For the past two decades the idea of religious tolerance has been seen as a virtuous ideal, as the global human family becomes closer and closer, in our physical and online interactions and livelihoods.
However the fastest growing worldview in recent times, Atheism, says, at least from their most right wing points of view, that religious tolerance is simply idealistic blindness.
Imagine I told you that 'I believed' that I was William Shakespeare reincarnated. Moreover, I expected you to call me Mr. Shakespeare and believe what I told you I believed, as a fact. That you were to attribute any related quotes to me, and maintain this belief of mine even in my absence, or else I would be fundamentally offended.
What difference does it make, whether one crazy person believes a fantasy, or millions?
Religion may have been our first attempt as human's, to explain such grand concepts as our origins, the history of our world, and 'our purpose', (assuming we had one) Modern science has unfortunately made a bit of an arse of religious declarations across the spectrum, none of which can be verified or substantiated, in fact on the contrary,are regularly disproven.
Take for example the revisiting of biblical archeology over the past thirty years, which has rendered much of the work of 18th and 19th century archeologists and biblical scholars, assumptive and false. Or the announcement by the university of Jerusalem, just recently, that the Exodus is now considered a myth, and did not actually take place as described in the Bible.
The Egyptians being sticklers for recording history, have no documentation about 600 000 fighting men and their women and children and livestock, leaving Egypt en masse. Or of their first born sons being killed by an angel of death, or by any other means, ever.
I say, that the simple solution for peace in the Middle East is to put God in time out. Cancel religion. Remove every mosque and temple, and church, practice humanism, and be the Semitic people they are, Jews and Muslims. Oppisames, not opposites, Get over it. Obviously it's a tall order, but tell me it will not instantly abate the hate. Okay, maybe not instantly.
Whether your religion has made you a plotting jihadists or a sickly wealthy televangelists, or a pedophile priest, child abusive nun, or a cult leader for that matter, the predatory nature of fundamentalism is in all these instances, the root of all evil. The power that conditioning and unquestioned faith have over others, by irresponsible monsters, is enough to draw a line in the sand.
Since we created God, the gods, spirits, souls, afterlives, demons,devils and all manner of supernatural nonsense, we have the power to dismantle each of these houses of cards.
We are all atheists to the 9 999 gods other people believe in. Some of us have just gone that one god further. Richard Dawkins.
Today science is narrowing the space where God still has dominion, except in the minds of the stubborn and foolish. As adults our greatest challenge is to make head or tail of how to best navigate this life and leave the world in the best condition for the generations to come.
To let go of fantasies and fairy tales of princes coming to save us, and paradise eternal.
This is life, and the opposite is death. As Jim Morrison so aptly put it, 'no one here gets out alive.'
Idealistic blindness
On the darker side, idealistic blindness, is the idea that what you believe to be ideal would automatically be best for, and more importantly, be accepted by everyone, as in the case of religious tolerance. If everyone could just leave everyone else alone. That would be super now wouldn't it. But we all know that that is not reality. That is in fact sticking one's head into the very warm sand. Because this Sunday, 'at Trinity Baptist church' there will be a mass prayer meeting, where the congregation will join other Baptist congregations around the world to pray earnestly for 'the Lord - to come in glory.' 'To end this world of evil and take the faithful to heaven. To hell with the rest. On Friday, a group of Imam's will prepare four young men with explosive rucksacks to 'further the cause of global Islamification' on 'the land of Mohamed' and 700 children under fourteen, in convents around the world will continue to be literally penetrated by priests in absolute terror, while we wriggle a little deeper into the sand believing we should all just do peace and love.
And it's not just fundamentalists, pedo's and freaks promising you prosperity on television, Hill song church just had a major scandal in Australia, involving misappropriation of funds and serial sexual misconduct. The religiously moderate are not only the greatest victims, but create the breading ground for the predators to operate. Everyone would be better off without God, quiet honestly.
Power corrupts, and ultimate power corrupts ultimately. Religion is the greatest vehicle to this sort of corruption and abuse.
The little good that religion gives the average Joe can be sought out in other ways.
Because to wake up and realize that you have one life, puts a whole different spin on what I am going to do next, or with tomorrow, and however many days I am still lucky enough to wake up to.
I'm fast edging toward the opinion that religion should be declared a crime against humanity as it recently was in Iceland. I'm pleased to see Denmark putting their foot down with a zero tolerance for religious fundamentalists and audacious immigrants. Fit in or fuck off, as the saying goes.
An evil soul producing holy witness, is like a villain with a smiling cheek. A goodly apple, rotten at the heart. - William Shakespeare
Say no to religion! Say no to fundamentalism! Say no to imaginary Gods. Say no to division or any that teach it.
You will be pleasantly surprised that nothing much will come of it, except - peace on earth.
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