Islam likes to refer to itself as the Religion of Peace. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the “peace” they offer isn’t for apostates, infidels, “People of the Book” (aka: Christians and Jews), or Hindus, or Buddhists. The thousands of terrorist acts of murder and destruction perpetrated in the name of the prophet Mohammed over the past 35 years makes that clear. At best the “peace” Islam professes to offer is only for their own adherents…and not necessarily female adherents, but that’s a matter of interpretation and cultural perspective.
Naturally, it takes some mental gymnastics to figure out how Middle East Muslim countries and Islamic radical political parties indoctrinate elementary school children with hate, teach them arms, and instill a willingness to kill and die, and still call that “peaceful”. Nor is it easy for the Western mind to reconcile peace with strapping a bomb onto two Downs Syndrome Muslim women and remotely detonating them in a crowded market place. I guess the simple answer is they find peace in death. Yippie! Never mind the riots and deaths due to Muslim furor over Danish cartoons of their prophet (pig turds be upon him). As for their scripture, the Koran is rife with references to killing in the name of Allah, too many to be dismissed simply as problems of context.
So, if Islam isn’t the religion of peace, which religion truly deserves the vaunted title?
Well, the Jews never were in the running. A cursory perusal of the Old Testament with its numerous horrendous acts of murder, rape, infanticide, genocide and enslavement committed by the chosen people at the behest of their God, sort of disqualifies them as peace merchants.
Of the Abrahamic religions that leaves Christianity. What can we look to in Christianity that qualifies it for the Peace title? Well, let’s see.
Christian dogma is as exclusionary and intolerant as they come. The New Testament says all who don’t believe like them are condemned to suffer eternal torment burning in a lake of fire in hell … the ONLY religion on the planet that espouses such an intolerant, exclusive, and hideously obscene point of view. Hardly a peaceful message there.
And what does that intolerance and exclusivity generate? With the Jews' rejection of Jesus as the true Messiah (the deliverer of Israel from foreign oppression as promised in the Old Testament) Paul plays the “Gentile card”, and gives the prospective new Roman converts a pass. Instead, he condemns the Jews as the scapegoat for their mythical man-god’s demise. Presto !!! 2,000 years of anti-Semitism is born, and with it every pogrom in Europe, every extermination attempt, every religion tax, every exile of Jews, every Jewish joke, every “restricted” country club, is laid at the feet of Christian doctrine right up through, and including, the Holocaust. Thanks to Paul for that peace inducing doctrine thats never fully gone out of style.
Then there are the Crusades, the blood bath bestowed on Jews, Coptic Christians and Muslims; the extermination of the Cathars; the murder of the Templars; the torture and death of the Inquisition; the forced conversions of native peoples; the torture and burning of “witches” right up into the 18th century.
Naturally, it takes some mental gymnastics to figure out how Middle East Muslim countries and Islamic radical political parties indoctrinate elementary school children with hate, teach them arms, and instill a willingness to kill and die, and still call that “peaceful”. Nor is it easy for the Western mind to reconcile peace with strapping a bomb onto two Downs Syndrome Muslim women and remotely detonating them in a crowded market place. I guess the simple answer is they find peace in death. Yippie! Never mind the riots and deaths due to Muslim furor over Danish cartoons of their prophet (pig turds be upon him). As for their scripture, the Koran is rife with references to killing in the name of Allah, too many to be dismissed simply as problems of context.
So, if Islam isn’t the religion of peace, which religion truly deserves the vaunted title?
Well, the Jews never were in the running. A cursory perusal of the Old Testament with its numerous horrendous acts of murder, rape, infanticide, genocide and enslavement committed by the chosen people at the behest of their God, sort of disqualifies them as peace merchants.
Of the Abrahamic religions that leaves Christianity. What can we look to in Christianity that qualifies it for the Peace title? Well, let’s see.
Christian dogma is as exclusionary and intolerant as they come. The New Testament says all who don’t believe like them are condemned to suffer eternal torment burning in a lake of fire in hell … the ONLY religion on the planet that espouses such an intolerant, exclusive, and hideously obscene point of view. Hardly a peaceful message there.
And what does that intolerance and exclusivity generate? With the Jews' rejection of Jesus as the true Messiah (the deliverer of Israel from foreign oppression as promised in the Old Testament) Paul plays the “Gentile card”, and gives the prospective new Roman converts a pass. Instead, he condemns the Jews as the scapegoat for their mythical man-god’s demise. Presto !!! 2,000 years of anti-Semitism is born, and with it every pogrom in Europe, every extermination attempt, every religion tax, every exile of Jews, every Jewish joke, every “restricted” country club, is laid at the feet of Christian doctrine right up through, and including, the Holocaust. Thanks to Paul for that peace inducing doctrine thats never fully gone out of style.
Then there are the Crusades, the blood bath bestowed on Jews, Coptic Christians and Muslims; the extermination of the Cathars; the murder of the Templars; the torture and death of the Inquisition; the forced conversions of native peoples; the torture and burning of “witches” right up into the 18th century.
And on it goes into the 20th century with the exclusion, discrimination and violence toward homosexuals; demonization of atheists as non patriots, un-American, lacking of morals and ethics unfit to hold public office; the call to bomb abortion clincs, to kill the doctors; the endorsement of assassination of foreign leaders by the most renown televangelist; the very dogma that warns that the one who petitions for and brings peace to the Middle East will be revealed as The Anti-Christ! You see, bringing peace in the Middle East will stand in the way of The End Times, Armageddon, THE END OF THE FUCKIN WORLD, something many Christians actually want to see happen… indeed, encourage. Christianity a peaceful religion??? I think not.
Now, moderate Christians, just like moderate Muslims, will say the evils that are done in the name of God / Christ / Allah are perversions of their religion. That Christ was the “Prince of Peace”, even while he clearly stated he hadn’t come to bring peace. They will tell us that the zealots who committed those horrendous acts down through history, or who profess violence, intolerance and hatred today pervert scripture and use it for their own purposes. They will say we are reading the Bible out of “context”. Well, how convenient. Seems to me their god might have seen that coming, would have made its wishes more clear and concise eliminating any points of confusion as to his dictates and intent. After all, they claim their god is perfect and omniscient. Evidently, he sucks as an author and editor.
No, I’m afraid the title “Religion of Peace” has no legitimate claimant. Religion has left death, pain and misery in its wake since man invented god/gods. Indeed, the very phrase “religion of peace” is a contradiction in terms, an oxymoron – like
“silent scream”.
Now, moderate Christians, just like moderate Muslims, will say the evils that are done in the name of God / Christ / Allah are perversions of their religion. That Christ was the “Prince of Peace”, even while he clearly stated he hadn’t come to bring peace. They will tell us that the zealots who committed those horrendous acts down through history, or who profess violence, intolerance and hatred today pervert scripture and use it for their own purposes. They will say we are reading the Bible out of “context”. Well, how convenient. Seems to me their god might have seen that coming, would have made its wishes more clear and concise eliminating any points of confusion as to his dictates and intent. After all, they claim their god is perfect and omniscient. Evidently, he sucks as an author and editor.
No, I’m afraid the title “Religion of Peace” has no legitimate claimant. Religion has left death, pain and misery in its wake since man invented god/gods. Indeed, the very phrase “religion of peace” is a contradiction in terms, an oxymoron – like
“silent scream”.
Christians find Peace in Christ. You would know that peace if you gave Him a chance.
ReplyDeleteAh!! You mean if i would just "open my heart to jesus." Heheheh. I covered that in my Christian Platitude blog. Glad to see it hasn't fallen out of style among the religiously impaired.
ReplyDeleteMake you a deal: you open your heart to Zarathustra, let him pervade your everythought, guide your every action, and when you have totally absorbed His teachings into your life, and entered the realm of bliss get back to me. I'll jump right on that jesus thing.
But, my guess is you havn't the foggiest idea who Zarathustra was. Jesus likely did. If only you would open your mind to a book or two, or three. Then you'd know the peace of mind that comes from genuine knowledge and appreciation of reality.
Marx was right, religion is the opiate of the masses. One never sees anything as peacefull as a drugged opium user... or a deluded theist.
This is actually a comment about your commenters. I'm puzzled by why some of your readers have to post anonymously (well, no, I'm not really puzzled. I know why. The safety and anonymity of the internet).
ReplyDeleteSo I guess this is a challenge to those anonymous posters -- let us know who you are. Certainly there can be a much more open dialogue if you would take the leap and identify yourself. Anonymously throwing up a comment is what I see as a virtual hit-and-run.
Oh. And Drom, we've already been over that lake of fire thing ... didn't we cover that with Huff on FI? ;)
Joyce,
ReplyDeleteI forget the lake of fire discussion with Huffy. Please refresh my memory.
thks
Hump