September 11th is the epitome of the Bad Religion.
It should be a wake-up call to all societies that we need to
rise above religion and rely instead on education and ethics.
The blind followers of Bin Laden and the hijackers of 9/11 exemplify the dangers of religion:
- Doing anything "in God's name" is good;
- Pure 'faith' without questioning or skepticism;
- Giving religious leaders higher authority than ethics or law;
- Belief in an afterlife drives people to commit acts they would otherwise not commit; and
- Differing religious beliefs are reason to hate, kill or completely exterminate the opposition.
The
above flaws in religion are, by no means, pointed solely at Islam nor the
followers of Bin Laden. It is a common theme throughout human history
including: Inquisition; Crusades; the Nazi's "Final Solution" for the Jews;
'ethic cleansing' in Bosnia & Africa; abortion clinic bombings; European
slaughter of 'New World' Incas & Mayans; etc., etc., etc. It
is sobering to realize that this human condition will not change until
we rid ourselves of the shackles of religion.
The planning that went into Sept 11th shocked many Americans and others around the world. This was not a rash act of a suicide bomber walking into an Israeli nightclub. It was an intense, calculated effort lasting several years! These were not poor, uneducated Palestinians with no hope. They were upper middle class people from a variety of nations. They were educated in universities and flight schools. They lived in America for years enjoying the parts of our society we treasure. Then, when called upon, they calmly boarded their flights and flew to their deaths... flew to Allah.
September 11th would NOT have happened without Religion.
Without the promise of a glorious afterlife, it would be very difficult to get sane people to knowingly end their existence on this planet. It would be difficult to convince people to murder great masses of people - something that violates a generally consistent view from birth that killing others is wrong. These hijackers had pure faith in Allah and the afterlife and were blindly following Bin Laden's wishes. They left notes behind stating that they were doing God's will and going to the afterlife. They said they were striking back at America, "The Great Satan". They shaved their bodies the morning of the flight so they could "pass smoothly into the afterlife".
This
was not an attack on 'Freedom' as sometimes portrayed by the Bush administration.
It
was an attack on the religious enemy: Christians & Jews - and America's
sinful ways.
It
was an attack on "The Great Satan".
President George W. Bush gradually began to refer to the people that committed these acts and continue to attack America as "Evil-Doers". Please be aware of the ramifications of this title. The attack on America was religious in nature and Bush is turning our response into a religious response by the use of the term 'Evil'. What is 'Evil'? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
"Evil:
(1a) Morally Reprehensible : SINFUL, WICKED"
(Merriam-Webster
Dictionary)
It should be obvious that these words: evil, morals, sins, and wickedness, all have religious implications. President Bush is placing our response to terrorism in a religious framework. This is tragic. This continues the battle of religions. We fully support responding to the Sept 11th attacks and fighting terrorism. However, we strongly oppose Bush's efforts to make it a war for our God, just as we oppose his Faith Based Funding, his argument that 'Under God' should in the Pledge of Allegiance, etc. If we go down this religious road where everything is done in the name of religion, we may be viewed by the rest of the world as having similar justifications for actions as the Taliban. The 'ends' of our actions may be different, but the 'means' and reason for carrying out actions may be viewed poorly. Throughout history, when religious fanatics gain a foothold in government, things can get out of control quick. Our response should be characterized as a matter of ethics and law. President Bush has developed a very arrogant, 'Good vs. Evil', religious attitude and intends to 'go it alone' in the battle to confront the terrorists. The administration is alienating our allies with this arrogant attitude and it needs to stop.
It
is shocking that George W. Bush learned nothing from his father's administration.
This
battle should be undertaken by a Coalition of Allies,
acting
in a lawful way, against rogue actions, in the best interest
of
most nations. It should NOT be an arrogant, religious-based response.
We feel like our country's response is not much different than the religious blathering of Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson. Can we get our nation back on track? Can we eliminate religion as a component of our response? Who knows? We certainly hope so. We need to put a higher value on the opinions of our Allies; seek respect and sympathy on the world scene; and be viewed as trying to fight global terrorism instead of being on an arrogant, religious-based backlash at "Evil".
Please Contact Your Government and Make Your Views Known.
References:
1 "Contact Your Government", Ethical Atheist
[Created: 09/09/2002]
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