Cartoons

I pointed out a couple of years ago how it is natural to conclude that the worst believer is better than the best unbeliever. It is clearly more important to get the most important relationship in your life (with God) correct than any other relationship, and if that is guaranteed, then obviously you're morally better than someone who doesn't have that supremely important relationship correct.

Of course, when the signs of that "correct relationship" aren't closely related to anything in your soul, it is pretty easy to fake it. Reciting something in arabic, or getting yourself baptised are a lot easier than actually trying to worship God.

Jesus said "By their fruits you will know them."

That's a fairly powerful tool. If we apply it here to Muslim, Christian, whatever; we find that:

• The editors of Jyllands-Posten love to mock and to offend.
• The imams of Islamisk Trossamfund love to hate and to lie (they faked some pictures to circulate).
• The mobs of Islamists love to destroy.

Of course mobs are generally fairly easy to assemble: you can always find people who love to destroy. The timing of this collection of riots seems to suit the political purposes of Iran and Saudi Arabia pretty well, oddly enough. And two of the editors are quoted as admitting that they like to mock and be edgy.

To the mobs I say nothing. We know the kind of people these are, and it is the duty of the government to keep them from ruining life for everyone else.

The JP editors are examples of the corrosive attitude that wants to live detached so it can mock and tear down. It isn't a new attitude. Thirty-some years ago I read about a commune in Denmark. The reporter asked one of its men why he didn't go get a productive job. The answer: "But I have a productive job already, for which society must reward me; I keep track of police misdeeds." I'm not sure there remains any common language I can use with people so detached.

Of the imams I ask: "Who do you worship? If I mock God you disregard me, but if I mock Muhammad you try to kill me. I don't think you are Muslims at all. You are Muhammadans."