There's a difference between anti-Semitism and a rejection of Judaism, just like Islamophobia is not synonymous with rejecting Islam.
In other words, Huckleberry Finn portrays an ignorant and racist approach to people based on an accident of birth and not any character trait, but a rejection of religious doctrines with which one disagrees is a perfectly valid sentiment because it rejects beliefs and ideas at odds with one's own, ideas that can be accepted or rejected freely. Anti-Semitic statements of an ethnic nature would be on a par with your example, as would anti-Arab statements. However, I think treating a believer's conscious rejection and admonition of non-believers the same as base racism makes an Orwellian parallel.
In other words, Huckleberry Finn portrays an ignorant and racist approach to people based on an accident of birth and not any character trait, but a rejection of religious doctrines with which one disagrees is a perfectly valid sentiment because it rejects beliefs and ideas at odds with one's own, ideas that can be accepted or rejected freely. Anti-Semitic statements of an ethnic nature would be on a par with your example, as would anti-Arab statements. However, I think treating a believer's conscious rejection and admonition of non-believers the same as base racism makes an Orwellian parallel.
The way I see it, despite all the stuff about brotherhood and refraining from murder, even the Abrahamic religions are all mutually exclusive. Mohammed denied the divinity of God. If rejecting the rightfully authority of a worldly ruler is a capital offense, how much more so the Divine Ruler? Thus in a Muslim's eyes, Christians are blasphemously usurping a divine position for their namesake, and to Jews, Mohammedans and Christians are giving undue homage to a couple of Johnny-come-latelys. That's why I loathe those "coexist" bumper stickers. There is no room for that in the sincere practice of any of those religions. And from that point of view "rejection and admonition of non-believers" is an act of kindness and mercy and even duty to your fellow man. Prosletyzing is an act of love, not hatred. And to a certain extent, so is torturing prosletyzers to death.
Cannoli
"Sometimes unhinged, sometimes unfair, always entertaining"
- The Crownless
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Deus Vult!
"Sometimes unhinged, sometimes unfair, always entertaining"
- The Crownless
“Tolerance is the virtue of the man without convictions.” GK Chesteron
Deus Vult!
Divine Comedy is "offensive and discriminatory", says Italian NGO
- 20/03/2012 07:25:08 PM
1534 Views
Duh?
- 20/03/2012 07:38:41 PM
950 Views
It does kind of feel like we should know more about how it's taught in Italian schools.
- 20/03/2012 07:50:36 PM
878 Views
Isn't the fundamental basis of Christanity mutually exclusive to Judaism and Islam?
- 20/03/2012 08:33:51 PM
875 Views
That's a really good point that I hadn't considered. I agree. *NM*
- 22/03/2012 09:05:00 AM
391 Views
Excellent point.
- 22/03/2012 11:44:36 PM
1537 Views
Just because someone is in Hell doesn't mean you should discriminate against them
- 20/03/2012 08:23:22 PM
1003 Views
Not having read any Dante is kind of hurting my ability to reply to that.
- 20/03/2012 10:08:52 PM
1249 Views
- 20/03/2012 10:08:52 PM
1249 Views
Odd, considering you linked the "offending passages"
- 20/03/2012 11:54:34 PM
876 Views
Yes, well, I was semi-serious with the "pretending to understand Italian".
- 21/03/2012 07:58:35 PM
889 Views
- 21/03/2012 07:58:35 PM
889 Views
I rather agree with you
- 21/03/2012 10:09:01 PM
1072 Views
Taking the Divine Comedy off the curriculum would be like taking Shakespeare out in the UK.
- 21/03/2012 10:48:15 PM
885 Views
But some works of Flaubert aren't considered OK for compulsory reads...
- 22/03/2012 05:27:04 AM
864 Views
The last part of Hell is Giudecca because of Judas.
- 21/03/2012 10:30:36 PM
973 Views
And you don't see what's offensive about that?
- 21/03/2012 11:11:16 PM
890 Views
You are making an assumption that Dante named it after Jewish quarters.
- 21/03/2012 11:24:47 PM
1301 Views
Wait, let's be clear just how bat-shit Rick Santorum crazy these assholes are.
- 21/03/2012 01:06:49 AM
980 Views
They also dont seem to realize just how many Muslim nations are calling for the eradication of Israe *NM*
- 21/03/2012 04:33:53 PM
561 Views
There's some things in that paragraph one can roll one's eyes at, aye - but that's as far as it goes
- 21/03/2012 08:06:32 PM
853 Views
Are you serious?! Did you read the whole paragraph?
- 21/03/2012 10:24:56 PM
865 Views
I certainly did. Though as it turns out I had not read their other articles...
- 21/03/2012 10:59:51 PM
920 Views
I saw that. Seems a little misguided
- 21/03/2012 07:04:06 AM
875 Views
That's what they're advocating. And I wouldn't know - they seem to think it is. *NM*
- 21/03/2012 08:08:53 PM
367 Views
I think that sometimes people take "politicly correct" tooooo far... *NM*
- 21/03/2012 08:20:31 AM
480 Views
Let me sum up my opinion on this as succinctly and clearly as I can:
- 21/03/2012 11:50:37 PM
870 Views
