It was bound to happen sooner or later: atheist enters multifaith room and leaves there material that religious people find offensive. This is exactly what happened at John Lennon Airport Multifaith Room.
Read about it here.
Nobody thought that it might be offensive to the memory of John Lennon that there would be a Multi faith Room on "his" airport. He was an atheist.
Religious bias in British Courts is rather archaic and leads to victimization and loss of life.
All state institutions should be secular and religious activities part of the private life.
2 comments:
Maybe he shouldn't have been prosecuted but we are now in a society where people are making something of a profession of 'being offended'. You can get sacked for wearing a cross or offering to pray for someone, so it's going to work the other way as well. Maybe we should all grow up and live and let live? I think that would have been John Lennon's take and I don't think he would have been in the least bothered by a prayer room..
Whilst as an atheist I'm all for secularism, this man's behaviour is unacceptable - had he left pamphlets promoting atheism, that would have been fine, but to leave wilfully, pointlessly offensive images of revered individuals in "sexual poses" deserves nothing but contempt. By contrast providing a multifaith room in an airport - a stressful environment where people may feel the need for spiritual relief, or be required by their religion to pray - is simply a matter of taking into consideration the beliefs of others.
So I have no problem with the provision of a multifaith room - hell, if I need a moment away from the hubbub of an airport, I may use it myself, to think and reflect. But this "militant atheist" does nothing but give the rest of us godless types a bad name. He has not been victimised - any claims to the contrary smack of the classroom bully who whines that "Teacher is picking on me" when he gets his comeuppance.
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