Jester’s Privilege – Religions!

Jester’s privilege is the ability and right of a jester to talk and mock freely without being retaliated or sanctioned or punished. Latest developments from UNO demonstrated that New Atheism has been right: that religions enjoy Jester’s Privilege.

The UNO’s attempt to suppress the Freedom of Speech and Expression when it comes to religions demonstrated how right New Atheism has been since its manifestation.

Currently, there are news (1, 2, 3) of UNO trying to pass a global law that bans people from exercising their right to freedom of speech when it comes to religions. Unsurprisingly, it was supported more than it was opposed:

That is not all, some countries which are usually considered rational and democratic are also trying to suppress Freedom of Speech when it comes to religion: Denmark and Finland. All all these attempts do is to remind us prominent New Atheists telling this truth long ago. One of the main things the prominent figures of New Atheism has been yelling is the fact that religions have what we call the Jester’s Privilege. Richard Dawkins put it in this way in his book The God Delusion:

A widespread assumption, which nearly everybody in our
society accepts – the non-religious included – is that religious faith
is especially vulnerable to offence and should be protected by an
abnormally thick wall of respect, in a different class from the
respect that any human being should pay to any other.

New Atheists have been vocal in attacking religions in an outspoken way. New Atheism’s prominent figures have expressed this call. And this, probably, is the demarcation between New Atheists and other “conventional” [so-called] atheists. Stenger described it in this way:

Here the New Atheists find themselves in conflict with many other atheists who prefer to accommodate religion and not challenge beliefs, even when those beliefs conflict with well-established science. However, the New Atheists say we should challenge the irrational thinking behind religious beliefs, including that of moderates, which can only help justify the more extreme activities, as well as motivate less extreme, but still dangerous, behavior.

Taken from: Victor Stenger – What is New About The New Atheism

Earlier, the conversation that sparked the Enlightenment too featured these 2 topics. Indeed, the beginning of the conversation of The Four Horsemen was on this issue. Richard Dawkins started:

One of the things we’ve all met is the accusation that we are strident or arrogant or vitriolic or shrill. What do we think about that?

to which a part of Daniel Dennett’s reply was great:

I came to realize that it’s a no-win situation. It’s a mug’s game. The religions have contrived to make it impossible to disagree with them critically without being rude.

and the conversation went on:

DENNETT: You know, they sort of play the hurt-feelings card at every
opportunity, and you’re faced with the choice of, Well, am I going to
be rude? Or am I going to—
DAWKINS: Say nothing, yes.
DENNETT: —articulate this criticism? Or I mean am I going to
articulate it or am I just going to button my lip and—?

but the main spot-on moment came from Sam Harris:

Well, that’s what it is to trespass a taboo. I think we’re
all encountering the fact that religion is held off the table of rational
criticism in some kind of formal way, even by, we’re discovering, our
fellow secularists and our fellow atheists. It leaves people to their
own superstitions. Even if it’s abject and causing harm, don’t look
too closely at it

As we see from the attepmts and the speeches of prominent New Atheists, Religions are granted Jester’s Privilege. And now, we should oppose those attempts. There is a rationale for this:

1. To begin with, it is his/her book, so, s/he can burn it, tear it, use it instead of toilet roll or as a wood for fire.
2. Religions are not private: they are ideologies that refer to societies, all individuals, all humankind. Thus, just like communism, you can mock it, you can scorn it, you can respect it.
3. Even if all ideologies, not religions only, were granted the same privilege, we should still be free to mock religions in anyway as those religions attack and insult us.

I am not going to list all the insults religions throw at others who do not subscribe to their nonsense, you can find them easily by googling and taking a look at their context. Despite all these, even many atheists display that “we shall respect religions” attitude. “Religions shall insult others as they wish, may religions discriminate, ostracize, may the religious be completely free and maintain the Jester’s Privilege: Religions should never be opposed!” You were brainwashed to be so, but now we tell: get rid of this brainwashing. Broke this Jester’s Privilege.

All in all, all rational and sane people should oppose UNO’s attempt to maintain the Jester’s Privilege religions have and join us fighting and mocking religions.

New Atheism – Rational People of the World, Unite!