Mar 13 2006
Xenophobia or common sense?
I just started reading Sam Harris’ excellent book, ‘The End of Faith’. I’m only a few chapters into it, but he makes the compelling case that it is long past time to stop giving people of faith a free ride, in the sense of not questioning its premises, especially in matters of politics. I couldn’t agree more. With that in mind, I point you to this article form the British Times online, called, ‘Holland Launches the Immigrant Quiz’.
Apparently, Holland is making would-be immigrants watch a DVD that shows, among other things, two men kissing, and a female topless sunbather. This serves the purpose of seeing whether or not the applicants will be able to accept the country’s liberal attitudes.
Of course, there are charges of racism here. Personally, as long as it is being shown to ALL applicants, regardless of race or nation of origin, I think it’s a rather good idea. I’ve been following a bit about the conflicts in western European countries between the natives and Muslim immigrants who bring the, shall we say, more archaic and intolerant practices of their faith, and the resulting conflicts that ensue.
Now, I must break here… I am rather hostile to religion. It boggles my mind how so many people, who listen to facts and evidence in every other aspect of their lives suspend that when it comes to faith. I am disturbed at how few people know the history of their religions. And, similar to what Sam Harris says, most of the aspects of religion if embraced in any other context, would ensure a trip to the mental hospital. It’s ok to say that God speaks to you in times of distress, but if the creatures from Alpha Centauri speak to you through your hairdryer, you’re nuts. Can someone explain the difference to me?
Now, I know, some of you are thinking how out of line I am here, we need to respect all faiths and beliefs. Ok. Respect… if that means allowing people to practice what they believe, no matter how irrational, as long as they are not hurting anyone or forcing anyone else to believe it, sure. I can do that, hard as it can be sometimes. I am proud to live in Vermont, a state with many sane, rational, forward thinking people, but also a place where a lot of New-age looniness is quite mainstream. I deal. I don’t have to engage someone in a conversation about astrology, because they’re not condemning me because of their belief in it. When I hear, “It’s because Mercury is in retrograde,” I just smile politely and change the subject because there is no rational way to even discuss that.
But to not question their faith when it crosses into the public sphere? Sorry, you want to mandate compulsory childbirth or discrimination against women/gays/people of color because your magical Sky Fairy says so? Uh-uh. Prove it. You want God in the public schools? Ok, let’s have a class analyzing those faiths and their histories, with all the resulting genocide, contradictions and irrationality and whether or not there’s any truth to the alleged events so widely held as truth. I don’t mean those unprovable vague platitudes like Jesus died for your sins, I mean did any of this stuff actually even happen, and if so, where’s the proof? Somehow I don’t think they’d go along with it, even though they love to rant about teaching both sides.
(sigh) -catching breath-
SO, back to the Holland thing. To me, this is telling potential immigrants, “This is how we live here. You are more than welcome to come here - but don’t try to change the way we live because it doesn’t jive with your belief system.” The way I see it, if a fundamentalist Muslim or Christian watches this video, feels disturbed, and maybe has a rare moment of clarity, and says, ‘Men kissing? Public nudity? Do I really want to live there? Will every waking moment have me in constant frustration and anger? Maybe I should stay home,’ it will have served its purpose. Before you rip my head off, please tell me how Dutch society benefits by having that person of a 14th-century mindset enter its society. If you can, then I’ll put my head on the chopping block. I am all for diversity, but not when it means being accepting of those who see diversity as threatening to their worldview.
There’s a blog called Face of Muhammed, set up in retaliation to the loony reaction to those Muhammed cartoons. I have mixed feelings about the tone of the site, although I feel no sympathy for these people who have continued to act like idiots in the name of their particular mythical creature. The one thing on the site that struck me was this, I’d like to know your thoughts on it:
Dear muslims,
If you do not like my country, please leave.
If you do not like the way our women dress, please leave.
If you do not like our separation of politics and religion, please leave.
If you support violent responses to criticism of Islam, please leave.
If you support terrorism in any way, shape or form, please leave.
If you cannot accept satirical cartoons in our newspapers, please leave.
If you do not support democracy or the freedom of speech, please leave my country.
Is that harsh and intolerant? Or sane and rational and indicative of how intelligent 21st century people should be behaving? Fire away.
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