We often hear folks saying inane things like “Those people
have been killing each other for a thousand year” when referring to Middle
Eastern conflicts. There is some truth to that, but it actually doesn’t go far
enough. It would be more accurate to say 1,200 years; and it started with
Christianity.
In 325, Roman Emperor Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus
Augustus; better known as Constantine I or Constantine the Great, fell under
the influence of the Nicean Council and affirmed a view of Christianity that
evangelicals will recognize… that Jesus and the Father are one and the same.
The term in Greek is homoousios. The council condemned all other factions as
false beliefs.
Next comes Flavius Theodosius Augustus, better known as
Theodosius the Great, who was emperor from 379 to 395 and was so enamored with
Constantine’s pet religion that he decreed that it was the official religion of
the empire. Like all good Christians of the time he persecuted pagans and
splinter Christian groups, proscribed the death penalty for “pagan” practices,
destroyed “pagan” temples and pretty much abolished their holidays except for
the ones already usurped by his particular cult.
Makes me think of that
Johnny Cash song, Along Comes John; although in this case it was along comes
Muhammad.
About 200 years of persecution by the Niceans caused a bunch of
wrinkled shorts, so when this Muhammad dude comes along saying he was the last
prophet of Allah, called for war and led the hoards in battle against their
tormentors… they gave him a medal and a 9-year-old bride. Muhammad was the
first effective political and military leader of the Islamic community;
preaching that it was God's mission for him to convert and conquer for Islam.
Sound noble enough, except that his edicts were no less harsh than were those
of Theodosius. He raised and army and set about slaughtering Christians, pagans
and polytheistic Arabs.
Round and round it goes… where it stops nobody knows. Pick a
side and reach for the brass ring… and tell me again how it isn’t religion that
is the problem.
Just to add a few more names to what has become a virtual
rogue’s gallery, think about the crimes committed by Pope Urban II (the 1st
Crusade), Pope Gregory IX (founder of the Papal Inquisition), the Arch Deacon Ferrand
Martinez (responsible for the massacre of 10,000 Jews), Tomás de Torquemada (2nd
Crusade), John Calvin (established bizarre moral laws and burned offenders at
the stake), Hong Xiuquan (believed himself the brother of Jesus, started the
longest war in the history of China, killing about 20 million people in the process).
More recently we have Ayatollah
Khomeini (established his version of Sharia law in Iran, banned alcohol,
western movies, non-religious and non-martial music, gender segregated sports
and beaches, forced women to cover their hair, and men were banned from wearing
shorts). Then there was Osama bin Laden, Muhammad Amin al Huseini, Mullah Muhammad Omar, and the Cheney/Bush/Rumsfeld triumvirate. Until just recently part of the training for U.S. Air Force nuclear missile launch officers included indoctrination into some officer's view of how Jesus would push the button. (look it up!)
Adolph Hitler fits in here somewhere and to a lesser degree there is Joseph Kony, Jim Jones and David Koresh. Now we have
this ISIS, ISIL, IS… whatever you want to call the thing… every bit of it the
fault of religious fundamentalism and the moderate sheep bleating along behind.
Respect... screw it.
Don’t talk to me of respect. If you follow any splinter of
any religion… or any philosophy requiring blind faith, then you are one of those
bleating sheep. I do not respect that. No matter how much I may respect you as
a fellow human, unless you are standing up and loudly protesting the sins of you elders, I cannot respect your belief. Regardless of how functional,
creative, progressive or capable you are in every other aspect of your life, I will not and can never respect the blight that is religion. It is your religion and it is your disease. Like alcoholism, until you admit the disease you
will never overcome it.
If this angers you... that is your problem and evidence in support of my point. If you have any shred of an open mind and I’ve mentioned anyone or anything unfamiliar to you, or
if you doubt my facts (PLEASE doubt my facts), spend some time doing research. Prove me wrong if you think you can.
Our world is a far bigger place than our current petty feuding
and the petty, greedy players would have you think. Step away from the trees and learn to love the forest.
Do I really need to give credit for the author of these words?
Imagine there's no
heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the
people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no
countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or
die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the
people
Living life in
peace...
You may say I'm a
dreamer
But I'm not the only
one
I hope someday you'll
join us
And the world will be
as one
Imagine no
possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or
hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the
people
Sharing all the
world...
You may say I'm a
dreamer
But I'm not the only
one
I hope someday you'll
join us
And the world will
live as one
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