ApostateAbe writes:
In Ireland, the penalty for blasphemy is a fine of 25,000 euros or less. Many Irish atheists have publicly blasphemed after the law was passed, and none have been prosecuted.
This is perhaps as worrisome as the anti-blasphemy law itself. The government is apparently selectively enforcing the laws which are on the books according to their whim. Such a government is completely uncontrollable; they might as well be enforcing laws that don't exist if they don't care about not enforcing laws that do.
ApostateAbe writes:
Rahvin writes:
I think that, if Islam caused violence, we should expect to see more violent Muslims than any other conceivable group - more acts of mass murder should be committed, for instance, by Muslim terrorists than any other social, religious, or racial group.
Your objections are sound. I have crawled Google and Google Scholar looking for evidence of my position, with mixed results.
Unfortunately I *don't* think that this is a sound objection. Simply saying that Islam causes violence does not imply that Islam causes *all* violence. Its like saying that if gangs cause violence we should expect to see more violent gang members than any other conceivable group - more acts of mass murder should be committed by gang members than by the Schutzstaffel (SS).
Just because being in a gang isn't going to lead to genocide on the level of the SS doesn't mean that being in a gang doesn't cause violence.
Instead all that is required to support the statement that Islam causes violence is to find an example of a violent behavior that wouldn't be undertaken unless the perpetrator believed in Islam. I'm sure everyone can come up with several off the top of their head. Those isolated murders, assassinations, terrorist attacks, beatings, rapes, et c... those count.