By ADAM SHANNON - UNI FREETHINKERS AND INQUIRERS
Added: Wed, 05 Oct 2011 15:14:09 UTC

Doug Shaw is a professor of Mathematics at UNI and sent us his thoughts on Blasphemy Rights Day, which happened yesterday.

So I've been following Blasphemy Day at UNI through its journey from
"Draw Mohammed" day, to "Blaspheme against Gods and Religions on the
sidewalk," day to its current, "Chalk about blasphemy laws" day. It's trajectory reminds me of half of the atheist spectrum. You've walked along the atheist spectrum, right? It ends at the "Angry-in-your-face" Atheist stereotype , goes through the "Don't be a dick" activist , past the "My religion (or lack thereof) is my own business" maverick, through the "I'm still in the closet" person, and starts at the "I'm faking it every Sunday for my family and friends" misery. It should go without saying that these are all atheists - this isn't a club with admissions requirements and dues, levels and degrees; if you don't believe in God, then you are an atheist, just the same as anyone else who doesn't believe in God.

Not only are the militant stereotypes on the spectrum, I am glad they are there. One of the stupidest things about the liberal movement is that every couple of years they disavow and jettison 5% of their most extreme members. Kick the Communists out, then the Socialists look extreme. Kick the Socialists out, then the New Dealers look extreme. Soon, Nixon is viewed as moderate. These days, if you look at Reagan's policies, HE'S the new "center." When Hillary Clinton and John Kerry are considered the extreme left, and Joe Liebermann is the "moderate" you know some definitional changers are going on. And yet, the left keeps throwing out their 5% most-left, and wondering why our national discourse keeps shifting to the right. Asserting the government's right to torture suspects and wiretap non-suspects, suspending Congressional elections, limiting the right of the poor to vote - all of these ideas were considered too extreme for even serious consideration when I was a kid, but now, although they are far right, they not too out-there for debate. Because the left bi-annually disavows it's "extreme" 5%. That wasn't a digression; that was a vision of the way Atheists will be treated if they disavow, discourage, silence, their angry extremists. Go back to that spectrum I described.
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TAGGED: HUMAN RIGHTS, RELIGION, REVIEWS