What are we going to do about all this religion, guys? Isn't it the root of most of what is fucked up in this world rather than the solution for our problems? I'm starting to equate religion with hate. I see it in everything.
I was heartened to see that Europe has seen a drastic reduction in the number of practicing Catholics over the last quarter century. Heartened even when it's the tradition in which I was raised or especially because it's the tradition in which I was raised? Yes.
Well, it was only minutes ago that I pulled out Maupin, but I'm dipping into my quote sack again (ooh, it's still warm) to pull out one from my brotha, Gore Vidal on religion:
"The great unmentionable evil at the center of our culture is monotheism. From a barbaric Bronze Age text known as the Old Testament, three anti-human religions have evolved--Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. These are sky-god religions. They are, literally, patriarchal--God is the Omnipotent Father--hence the loathing of women for 2,000 years in those countries afflicted by the sky-god and his earthly male delegates. The sky-god is a jealous god, of course. He requires total obedience from everyone on earth, as he is not just in place for one tribe, but for all creation. Those who would reject him must be converted or killed for their own good. Ultimately, totalitarianism is the only sort of politics that can truly serve the sky-god's purpose. Any movement of a liberal nature endangers his authority and those of his delegates on earth. One God, one King, one Pope, one master in the factory, one father-leader in the family at home."
Sing it, sister Gore.
And you can sing the title line here, too, if you remember the old XTC song, Dear God. These boys felt the same as Mista Vidal and sang it like this:
Dear god,
Don’t know if you noticed,
But your name is on a lot of quotes in this book.
Us crazy humans wrote it, you should take a look,
And all the people that you made in your image,
Still believing that junk is true.
Well I know it ain’t and so do you.
OK, I'm putting my sack away now, I promise.
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3 comments:
Exactly! It is OK. You're OK. I'm OK. I distrust the people who know for sure.
I love that song, too.
I get frustrated by people who blindly accept the Bible as the word of God. If you're basing your life on it, do a bit of research. When was it written? Who wrote it? I'm amazed at the Catholics and born again Christians who believe that the apostles wrote the new testament.
Christianity never sat right with me either, I just could never believe in an external Creator and the 'shall nots' seemed to me so dour and joyless. One of the reasons I embraced Buddhism with such open arms is the lack of a Creator, and the focus on personal responsibility. Sure there is the law of Karma, but that works as the law of cause and effect. It's a no brainer to get the concept of be nice to people and they'll be nice to you back, treat the world badly and it may turn around and bite you right back.
And how about being good, not for some heavenly reward, but just because it's the right thing to do? You know, to be good for goodness' sake, Santa stizz.
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