Contradiction in Europe?

Star-Telegram | Editorials:

“Recent European affairs have presented the world with a paradoxical take on free speech. On the one hand, many European news outlets locked arms in defending the right to publish caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. ... Meanwhile, Austria's national court has sentenced controversial British historian and author David Irving, 67, to three years in prison for voicing opinions in that country in 1989 in which he denied that the Nazis had killed millions of Jews during World War II. ... Can there be peace between secularism and religion? God help us if the answer is: ‘No.’ Out of Europe has come some tough questions. ”

Ed Cognoski responds:

The Star-Telegram asks an important question, but sidesteps answering it, so it earns a thumbs-down. Maybe the editorial board's reluctance is due to a sad suspicion that the answer really is 'No.' There can be no peace between secularism and religion. Secularism assumes, secularism demands, the separation of church and state. Many religions demand that God come first, that God inspire and influence all of one's actions, that the individual dedicate his life to doing God's will. Inevitably, different faiths will interpret God's will in contradictory ways. Secular government will be forced to choose, disrupting the always uneasy peace.

The conflict between secularism and religion can never be eliminated, only managed. Different situations demand different solutions. Anti-Semitism was such a destructive force in Europe in the mid-20th century that societies passes laws forbidding Holocaust denial. Perhaps as that dark period recedes in history, the need for such laws will pass and the laws will be repealed. Perhaps in the early 21st century Christian-Islamic relations will fray and tear so seriously that anti-blasphemy laws will be deemed necessary for the survival of European civilization. At any given time, contradictions will exist between textbook freedom of speech and the laws needed for the survival of society. It's a delicate balancing act. It's a perpetual challenge. While there can never be peace between secularism and religion, with good sense and respect for others, we can maintain an uneasy truce for very long periods of time.