For the Pimps of Fear, Anger and Hatred

UPDATE: The U.S. has a sad history of religious intolerance. "The protests against Park51 closely mirror Protestant opposition to the oldest Catholic church in New York State, the pastor says." Read The New York Times, 200-Year-Old Echoes in Muslim Center Uproar.

The article reminds our most 'pious' ones that on "Christmas Eve 1806, two decades after the church was built, the building was surrounded by Protestants incensed at a celebration going on inside — a religious observance then viewed in the United States as an exercise in “popish superstition,” more commonly referred to as Christmas. Protesters tried to disrupt the service. In the melee that ensued, dozens of people were injured and a policeman was killed."

Religious fanatics are all alike, they emphasize the best parts of their own religion and vilify the worst parts of any other.

"Test your religious literacy:

Which sacred text says that Jesus is the “word” of God? a) the Gospel of John; b) the Book of Isaiah; c) the Koran.

The correct answer is the Koran. But if you guessed the Gospel of John you get partial credit because its opening passage — “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God” — is an implicit reference to Jesus. In fact, when Muhammad described Jesus as God’s word, he was no doubt aware that he was affirming Christian teaching.

Extra-credit question: Which sacred text has this to say about the Hebrews: God, in his “prescience,” chose “the children of Israel … above all peoples”? I won’t bother to list the choices, since you’ve probably caught onto my game by now; that line, too, is in the Koran."

Read The New York Times, The Meaning of the Koran.

The truth sure makes it hard out there for the party pimps.