2.13.2009

Stupidity is non-discriminatory

There are few things that I am less keen on that loudmouthed religious fundamentalists. As a Christian (and a gay one, at that), I think the following is a helpful reminder of how utterly ridiculous some of my coreligionists have managed to sound:

JERRY FALWELL [ed: discussing the terrorist attacks of 9/11]: And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way--all of them who have tried to secularize America--I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."
Oh, Jerry Falwell. Let's hope God is more merciful than you believed, because it's hard to explain to the Almighty that you think several thousand innocents were incinerated to give the ACLU the what for. Add in other conservative Christian arguments that the terrorists were right to hate America, and that's one spicy meatball.

Now, Christians are hardly alone with this. Nobody really needs to be reminded of what the Taliban have wrought. Ultra-Orthodox Jews haven't exactly covered themselves in glory with some of their means of protest.

Still, I have to give it to the conservative Hindus in India that are protesting Valentine's Day. Nothing says "take my beliefs seriously" quite like burning a greeting card. I'm not sure how roughing up women who decide to have a drink in a local pub is meant to advance India's standing as a growing economic and political power, but it does make me feel less bad about my own religion when James Dobson opens his pie hole.

4 comments:

  1. Just wondering if you might have a few words of snark for religions that, oh, publicly execute raped women, or topple stone walls on top of gays. And, as far as I can see, the soi-disant moderates of these religions don't even bother to register a protest when this stuff happens. Can we get a witness?

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  2. I believe Christianity, Judaism, and Islam contain both true and sincere followers and hypocrites.

    Jesus Himself said that not everyone who calls Him Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

    Barbara

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  3. OK, so you can mention the I-word. Christians practice Christianity, Jews practice Judaism, Hindus practice Hinduism, and the Taliban practice, what? Why not use consistent style, and call the Taliban Muslims if you are simply going to mention the religion of the other nutter groups?

    I don't watch FOX news, so I have no idea what you are talking about. TV "news" is worse than useless. I read newspapers.

    What I do read is that Christians condemn the six sigma loonies (like the World Church of the Creator), Jews condemn the six sigma loonies (like the Kach movement), but I can't really recall any Islamic types getting upset that six sigma Islamic loonies threatened the British enough so they denied entrance to the Dutch politician Geert Wilders just the other day. Can you supply any cites to show where I might have missed this sort of thing? I'll wait, but I won't hold my breath.

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  4. Johnv2: I can supply a whole syllabus of books and articles by prominent Muslim scholars, imams, judges, Muslim feminists and academics. It's going to have to wait till tuesday because I'm on the road, but I'll post it then. Thanks for asking

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