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Believers Kill Skeptics

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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- drafted by world figures led by Eleanor Roosevelt and adopted by the United Nations in 1948 guarantees everyone everywhere "freedom to change his religion or belief." But this guarantee is contradicted horribly by national laws decreeing death for doubt and by believer mobs who murder skeptics.

Around the world today, thousands of freethought groups oppose supernaturalism. In the West, their members generally are safe although some laws criminalize "defamation of religion." For example, an Austrian woman was convicted of "publicly disparaging religious doctrines" because she said in a forum that Muhammad's marriage to a six-year-old girl constituted pedophilia. In 2018, the European Court of Human Rights upheld her conviction.

And in some Islamic lands, it's still grotesquely true that believers kill skeptics.

(from Free Inquiry, Oct-Nov 2019)

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James A. Haught is editor emeritus of West Virginia's largest newspaper, The Charleston Gazette-Mail.  Mr. Haught has won two dozen national news writing awards. He has written 12 books and hundreds of magazine essays and blog posts. Around 450 of his essays are online. He is a senior editor of Free Inquiry magazine, a weekly blogger at Daylight Atheism, (more...)
 

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