Wuz I right, or wuz I right. More in the saga of the teddy bear named Muhammad

From the news: http://my.earthlink.net/article/int?guid=20071130/474f98d0_3ca6_15526200711301638185719

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and knives, rallied Friday in a central square and demanded the execution of a British teacher convicted of insulting Islam for allowing her students to name a teddy bear "Muhammad."

"Shame, shame on the U.K.," protesters chanted. They called for Gibbons' execution, saying, "No tolerance: Execution," and "Kill her, kill her by firing squad."

Oh my, what a lovely religion.
The Sudanese government, in an attempt to straddle the fence, sentenced Ms. Gibbons to 15 days and deportation rather than the longer sentence and 40 lashes called for by their religious, fundamentalist laws. Not good enough for the pious populace. Only death will do for letting children name a teddy bear Muhammad.

Here’s a comment from the article that I thought was straight to the point:
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, spiritual leader of the world's 77 million Anglicans, said Gibbons' prosecution and conviction was "an absurdly disproportionate response to what is at worst a cultural faux pas."

Christians don’t have a whole lot of room to talk when it comes to absurdity but in this case Mr. Williams got one right. Sometime within the next generation or so Europe is expected to become predominately Muslim. Are you prepared for that?


Ooooohhh…, two topics in one day.

In a bit of irony, we find another article with the following comment:

Pope Benedict XVI strongly criticized atheism in a major document released Friday, saying it had led to some of the "greatest forms of cruelty and violations of justice" ever known.

http://my.earthlink.net/article/int?guid=20071130/474f98d0_3ca6_15526200711301361581032

Say what? Hey Pope baby, go back and read the article about the teddy bear lady. If you want cruelty and violations of justice let’s talk Islam, you know, one of your fellow Abrahamic religions. Then go read some atheistic web sites, like say http://www.the-brights.net and see how many times they call for people to be lashed, stoned or executed. Does the number ZERO ring a bell? Besides Pope, old fellow, that comment of yours is an old chestnut. Atheism doesn’t lead to cruelty and injustice, megalomania does. If we look back through history at the worst mass murderers, on the level of Torquemada, Genghis Kahn, Hitler, Pol Pot, etc. we will find a common thread and it is not religion or lack thereof, it is megalomania. Kings and princes, popes and bishops, emperors and petty dictators, charismatic politicians and preachers, they have all been guilty of mass murder. Religious belief doesn’t prevent it, lack of religious belief doesn’t cause it and the Pope is showing his ignorance with this pronouncement. Unfortunately, due to his influence, people around the world will believe him. Bah!
Herman Melville put it well in Moby Dick: "Better sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian."