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Freedom From Religion
Jul. 2nd, 2008 10:50 amI stood up to another Jesus-head on my train this morning. This one was spouting off repeatedly about the evils of homosexuals and how California is being plagued with wildfires because they allow equal marriage rights for all people regardless of their religion or orientation. I stood right in front of him on a nearly empty train, right up in his face, and wouldn't let him move past me; I never touched him or threatened him - but I got right up in his business the same way he was in my business by shouting on my train.
Richard Dawkins has spoken out and encouraged "militant atheism". And for the most part I agree with him; not by taking up arms against fanaticism - but by standing up against those who would impose their will on me and on all people who don't agree with them.
He called me a communist, he called me fat, he called me a dictator and an oppressor - all the while not realizing that he was an oppressor himself, imposing his intolerant religious views and his hate speech on everyone within earshot. He said that I would kill him and destroy his way of life if I had my way. He threatened me with his martial arts skills - a man easily 150 pounds lighter and a foot shorter than me - and said with his adorable speech impediment that he would prevail because of his righteousness. He begged other people on the train to remove me from his presence. He said I'd burn in hell.
Unfortunately there's no way to "win" against a religious fanatic. No matter what you say to him or her or whatever happens, the fanatic will rationalize and justify everything so that he or she is "right". So the win has to come from demonstrating to other people that yes, you can stand up to a raving loon and you don't have to take the crap.
I told him I stood for freedom. I asked him if he hated muslims and jews (he repeatedly spoke out against "muslim dictators" and claimed he did not hate jews and muslims).
And the other people on the train backed me up. When I stood up, they spoke out against his words too.
That's all we have to do to fight fanatics, people. Just stand up to them and call them on their bullshit. And if they react badly, they show their true colors, and that is a win. The world needs to see the true face of religious fanaticism.
(What I didn't ask him, what I realized later I should always do whenever I'm in this situation, is to ask him if he'd crash a plane into a building full of homosexuals. Always compare fanatics to the 9/11 hijackers, because there is no difference between them.)
Richard Dawkins has spoken out and encouraged "militant atheism". And for the most part I agree with him; not by taking up arms against fanaticism - but by standing up against those who would impose their will on me and on all people who don't agree with them.
He called me a communist, he called me fat, he called me a dictator and an oppressor - all the while not realizing that he was an oppressor himself, imposing his intolerant religious views and his hate speech on everyone within earshot. He said that I would kill him and destroy his way of life if I had my way. He threatened me with his martial arts skills - a man easily 150 pounds lighter and a foot shorter than me - and said with his adorable speech impediment that he would prevail because of his righteousness. He begged other people on the train to remove me from his presence. He said I'd burn in hell.
Unfortunately there's no way to "win" against a religious fanatic. No matter what you say to him or her or whatever happens, the fanatic will rationalize and justify everything so that he or she is "right". So the win has to come from demonstrating to other people that yes, you can stand up to a raving loon and you don't have to take the crap.
I told him I stood for freedom. I asked him if he hated muslims and jews (he repeatedly spoke out against "muslim dictators" and claimed he did not hate jews and muslims).
And the other people on the train backed me up. When I stood up, they spoke out against his words too.
That's all we have to do to fight fanatics, people. Just stand up to them and call them on their bullshit. And if they react badly, they show their true colors, and that is a win. The world needs to see the true face of religious fanaticism.
(What I didn't ask him, what I realized later I should always do whenever I'm in this situation, is to ask him if he'd crash a plane into a building full of homosexuals. Always compare fanatics to the 9/11 hijackers, because there is no difference between them.)