Archive for the ‘Religious Extremism’ Category

New Winds Blowing Among Religious Right?

Monday, March 10th, 2008

By David L. Brown

The far right in American politics has consistently opposed recognition that global warming and climate change are real problems. Traditionally, a core element in this denial has been the members of the so-called Religious Right — fundamentalists who believe the Bible to be the infallible word of God and the only source of true knowledge.

In the face of growing evidence that climate change is actually taking place, and that it poses a threat to the future of the Earth, that stone wall of opposition may be starting to crack. According to this article in the New York Times online edition today, 44 leading members of the Southern Baptist Convention have signed onto a “declaration calling for more action on climate change, saying its previous position on the issue was ‘too timid’.”

The current president of the nation’s second largest religious group, Rev. Frank Page, was among those who approved the paper which is titled “A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate Change.” Two former presidents of the convention also signed.

According to the Times piece:

“We believe our current denominational engagement with these issues has often been too timid, failing to produce a unified moral voice,” the church leaders wrote in their new declaration.

A 2007 resolution passed by the convention hewed to a more skeptical view of global warming.

In contrast, the new declaration, which will be released Monday, states, “Our cautious response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed.”

The document also urges ministers to preach more about the environment and for all Baptists to keep an open mind about considering environmental policy.

With 16 million members in the U.S., second only to Roman Catholics, and due to their activism the Southern Baptists and similar fundamentalist sects have political clout even far beyond their numbers. Typically taking their cues from Scripture rather than science or even common sense, religious fundamentalists are taught to believe that the Earth was created about 6000 years ago and that as written in Genesis, humankind was given “dominion” over the Earth. It is commonly believed that a day of reckoning will soon come during which those who have been “born again” will be literally raised up to a heavenly afterlife in an event they call the Rapture. Those who do not believe as they do will be destroyed along with the Earth itself.

In view of this kind of superstitious belief it is no surprise that Southern Baptists and fundamentalists in general would have little concern for what humans are doing to the environment, since in their view the Earth will soon be destroyed anyway.

And yet those ideas may be changing. According to the Times article James Merritt, a former president of the convention who played a leading role in the new initiative, said:

… that for years he had been “an enemy of the environment.” Then, he said, he had an epiphany.

“I learned that God reveals himself through Scripture and in general through his creation, and when we destroy God’s creation, it’s similar to ripping pages from the Bible,” Mr. Merritt said.

This is certainly a change from previous thinking. As you might recall, members of the religious right have often taken the lead in opposing conservation of resources and action to protect the environment.

For example, James G. Watt, the first secretary of the interior under the Reagan administration (1981-3) testified before Congress that it was important to protect natural resources only with an eye to the imminent return of Jesus Christ. He explained: “I do not know how many future generations we can count on before the Lord returns, whatever it is we have to manage with a skill to leave the resources needed for future generations.” In other words, his idea was that we should use up all the resources of our planet before the Rapture would ensue, and it is apparently not an uncommon idea among fundamentalists that the quicker we wind down things here on Earth the sooner we will meet our reward in the presumed afterlife.

How do you think the members of Congress would have reacted to this kind of blathering insanity? Well, I wasn’t there but I can guess that they listened with polite attention and raised not a single objection to the interjection of Jesus into a discussion of our nation’s natural resources.

And why would that be? Why because of the political power of Christian fundamentalists whose ravings have done much to leave us in the state we are in now. And also because successful politicians —no matter what their true beliefs — attend church regularly. No politician who values his office is about to raise any objection whatsoever to even the most bizarre expressions of religious ideas. In this nation, no one who is perceived as non-religious has the slightest chance of holding public office, not even as dog catcher much less to an exalted position in the Congress.

Most if not all of the men and women in attendance at Watts’s testimony would have been quite familiar with arguments of this kind, from the mouths of their priests, preachers or ministers. Prayer may be banned in schools (due in the eyes of religious Conservatives to the evil Supreme Court and the misguided act of our Founding Fathers in creating a separation between church and state), but it still has a primary place in politics and no session of Congress begins without a fervent prayer.

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Posted in Climate Change, Politics, Religious Extremism | 2 Comments »

A New Jewish State in … Alaska?

Friday, October 5th, 2007

By David L. Brown

I note with amusement that Iran’s leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has seriously suggested that Israel be relocated to Alaska. He defends this position by claiming that the Jewish state is “an insult to human dignity,” as reported here on the Jerusalem Post web site. He targeted America as a new location because of its support for the Israel and also proposed as an alternative a new Jewish homeland in Europe.

His statement was made against a background of massive public demonstrations in celebration of Al-Quds Day, as reported on the Post site:

In the capital Teheran, hundreds of thousands of people poured into the streets as they chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” Some protesters also burned American and Israeli flags.

Well, I have to say that there is definitely reason to be concerned about insults to human dignity, but the focus should be turned 180 degrees toward Iran itself. What can we say about a nation whose leader makes statements such as the ones reported today, not to mention repeated threats to destroy Israel, perhaps with atomic weapons now being developed in the theocracy?

Iranians and Arabs make a big point about the supposed fact that Jews displaced Muslims in what is now Israel, and decry the fact that Israel controls Jerusalem, the third most holy spot in Islam (“al-Quds is the Arab name for Jerusalem). Well, all of that may have some basis in the near-sighted view of recent history. But what if we look further back? Hmm, it seems that the early followers of Muhammad conquered Jerusalem and slaughtered or drove away its Jewish and Christian peoples. Prior to that, Jews have had a history in the region going back more than a millennium prior to Muhammad’s arrival on the scene as a bloody conquering warlord.

It also hardly bears mentioning that Jerusalem is the No. 1 holy site in both Judaism and Christianity, and the construction of a mosque on that site was an outrageous act of infamy against the “people of the book”.

Interestingly enough, there is talk among radical Muslims about a natural progression in their ongoing conquest of Europe, namely the pledge to someday convert St. Peter’s Basilica and all the cathedrals of Western Europe into mosques … precisely the program carried out in centuries past after the Islamic conquest of Jerusalem and other cities.

Which leads me to ask: Since it appears to be a Muslim goal to overrun Western Europe, why suggest it as a new location for Israel? Alaska makes some sense, since it will be a long time until Islam sweeps over that part of the world, but Europe? It’s already virtually a slam dunk to become a key part of the new Islamic Caliphate. Oh well, nothing that Ahmadinijan says makes much sense anyway, so we shouldn’t look too deeply into his rantings.

So why can’t the Muslims be content with their own No. 1 and No. 2 holy sites Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and for those raving loonies in Iran, their own city of Qum? They will never be satisfied, because the plan as laid down for them in the Koran is for Islam to wage endless jihad until it has conquered all nations and forced every Infidel to convert or be put to the sword. In their dream of future world hegemony the only places of worship will be mosques.

Here’s an idea: In the interests of human dignity and peace, let’s relocate Iran itself, to a place where it can act out its vile hatred in a less troublesome manner. Alaska is out, because the Alaskans are heavily armed red-blooded Americans accustomed to surviving under tough conditions and the Persians wouldn’t stand a chance there. Hmm, let’s see, where could we put these hate mongers where they would no longer cause trouble?

I’ve got it! There is an ideal place, something that in fact has a lot in common with Alaska, a vast and welcoming space just waiting to receive the Iranian hordes and their looney leaders. An entire continent in fact. I refer, of course, to Antarctica. Lots of room to build mosques and rouse the rabble in endless protest against everything non-Muslim.

But, oops, that wouldn’t be fair to the penguins would it? I guess we’ll just have to let the Persian maniacs stay where they are and hope that their jingoistic ravings and export of terror will eventually cause something bad to happen to them. What they really need is a good old fashioned revolution, to run the mullahs out of office and return Iran to the realm of civilized nations. It could happen. And I, perhaps, am the Queen of Moldavia.

Posted in Religious Extremism, Satire, Irony, and Humor | Comments Off

Islam and Communism: Brothers Under the Skin

Thursday, May 25th, 2006

The Islamic Threat to World Peace — Part II
Author’s Note: This is the second in an occasional series of essays on the subject of radical Islam and the threat it represents to the future of the world.

By David L. Brown

In a previous post, “Is Islam a Religion or a Cult,” I made the case that Islam, at least in its radical forms, is not a religion at all but a militaristic cult of world domination. Here are the stories of two philosophies that may at first glance seem quite different, but which are revealed by even a cursory examination to have strange and enigmatic parallels.

FIRST we will examine Communism, which was established by Karl Marx and his followers. Communism is a totalitarian cult which denies the existence of a deity and gives lip service to the concept of economic equality while its leaders wallow in comfort on the backs of its generally disenfranchised citizens (for present-day examples see Cuba, Zimbabwe and North Korea). International Communism has the goal of total world domination, conversion or subjugation to all who refuse to accept its philosophies, and the spreading of its ideas through brainwashing, intimidation and violence.

SECOND we will examine Islam, which was established by the Prophet Mohammed and his followers. Islam is a totalitarian cult which worships a mythical deity and gives lip service to the concept of economic equality while its leaders wallow in comfort on the backs of generally disenfranchised citizens (for present-day examples see Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran). Islam has the goal of total world domination, conversion or subjugation to all who refuse to accept its philosophies, and the spreading of its ideas through brainwashing, intimidation and violence.

Hmmm, it seems we have a lot of similarities here. But—and this is where things get interesting—the West has responded to these two very similar and parallel threats in ways that are astonishingly different.

Imagine if during the Cold War the Soviet Union had spent billions to establish Communist Educational Centers throughout the United States? What if they had staffed those centers with Communist political officers (Commisars) who held regular public meetings in which they espoused hatred for Capitalism and the West and exhorted participants to acts of “protest” and violence against non-Communists “wherever they may be found”? Would we have allowed it? Hell no! There is no way imaginable that such a thing could have had even the slightest chance of succeeding.

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Is Islam a Religion, or a Cult?

Sunday, May 21st, 2006

The Islamic Threat to World Peace — Part I

Author’s Note: Although our primary interests at Star Phoenix Base focus on the environmental threats to our planet, we cannot avoid the realization that human conflict is equally threatening to the future of our civilization. We do not intend to cover or comment upon religion in general, but we shall do so when we perceive that religious activities are impacting on the science and politics of human survival. Examples include the anti-scientific efforts of proponents of Intelligent Design, and most poignantly, radical Islam. This is the first in a series through which we will comment from time to time on the impact of radical Islam on world events and the direction of humanity’s future.

By David L. Brown

One of the most serious problems in the world today is the existence of radical Islam with its implacable goals of destroying all non-Islamic civilizations. It is estimated that up to 100 million of the world’s approximately one billion Muslims would actively support jihad against the West. Many others would be passive supporters, in obeyance to the Koran and the teachings of mullahs and other Islamic “scholars.”

Why do we class Islam as a threat to the world? In short, because it has as its goal the suppression of all non-Islamic peoples and the institution of Shari’a, or Koranic, law in every corner of the Earth. This is unacceptable not only from the point of view of the many human beings who do not share the Islamic world view, but also on a more practical level. It is sad but true that Muslim societies are culturally, technologically, and socially backward. In fact, their “religion” has held them frozen in the ways of the Seventh Century when Mohammed launched the wars of conquest that have continued to this day and which are, in fact, a basic element of Islam.

Ill-educated except in the purported word of their deity, many radical Muslims are superstitious, bigoted, self-righteous individuals who are poorly suited to manage a world that has over-populated itself to a point that would have been inconceivable in Medieval times. Putting it bluntly, they appear better prepared as destroyers than as builders. Sadly, Muslim societies have not advanced to create the ability to manage and administrate, to invent and manufacture, and to create art, music, philosophies and all the many fundamental building blocks of a vibrant modern day civilization.

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Posted in Conflict and War, Religious Extremism | 1 Comment »

Have Muslims Overstayed Europe’s Welcome?

Friday, May 19th, 2006

By David L. Brown

The attitudes of Europeans toward Muslims is changing, as Westerners become more aware of—and more concerned about—the long-term intentions of Islamic immigrants who are systematically reverse-colonizing White Europe. The so-called “Clash of Civilizations” (I will explain in a moment why I believe this is a misnomer) is well under way in the cradle of Western society.

Why do I believe the term “Clash of Civilizations” is inaccurate? For one thing, because although it is often described as a new phenomenon, what is going on is actually a direct continuation of the 1400-year-old jihad launched in the seventh century by the warlord Mohammed. The self-proclaimed Prophet was no religious philosopher, but rather a fanatic who set out to conquer and convert the entire world and who did so by wrapping himself in the cloak of his invented religion. Down through the centuries his followers, now one billion strong, are still bent to the same ends, working to the script of conquest and suzerainty as he wrote it down as the purported word of Allah.

From its founding, Islam has been unlike any other religion, having more in common with a warrior cult devoted to conquest. And more to the point, to call the Medieval cult a “civilization” is merely laughable. This hodge-podge of squabbling and self-deluded zealots are no more a “civilization” than are a gang of murdering thieves. In fact, read the exortations of the Koran and you will learn that is more-or-less exactly what they are.

Fortunately, in the opinion of Star Phoenix Base, radical Islam is overreaching its position, particularly in Europe where its true believers represent a significant and growing proportion of the total population in many countries. Muslims mistake Western patience and the tolerance of our Judeo-Christian ways as weakness, but in that they are mistaken.

The French riots, terror attacks in Britain and Spain, the outrages perpetrated against Denmark over some amusing and harmless cartoons—all these are having their effect by opening the eyes of Europeans and turning them against the Muslims among them. A recent report on a survey of German attitudes toward Muslims tells much of the story. It comes from the web site Expatica, with a hat tip to Robert Spencer’s Jihad Watch web site. Here’s the lede:

BERLIN – Germans are growing increasingly negative over Islam and concern is rising over the country’s Muslim minority, a recently released poll shows.

“If one looks at this from a pessimistic viewpoint it could be seen as the start of a downward spiral toward conflict,” said the Allensbach polling agency who conducted the survey for the Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper.

Asked if they thought [Christianity and Islam] could co-exist peacefully, 61 per cent of those surveyed said they believed there would always be “major conflicts” between both faiths.

Some 91 per cent said they associated Islam with oppression of women, up from 85 per cent in 2004. Read the rest.

Just as in centuries past, Europe is under serious threat from Islamic conquest. This time the invading hordes are not warriors on horseback swinging scimitars and voicing their submission to Allah as a battle cry. After conquering most of Asia, the Middle East and North Africa in the first century after Mohammed launched their jihad, Islamic warriors tried to overrun Europe through main force. They were turned back, first in southern France by Charles Martin; later after seven centuries of struggle by the Spanish ending the Moorish rule of the Iberian Peninsula; and finally at the Gates of Vienna in 1683.

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