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PhotographyThe 30th of September is International Blasphemy Day – it was chosen because the last day in September is the anniversary of the original publication of Danish cartoons in 2005 depicting the prophet Muhammad’s face.
International Blasphemy Day is a movement, not just a day, to remind the world that religion should never again be beyond open and honest discussion or reproach. Our future depends on it.
There can be nothing sacred. Because the entire concept behind “sacred ideas” is that they are “off limits”. It is something that you are not allowed to question, or speak out against, or even think. There’s another term that fits this concept perfectly… “thought crime”.
Some of you may be familiar with the term, “thought crime” from George Orwell’s brilliant book, 1984. The nightmarish, dystopian society in which the main character, Winston Smith, finds himself was entirely founded on “sacred ideas”. Ideas that you could never challenge. Ideas that you weren’t even allowed to think about. Sound familiar?And I’m not a hypocrite about it either. Even scientists should be held to this standard. Logical people only believe an idea when it has been presented to them with enough evidence to reason that it is more probable to be true then not. This standard must be held regardless if the person presenting the idea is a “Baptist Preacher” or a “Molecular Biologist”. Nothing must be left off the table for scrutiny.
We must never let our society believe that there are untouchable ideas. We must never let a society convict us of “thought crimes”. In fact, the most sacred ideas are the ones we should attack first. The ideas we are not allowed to question are the very ideas that should draw our attention the most.
(with thanks Ms. Lohmeier)
