–This is the very reason for our Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment–
An excellent editorial from the Dawn, a Pakistani publication:
A medieval brutality, a very cancer of the soul, has permeated this society. Not only has it pervaded the hinterland, it has also spread to places where minds are supposed to be enlightened by knowledge and learning.
Each ghastly detail of Mashal Khan’s murder on Thursday illustrates this chilling fact. The 23-year-old student at the Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan was lynched on campus by a mob of fellow students over allegations of blasphemy.
Read more at https://www.dawn.com/news/1327030
The Benevolent Thou 
Apr 18, 2017 @ 19:30:36
I don’t understand why some people don’t want to recognize that everyone has equal worth and dignity. I guess they are just super insecure and trying to make up for it. But that sure causes a lot of damage. And doesn’t even end up helping anyone.
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Apr 19, 2017 @ 08:32:37
The article–and random violence in our own society–reminds me of Kris Kristofferson’s “Jesus Was A Capricorn.”
I think the idea expressed by the song is basically true. It seems to be the case that insecurity is a part of that package of predispositions we’ve inherited from our evolutionary past, manifesting stronger in some than in others. Like aggression and xenophobia, education and reason can significantly reduce its effects. But the less well rounded education we have–especially in matters of other cultures–the stronger these base predispositions manifest.
I think that fundamentalist religion, its love of firearms and its refusal to accept science where it shakes their theological tree–clinging instead to that great, invisible authoritarian in the sky–is driven by insecurity. Radical Islam’s disdain for education and different opinions might be the segment of humanity that is the most insecure of all.
Perhaps, in a few centuries, our powers of empathy, reason and curiosity will overcome the the more primitive elements of our nature, if we survive.
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Apr 21, 2017 @ 16:05:46
That’s a point. Humans seem to have the potential to cooperate or compete, and which comes out probably depends on individual personality and circumstance.
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Apr 23, 2017 @ 10:25:38
Would that not be the same as genetic inheritance and environment influence? Do you think that there’s a subtle difference?
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