[Buddha-l] Prominent Neobuddhist proposes religion based blacklisting for government jobs

[Curt Steinmetz]

On the off chance that anyone is not quite sick of this, you might be 
interested in something I have just written comparing and contrasting 
the views of Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine, on the one hand, with 
those of Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, on the other hand, on the 
matter of religious freedom, tolerance and diversity:
http://egregores.blogspot.com/2009/07/free-to-profess-and-by-argument-to.html

In addition to Harris and Dawkins I also look at some things that three 
other outspoken atheists have had to say concerning the Collins 
nomination: PZ Myers, Russell Blackford, and Jerry Coyne. I was very 
impressed by how Russell Blackford has handled this. He goes into great 
detail criticizing Collins' ideas about religion and science, but then, 
noting that Collins is eminently qualified and that we do not 
discriminate against people on the basis of religion, well, he concludes 
that opposing this nomination on the basis of the man's religious ideas 
should be seen as "unacceptable in any society that gives (even) lip 
service to ideas of social pluralism, freedom of religion, etc."

Buddhism can exist in the West only because we enjoy religious freedom. 
This freedom is far more tenuous than we often assume, and the hornets' 
nest stirred up by Collins' nomination reveals just how ready some 
people are to dispense with even the pretense or religious toleration.

Curt

Jim Peavler wrote:
> On Jul 30, 2009, at 8:22 PM, Richard Hayes wrote:
>
> I would think that if Harris, as is alleged, attacked a scientist's  
> credentials to do a job, and Harris himself has no scientific  
> credentials, then pointing out his lack of the knowledge and  
> experience required to comment on another's scientific achievements,  
> then that is not an ad hominem attack. The man's credentials are open  
> to attack since he, without proper knowledge of what scientific  
> credentials might be, attacked another man for not having scientific  
> credentials.
>
> This is no better than Rush Limbaugh declaring that global warming is  
> a hoax. I intend this as an ad hominem attack on Rush Limbaugh because  
> I believe that falsely contending that somehow the entire scientific  
> community is involved in some kind of hoax to overthrow civilization  
> as we know is guilty of global treason.
>
> There I've said it.
>
> Jim Peavler
> jmp at peavler.org
>
>
>
>
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