“Thank God for Genocide, Slavery, Torture, War and Discrimination” - Christians tell us

African-American pastor Earl Carter in his book No Apology Necessary argues that white people need not apologize to people of African descent because:
(1) God instituted slavery due to Africans' pagan idolatry and
(2) importation to the New World eventually resulted in the Christianization of African slaves.  http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2000/may22/29.80.html

I’m not sure exactly what title to bestow upon Reverend Carter. Uncle Tom doesn’t seem adequate.  Religious fanatic falls flat.  Treacherous deluded apologist for slavery, white supremacy, forced religious conversion and genocide probably comes close.

This peculiar mentality isn’t unique to Rev. Carter.  On the same link you’ll find reference to a Native American Christian who stood before 40,000 Christian “Promise Keepers” in 1996 and dismissed the abuse of the white man, the stealing of Indian land, the broken treaties and the government sponsored genocide of tribe after tribe because without the White Man’s invasion the Indian would never have found Jesus.  The crowd responded with an enthusiastic  “Amen!”  Is there such a thing as being an "Uncle Tonto"?

If you’re like me you find this mind boggling.  To rational people genocide and slavery are arguably the most heinous of all crimes against humanity for which there can be no justification.  But to the most religiously afflicted it’s all good, all justifiable, a price worth paying to be indoctrinated into one of the greatest frauds and delusions ever to be perpetrated on Mankind. 

Admittedly, these examples are aberrations and not representative of African-American and Native American Christian wider perspective.  But, if the very ancestors of those peoples who were enslaved and almost exterminated can be so invested in religious devotion that they can devalue freedom and life itself in favor of superstitious nonsense ... worse... can be thankful for it, what other acts of incivility, injustice, intolerance can be perpetrated against humanity that likewise can be justified in the name of Jesus?

Christian justification of segregation and vehement opposition to inter-racial marriage was (and still is) based on God’s intentional separation of the races.

Some Christians invoked the Bible, and Paul’s admonishment in 1Timothy against giving women a voice in the Church, to justify opposition to women’s suffrage. One of

Rick Santorum’s aides said last year that it would be against God’s will for a woman to be president.

George Bush invoked the Biblical demons Gog and Magog, and told the French Prime Minister that they would be confronted and defeated in his war on Iraq.

A 2009 Pew Forum survey showed there is a high correlation between frequent church attendance and support for torture. http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4052&Itemid=9

   
While support for the death penalty in the US is 62% nationally, Christian Evangelicals favor it by 74%.  60% of all Christians who support capital punishment cite the Bible as the reason. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/march/6.20.html  The percentage of evangelicals citing the bible will be much higher.

Today of course it’s the good church going bible banging Christian’s who most stridently oppose equal rights for gays, and rally en masse against gay marriage in defense of “Christian Values,” as though marriage was somehow invented by the Bible and the property of Christians. 

I know there are Christians out there to whom these facts and the attitudes of their brethren are an embarrassment. But the fact is undeniable, the more intense ones attachment to religion, be it Xtianity or Islam or Hinduism, the greater the potential for acceptance of incivility, injustice, and horror.  For when men’s most base instincts are enflamed to hatred, anger, injustice and vengeance what greater justification can there be than it is the will of the highest power in the universe, as documented in their god’s own scripture.

Yes, Christians, thank Jesus and the Bible for slavery and genocide. Justify your wars and torture and discrimination with your holy book of fables.  It’s the tortured and executed Prince of Peace’s will.  You sick bastards.