Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Religious Fundamentalism
Well, this will probably get a lot of people really angry, but I seem to do that by accident all the time anyway, so ca, m'est egal. Also, it seems we're running late for a topic this week, and this should get people talking. Today, when I read the headline that Jerry Falwell died (and I'm not really proud of this visceral reaction), I was really happy, and thought to myself "Oh, good." It's a pretty terrible reaction to have to somebody dying who has family and friends who are really hurt by this. But that's exactly how I felt. This man injected religious conservatism into American politics in a way that I believe has permanently doomed this nation on the world stage. I mean, this guy made so many Christians believe they had to staunchly oppose abortion, homosexuality, stem cell research, the separation of church and state, the ACLU, etc. He poisoned the good nature and spirit of Christianity for millions of people. I'm not religious, so I'm definitely speaking from a biased standpoint, but I really feel that Christianity isn't supposed to stand for all these hateful and crazy things Falwell (and others) have made it stand for. When I was a kid going to church in Canada (not a very religious church, but still) we were basically told be good and do good. But in America (at least in the south, where I have lived my American life), Christianity seems to be about yelling and making sure homosexuals to turn kids gay. As everybody surely remembers, right after 9/11 Falwell said it was God's revenge against America for the ACLU and homosexuals. This kind of hate mongering is reprehensible, especially when you are claiming to be a voice box for a supreme being, and especially when millions of people follow your every word. And Falwell's twisting of Christianity into political jingoism, something that I believe is now inextricable from the American political theater, has doomed America on the world stage. I feel like there's no coming back from the heat of religious fervor this country has, and when national decisions are made based on flimsy interpretations of a magic book it really seems like progress is impossible.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
I have been thinking about this, too, of course. I am working on the question of whether or not it's immoral/unethical to be happy when someone else dies. I am not really sure what I think about that yet. Consider this: when people die, they don't feel anything or suffer. They are just plain gone. The suffering that comes with death is experienced by the still-living. If I am happy that Jerry Falwell is dead, but I keep my feelings from people who suffer on the event of his death, is there anything wrong with that? Really?
[I know basing morality on suffering is not exactly the most sophisticated notion, but I have only ever had one philosophy class. The only two things I took from that (excellent) class were Utilitarianism and a primer on the Problem of Evil. So all you ethicists out there can give us a better-informed opinion on this topic.]
And yeah, Glenn, I think Jerry Falwell was a despicable human being who used his position (gained his position!) to spout hateful things about already-maligned groups of people. He supported Apartheid in South Africa, called the US Civil Rights movement the "Civil Wrong" movement, and championed the superstitions on display in the Bible's Revelation, including the idea that the Antichrist is JEWISH, of all things.
Whack. For those who would support his positions and mission, rebut away. It won't do one bit of good talking to me about it, though. I have never claimed to be openminded.
I look at it like this - you're not really glad because he's dead. You're glad because he's not able to spread his hate anymore - if he were still alive and just stopped all of his bullshit, you'd be just as happy. Death is simply a means to an end.
Of course it doesn't reverse all the damage he's done, and if you're glad he's dead because of all the stuff done in the past, well, who cares? I'm sure everyone gets satisfaction from seeing what we percieve as someone "getting theirs". Its not always extreme as death, but if you do get a little enjoyment out of it, you're only human.
That was insane.
I used to watch Teletubbies occasionally, and I totally remember this gem.
Party Favor Incident
Being as how the two involved were the "male" Teletubbies, it almost makes you wonder if he wasn't on to something.
In the wake of Jerry Falwell's death there seems to be a lot of discussion on the internet about whether it's OK to be glad that someone's dead. It seems that a lot of people are awfully glad.
I don't think there's anything wrong with being glad when someone dies. I mean, everyone dies. It's wrong to kill somebody, but not wrong to be glad that something quite natural has happened to someone.
And I for one agree that the world is better off with Jerry Falwell gone. Unfortunately I don't think his death will undo the damage that he has done.
Dead people are dead, so they don't need sympathy. So the questions are:
Is his legacy worth celebrating? (most would say no)
Is it a great loss for his family? (it's never a total shock when a man in his mid 70s dies)
Is there the outpouring of emotion due to the relief that his suffering is over? (as far as I know he wasn't sick before this)
Is the world a poorer place without him on the whole? (his politics are reprehensible, and there is no shortage of people that are capable of replacing him, anyhow)
So I see no reason to mourn him. Or to have any emotion at all. None of these is an argument to actively cheer his death, though.
I will confess that when I heard he was dead I was a bit happy. When I heard that Saddam was hanged at the end of last year I didn't feel bad for him, but I didn't feel happy. There's no doubt who was worse for the world (yes, that would've been Saddam) but my knee-jerk emotions don't reflect this.
amen, brother!
Glenn, your thoughts were rational, straightforward, and well put - I know it pisses the hell out of me when people claim to be Christians and use that to spread pain. If people would really read the Bible, they'd see it says that Jesus hung out with the sinners, not the pious folks.
Post a Comment