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This is a quick video for those, mainly Christians and Muslims
who keep telling me for reasons that I can never quite fathom
that I have no right to insult their religion.
I don't know who made up that rule when nobody was looking,
but apparently somebody did, so let me give you my perspective on it now, if I may.
I give your religion as much respect as your religion gives me.
There's nothing complicated about it.
And I have every right to insult a religion
that goes out of its way to insult, to judge, and to condemn me
as an inadequate human being,
which your religion does with self-righteous gusto.
When it comes to insults, your religion started this, not me.
If your religion kept its big mouth shut, so would I.
But, given that it doesn't, and given the enormous harm
that your religion has done in this world,
I'd say that I have not only a right, but a duty to insult it,
as does every rational thinking person on this planet.
In fact, I think it should be compulsory for everyone
to insult your religion every day.
No, not every day - five times every day.
Oh what the hell, ten times - one for each commandment.
And even that wouldn't be enough
because the moment your religion claims any kind of jurisdiction over my experience
you insult me on a level you can't even begin to comprehend.
Even if your beliefs had substance, the arrogance of that would be insult enough,
but the fact that they have no substance, and are merely
a transparent raft of delusions and lies,
magnifies the insult enormously.
And for this reason, not only do I have a perfect right
to insult your religion, I have a right to insult you personally
the moment I have to hear about your poxy religion.
The moment you offer me any kind of scripture-based opinion
about what I should believe, or the values I should hold,
or especially the morals I should exhibit,
then you can expect to be graphically and comprehensively insulted for your trouble.
And I sincerely hope it hurts your feelings,
harms your emotional well-being, and damages your self-image
to the extent that you have to go and lie down for ten minutes
before you can even pray.
If I'm not allowed to express my sincerely held belief
that your religion is a crock of dangerous evil dehumanising superstitious garbage,
then it seems to me that I don't have religious freedom, but you do,
because I can assure you that I hold that view
with a passion and a solemn intensity that can match anything you've got to offer.
It is, for me, a core defining belief
and a pillar of my whole reality;
an absolutely unshakable fundamental conviction
that resonates to every fibre of my being
that your religion is, in fact, a crock of dangerous
evil dehumanising superstitious garbage
that pollutes and degrades the world I have to live in.
And I'm not happy about it.
And I feel morally obliged, nay compelled,
to make this known loudly and often,
regardless of who claims to be offended,
because not to do so would violate everything I am
and everything I believe in. I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
I'd feel like a liar and a coward,
and, well, something of a moral cockroach,
and that would weigh very heavily on my conscience.
I'm sure you understand. Peace.