06 February, 2006

Vatican Comes Out Against Free Speech

Today The Vatican condemned the now-infamous Danish cartoons depicting Mohammed. Along the way, the Holy See saw fit to trash freedom of speech:

"The freedom of thought and expression, confirmed in the Declaration of Human Rights, can not include the right to offend religious feelings of the faithful. That principle obviously applies to any religion," the Vatican said.

Woe betide the faithful because they have such delicate sensibilities!

"We believe a fairy tale to be true so we must be shielded from offensive speech! Oh dear!"

They're just so special so we musn't dare offend them! What the fuck is this nonsense you are spreading, Herr Vatican Spokesperson?! (Presumably the Church has no problem with offensive speech towards the faithless.) It is an exceptionally boring and backwards society that does not allow people to offend others. Besides, there won't be a helluva lot to say if one cannot offend anyone of any religion. I mean, someone always takes offense at something. The whole point of free speech is that it could offend someone.

"Ooh! We're tidentine transubstantiationists so you can't say that!"

And I thought American exceptionalism was bad. Sheesh! Religious exceptionalism trumps that by a mile.

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