Rabbi David Wolpe, author of Why Faith Matters, makes an excellent point about Religulous:
Perhaps Maher's greatest misunderstanding of religion is his central indictment: that religion is responsible for the world's violence. It is not. Violence is a product of human nature. Before monotheism, the Assyrians were not kind; the Romans were bloodthirsty beyond the imagination of religious regimes. When religion became less potent in people's lives after the French Revolution, instead of making the world less violent, it became far more violent: World War I and WWII, communism, Nazism -- all shed blood on an unprecedented scale. None were religious regimes or religious wars.
In fact, Stalin and Pol Pot were both atheists and Hitler was driven by other ideologies. The three of them together were responsible for more deaths than all of history's religious wars combined. This doesn't prove that atheists are inherently violent but it does undercut the central premise of Maher's argument, that our very fate is in danger because of religion.
UPDATE: I'm reminded, too, that the 20th century's greatest advocates of non-violence -- Gandhi and Martin Luther King -- were driven by faith.
Add to Del.icio.us
Add to Technorati
Add to Digg
Add to Newsvine
Add to Facebook
Add to StumbleUpon
Subscribe
Steve,
Thank you brother for your concern about this real issue. Bill and that other undoubted demigog are looking to divert attention to Atheist view. No matter what someones background, there is a need for belief greater than yourself. We are fallible man, we have no business dependeing solely on ourselves. Remeber Jim Jones, David Koresh, Heaven's Gate, etc!
We need to talk up not seeing this movie. If we see it, we make them stronger. Please say to America, "Do Not See This Movie". Bill should never work again!
Just had to say it was about time someone pointed out the emperor's new clothes (or the pope's, the rabbi's, etc.). The religious Order will of course swamp us all out in no time for daring to be heathen AND have our own say... but not before I've seen the movie, I hope ;-).
It is not religion that is bad; though it can be taken to extremes, so can any other human endevor. How much evil has been done in the name of America or "freedom". I would argue that the ideals behind the American Revolution and the US are positive despite what people have done with them.
So, too, the teachings of Jesus (I speak only as a Christian). "Judge not lest you be judged." "They will know we are Christians by our love." "Love God with your whole heart, mind, and soul. And your neighbor by yourself." Yet, much of Christianity has the reputation - deservedly - of being judgemental, condescending, and hateful. We're not doing it right (though I've met a whole lot of people who are - who truly love). Jesus talked of the value of the Spirit of the Law but we get rigid and forget Jesus' flexability.
This is a common problem and by no means unique to religion.
How can we separate the horrors of the past from our identity? How can we not fear the same results in our own time?
If we are female, we can say it is the men's fault, because they have been in power, and "we" have not.
If we are atheists, we can say it is the "religious people"'s fault, again a category defined almost specifically as "what we are not".
If we believe somehow that we are in a new age, then we can say that all that history is no longer relevant, we have moved beyond that.
Or we can tie our comfort to the knowledge we have that they didn't. We know how it turned out. So we can delve into history and find the failures and the forms of behaviour, and avoid them wherever we can, if the choice really is up to us.
We can say it is social structures, false ideologies, lack of self-awareness, mistaken dreams, so many other things, so many causes to fight against.
But we must always leave open the possibility that we cannot find it, or we cannot find it in time. Many people fear the end of the human race, as an event and as a terrible summing up of our years here, and try to come to terms with it as a possibility, but many more seek obscure objectives that they can fight against for the rest of their life so they can be "doing something".
"The more profound the problem that is ignored, the greater are the chances for fame and success." Heinz Von Forester.
I'll add on a note of hope that I really think it is possible to distinguish between what we can change and what we can't, so there is hope for learning from history, but I suspect we'd be better off building a world than trying to prevent one. And I know a good adviser.
Christianity and Islam both claim divine truth and that their followers are blessed, chosen, or at the very least, following the "right" path. This is a wonderful corner stone upon which those who wish to execute control and violence of others can build empires.
It's simply dumbfounding - dumbfinding? - that otherwise intelligent individuals either refuse to be open to the idea that no god exists or that there is simply no reason to believe it.
How did we get here? Well, some guy made us.
Why did he make us? Uhhhh... he got a little lonely and bored.
What's he want us to do? Uhhhh... follow some rules and hand money over to churches.
What do we get? Everything for which a 5 year old could wish!
How does he know if we do what he wants? He sees EVERYTHING! Hears EVERYTHING! - oh wait - he KNOWS EVERYTHING and always has.
So if he made us and knew what we were all going to do before we ever got here, why have us here? It's not like we're revealing ourselves... He gives us free will to choose to be his buddy or not!
He knows and basically controls everything, so that rings a bit hollow. It seems fairly childish. I really have better things to do than waste my time on this.
He will smite you!
Uh huh. Later.
Post a Comment
By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.