I'm reminded of physicist Steven Weinberg's quote, "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil, that takes religion." When you believe your actions are enjoined by the creator of the universe, a tsunami of truly wicked actions will result. I'm sure the ISIS members who are beheading infidels believe they are doing God's work, as are the Iranians who throw homosexuals off of roofs, as were the 911 hijackers, as were the slaveholders of the American South. The list of horrors is global, bloody, and endless. And yet the creator of the universe stands silent, indifferent to this madness done in his name. Of course, I don't think there is a creator there, and if there is, I would only have contempt for such a monster. And I think of the international child rape and sodomy scandal (let's not call it by its euphemisms, "abuse", or "molestation"), largely conducted by the Roman Catholic Church, but all religions are surely culpable to varying degrees in inflicting shame and injury on children. It comes down to the wicked notion that some people have privileged access to God's instructions and God's ear and they represent him here on Earth so don't you dare question the horrors that I am inflicting upon you! As Hitchens said, Call someone an Imam, or a Priest, or a Reverend and there's nothing they can't get away with!" We need to get over our fear of death. We have to accept that whatever meaning there is in this world, we had better be its author, as this isn't a dress rehearsal. And yes, within a few generations of our death, we'll be utterly forgotten to this world! Those who've come to know me just had to know that Ross's post would compel me to chime in. :) Peter T.
For Good People To Do Evil, That Takes Religion.
[view all posts]
I'm reminded of physicist Steven Weinberg's quote, "With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil, that takes religion." When you believe your actions are enjoined by the creator of the universe, a tsunami of truly wicked actions will result. I'm sure the ISIS members who are beheading infidels believe they are doing God's work, as are the Iranians who throw homosexuals off of roofs, as were the 911 hijackers, as were the slaveholders of the American South. The list of horrors is global, bloody, and endless. And yet the creator of the universe stands silent, indifferent to this madness done in his name. Of course, I don't think there is a creator there, and if there is, I would only have contempt for such a monster. And I think of the international child rape and sodomy scandal (let's not call it by its euphemisms, "abuse", or "molestation"), largely conducted by the Roman Catholic Church, but all religions are surely culpable to varying degrees in inflicting shame and injury on children. It comes down to the wicked notion that some people have privileged access to God's instructions and God's ear and they represent him here on Earth so don't you dare question the horrors that I am inflicting upon you! As Hitchens said, Call someone an Imam, or a Priest, or a Reverend and there's nothing they can't get away with!" We need to get over our fear of death. We have to accept that whatever meaning there is in this world, we had better be its author, as this isn't a dress rehearsal. And yes, within a few generations of our death, we'll be utterly forgotten to this world! Those who've come to know me just had to know that Ross's post would compel me to chime in. :) Peter T.
