@ehBeth,
ehBeth wrote:
I think it does matter, and there are Christians who have stood up to the fanatics. They deserve my respect, and receive it.
There are scientists who are practicing Christians. There are Christians who don't have a problem saying that they believe in evolution etc etc
I think it's important to know that and to understand it.
It is no different than moderate Muslims speaking out against Muslim extremists. I think it needs to be done.
No different?
On the one had we have a ridiculous reaction to a commercial ad that hasn't caused international incidents, involved the destruction of property and the loss of lives, or resulted in apologies and lies from the US government or an assault on Free Speech. On the other hand we have a manufactured ridiculous reaction to an obscure movie trailer that has...
The reaction to the Dr. Pepper ad is so silly and inconsequential that there is no need for anyone to stand up and challenge it, and anyone who does is hardly demonstrating bravery. The Creationist critics of the ad aren't going to wipe out a village because one it's people have loudly and publicly called them out on it.
Although there is very little equivalence of impact between Christian fanatics in the US and Muslim fanatics anywhere, an intellectual argument can be made against all religious fanaticism. Unfortunately the people who love to shout the alarm on any and all examples of Christian fanaticism, rarely do so when the fanatics are Muslim. They are also the people who insist, whenever there is a violent and destructive example of Muslim fanaticism, that we understand that the majority of Muslims don't endorse the violent fanaticism.
This may very well be the case but, at the very least, the images associated with these acts might suggest otherwise, and, with the exception of recent activity in Libya, we don't ever see a response to the fanatics by the moderates that might make us more confident with the assumption that the fanatics are in the minority.
It's interesting that the people who want to remind us of moderate Muslims, rarely if ever choose to remind us of moderate Christians when their brand of fanatic rear their ugly heads.
From my point of view, neither of these two religions is superior to the other, but the current manifestations of fanaticism within their practice are very, very different.
Obviously most liberals agree with me or we would be seeing incredibly funny, and Tony Award winning musicals on Broadway mocking Islam as well as Mormonism. Our tax dollars would be spent to promote a Piss Mohammed as well as a Piss Christ.
There is nothing particularly brave about anyone criticizing Christian fanaticism, in the West but there is something cowardly about Westerners running from criticism of Muslim fanaticism.
Arguments that it isn't fear that prevents our artists and writers from taking on Islamist fanatics, but a concern about promoting bigotry are a pathetic dodge.