On the premises of religion, there is no right to free speech; there is only the “right” to say what is permitted by “God.” This conclusion follows logically not only from the content of religion, but also, and more fundamentally, from its method—that is, from the means by which its content is “known” to be “true.” How, according to religion, are people to know that God exists, or what He commands, or that they must obey Him? While the holy books claim that He exists and said certain things and must be obeyed, they do not present any evidence in support of these claims. Statements written in books are not themselves evidence that those statements are true. Moreover, in addition to claiming that an all-benevolent God demands murder, the holy books contain many other wild claims: that a bush spoke, that a woman turned into a pillar of salt, that Jesus was born of a virgin, and that God created the universe six thousand years ago (a millennium after man created the first balance scale). How, according to religion, is one to know that the claims of the scripture are true? The answer is: by means of faith. Faith is the acceptance of ideas in the absence of evidence and in defiance of logic. In biblical terms, it is “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is the only way to “know” of God’s existence, laws, or desires, because there is no evidence for them. There is no science or logic to religion. God is purported to be beyond nature (i.e., “supernatural”) and thus beyond rational comprehension. As Rabbi Abraham Heschel puts it, God “surpasses nature” and “lies beyond all things and all concepts.” [Heschel continues:] “The moment we utter the name of God we leave the level of scientific thinking and enter the realm of the ineffable. Such a step is one which we cannot take scientifically, since it transcends the boundaries of all that is given. . . . Every religious act and judgment involves the acceptance of the ineffable, the acknowledgement of the inconceivable. . . . [T]he ineffable [is] that aspect of reality which by its very nature lies beyond our comprehension, and is acknowledged by the mind to be beyond the scope of the mind.” To know the truths of religion, one must give up one’s mind, accept the ineffable, and acknowledge the inconceivable. In a word, one must reject reason. Religious “truths” cannot be understood by reason and are not to be put to its test. If it is right to accept God and His laws on faith, then it is wrong to question Him or them with reason. To demand reasons for accepting the tenets of religion is to challenge the very existence and authority of God. According to religion, reason is, as Martin Luther put it, “The Devil’s bride” and “God’s worst enemy.” [Luther continues:] “There is on earth among all dangers no more dangerous thing than a richly endowed and adroit reason, especially if she enters into spiritual matters which concern the soul and God. For it is more possible to teach an ass to read than to blind such a reason and lead it right; for reason must be deluded, blinded, and destroyed. . . . Faith must trample under foot all reason, sense, and understanding, and whatever it sees it must put out of sight, and wish to know nothing but the word of God.” Granted, few religionists in the West today are as openly anti-reason as Luther was. Not even Jerry Falwell announces that “Faith must trample under foot all reason . . .” But insofar as a person accepts faith as a means of knowledge, he thereby denies that reason is man’s only means of knowledge—and thus denies the possibility of rights. Think about it: If a person has faith that God exists, that He must be obeyed, that He must not be offended—and that if He is disobeyed or offended, He must be avenged—how on earth can this person be expected to respect anyone’s “right” to disobey or offend God? What the believer purports to know here is not a trivial matter; it is a matter of the gravest importance in the world: the will and honor of the creator of the universe. There is no reasoning with such a person; his faith will not permit it. Evidence of the destructive nature of his beliefs will not sway him; logical argument will not enlighten him; human suffering and death are of no consequence to him. He is, by choice, immune to reason. This mentality was the cause of the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Salem witch trials, and the Thirty Years’ War. It is the cause of the current Islamic assault on the West and on freedom of speech. In mitigated form, it isalso the cause of the current Judeo-Christian attack on freedom of expression. And it will continue to cause rights violations, suffering, and death until faith is widely recognized as invalid and immoral. Full essay here: https://theobjectivestandard/issues/2006-summer/religion-vs-free-speech/
Posted on: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 22:10:00 +0000
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