So, it's Christianity that's so destructive. Right. Not all Christians have stood for Jesus' teachings- they have given the Lord a bad name, and unfortunately we still do at times. But his teachings have never changed. He said there is no greater love than a man laying down his very life for his friends- which he did. This was not in a battle; he never hurt anyone or told another person to do so.
I see atrocities done in the name of free-thinking, just as I do in the name of religion. Man has an evil nature, which is why you see it everywhere. True freedom carries with it the ability to act on our desires, which can be terrible. That's what "free thinking" gets us.
Free thinking without truth is anarchy. Free thinking with truth is safety. Free thinking with falsehood is superstition or false religion/cult.
I am a free thinker, and so are you I hope. I test the truth- scientifically where appropriate, and non-scientifically where the scientific method falls short. But I test it. I test my faith. In my free thinking, I find myself obligated to believe some things which defy my understanding, and other things which make perfect sense to me. Just as I have faith that pressing the brake pedal will stop my car, because it has before, I also believe learning the truth of the Bible will bring me peace, because it has so many times before, when I just let it. I know how brakes work because I have observed them. I'm learning how my faith works because I observe it. Just as invisible emotions are undeniably real, so is invisible faith that is inside me (us).
Sorry for rambling. If the question is whether to allow artwork on Wikipedia for fear of violent people, I say leave it. It is just one example of the reality that we all live in a world of people who don't agree with us. If we cave on this, they will find some other harmless thing over which to threaten/perform murder. We simply stand, or we buckle. Which will it be? They're free to disagree, but not to break our laws.
I hope it doesn't sound radical to say we should live a normal life even when people threaten us. For Christians around the world (not as much in the US), it's nothing new. You don't see it on the news, but living a life of peace is very threatening to some people, and they won't stand for it. But I pray that will never be our motivation to compromise, whether Christian or not.
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So, it's Christianity that's so destructive. Right. Not all Christians have stood for Jesus' teachings- they have given the Lord a bad name, and unfortunately we still do at times. But his teachings have never changed. He said there is no greater love than a man laying down his very life for his friends- which he did. This was not in a battle; he never hurt anyone or told another person to do so. I see atrocities done in the name of free-thinking, just as I do in the name of religion. Man has an evil nature, which is why you see it everywhere. True freedom carries with it the ability to act on our desires, which can be terrible. That's what "free thinking" gets us. Free thinking without truth is anarchy. Free thinking with truth is safety. Free thinking with falsehood is superstition or false religion/cult. I am a free thinker, and so are you I hope. I test the truth- scientifically where appropriate, and non-scientifically where the scientific method falls short. But I test it. I test my faith. In my free thinking, I find myself obligated to believe some things which defy my understanding, and other things which make perfect sense to me. Just as I have faith that pressing the brake pedal will stop my car, because it has before, I also believe learning the truth of the Bible will bring me peace, because it has so many times before, when I just let it. I know how brakes work because I have observed them. I'm learning how my faith works because I observe it. Just as invisible emotions are undeniably real, so is invisible faith that is inside me (us). Sorry for rambling. If the question is whether to allow artwork on Wikipedia for fear of violent people, I say leave it. It is just one example of the reality that we all live in a world of people who don't agree with us. If we cave on this, they will find some other harmless thing over which to threaten/perform murder. We simply stand, or we buckle. Which will it be? They're free to disagree, but not to break our laws. I hope it doesn't sound radical to say we should live a normal life even when people threaten us. For Christians around the world (not as much in the US), it's nothing new. You don't see it on the news, but living a life of peace is very threatening to some people, and they won't stand for it. But I pray that will never be our motivation to compromise, whether Christian or not.