No government in the world, except few communist governments, take the risk of allowing its media or people to criticize a main stream religion. I dont know the reason for this. I dont think many people know the exact reason to this mystery either. Even writers and thnkers, who are to visualise, educate, and guide societies in the right path arent excluded from this. That was evident when Salman Rushdie, given fatwah for wr iting a book, and Taslima Nasrin. In the case of Miss Nasrin, the psuedo secular face of Indian government came into forefront.
Normally when someone cant take a criticism against them and if that person retorts to making angry reactions, world say he or she is puerile/senseless. So does that mean all religions in the world are childish/senseless ?
One another thing when it comes to criticising relgion is the usage of phrase “hurting religious sentiments” [HRS]. Maybe law should be clear about the trade-off between free-speech and HRS. What is free speech without 100% freedom of its usage ? that would be a diluted freedom-of-expression or a diluted free-speech, which unfortunately is the situation around the world.
If science can be questioned, so can the religion. But, when science seems to grow with more questioning, religion wilts with it. I dont think there should an universal law saying GOD in its classical view is immune from criticms and denouncements.
Very well said.
Religion is connected to a human being’s sentiments, whereas science is not. If we are present in a company of 10 to 15 people in a party and someone is making fun of your religion or God and compare it to someone making fun of science – the former would hurt you and not the latter. It is self-convincing to be diplomatic about what’s can be considered to be a possible debate, but religion/ God is a deeply connected spiritual feeling – which hurts directly. If someone is used to arguing on its criticism, its fine, but if someone is not, then its hurtful. But at the same time you can criticise or be in favour of science – it doesnt really make a difference to the sentiments – since religion has grown up on emotional sentiments – whereas scinece has grown up on knowledge and mental sentiments – which includes discussons, arguments, critics, agreements, so on