Nobody should be compelled to respect an ideology that doesn’t respect them.

Religion disapproves of original thought the way Dracula does sunlight.

Being called close-minded by religious people is a bit like being called yellow by a bunch of bananas.

Now, the past has plenty to teach us, but I don't think it should be allowed to detain us against our will.

People keep framing this as a religious freedom issue, but there's a difference between practising your religion - which everyone has the right to do - and rubbing your religion in people's faces as a triumphalist political statement, which is what's happening here.

We know they have nothing to do with Islam because our politicians keep telling us that, and they are all Islamic scholars. (They are, aren't they?) Yes, the violence is coming exclusively from Muslims, but only because their religion (the one that has nothing to do with Islam) tells them to kill unbelievers, meaning people who don't follow the religion with a knife to our throat that has nothing to do with Islam.

It does seem quite ironic to me that the very people who clearly have made no attempt to think for themselves are always the most vocal in demanding respect for their "ideas".