From the Pharyngula blog, we’ve got the U.N. passing another step towards an enforceable anti-blasphemy law, backed primarily by the the Organization of Islamic Countries.

It’s not just UN involved in the restriction of freedom of speech but attempts are made in Canada and in other democracies to suppress points of view in the name of ‘religious tolerance‘.

Here’s a quote from Christopher Hitchens (full clip below) in which he explains how restrictions on freedom of speech affect everyone in a society.

“It’s not just the right of the person who speaks to be heard. It is the right of everyone in audience to listen and to hear. And everytime you silence somebody you make yourself a prisoner of your own action because you deny yourself the right to hear something.”

Yes, they can.  But what happens when they do, can be to the detriment of secular societies.

The Vatican and Muslim leaders can get together but they do so to: “act together in defending and promoting the moral values which are part of our common heritage.”  and Proposition 8 passing is such an example of such promotion of moral values.

As well as pushing for censorship over free speech in the Danish Cartoon controversy:

“The Al-Azhar-Vatican committee issued a final communique… Members of the committee called on the media not to misuse the freedom of expression to insult religious beliefs and symbols, MENA said.”

It’s always nice to see people get together, except when their idea of the world isn’t good for you.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand

Having lived in Canada and the United States, my trip to Thailand was an interesting experience.

Thailand’s a relatively free country.  A democracy and Constitutional monarchy.  With a delightful king who loves Jazz, Sailing and even holds a patent for a type of waste water aerator.

And Thai’s love the king:

• “He’s brought the country into the modern age.”
• “The king has made Thailand a free country”
• “The king is a great man”  

are some of the things you’ll hear.

Expect for one problem. Criticizing the King of Thailand is a punishable offense that carries a minimum prison sentence of 3 years.

Recently an Australian writer was sentenced to prison for insulting the King. Sentenced for mere words, that he wrote.

For a monarch who loves his country, couldn’t he do even more “wonderful work” with a little constructive criticism from the people?

And doesn’t it undermine the complements the king gets if the people giving them are under a constant threat of prison time?

Criticizing, commenting and even insulting the powerful are a cornerstone of any true democracy. 

Just as Arab countries will never be “free” until they learn that Islam can (and should be) criticized,  the Thai people and the King himself will never be free until they shed the childish fear of accountability and face reality.

I was fortunate enough to spend 3 months in the People’s Republic of China. It was my first time living in an officially Atheist country.

However, it by no means, is the atheism advocated by people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.

For atheism or secularism to have any meaning it must be backed up by a support of freedom of expression, opening questioning, and respecting one’s right to dissent.

The Chinese government of course will say it’s for all these things but in true doublespeak it also restricts the Internet, imprisons dissentients, and attempts to ban beliefs.

The backbone of atheism is science and science needs a free society to succeed. Although truths are not something one can vote on, the process of  science must be free and unfettered or else it will fail to uncover those truths.

Without freedom, there is no science. Without science there can be no atheism.