The savagery of today's religions is brought out in a horrible video of events this last month (What Religion Has Contributed To The World This Month). It is not for the feint of heart. Nor is it for those who wish to keep faith in humanity. Those of us who do, need to remind ourselves that there are other people in the world less virulently "religious", hence kinder and more compassionate and ultimately ... more human.
This
video elicits a simple reaction: gather these people up and build a wall around
them, isolate them so that they cannot co-habitate with humanity, for humanity
does not deserve them and they do not deserve humanity. They will beat,
enslave, murder and discriminate - all "in the name of God."
Perhaps
the most disturbing aspect of the video is the hypocrisy of zealots: from
violence in an Amish community to teens telling reporters that they
"love" homosexuals but don't want them attending a prom,
The
producers of the YouTube videos series, ConversationwithA, may
have a problem in obtaining widespread viewership since it promotes atheism,
but it can constructively be viewed as one absolutist view pointing out the
hypocrisies of absolutist views. This position, however, is not without its
merits: today's America is so dumbed-down that only shocking, black-and-white
imagery can be effective. Nuance and metaphor are only for those whose
I.Q. are above that of a dead flashlight battery.*
Savage Sunday Points
It
may not seem ironic, the video airing on a Sunday: for what day of the week
would better suit it than one in which America is steeped in religion. It is a
savage counterpoint to the (sometimes) clandestine savagery of religion, the
underbelly of piety of which few dare speak in highly religious countries like
America.
Here
are some of the news items featured:
- Pat Robertson says having a picture of Buddha in your
house is idolatry and tells the owner to set it on fire because it may be
demonic.
- Leader of an Amish Community is accused of violent
acts and sexual abuse against members who don't agreed with him.
- Passersby in London are accosted by a Muslim sect for
"looking gay" and not adhering to Sharia law.
- A fatwa is issued against Kashmir's all-girl rock
band.
- Indonesian Muslims discourage people from celebrating
Valentines Day.
- Saudi Arabian cleric issues edict that all baby girls
should be forced to wear burkas
- Noted Saudi preacher who raped and tortured his
five-year-old to death is given shockingly light sentence.
- Mother who thought 2-year old daughter was possessed
by an evil spirit throws away body in trash.
- Thousands of children accused of witchcraft in
Democratic Republic of the Congo are being violently abused by their own
parents in response to the teaching of their pastors who tell them that
the children are possessed and the cause of their poverty.
- Headline: House Bill 2647 Could Prevent Aizona
Atheist From Graduating High School.
- A "kiss-in" outside Moscow's parliament
became violent when the protesters were attacked by people who disagreed
with (gay or straight) public displays of affection.
Love On Sunday
Another
shocking aspect of the video is its demonstration of a total lack of love for
humanity: from brutal clerics to doggedly fundamentalist teenagers, the lack of
love for neighbors (and even kin) is appallingly evident, no matter the cries
of "we don't really hate anyone." Negativity is rampant, steeped in
righteousness and paranoia. And while one could argue that the religious
attitudes are "fringe" and relatively small, that negativity has an
far-reaching impact on the psyches of whole countries: even in church-going
America, the love on Sundays has turned into a diatribe of hatred and despair,
a polemic against almost any form of "Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself."
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
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