Religion, the gateway to truth, the grand creator of peace and the grand destroyer of peace, has an immense amount of influence in our lives through wars, politics and social norms; it weasels its way into almost all major discussions and into what seems like all aspects of our lives, including one of the most important–our voice.

For years satirists, the exposers of corruption, have thrown pebbles into the murky waters of religion and for years religious groups have thrown them back. It has been a battle of opinion and with the recent attack on Charlie Hebdo, it seems that religion has won with a gun in its hand and a pen on the ground.

We have let religious groups back us into corners, telling us to shut our mouths while we sit idly by because we’re too afraid to offend anyone. The purpose of satire is “to point out the inadequacies, vices and corruption in people, institutions, and cultures with the intent of bringing out change,” according to Dawn Hogue, a writing instructor for Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Talented Youth.

Acceptance is inevitable; in order for acceptance to occur, however, a thought must first be made, a voice must be spoken and an open mind must be ready to listen.

Satire allows people to bring forth their ideas to be discussed, hated and liked while perhaps having a laugh or two along the way. Though satire does not always employ the use of humor, it can be an effective way to spark a discussion. Often heavily debated discussions cause stress on individuals.

According to American College of Sports Medicine, laughter is an effective stress reliever, so if you are going to present your ideas to the public, why not lessen the tension?

Many of Charlie Hebdo’s cartoons, however, are offensive and quite frankly are not funny at all, but some of the cartoons have impactful messages within their crude drawings.

In one particular cartoon, the Prophet Muhammad is shown kissing a male Charlie Hebdo cartoonist with the words “Love stronger than hate” written at the top. This cartoon unites two males, both coming from different backgrounds, in an intimate and beautiful way. Though it may seem offensive to some, Charlie Hebdo broke boundaries that need to be broken.

Our intolerance of social norms has caused wars, torn nations and isolated those who have different views from their neighbours.

Without satire and without our ability to voice our opinions, not only religious groups but also intolerant aggressors would be in total control, with our voices left sinking to the bottom of their murky waters.