This is what it looks like
When a mob of believers act out on their fevers
And act in the place of the law
This is what it looks like
When a person’s attacked for beliefs that are lacked
And when public emotions are raw
This is religion in government.
This is religion by force
This is the brawl when you tear down the wall
And the thrall of the mob runs its course
This is what it looks like
When the church and the state allow people to hate
With the force of the law on their side
This is what it looks like
When majority rules in the towns and the schools
And the fools force dissenters to hide
This is religion in government.
This is religion by force
This is the brawl when you tear down the wall
And the thrall of the mob runs its course
This is what it looks like
When the law of a nation holds no separation
And thinking some thoughts is a crime
This is what it looks like
And it wouldn’t be hard, simply let down your guard
And it’s only a matter of time
Context(s), after the jump:
The people of Cranston, RI might want to look to Indonesia. What Cranston’s vocal minority of enraged Christians has been threatening Jessica Ahlquist with (and what Rhys Morgan has been threatened with in the UK), has already happened in Dharmasraya:
An Indonesian civil servant who posted “God does not exist” on his Facebook page has been taken into police custody for his own protection after he was badly beaten.
The man, identified as Alexander, 31, now faces the prospect of losing his job, or even being jailed, if he fails to repent and accept one of six official state religions.
Blasphemy carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail.
The thing about recognizing that rights are not endowed by a creator is, you recognize that they can disappear if they are not defended. Defending free expression is the duty of anyone who cherishes it. But how? First read this.
One Law for All is calling for a rally in defence of free expression and the right to criticise religion on 11 February 2012 in central London from 2-4pm.
We are also calling for simultaneous events and acts in defence of free expression on 11 February in countries world-wide.
If there is an event in your area, go! If not, make your own!
I am always reminded of Kipling’s ‘MacDonough’s Song’:
‘For Holy State, however it runs
Endeth in wholly slave.’
It is a fundamental lack of imagination that means they can’t see that the separation of church and state is of as much value to the religious as it is to those who are not. They have always been within the fold of a dominant religion. They can’t imagine not being dominant. They don’t think separation of church and state is important, because the stories about the Indonesian man isn’t real to them–that’s just them Mooslims, not good Christians like us. Can’t happen here. They need to Google “Antelope, Oregon”.