It’s become quite fashionable of late to attempt to label “liberals” – also known as “those people who think everyone should have equal rights” – as hypocrites, because we dare to disagree with those we disagree with. There seems to be some sense that tolerance equals endorsement, and furthermore, that being disagreed with is not unlike having some of your rights taken away.
How else could people honestly think that, by being challenged on their wishes to let their religion justify punishments, they are being discriminated against to the same degree as those who have rights and opportunities taken from them? Some people actually seem to think that being unable to marry the one you love, being unable to keep a job because of who you love and being unable to carry on your way of life because of who you love is no worse than having someone publicly disagree with you or draw a cartoon about you.
Here’s the latest example I’ve seen, in response to this cartoon, from Saturday’s Journal Star:
Hypocritical on tolerance
It’s time to end the faux holier-than-thou attitudes of Ernie Chambers and Neal Obermeyer. Both rail against discrimination toward homosexuals and minorities, yet they hypocritically display similar intolerance toward churchgoers specifically and repeatedly.
Believers sometimes betray their religion and object of worship through their oxymoronic actions, but to group all churchgoers with right-wing firebrands such as Fred Phelps and Pat Robertson is far too simplistic. And assigning the blame for such extremists to God is nothing short of blasphemy.
Certainly a cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammad acknowledging all his followers as terrorists and warmongers would never get printed, and for good reason.
However, trash like Obermeyer’s cartoon gets circulated frequently. And the attempt by Chambers to “sue” God for whatever purposes embarrasses this state. This is the real world, not fanciful television shows like “Ally McBeal” or “Boston Legal.”
Jesus said those without sin may cast the first stone in condemning others. Fortunately, no one — not churchgoers, religious extremists, nor Messrs. Chambers and Obermeyer — belongs to this category.
Jared Gibson, Lincoln
For one, I’m not sure where he gets off saying it’s a faux holier-than-thou attitude… but I really wonder how he thinks I’m displaying “…similar intolerance toward churchgoers specifically and repeatedly.”
In case you, dear reader, are as confused as Jared Gibson, I don’t think that any of you should have your rights to marry, be employed or worship your god be taken away. Sorry for the misunderstanding.