When Credulity, Uncritical Mind, and Perverted Love are Desirable Qualities

 

It's a sad day when Biden has to put out a statement re-affirming his faith (credulity, uncritical mind, ignorance on display), because some moron (DJT) made a gibberish statement that Biden has " no religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt guns, hurt God..."

So, in a village where so many people are infected with a virus of the mind, proclaiming blindness, ignorance, and love for someone whom you fear, is considered an obligatory statement and positive attribute for any politician who wants to lead.... tsk. We're still so backward and primitive.

Religious Freedom in America. Theocracy is Trying a Comeback

As many faithful here in the US have been celebrating some of the most important religious holidays in April, it's worth noting that the many of our compatriots don't understand the constitution, do not have knowledge of our history, and, most importantly, do not recognize other people's rights when it comes to religion, nor do they recognize the wall of separation between church and state.

This is one of the better documentaries I've seen on the issue of religious freedom. The focus is King, North Carolina, but the statements and beliefs those residents also reflect religious people all over the country. What's great about this documentary is that once the subject of religiosity is examined beyond the slogans and bumper-sticker mentality, a whole other pictures emerges: that of contradictions, belief without even a smidgen of skepticism, lots of ignorance of someones' own faith, and ample fanaticism.

 

It's a long documentary but definitely worth-watching. Scott Burdick became a filmmaker after he witnessed the small town of King, NC having a rally for Xtianity that had been ignited by a returning Afghanistan veteran who threatened to sue the town if they didn't remove the Xtian flag from the public Veteran's Memorial.

There are the voices of intolerance but also of those who, in the name of religious freedom, argue for a separation of Church-state. There are also a few skeptics and non-believers, but I think the best effect comes not from those who criticize the believers but from the believers themselves.

Richard Dawkins commented, 

"One highlight, for me, was the spectacularly stupid woman around 0:22:40. She begins by denying that God could ever sanction slavery. Scott then gets her to read aloud the relevant passage from Leviticus and she then completely changes her tune, saying that homosexuality is worse than slavery. That's right: homosexuality is WORSE than slavery. Why? Because the Bible condemns homosexuality and (as she has just that minute learned from Scott) it doesn't condemn slavery.

Even more horrifying is the section (starting around 0:59) labelled "Following Orders": a covert allusion to the Nuremberg Defense. Scott asks people to put themselves in the position of Joshua, ordered by God to slaughter the native peoples already living in the promised land, or of Abraham, ordered by God to sacrifice his son. One after another, the faith-heads say (reluctantly in the case of the young man with glasses and curly hair, but with something close to relish in the case of the odious man with a bald head and little beard) that yes, they would commit genocide and infanticide if God ordered them to. This is as clear an illustration of the evil of religion as I have come across for a long time."

With all the tools of reasoning and knowledge, and having the relative safety, leisure, affluence, freedom it's truly incredible why people believe crazy stuff. Take the identifiers out, or the identity of the author, and then examine the moral imperatives in holy books... most people would see the horrors and the ridiculousness of those beliefs. They do that for the ..others people's faith already! 

So, it must be a virus of the mind: self-replicating, zombiefying, fear-inducing, paralyzing, reason-killing, hiding the infection and making the host believe this virus is the host's greatest asset!

And, now something totally new.... (or, old)

Author D.M. Murdock (a.k.a. Acharya S.)

Evidence is for persons who are curious about what actually happened or actually is, so no evidence can convince the religious fanatics. They ask for a ton of evidence from the skeptics (and that the skeptics ..prove there's no god) while they present none to prove their own extraordinary claims. 

Myths and Folklore Can be Fun in a Reality-Based World. Escape from Reality Shouldn't be a Constant!

Halloweeeeeen! Oh, I love a good old myth. Jac-O-Lantern is such a ridiculous story that's is amusing. I wish I could say the same about some other--many official--holidays, but I won't go into that today. There are many pagan elements to this fun holiday, and, of course, witchcraft. All in good fun, but not according to the CBN (Pat Robertson's tube). The fundies are afraid that "demonic influences" may be lurking in the candy, because most of the candy "sold this year has been dedicated and prayed over by witches"! This story would be funny if it weren't for the fact millions of Americans believe such things. For an advanced society, this is appalling; the lunatic fringe is too big to be on the fringes of our society--with practical implications in our culture and politics.

I think most people don't spend much time thinking about their belief systems. Obviously, Halloween is a fun holiday and nothing more than that to most people, including myself. But, it's big business in the US. In this recession times, Americans are expected to spend more this year on costumes, candy and parties than ever before. Escape from reality. I mean, it's OK to do this once in a while, but being in a alternate-reality universe can be a problem.

Religious rituals have been with humanity ever since thunder was observed. Fear and ignorance was the guiding forces behind inventing rituals to appease the gods and cope with the harsh life. It wasn't long after that the elites used religion to further entrench their privileged status and further keep people in a state of few and ignorance. I suppose if a person has no education, no access to information--other than what culture and the authorities allow--and is indoctrinated into a rigid belief system (absolutism), then it's rather impossible to escape this reality.

It's not accident that change in human societies (including certain ideas), took thousands of years to take hold. Even when there was change, including new belief systems, usually it was one absolute idea/practice replaced by another. Pagan practices gave rise to Christian ones. Actually all three Abrahamic religions have common views of human nature, morality, society, and of a god who capriciously suspends his own physical laws.

Although most of our human history has been an exercise for survival in a very difficult environment (state of nature, and man-made conditions), human have chosen the convenient whenever it was possible. Of course, primitive societies had taboos against change; change was not borne by forthought or encouragement. Some change came because of unintented consequences and/or by some brave individuals who went against the current. But, nowadays, I'd prefer a bit more of an effort to understand the world around us. A bit of an inquiry into long-held beliefs that have a direct effect on our lives. Times have changed indeed, I just wish there was a bit more rational thinking going on.