Wednesday, May 19, 2004
and it was good
Like Stu, I don’t find anything wrong in a person having faith in a higher being. I do find many things wrong with most organized religions, however. And any reason I give would most likely be reasons you’ve read, heard, or thought yourself. Rather, I’ll move to a specific pair of Christian whackjobs and the larger point on conservative Christianity they expose.
An article at Slate Magazine by Steven Waldman discusses the similarities, despite religious uproar over the Rowling series, between Harry Potter and Left Behind, the Christian series by Tim LeHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. To be clear, I’ve not read the Left Behind series, but what I gather is that the good Christians have been whisked up to heaven, leaving us heathens to fight our way through the menacing Antichrist to seek our eternal reward.
Now, this menacing Antichrist happens to be the Secretary General of the United Nations, so he’s got some tangible human political power to wield here. Seems like this isn’t going to be an easy fight, especially when you consider his wicked plan to bring ruination to all the earth:
Whooaaaaa. Wait a minute. Hold up there, Poncho. You’re saying those of us left behind must suffer through global aid and social improvements across the globe? We have to sit idly by and watch as our riches get used to improve the lives of others?!? Them be fightin’ words, Mr. Antichrist. No wonder the heathens raise arms and spill blood in opposition.
This is where I am completely lost. I’ve taken courses in Israeli, British, and American institutions on religion and the origins of Judeo-Christianity. I’ve read parts of the Bible. I’ve seen some veggie-tales. Aren’t the foundations of Christianity to treat others with love and compassion, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Love thy neighbor? Offer the other cheek? But in this best-selling series (more than 60 million sold) the message of the Antichrist is not one of evil, of slaughtering the innocent and raping the young. The evil message that must be dispatched is of foreign aid - loving thy global neighbor. And this is the sentiment that has Christians flocking to bookstores to see what happens next in this struggle against evil. Why do conservatives think third-world development and global disarmament are evils? And why are these people allowed to vote?
If people have faith, and that faith helps them live a good and loving life, then good on them, I say. Even if people of faith congregate and call themselves, say, a religion, bravo, I say. The problem is that a group of people of the same faith becomes a powerful weapon, and there always have been people able to exploit the vulnerability of such groups, twisting the foundations of love into tenets of exclusivity and hate. And people still think their religion is one of love and friendship and aid, when mainstream Christian writings like Left Behind expose the true nature of modern conservative Christianity.
An article at Slate Magazine by Steven Waldman discusses the similarities, despite religious uproar over the Rowling series, between Harry Potter and Left Behind, the Christian series by Tim LeHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins. To be clear, I’ve not read the Left Behind series, but what I gather is that the good Christians have been whisked up to heaven, leaving us heathens to fight our way through the menacing Antichrist to seek our eternal reward.
Now, this menacing Antichrist happens to be the Secretary General of the United Nations, so he’s got some tangible human political power to wield here. Seems like this isn’t going to be an easy fight, especially when you consider his wicked plan to bring ruination to all the earth:
He promotes a hit parade of classic liberal causes, including family planning, abortion, global disarmament, amniocentesis, Third World development, assisted suicide, and higher taxes. Yes, the Antichrist is a tax-and-spend liberal. "We will further finance our plans to inject social services into underprivileged countries and make the world playing field equal for everyone," Carpathia [GenSec/Antichrist] declares. (thank you, Mr. Waldman)
Whooaaaaa. Wait a minute. Hold up there, Poncho. You’re saying those of us left behind must suffer through global aid and social improvements across the globe? We have to sit idly by and watch as our riches get used to improve the lives of others?!? Them be fightin’ words, Mr. Antichrist. No wonder the heathens raise arms and spill blood in opposition.
This is where I am completely lost. I’ve taken courses in Israeli, British, and American institutions on religion and the origins of Judeo-Christianity. I’ve read parts of the Bible. I’ve seen some veggie-tales. Aren’t the foundations of Christianity to treat others with love and compassion, to do unto others as you would have them do unto you? Love thy neighbor? Offer the other cheek? But in this best-selling series (more than 60 million sold) the message of the Antichrist is not one of evil, of slaughtering the innocent and raping the young. The evil message that must be dispatched is of foreign aid - loving thy global neighbor. And this is the sentiment that has Christians flocking to bookstores to see what happens next in this struggle against evil. Why do conservatives think third-world development and global disarmament are evils? And why are these people allowed to vote?
If people have faith, and that faith helps them live a good and loving life, then good on them, I say. Even if people of faith congregate and call themselves, say, a religion, bravo, I say. The problem is that a group of people of the same faith becomes a powerful weapon, and there always have been people able to exploit the vulnerability of such groups, twisting the foundations of love into tenets of exclusivity and hate. And people still think their religion is one of love and friendship and aid, when mainstream Christian writings like Left Behind expose the true nature of modern conservative Christianity.
# posted by Anonymous @ 12:52 AM 
