The Right To Criticize Religion And The Assault On Free Will

     Freedom of religion includes freedom to criticize religion, otherwise there is no freedom. No religion should be held on a pedestal free from scrutiny. Especially when the religion insists only its way is the right way and that those that believe differently can be subjected to persecution, or will be treated as second class people. Too often, people become mindless slaves to a religion or doctrine and cease to think for themselves. Just because they become slaves does not mean everyone else has to mindlessly conform out of fear. The whole concept of blasphemy is an assault on human free will. One person's religion can be nonsense to another person. Neither the believer or the disbeliever have the right to harm the other for what they believe. Religious violence, bigotry and intolerance, instead of being universally condemned and opposed, is selectively tolerated or ignored. Accepting blasphemy as a crime is in itself a crime.