Asymmetric Catholic

In his Evolution of Religious Bigotry article on Fitna, the Dutch anti-Koran movie, and people who place Darwin fish symbols on their cars, Jonah Goldberg makes two points:

1. That it's rude for people to put anti-anything symbols on their cars.

2. That people who do so are cowardly because they'd never offend the religion whose adherents would actually harm them, and hypocritical because they condemn the nice religion.

Some thoughts:

1. I always thought the Darwin fish were in bad taste and hypocritical as well as an unnecessary disturber of the public peace. The Christian fish itself is inoffensive- a positive message that only implies that non-believers will go to Hell. People who'd use the Darwin bumper sticker (I know such people.) would counter that Christianity is a worthy target of wrath because it places more value on fetuses than women's freedom and wants to include some sort of non-materialistic ideas on biological history.

2. As for the bravery of placing the Darwin sticker: Of course! Unless you're Jeremiah Wright, you must precede any political statement with a risk-assessment: "What are Christians going to do, thump me with a Bible?" I'm hesitant to decorate my bumper with my "Vets for McCain" sticker. I don't think anybody in Los Angeles would have a sticker that says, "Graffiti isn't nice."

Christophobes might say that they don't consider faraway Jihadists dangerous at all. That doing so only plays into the hands of Bush-loving Neo-Cons, Neo-Nazis (conservatives) Halliburton, and the Jewish lobby.

3. Expanding the conversation beyond mere hate: Is there a law on bumper stickers? Some have obscenities on them: Is that legal?

4. Who cares what Christophobes do? They probably like it when people that won't hurt them complain, "Ha, look at them get mad. I'm a rebel!"