This by itself should make it clear that Christianity is approximately
180 degrees the opposite of Islam.
BR
Christians 'not offended' by Jesus jokes – poll
John Bingham ("The Telegraph," October 10, 2012)
Meanwhile three quarters of believers agree that freedom of speech should
not be restricted even if it offends people with deeply-held religious
convictions.
The finding emerged from a survey of attitudes among more than 2,000
committed Christians conducted in the wake of the international furore over the
film mocking the Prophet Mohammed.
It is the first in a series of studies to gauge the opinion in the pews by
Christian Research, a polling and research group, using an online panel of
thousands of churchgoers.
While those polled overwhelmingly expressed sympathy for Muslims who were
offended by the film they were equally strong in their view that curbs on
freedom of expression should only be a last resort.
More than eight out of 10 (84 per cent) said they would “defend” followers
of other faiths such as Islam from antireligious sentiment even if they
profoundly disagreed with their beliefs.
A similar proportion said that freedom of expression must accommodate all
views, except for extreme opinions likely to incite hatred.
Although opinion was split on whether Britain should ever reinstate
blasphemy laws, the largest group opposed the idea.
But when asked about their own faith, six out of 10 agreed it was possible
to “demean, mock or insult” God without offending Christians.
Meanwhile almost seven out of 10 said they welcomed “strong anti-Christian
opinion” as providing an opportunity to “exchange ideas”.
It comes after a series of cases in which Christians in Britain were said
to be feel under attack from “militant secularism”.
“Far from being on the defensive, it appears that most Christians welcome
the opportunity to wrestle over key issues and are prepared to stand
alongside believers of other faiths who are less familiar with being lampooned
or
more sensitive to criticism,” said Rob Powys-Smith of Christian Research,
who is presenting the findings today at the Christian Resources Exhibition
North, a trade fair for all things clerical in Manchester.
“In fact, respondents showed they welcome thought-provoking opposition that
challenge their beliefs.”
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