Tag: religion

Letter to Luke

Young Luke recently completed high school and is now attending college. He’s enrolled in a two year business program that will teach him the foundations of finance, accounting, marketing, and economics. So much so that upon graduation Luke will be qualified to work in the business world.

But as an adult, he’ll also be required to know about politics and be asked to vote. He’ll be bombarded with articles and opinions telling him how things should be, without ever being given any of the basics. So what’s he to do? Stay in school an additional two years and spend another twenty thousand dollars? Or take a crash course on the workings of the world and learn how to constantly improve his education.

If he chooses the latter, which is obviously more practical, what then does Luke actually need to know? Here’s my answer: you can’t know politics without understanding history, and you can’t know history without grasping the tactical components of religion. So let’s start with history.

History

As Canadians, we’re descendants of the Roman Empire now living within Western civilization.

Rome was founded in 753 BC. It shifted from a monarchy to a classical republic and then to an autocratic empire that included most of Europe. Rome conquered Greece in 146 BC and adopted much of Greek culture, this period is known as the Greco-Roman world.

After the life of Jesus, a new form of Judaism was created—Christianity. Between 313 and 380, Rome adopted Christianity as its state religion. Roman culture then became the amalgamation of the Greco-Roman world and Judaeo-Christianity.

In 395, Rome split into east and west, with the west containing most of Europe. Canada was colonized by Britain and France (Europeans), that’s why we’re part of Western civilization. The West’s tenets are democracy, capitalism, and a culture based on the Greco-Roman world and Judaeo-Christianity.

1215 is the year of the British Magna Carta, which signifies the start of modern day democracy. The mid-1500s is when the Protestant Reformation challenged Rome’s authority over Christianity by creating many new denominations. And the Industrial Revolution—the beginning of modern day capitalism—started in the 1700s.

See articles on Civilizations, Ancient Greece, British History, and American History. 

Politics

Knowing the difference between a liberal and a conservative is the essential quandary of politics. People spend their whole lives confused about it. Definitions can be found in the articles Left is for Liberal and Conservatives, but before jumping to conclusions please grasp the following:

  • Both ideologies are valid (and you’ll alternate between the two)
  • Party platforms rest on top of ideology, as an interpretation (so parties can be bad but ideologies are always good)

The underpinnings of politics are what the public sector does, the welfare state, government’s role within a free market society, and who votes what. Then it’s good to understand the basic structure of government and where we’ve come from (Senate Reform), plus the essence of what’s behind current world problems (Irish Nationalism, Syria and Iraq, Muslim Countries, and the North-South Divide). This should get you through our current state of propaganda.

Albert Einstein said, “I don’t know how WWIII will be fought, but WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones.” This sentiment captures modern day international policy thinking (see Imperialism). There are over 190 countries and not all are democratic. The path forward has traditionally been fought through civil wars, but this option, too, is now no longer practical.

Religion

We’re moving towards a global civilization, where democracy and capitalism are widely held, and a multitude of religions are accepted. Yes, Christianity played a significant role in the development of the West, but it’s time to acknowledge our uncertainty about life and welcome other views.

And whether Christ came down to enhance Judaism (Judaism 2.0) or introduce beliefs separate from those of the Jews, devout Christians continue to hold special regard for Israel (and this isn’t expected to change).

See articles on History of Western Faith and the Bible.

Summary

Bottom line: doctors, lawyers, engineers—none of us are qualified to vote. Democracy only works when all sides are able and fortunately, over the years, we’ve experienced good government. Our system does protect us from potential fools, but it’s still up to the citizenry to watchdog those of us in charge. So you should know this stuff.

Now get back to your studies—one day, you’ll need a good job.

Fundamentalism

In his film, Religulous, Bill Maher takes aim at Christian fundamentalism in America attempting to expose the lunacy of it all. (The title is a combination of the words religion and ridiculous.) I found the film worthwhile but wish it had answered more questions. Like, what’s the definition of a fundie and why does any person want to be one? What percentage of Americans think this way? And is this number shrinking or on the rise? Since Bill didn’t answer these questions, let’s give it a try.

The film’s definition of a fundamentalist seems to be churchgoers who take their scripture literally. For Christians, it’s believing in Old Testament stories like Adam and Eve, Jonah living inside a whale, and Noah running around collecting all those animals. It also includes believing in the existence of Hell, Mother Mary as a virgin, and that homosexuality is a sin.

It appears people become fundamentalists for three reasons:

  • Jesus loves you
  • You enjoy feeling superior
  • You’re susceptible to the euphoria of prayer

Fundamentalists are usually born into an already fundamentalist family or belong to the utterly broken and totally screwed up. I don’t think kids from good non-fundie homes wake up saying, “Hey, I want to start believing in this stuff, literally.” But those with battered backgrounds often seek out the help of the church. Why? Because above all else, Jesus loves me. And this form of love is obviously better than the one I should have received from home.

It also appears that as soon as the cameras shut off, fundies began snickering over how dumb they thought ol’ Bill was. Comments like “he doesn’t know” and “he’ll never be saved” could easily have come from this group. One of the pillars of super-faith seems to be the feeling of being chosen or superior. And when you think of it—these people have been ridiculed their entire lives. But thanks to fundamentalism, they’ll soon be the winners sitting atop the mountainside, while condescending, bully-bastards who once taunted them suffer at their feet. (And revenge is so sweet.)

The third reason appears to be the reaction some have to prayer. It’s like the power of prayer is an upper-based addiction like no other. Something chemical is going on here because they’re all high on Christ.

So to summarize: “newbie” fundamentalists want (and need) the love of Jesus, like to feel superior, and are addicted to the euphoria of prayer. 

Problem

So why did Bill say we have to be afraid of them? All the fundamentalists in the film seemed harmless. Looked like nice people. Is it because those who believe blindly are susceptible to carrying out bad wishes from an evil command? Are fundamentalists primarily docile people who can become dangerous because they don’t like to think? And is it terrorism we’re talking about, or is it voting largely the same way and their tendency to sometimes carry signs that say “God hates fags,” all because some leader told them?

Solution

What’s popular these days are arguments between atheists and fundies, which are mostly futile. It may be better to acknowledge that fundamentalist-type people exist and treat them accordingly? For example, like we have international agreements to reduce the number of nuclear arms, we could have international faith agreements to remove controversial passages from each other’s scripture, just to keep everyone safe.

Prior to finding this notion absurd, consider that the Catholic Church has altered its canon a number of times. For years, it said babies who died before baptism were sent directly to limbo. And though this was probably a motivation to push followers into practicing early sacraments (since rituals are part of cementing adherence), it created additional suffering for already grieving parents. But the church reversed its policy to unbaptized babies now go to heaven. Furthermore, today the Vatican acknowledges Darwinism as a valid belief system, and sometimes says homosexuality isn’t a sin. (At this rate we’ll have birth control by Christmas.)

Religious authorities must take responsibility for having created this mess. Rules that were necessary in the past have become outgrown in many places. The fault doesn’t lie with fundamentalist-type people, it’s with doctrines like the Bible and the Quran. Blaming fundies is like blaming a three-year-old for falling into a pool. Put up a fence!

Simple-minded people will always be among us and will always require some sort of care. So let’s give them a bible that is simple and pure. One that says everyone goes to heaven (regardless of religion) and there is no hell. We could make it even more positive by putting greater emphasis on one God and less on the messenger. (Plus, we should stop forcing these folks to evangelize and give away all their dough.)

For the sake of fundamentalists, we should rewrite parts of our bibles to clean up the faith. This way everyone gets to follow the rules and we can all get high.

Note: There are many psychological reasons why I would join. It’s an easy answer to natural questions and a straightforward path to heaven. And in places like Europe and CanAmerica, religion is a choice. But in other parts of the world, fundamentalist behaviour can be forced upon you — and most people hate it. (Some don’t.) Remember this before you judge.