Religion 2003: An Excuse For Bigotry

[Solomon]

I'm sick and tired of the corruption which passes itself off as religion in this country.

Religion is now the last refuge of bigots. And if you love being a bigot, then "american" christianity is right up your alley. In "american" christianity, "God is not just a God of peace, he's also a God of War."

Under "american" christianity, you can be as rich and greedy as you want to, and still be the holiest member of society.

In fact, under "american" christianity, you can freely believe american lives are worth much more than ... (insert choice).

Under "american" christianity, you can bomb the f**k out of any non-white country you want to, in the name of JEEEEE ZUZZZZZZ!

Under "american" christianity, you can steal a whole people's birthright, (as in Oil), in the name of JEEEEEE-ZUZZZZ! Hallelujah! God almighty. You can work to purposely retard their growth, hold them back, so to speak, because you think their development is detrimental to the enjoyment of your greed. After all, if you weren't right, God wouldn't have blessed you with so much wealth.

Under "american" christianity, you have to covet thy neighbors' goods, i.e., one is expected to and encouraged to - BE GREEDY.
This means, God is blessing you. What would the economy do without it.

Under "american" christianity, you can hate all muslims, or all Arabs, or all homosexuals, or anyone you want, since they are doomed to hell anyway. "American" christians either drive people nuts trying to convert them, or, blow the bastards the hell off the earth for daring to exist.

Lately, all I'm hearing is the second option. The more and more Iraq begins to look like the mess that we foresaw, the more I hear the "american" christians saying "we must round them all up and kill 'em." "We gotta kill 'em."

"Hunt 'em down and kill 'em all".

Yes Virginia, there are actually people in america who believe that we can kill all of the people who disagree with us, and make the world safe for "our way of life."

Remember that phrase - "the only good _________, is a dead _____________,"? first it was "Indian", then it was "nigger", and now its "Arab". I wonder who's next?

Religion in america needs to grow up, or get lost.

[meegbear]

1. Check out Al Franken's book ...

He has a Chpater called Supply Side Jesus. Iy shows how Jesus would be if he acted like the repugs who keep invoking his name.

[cprise]

4. I've got to get that book!

Sounds good...

[FireHeart]

8. My wife just bought it...

and it IS good.

[TSElliott]

2. Who needs a religious reason to be a bigot

I think most people do a fine job at it without even bringing god into the picture.

[Az]

3. The failure of PostModernism

PostModernism seemed to have been the hope to open communication between cutlures and societies. By maintaining that no one culture or value was elevated above another it seemed to establish a means by which all could contribute to the dialoge. However societal evolution being what it is stagnation set in amongst the various camps and most fell into their own cliches. Over time the more authoratative and dogmatic groups found how to game the system to keep the guardians of society from shouting down their hatred. They learned to term their hate speach as cultural values. By spinning their hate as part of their belief systems they were able to curb the system.

[cprise]

5. PLEASE HAVE A CIGAR!

That is one of the most intelligent and spot-on things I've heard anyone say about political "debate" today.

Thank you... You could build a whole forum on this position!

[PurityOfEssence]

6. is that there isn't any such thing

A "movement" that can only describe itself by calling itself "afterthoseguys" isn't anything. It's a hodge-podge of deconstructionism looking for something to reference itself to; we're truly a derivative world with little faddish peaks and vortexes, none of which hold sway for long.

I remember a description of a project that I was working on with some development people once; they described it as "hip, edgy and postmodern". My boss and I have used that as dismissive gobbledegook for years...

[cprise]

12. It is a movement, not a belief system

...nor anything really affirming IMHO.

Perhaps postmodernism is to liberalism, what atheism is to humanism: A certain tool to stop something.

[PurityOfEssence]

16. I was sort of talking about the movement in the arts

The term gets slapped onto philosophy--which is what I think Az was talking about--as well as everything else. I'm sure there's some movement of postmodern chemical engineering too, but I'd suggest a rubber apron and goggles if anyone invites you near it.

[cprise]

7. A belief system either:

a) maintains contempt for others while its fundamentalists revive whatever arcane, backward customs that is can pass off as "good" and they risk committing atrocity after atrocity against outsiders

or b) it learns from history and its mistakes and excises its anti-social aspects so that it can exist in a multicultural context

My knowledge of philosophy is limited, but it seems to me that the later assertion is as non-postmodern as the former: It has a spare, but definite morality that everyone must acknowledge as common ground. So if b) isn't postmodern, then what is it? Humanism?

[Solomon]

10. Whatever "reason" you want to put to it,

religion surpasses "reason". It allows people to be traitors to reason because one hides behind "God" who is ultimately responsible for the killing.

[cprise]

15. To expand on that

I think a religion is logic, expressed with a set of supplied abitrary premises for those logical systems.

Reason requires a premise for your logic that agrees with experience and also compassion. I've always found that reasonable people could argue from emotion, but in a responsible kind of way.

Of course what SEEMS reasonable is another matter. Growing up in the 80s with TV news, and thinking that "Palestinian" and "terrorist" were just synonyms, then "killing the Palestinians" seems reasonable. Until you learn that Palestine is a nation and ethnicity within which some individuals and groups resort to terrorism. Then you learn you grew up with genocidal thoughts. (Yeesh!)

So there I was, listening about Jewish settlers with their highly religious premises for resorting to land theft *and* terror, but having my own 'Reason' for their actions shaped by an incredibly biased media that removed the context and programmed me through innuendo and double-standards in labeling.

One difference: At least with pure reason, it will improve with better information. With pure religion, anger toward the messenger is the most likely reaction.

[Kamika]

9. oh brother

hello

[Solomon]

11. Hi Kamika.

I enjoy your posts.

[TSElliott]

13. Your just saying that because

she's cute.

[Solomon]

14. Obviously!!

You know it!