Brent Bozell Misses Griffin's Point

Brent Bozell has weighed in on the Kathy Griffin Emmy speech saga, and as is so common with conservatives when it comes to the views of the irreligious, completely misses the point of Griffin's comments about Jesus. Bozell sums up his confusion:

"She mocked Jesus Christ."

Uh, no she didn't Brent. She mocked people whose religious views are so shallow they allow them to think the supreme creator of the universe concerns himself with the outcomes of popularity contests. She mocked people who are arrogant enough to think their performance on the stage and field implies we care to hear their religious opinions. And she mocked people who think only their opinions on Jesus deserve a place in the public discourse, based solely on their willingness to cry louder than anyone else when their God is treated less than reverently. In other words, she mocked you Brent.

She didn't mock Jesus because to her Jesus is just a fictional character, not someone to be thanked for Oscars and Heisman trophies. It would be akin to being accused of mocking Santa Claus. Bozell's misunderstanding here goes back to the basic problem believers have understanding that atheists aren't mad at Jesus, or rebelling against Jesus. We don't think Jesus was god, because we don't think there are any gods. One doesn't mock a phantom.

The point Griffin made, and Bozell is inadvertently validating, is that there isn't really equality of religious freedom in this country. It may be that way in the law, but it is certainly not that way socially. The unstated rule, which Griffin has all but forced them to state, is that religious opinions are only acceptable during one's acceptance speech if they support the existence of gods. If you don't believe, then your opinion is unwelcome. Many can't seem to get past their own biases and grasp this, as Bozell again is all-too-eager to demonstrate:

"An insult against Jesus Christ isn't necessarily 'offensive,' according to this wire service.

No Brent, it isn't. It's only offensive if you believe Jesus was god, and for the 4 billion or so people in the world that doesn't describe, it's no more offensive than an insult against Brent Bozell. Likewise, to an atheist, comments that imply the speaker believes he is the recipient of special favor from the creator of the universe, are somewhat offensive. But see, to people like Brent, the only offense that matters is theirs. If anyone is offended by them, well then it's just tough cookies, because they are the majority. Well you are, for now. But as more and more people like Griffin start speaking up against the religious nonsense that has run amok in society for far too long, the more those numbers will continue to move in the atheist's favor, as they have for decades.

"But there is funny, and there is insulting. Griffin doesn't have a clue of the difference."

So tell me Brent, when you imply that insults against Jesus are necessarily offensive, do you mean to be funny, or are you merely insulting?