I say malicious because the fliers attribute the worst of human behaviour – terrorism, paedophilia to religion. As well as mock people’s faith (like the pig and the koran).

So I agree with Rumbold that the guy should receive a fine and/or a warning. There is no need for blasphemy laws as it creates a dangerous precedent.

Since you don't believe it, how can it alarm you? "

Believers have a long history of trying to help those they believe are bound for hell get there earlier than they otherwise would.

It is another form of dumbing down.

Yes it bloomin’ is….

In the media and elsewhere it seems that the only way to get any attention is to be shrill, strident or to pull stunts. Whatever the rights and wrongs of it, Taylor is entirely of a piece with how ‘politics’ is practiced today.

It is another form of dumbing down.

Ain’t she precious?

BTW, I’m told that the motto of John Lennon Airport baggage handlers is ‘Imagine no possessions.’

I do not behave in that way, especially in real life, but I value the contributions of people like him & of people like Richard Dawkins who are more forthright than me in their words. In fact, I often think that in practice thy get more than me achieved.

http://gretachristina.typepad.com/greta_christinas_weblog/2010/02/what-can-the-atheist-movement-learn-from-the-gay-movement.html

Philosophy tutor and atheist Harry Taylor in court for leaving anti-religious cartoons in John Lennon airport

It’s not distressing because we think we’ll go to hell, it’s distressing because it shows there are people out there who WANT us to suffer.

If I shoved a leaflet through your door saying I hope you get cancer you don’t need to believe you’ll get cancer as a consequence of my hopes to find that distressing.

It is hate literature by any definition.

Of course it offends me. I have an inalienable right to be offended. Apparently.

Or are you trying to say that the sensitivities of the religious are more important than my atheism. What a wonderfully messed up world we live in.

Since you don't believe it, how can it alarm you? It doesn't, of course, and we all know that. By contrast, people enter multifaith areas to contemplate life and pray expect to do so without having their faith lampooned. That seems like a reasonable request, and I think that those who refuse to offer this small degree of respect need to be told firmly enough and no more.

‘Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

‘Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace’

As a nervous flier, I’m distressed by the sight of a room set aside for people to say their prayers before boarding.

Our friend the lyrical terrorist was a case where I thought that there was a case for a criminal prosecution, though I could not quite reconcile why in my head. I know that these two cases are not at all the same, but the Taylor case does leave a very bad taste in the mouth.

What this man did was pretty gratuitous by any standard and looking at the link he does not really seem to understand that point. I’d just feel a bit more comfortable about going into bat for this bloke if he gave some feeling that he understands that this is not a nice thing to be doing.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6519.html/

Actually, it occurs to me that if Harry Taylor is a devotee of iconoclastic iconography, he might consider a fundraising poster with the 9-year-old Aisha, the Prophet Mohammed, Mary Mother of God and Ganesh in a hot foursome.

There! Something to offend [almost] everyone!