The Stabbing of Salmon Rushdie, the Banning of Books, and the First Ammendment

 

 

I live and die by the first amendment to the constitution . . .

 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievance.

 

Not only does the amendment protect the freedom of religion, but it protects the freedom of speech within that religion, as well as speech in the public marketplace. 

 

I preach and speak publicly, I write, I podcast, and I blog. People might not like what I have to say but my right to speak is protected by the first amendment. No one can tell me so stop speaking. In the USA it’s a protected right. 

 

It’s something sacred to us. We might hate another person or a group, but we protect their right to have their say. Unless they’re screaming “Fire!” or uttering words that would cause a riot, or destruction of property or person, they have the right to speak. 

 

So it was I felt a great deal of sadness, frustration, and outrage, when the author Salmon Rushdie was attacked and stabbed on stage while giving a lecture about his writings. He was attacked by a Muslim extremist who was carrying out a Fatwa against Rushdie declared decades ago. 

 

You might remember that fatwa. It was caused by a book Rushdie wrote called the “Satanic Verses.” Muslim extremists took offense to the book because they felt it portrayed the Prophet Mohammed in a negative light. To condemn the book, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini declared a Fatwa against Rushdie calling for his death. 

 

Declaring a death sentence for something someone wrote or said? It rankles my depths. 

 

Any time someone from a religious perspective condemns a book because they feel it counters their faith perspective is suspect in my view. When books are banned because people feel as though it counters their sense of purity, appropriate material, or social sense, our BS detectors should be blaring a huge warning. Hence, when I read an article from NPR about Christians on library boards in Louisiana banning books the writer in me was offended and angered.  

 

Do you remember the pictures of the Nazi’s burning huge piles of books. We see these pictures and shudder against the suppression of ideas from the Third Reich. But really, have we changed all that much? Not when an author is stabbed on stage by a religious fanatic, or Christians are banning books. 

 

Christians should be leading the parade on free speech. The Bible is full of violence, sex, incest, rape, eroticism – if any book should be banned because of its impropriety, it’s the Bible. But yet, we hold it as sacred. We are able to promote our holy book because of free speech. So freely do we believe the Bible should be read that Christians smuggle the bible into countries where it’s outlawed. 

 

Why is it so hard for Christian fundamentalists, or fundamentalist of any stripe, to allow for the free expression of ideas? Why do religious people fear the expression of thoughts and insights? On the one hand they will claim the first amendment rights for their own purposes, but then deny it those they disagree with. 

 

I have this terrible daydream where some Sunday morning I’m shot by an intruder into our worship service because of what I’m saying. I know it’s just a bad dream, but when I read about Rushdie’s attack, my daydream becomes a nightmare. 

 

I’m supposed to pray for my enemy. I’ll pray for the person who stabbed Rushdie. I’ll pray for Christian fundamentalists to open their minds. In both instances it’s a theological long shot that either prayer will make a difference.   

 

Steve 

 

Look for my podcast, The Cowboy Jesus Podcast on Podbean and Spotify. I publish the Wednesday Shout Out on Facebook. Check out my website www.senttosoarcoaching.com