Coastal
Post Online
January
2002
Loving God Or Eyes For Eyes?
By Stephen Simac
"Religion is like liquor, in moderation
a social lubricant, in excess a homewrecker and the scourge of society."
Since 9-11 many Americans, both
Muslim and not, have rushed to proclaim that Islam is a religion of Peace and
Allah is a God of Love. Not to
criticize the teachings of Mohammed, because that can quickly get a price put
on your head, but to be perfectly honest many of the passages in the Koran
contradict that claim. Like most Holy Books it is open to interpretation of
course and that may be where the trouble begins.
In the media rush to single out a single
branch of the One God's tree as violent and paint all Muslims as terrorists,
the defenders of Islam are correct.
Judaism and Christianity's Holy Books could also be classified as hate
literature based on many passages.
This is not to exclude any other Ism that claim it's us or them from
causing social problems, us being people who think and act alike.
Yes, these religions do contain exhortations
for Peace and Love, but they are balanced with trumpet blasts for Violence and
Hate in the name of God. Most humans have varying measures of these
contradictory impulses. The personalities of believers determine which passages
they choose to underline in their Holy Books to support their natural
inclinations.
It's the individual
who chooses whether their religion is more for Peace and Love than Power and
Greed. Osama bin Laden felt himself
religiously correct in his actions according to his original call for jihad in
1996. He quoted extensively from the
Koran to prove his vindication that it was high time to kill all the infidels
and unbelievers.
Of course the
Peace and Love people can quote you contradictory passages in their Holy Books.
They will pull out extensive discourses by imams, rabbis or priests to prove
that an Omnipotent God is All Loving, even though Bad Things happen to Good
People.
Maybe "Kill all the
Jews and Christians" is only an ironic joke, not unlike Shakespeare's
"first we'll kill all the lawyers."
This is not to
deny that Islam offers plenty of peace and love. By most accounts if you are a
Muslim's guest there's no worry about being stabbed in the back or molested,
unlike with some religious folk.
Opiate Of The Masses
Mohammed was in communion with the angels
in a cave around 700 AD when God dictated His Message to his faithful Scribe.
This scenario is typically how religions start, similar to Joseph Smith's
communications with angels to create the Mormon Church of Latter Day
Saints.
A contextual description
of Islam would define it as having a warrior's philosophical core wrapped in a
mercantile framework. It helped to smooth trade routes through the internecine
tribes of the Middle East.
Religions are said to be designed by God, but they are invariably run by
priests to hold society in a stable form without too much trouble for the
rulers from the masses. When they fail at this, new religions arise with new
priests and rulers.
Islam is
currently the fastest growing religion in the world, except for religious
indifference. Jerry Falwell, a Christian fundamentalist blamed the spread of
Secular Humanism and Paganism for God lifting the veil of protection against
America.
To attribute this or any
tragedy to God's will is comforting, but it contradicts the loving God theory.
Not that Jerry's ever put much stock in that. Hey, God if you're in charge of
everything, you're going to be blamed a lot more than praised. Humans are like
that, you should know.
While the
majority of Americans don't attend church very often they do believe in a
fatherly, One God who smiles on our enterprise. Shopping Malls are the temples of Consumerism, the undeclared
religion of Capitalism. The Terrorists may have put a dent in shopping mall
profits, but sales of big screen TV's are up more than church attendance.
Life,
Liberty And The Pursuit Of Property
The First Amendment was pasted on the constitution mainly to prevent
religious leaders from getting too sticky a hold on the federal government, not
just to allow the "free exercise" of religion.
You won't find "separation of Church
and State" in our constitution, Capitalism or Communism neither. The
Declaration of Independence does swear by the "Laws of Nature and Nature's
God."
This was seen by the
Deists who signed on to it as cryptic code for scientific rationalism. They
believed in a God who was a builder but not a meddler, an amiable Architect who
shaped the universe, then went away somewhere to let the renters discover the
hazards of the wiring.
Most of
the Founding Fathers were high degree freemasons, a fundamentally Deist
organization. They idealized the rights of All Men and were hypocritical, of
course. A noble hypocrisy isn't bad for
a country to claim as its birthright. Fundamentally believing that America is
the light on the Hill to a World in Darkness can be empowering to a democracy.
Like any other ism, it becomes a blinding, self-righteous light if We the
People aren't open to learning and evolving from criticism in a complex
world. In its fundamental form Islam
stifles criticism in the crib, like that of its sister religions. It does
create a clash of cultures with the needs of industrial capitalism or communism.
At the very least the prohibition on women showing their faces throws a monkey
wrench into sales of cosmetic companies.
Since they no longer control battalions, Christian leaders have
learned to moderate their message. They've retained some of their state power
by sitting on the sidelines and sending in plays. The more moderate Christians
contend the fundamentalists are like the crazy aunt in the attic with a few
hundred cats, even though their teachings are all from the same Bible they
adhere to.
People clinging to
faith in primitive religions are understandable because modernism provides no
spiritual succor or emotional balm. The philosophical jewel of industrial
urbanism, scientific materialism says we're here by chance. Their extraordinary
claim is that at death we simply dissolve into a jumble of molecules.
If whoever dies with the most toys wins,
then why do even rich men die lonely and terrified, crying out for the mercy of
God, not the keys to their sports car?
Unfortunately it logically follows from any kind of absolute religious
certainty that all others are wrong, probably evil and deserve to boil in Hell
for eternity. It's basically cursing your neighbors, because with global
commerce and weapons of mass destruction, the other jewels in the lotus of
industrialism, the whole planet is one neighborhood.