[k-mcgrady]

>> "But the level of Satire in question here, was perhaps too much."

There are NO excuses for what happened. None. Just because a certain group of people (no matter who they are) believe something doesn't mean the rest of the world should not offend that belief because some people might not like it. It doesn't matter if that belief is Islam, Judaism, Scientology, or a belief in pigs that fly. I have the right to make fun of it, you have the right to make fun of my beliefs, and no amount of satire justifies violence. We can't live our lives trying not to offend because some people take their beliefs too seriously. I'm Catholic. There are plenty of people who think that's nuts and I understand that. I would never think of hurting them because of it and I would never try to justify anyone who did.

[rikacomet]

The liberty to express yourself is not the only liberty in the world. I, You and All of Us have the liberty to be offended as well.

The point is: -what to do if you are offended? To which I say simply ignore it happened.

-why offend someone in the first place?

[krig]

One reason would be that the very idea of religion is offensive to me. That someone else, without evidence, says not only that they know how the universe came to be but that they have direct contact with the divine creator who tells them how all people should live their lives, is an offensive idea to me!

How do we resolve this? The only solution is for at least one of us to ignore the offense caused by the other, or we cannot live together in society.

[Yoric]

> -why offend someone in the first place?

To this, there is a simple historical explanation: because that's, in practice, how France gained its freedom. Sure, there was the French Revolution, but it took more than one century before the Catholic Church stopped being the main power in France, before it became acceptable to be agnostic, atheist, protestant, muslim or jew in France. The main fight took place in the written press, largely through caricatures, by showing irreverence to the Catholic Church. It is only through this that France eventually became a non-religious republic, in 1905.

In other words, this kind of Free Speech and irreverence is deeply ingrained in French history, political correctness be damned. Charlie was created in part in defiance to the hero worship towards General De Gaulle, and has been irreverent towards every power figure ever since.

[jacquesm]

> why offend someone in the first place?

Why this insistence on feeling offended? The prophet is the one being mocked, not you.

[rikacomet]

To offend him is to offend me. The same way, someone would offend you by offending your family.

[jacquesm]

> To offend him is to offend me.

You can't really offend that which does not currently exist. I can't offend Genghis Khan any more than I can offend the prophet or Jesus.

> The same way, someone would offend you by offending your family.

No, that's not the same way.

[kaybe]

>> The same way, someone would offend you by offending your family. >No, that's not the same way.

Maybe for those offended it might be? It can explain a lot of the anger.

[jacquesm]

Religious people tend to identify strongly with their religion, that is why this can happen.

But they fail to recognize that their religion, its rules and customs apply to them, the subscribers to that religion and not to the rest of the world.

[maskedinvader]

Why was this down voted ?

[jacquesm]

Because being outspoken in a thread that touches on religion will get you downvoted. Don't sweat it.