I've wanted to do this for a long time. But Friday's murderous shooting rampage in Norway has become my tipping point, I guess. It's not that I think that everyone who believes in a religion is a bad person, or needs to be chastised, or is worthy of scorn. I know from personal experience that there are many good people of faith in the world. Religion, or a belief in a divine being, does not always necessarily translate into a negative, even if I believe that such a belief is a mistake.
But something is happening. Religions are increasingly being overwhelmed by extremists and fundamentalists: Christian right-wing fundamentalists in the United States, Islamic extremists in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, ultra-Orthodox Jewish settlers in the West Bank. It's not that they necessarily represent large numbers within their particular denominations or faith, but technology and modern-day weapons have made it possible for just a few of these extremists to have a much louder voice and effect on the world than their more moderate compatriots. The time has come to speak up against these people, regardless of their religious affiliation.
The country in which I live, the United States of America, is in danger of being overwhelmed by a right-wing fundamentalist Christian, xenophobic, homophobic, bigoted, misogynist, racist ideology. And it's time to start to fight back. This group, largely represented by people who define themselves as tea party "patriots," are threatening to undermine the very values that make America the great place that it is. I believe this with my heart and my soul.
So we have a choice. To do nothing or to speak out against these forces.
To be perfectly honest with you I was surprised that this horrible shooting happened in Norway. Perhaps because it was so much easier for the Norwegian shooter/bomber to obtain the fertilizer that he needed to make a bomb and the guns that he needed to shoot down 84 children that it happened in this relatively peaceful Scandinavian country. I am surprised it did not happen in the United States of America where violence hangs in the air like the noxious odor of cheap cologne in a strip club.
I guess I've reached the point where I just think we'd all be better off without religion
I think I will try to use this space to talk about issues and incidents were I see religion overwhelming good sense and the common welfare of all Americans. I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about.
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