“You cannot insult the faith of others,” said Pope Francis, after the murders of the staff of the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, which published cartoons offensive to Muslims. If people were decent, the pope wouldn’t have to make that point. But people are irreverent and enjoy heaping scorn upon one another. Unfortunately, the surest way to invite disrespect is to demand respect. Put anything on a pedestal and some iconoclast will surely knock it down.

Leaving aside freedom of speech, the Charlie Hebdo debacle sheds light on the obsession for “respect.” Most everyone wants to be respected. But respect is a chimera. Even celebrities can become nobodies overnight. Mozart was buried in an unmarked grave. Leonardo da Vinci worried that he’d accomplished nothing. The president of the United States is supposed to be the most powerful man on earth, but he’s exposed to merciless ridicule.

In former times, the pope might have asserted Christianity’s supremacy and threatened anyone who disrespected it with eternal flames. But the pope has become a relativist. Christianity has lost its fangs. You are free to reject it, accept it or make fun of it as you please. Today, one religious faith is as valid as another. There are no universal truths.

Christianity has much to answer for — The Inquisition, predatory priests, etc. But the Christian narrative offers an interesting perspective on the craving for respect. Early Christians weren’t exactly respected. They were fed to the lions. Christ was greeted, not as a conquering hero, but as a contemptible outcast. He was born in a manger. He rode a donkey. He wore a crown of thorns. He suffered ultimate humiliation. If the Son of God gets no respect, how can mere human beings expect it?

The Christian story also offers an alternative to anger over wounded sensibilities. Christianity gave solace to those who felt like outcasts. It showed another path to peace and happiness. The pope could have quoted the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the merciful … Love your enemy … Pray for those who persecute you … Turn the other cheek. If someone can’t get a rise out of you, pretty soon he’ll give up trying. The pope might also have said that killing those who disagree with you is not an effective way to win respect. Respect that comes from the barrel of an AK-47 isn’t respect. Instead, the pope came disturbingly close to saying that violence is a legitimate response to insults.

The murdered editor of Charlie Hebdo said he wanted to make Islam “as banal as Catholicism.” In this case, he wasn’t mocking either religion. He was saying that he wanted to make Islam immune to disrespect. When someone slanders Christianity today no one notices. Moreover, beliefs are strengthened by being questioned. And respect must be earned. Mind your own business, do no harm to others, love your children, fulfill your mundane responsibilities. Whoever does those things is worthy of respect.