cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence."[1] This statement shows that
Gandhi understood something very important - you must be true to yourself
above all else.
More than that however, it shows that Gandhi understood that some things
can not be addressed through peace alone and that there may come a time
when others have left you no choice but to meet their violence with an equal
measure of your own. But we are fortunate because I don't believe we've
reached that impasse in our struggle yet. I believe that there is still plenty of
time to redress our grievances through rational discourse. But only if we
stand and speak and let our presence be known and make our voices heard.
We must be the sounding bell for freedom and equality. If we do not do this,
the time may come when it is no longer an option. And that is not
something I believe any of us really want.
A Last Resort
Violence should always be a last resort. I am not calling for violence in any
way against anyone. Like most people, I want to live in peace with my
fellow man. I want to raise my family and find some semblance of happiness
on this long hard road called life, and I don't want in any way to infringe on
anyone else's freedoms or happiness. But I am aware of something that
many just don't seem to get. You see, I didn't pick this fight. Atheists in
general, for all of our ridicule and derision of religion, did not start this fight.
It began a very long time ago and it was started by the religious when they
decided that atheists were only good for burning, hanging, or other forms of
torture and murder. The blood and bones of heretics are the paving stones
which mark the road religion has traveled from the past to the present. And
any atheist who stands in defiance of religion is merely acting in selfdefense.
Of all the religious ideologies out there, the ones we must most closely
guard ourselves against are the Abrahamic religions. Now some will say that
surely Islam is the most dangerous and most deserving our attention, but I
would remind you of the warning which Hitchens gave us - "Many religions
now come before us with ingratiating smirks and outspread hands, like an
unctuous merchant in a bazaar. They offer consolation and solidarity and
uplift, competing as they do in a marketplace. But we have a right to
remember how barbarically they behaved when they were strong and were
making an offer that people could not refuse."[2] This statement must not
be forgotten. We cannot forget that only 500 years ago Christianity was just
as brutal as Islam is today. To do so would not only be a grievous error, but
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