here!"
When someone is accused of theft or murder, we usually pause when there is serious doubt that the object he stole or the person he murdered even existed. With blasphemy, that only saves the prosecutor the trouble of "evidence".
Permalink Sun, 09 Jan 2011 11:26:03 UTC | #575629