We cannot wrap ourselves in a blanket of self-proclaimed tolerance at the expense of thinking critically and acting accordingly.
There is an egregious double standard being perpetuated by the regressive left these days. At best, it is simply being largely ignored for some unfathomable reason.
The double standard in question is the seemingly growing tendency in society to find quite acceptable criticism or even outright mockery of the Christian faith while getting all worked up in a self-righteous outrage over the slightest perceived criticism of just about any other faith.
To highlight this disturbing trend, one need look no further than American football players who get ruthlessly mocked by significant segments of the mainstream media and public for kneeling in a quick prayer after scoring a touchdown.
Meanwhile, a Muslim athlete wins a gold medal, faces east, kneels to the ground in prayer and is promptly lauded as a hero by mainstream media headlines, one of which praised “the positive power of Islam”. But where are the headlines for the agnostic athletes who win? If “the positive power of uncertainty” is a ridiculous headline, so too should be the former.
If a Christian football player is mocked for displaying his faith, why is an athlete of any other persuasion praised for openly displaying his or her beliefs? The answer is narrow-minded hypocrisy.
It seems as though the “If you're not with us, you're against us” George W. Bush mentality has unfortunately settled some firm roots.
The double standard applies elsewhere.
These days, someone who criticizes oppressive Israeli foreign policy is apparently an anti-Semite. Someone who criticizes the repressive rule of theocratic Islamic dictatorships is an Islamophobe. And anyone who is pro-police accountability is apparently anti-cop. These assertions are, of course, completely absurd and based in a stunning inability to reason.
This kind of narrow-minded, black and white attitude is not a sign of a healthy society that can engage in meaningful discourse without stopping a conversation one does not agree with by crying “racist” or some other derivative.
There's a term for resorting to verbally attacking a person who is presenting an argument as opposed to addressing the argument itself — ad hominem. It is the recourse of an underdeveloped mind that was sadly never properly taught to think critically.
None of this is to defend any particular faith, by the way. It is simply to point out a glaring double standard that many who consider themselves open minded seem to be completely oblivious to.
It is disgustingly disingenuous to condone or ignore criticism of one faith while condemning and becoming indignant over any and all criticism of another.
Anyone who blindly jumps to the defence of other religions or ideologies while jeering against another is announcing to the world the extent of their intellectual insincerity — or perhaps simply unabashed ignorance.
Either way, these folks should be called on their hypocrisy.
