Apparently a lot of Christians are really upset about that creepy “chocolate Jesus” statue that’s been in the news lately. Yet despite the depth of the outrage, the Christian world is not bracing itself for rioting and random violence, the gallery has not been burned down, and no-one has yet tried to kill the artist in question. Living in a society in which violence is not an accepted part of religious discourse is a wonderful thing, and yet too few Westerners seem to realise just how precious it is.

People in many other parts of the world are not so lucky. Consider the following incident, which took place in Nigeria:

A Christian female student from a nursing school in Sokoto was threatened after she was accused of having made inappropriate remarks about Islam. The school was closed for a few weeks for security reasons. A police investigation did not locate the perpetrators. The case arose when the student’s Christian mother converted to Islam and married a Muslim man. The student refused to convert, and her fellow students asked her why she had not done so while using inflammatory language denigrating Jesus Christ. The student responded with inflammatory language denigrating the Prophet Muhammad, and a riot ensued. She was spirited away from the scene by a Muslim instructor who, according to credible reports, later faced reprisals for helping. The student was given refuge at the local police station. Shortly before a crowd threatened the station, she was moved to a different town and then to another state for her safety.* (my emphasis)

It’s easy to diagnose the inherent lunacy in situations like these. But in spite of the obvious advantages of religious freedom, there are people who think the Islamic approach to religious speech is a good model to emulate. I had the unfortunate experience today of listening to people rant and grouse about the “chocolate Jesus” issue on talk radio, and one of the most frequently expressed sentiments was the idea that Christians should “be more like Muslims” in defending their faith. If only Christians were a little less reluctant to threaten violence, they seemed to lament, people would think twice before offending them.

Well, the chocolate Jesus may be a silly “artwork” designed more to stir up controversy than anything else, but it pales in comparison to the idiocy of those who would throw away some of our most ancient liberties simply to avoid being offended. Indeed, if Christians refrain from reacting violently to a perceived affront, it’s not a symptom of weakness or apathy: it’s a sign of maturity.
—* This is just one incident among many documented in a long, long 2006 US State Department country report on Nigeria. It makes for some enlightening reading.