Hearts of Darkness: Our Religious Apocalypse Now
HEARTS OF DARKNESS:
OUR RELIGIOUS APOCALYPSE NOW
One cannot reason with people who believe “God” is on their side. No matter who they are. No matter where they live. No matter what tribe they belong to. It’s like arguing with the wind.
Facts do-not-matter to believers intoxicated by ancient fairy tales salivating at future promises of an eternal paradise. No matter what the topic or current event, experts in many societies have become subordinate to ministers, mullahs, preachers, priests, rabbis, and imams.
And that’s THE PROBLEM. Everywhere. Too much religion. Too many believers. Too many people in so many different places around the world who believe *their* god is on *their* side. Too many people who believe their god is antithetical to the other side. The names of countries, religions, and gods are different, but blind faith carries the same toxicity every space where religion dictates … and religion dominates … and religion intimidates … and religion suppresses.
All major religions share some twisted interpretation of an apocalyptic fate for humankind — and even more horrific — many millions await death and destruction with great anticipation. They’re protected, though. The supreme sky savior will return and promises to save all the “true believers” and whisk them away to eternal bliss. Everybody else….burn in hell.
If this sounds like mass madness — it is. It *is* mass madness.
No one who believes in a literal interpretation of the so-called “holy scriptures” should be anywhere near the levers of authority in any society anywhere in the world, let alone in charge of a military force. Religion should be an automatic *disqualification* for any executive position government in any country. Go away and play with snakes or worship camels. Just get out of our lives.
Right now, three very powerful religions are engaged in violent conflict in the Middle East. Who knows what happens next, and then next after that. Such acrimony isn’t anything new. It’s been going on for centuries, with no end in sight–aside perhaps from our mutual self-destruction. Sad to say, humankind has made very little collective progress when it comes to enlightenment reducing the fogs of war as these obsolete religious belief systems rooted in prehistoric times are now just as deeply burrowed into modern culture as in Medieval days when ruled by kings and queens and still appears destined to determine outcomes with premiers, presidents, and prime ministers. Just imagine how much easier this giant shit-pile of a mess would be to clean up if all of these religions just disappeared. Poof! Problem solved! Please…sign me up for that team.
Since the joint American/Israeli attacks on Iran, I’ve seen an astounding number of inflammatory posts, comments, and proclamations which are perversely PRO-WAR. And they come straight from religious believers. The culprits are the same, easily identified by repetitious Christian crosses flanked by American flags. God bless *our* troops, which presumes God is in favor of killing the other side’s troops. That’s some benevolent “God” up there, huh? Seriously, I’ve never understood the concept of being *blessed*…while also being tasked with *killing.*
Certainly, in Iran and Israel and other nations too, the same things are happening as here inside the United States, though the tribes and symbols are different. These aren’t rogue fanatics. They number in the tens of millions. They now run our government. They make all the decisions of consequence, both here and there. All of our fates are in their hands now.
Buttressed by religious fanatics, convinced “God” is on their side, madmen — who bear little difference to the rulers of the Dark Ages — are running the world. In Iran. In Israel. In the United States.
And that might be the most frightening concern of all.
