Should we petition Melanie Phillips to apologise?

There is a "petition for a full and public apology from Melanie Philips for her article 'Druids as a religion? Stones of praise here we come'" A friend suggested I and "anyone who wouldn't stand it if someone took the piss out of your religion" sign the petition.

To me, what Melanie Philips has written is spectacularly wrong and offensive. It's presumably broadly offensive to anyone who has a non-mainstream faith. That said, I will absolutely "stand it" while she takes the piss out of my religion and I'd encourage others to stand up for her right to do exactly that.

Speaking as a Neo-Pagan, we're a (relatively) small bunch and we don't bother anyone. We mostly try to live good lives in harmony with the planet and it's many inhabitants. I think free speech and freedom of religion are more important than keeping such idiots as Melanie Phillips from offending minorities (even though I'm in the minority she's going after.)

I find the idea of a criminal offence of "incitement to religious hatred" to be far more disgusting and corrosive in a civilised society and vastly more dangerous to a culture that allowing people like Melanie Phillips to spout her rubbish. I'd rather we lead by tolerant example than follow the example of religious extremists who threaten "death to those who oppose us." I have no problem with people drawing Mohammed so if she wants to demean me because of my beliefs, or insult those who believe in religious tolerance and equality in general, she can knock herself out. She's a sensationalist bigot and I hope I'm not her target audience.

I'm not going to petition for an apology; she's entitled to her opinion and and is entitled to share it. If some rag will publish her ravings, well that's just the price of free speech. It's The Mail, it's not like it was in a real newspaper. Faith is irrational, making a rational argument for any religion is a losing proposition (as the article's comments seem to have point out re: Christianity.)

She does *almost* ask some valid questions. How does one truly define a religion? Are my beliefs any more or less valid than an atheist's or humanist's? Why should my religion be treated any different to those of an atheist organisation? Unfortunately she's an idiot that didn't do her homework. She rants,
"But there are many who subscribe to no belief system at all and who would say they, too, want to live in harmony with the earth and everything in it. Are they, therefore, also to be regarded as religious folk and given charitable status?"
I would direct Ms Philips to the British Humanist Association, Registered Charity No. 285987.

I'd rather show her that we can tolerate her misguided blathering and turn the other cheek. We are better than her. I don't need her apology and I value free speech and the freedom of the press too highly to try and force her to apologise.

While discussing global warming, Melanie Phillips said "It was no accident that Hitler was a green." - She's Jewish. She's an outspoken critic of gay rights and seems to think Obama is a closet Muslim and that global warming is a myth. She's a Daily Mail columnist who described The Guardian as "an evil newspaper." Is she really worth arguing with, is she worth protesting?

"Can it be long before the BBC transmits Stones Of Praise, or solemnly invites listeners to Radio 4’s Thought For The Day to genuflect to a tree?" she asks derisively. Frankly, when indeed? I've not heard a Druid or Wiccan or any Neo-Pagan on Radio 4's TFTD, did I perhaps miss it? I can't find any mention of it online if there was such a thing. Akhandadhi Das is a "Vaishnava Hindu theologian" and he's presented Thought For The Day. Hindus made up less than 1.5% of the UK (according to the 2001 census.) Melanie is Jewish and only about half a percent of the England and Wales were Jewish in 2001. Would it really be so unreasonable to represent smaller faiths as well?

I don't think Radio 4's Thought For The Day should really be any kind of benchmark however, it's presenters aren't above disgusting behaviour either. The first example alphabetically on the list is Anne Atkins:

"In 1998 the Press Complaints Commission ruled that an article written by [Anne Atkins] in The Sun objecting to Government proposals to make the age of consent for homosexuals equal to that for heterosexuals broke the industry's Code of Conduct. In the article she stated that "this is not opinion: it is fact. The life expectancy of a gay man without HIV is a shocking 43 years" and "a gay man is, alarmingly, 17 times more likely to be a paedophile than a straight man". The PCC ruled that these were not proven facts and that she had been misleading the readers. The Sun apologised."

Melanie correctly acknowledges, "After all, the Druids don’t do any harm to anyone." yet she seems to take personal offence to the spread of paganism. "Astonishingly, around 100 members of the Armed Forces now classify themselves as pagans, and a further 30 as witches." The United Kingdom has a religiously diverse make-up, should those who defend it not be given the same freedom of religion? I'm of the personal opinion that if you're willing to give your life for your country, you can worship any and all gods, trees or honey bees that you choose. Or none at all. Just like the rest of us.

She then moved on to Police officers, "There are thought to be about 500 pagan police officers. A Pagan Police Association has even been set up to represent officers who ‘worship nature and believe in many gods’."

"There are thought to be about 500 pagan police officers. A Pagan Police Association has even been set up to represent officers who ‘worship nature and believe in many gods’."

"They have been given the right to take days off to perform rituals, such as leaving food out for the dead, dressing up as ghosts and casting spells, or celebrating the sun god with ‘unabashed sexuality and promiscuity’."

"Political correctness gone mad or what? As one disgusted police officer exploded: ‘What has it come to when a cop gets time off so he can sit about making spells or dance around the place drinking honey beer with a wand in his hand?’"

In answer to the unnamed disgusted police office, the same place we've always been. At Christmas people celebrate with pine trees that they cover in lights and place winged dolls on top. Catholics believe that the bread and white transform into the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ when they take communion.

Melanie had the audacity to ask, "How on earth has our supposedly rational society come to subscribe to so much totally barking mumbo-jumbo?" Are the rites and beliefs of other religions more rational? A police officer can get time off for other religions, why not a Pagan religion? In answer to Melanie's question, "Political correctness gone mad or what?", it would seem the answer is "Or what", as she's the one that's mad. Mad at those of us with the audacity to think freedom to worship and freedom of religion should apply to all, not those with 0.5% or more market share. Shame on her.