Religious Incontinence
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...
from "Imagine," by John Lennon, c. 1971,
Bag Productions, Inc.
Some folks
just
can't help themselves... This past week I received an e-mail
which began, "I find your home page very
sad indeed especially where you
express views about people who believe
in Jesus - more correctly the Lord Jesus
Christ. I have trusted in Him since
I was very young and He died for my sins
and yours. If you believe this then
when you die you will be eternally saved
from the consequences of your sins.
The world is entering a period called..."
Ouch! The rest of the e-mail goes
on to say I'm going to burn in Hell, but not
before some really bad stuff happens to
everyone else on the planet. My take is
that many BELIEVERS suffer from
religious incontinence and their arrogance
compels them to mistreat others.
Some belong in jail, others in therapy, but
most belong in diapers...
"In spite
of
early missionary efforts and present ministries, Satan
has retained
his hold on Calcutta through Kali and
other gods and goddesses of Hinduism. It
is time for Christ's salvation to come
to Calcutta." From the "Hindu Prayer
Guide," The International Prayer Strategy
Office of the International Mission
Board of the Southern Baptist Convention,
1999. [Acrobat PDF version here.]
"Mr. Mack,
Mr. Park, and other members of the Board, distinguished guests,
ladies and gentlemen, I am here again.
I was here two years ago, and now I am
back. Didn't
I make things clear at that time?" Remarks
by Gordon B. Hinckley,
President of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints,13 May 1999, at
the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
[Click here
for more.]
“Neither
Hinduism
nor communism nor the Indian government with five-year
plans are capable of offering India
a real future, the only true redeemer of
India
is Christ,” LGH Stuart, of the
Catholic Association of Bengal, as quoted in "The
Christian agenda," by Rakesh Sinha, The
Hindustan Times Online, 11-3-99.
[Click here
for more.]
The above
quotes
are recent examples of arrogance. Some religions and
cults insist their members actively
proselytize
and recruit others, claiming they
are privy to "God's truth," those who
don't belong to a particular religion or cult
are evil,
and that their missionary work is sacred. These claims are, of
course,
propaganda and lies. Inflating
membership
is about money and power, and is
not about spirituality. How
dare someone today accuse another of being
controlled by Satan!
Such mythic imagery fights fine in films and comic-books,
but has no place in the arena of human
rights. Perhaps arrogance is too gentle a
term and I should describe proselytizing
as a hate-crime? [Note: I include the
usage of "cults" as this best describes
the Mormons, as they front
fraudulent
scripture, preach racist and misogynist
dogma, and display numerous traits
which are shared with dangerous, fringe
groups.]
We're all familiar with the humble, daring, and heroically noble
endeavors
of the International
Red Cross and Red Crescent, the Peace
Corps, UNICEF,
and Doctors
Without Borders, and no honest man or woman could properly
deny the greatness of their
accomplishments.
They are genuinely concerned
with helping those in need. These
volunteer groups don't attack others with
threats of Hell and damnation, proffer
promises of reserved seating in the
"Heavenly Kingdom" (or a planet of your
own with thousands of wives, if it's a
Mormon sales-pitch), and attempt to
replace
individual thought with the hum of
the hive. Most "missionaries"
wouldn't
know a charitable act if they were given
one on a street... [Note: For
various
reactions to "missionaries," see a Jewish
webpage, an Islamic
one, and a compassionate article by an Indian
writer.]
Is it possible
to practice a "religion" and not be at war
with the rest of the
world? Sure, there are odd sects
and cults which keep to themselves, but what
of the so-called major religions?
The doctrine and dogma of all major religions
state explicitly that they alone are
correct
and all others are wrong. So, it's
war... However, fortunately, some
are capable of moving beyond "religion" and
willing to embrace peace.
The tragedy of
Northern Ireland, with the Irish Catholics against the Irish
Protestants, appears to be approaching
a peaceful
conclusion. All the religious
hatred, bombs, murders, and
assassinations,
that has plagued Northern Ireland
may soon be ancient history. The
Irish got tired of God and death and the new
government in Belfast will be shared by
both Catholics and Protestants. Credit
will go to the people of Northern Ireland
and not to any "religion."
"Religion"
makes
some people crazy. A week and a half ago someone took
offense to the genitals of Adam
and Eve on some paintings hanging in a Roman
Catholic church in Austria and ...took
a knife to the canvases. The destruction
of art pales alongside the bloodshed at
St. Andrew's Roman Catholic church in a
London suburb this past weekend.
A naked
fellow with a samurai sword played
Highlander with 11
parishioners
and inflicted a lot of damage. There was a brief
report of two other men with sticks, but
it turned out that Canon John Lennon,
78, who was in the middle of his sermon,
had given a confused account of those
who subdued the crazy, naked fellow.
It's hard to "Imagine" a world where
religion doesn't drive people
crazy...
Personal
religious
expression is an intractable human right. One enters a
restaurant and may choose from many
different
items on the menu. That one
prefers this over that shouldn't be taken
to imply one is more and another is less.
The human experience requires all choices
be equal. We are free to believe in
anything or nothing, hate or love as we
choose, but not to interfere with the
rights of others. The hubris of
the major (and minor) religions--that they are
correct and others are wrong--continues
to inspire much of the dysfunction in the
world today. No restaurant offers
only a single selection...
peace,
Rick
