You don't have the right not to be offended Kerry

Have just ben redirected to a post by Kerry McCarthy MP via Iain Dale's Daley Dozen. It's a post which Iain says he doesn't agree with but is well argued - sadly I think Iain wrong here, it's not well argued at all.

The post is about some teacher who is in trouble for saying she was going to pray for a child. Kerry takes the view that his was offensive to the parents, and goes on to argue that whilst she doesn't think causing offence is right, hence she does not disrespect religion when placed around it, she thinks that Christian, and people of faith* generally should pay the same level of respect to her atheism.

To this I say, bollocks. No one has the right not to be offended, be it Christian, Muslim, Atheist, Hindu or whoever. Do I get offended when Jehovah Witnesses knock on my board and try to preach ot me? No. I invite them in and annoy them so much they have to ask to leave. Have I been offended by the people saying they would pray for my other half and the cancer she has? No.Whatever floats their boat as far as I'm concerned.

The teacher offering to pray for someone did bugger all wrong, likewise I an atheist decided to tell a child about their strongly held belief in a nihilistic ending to life then so be it. Rather than people getting "offended" perhaps instead they should stop acting like infants needing rules and regulations to protect and grow up.

* Please note that athiesm itself is an article of faith (so they are people of faith) as there is no means of falsifying the existence of a Higher Being anymore than there is the means of proving its existence. I have had many amusing arguments with atheists who claim to "believe in nothing that cannot be proved" whilst failing to realise that belief itself is something that cannot be proved - after all you cannot prove a negative.

Basically, people are stupid, and if they take offence to me saying that then sod'em.