Religion is not merely "Good medicine" but real poison.
Letter or OP Ed submission, response to Pat Fagan, "Religion Good Medicine for America’s social ills,"(Herald-Leader, Jan 6, 2007, p. A15) :
HEADING Religion is being used to divide America into faithful and non-faithful by preachers and politicians
Fagan (Jan 6) by stressing some social benefits of religion states only a half-truth. He ignores the vast misuse of religion by humans everywhere, at home and abroad throughout history and right now.
Religion in the West has been a benefit mainly for the white males, particularly those in power, political or religious. We used religion in this country, “The Bible says so,” to justify slavery and states rights, then Jim Crow with much inequity.
The religion of the founding fathers was of no benefit to the native Americans we found living here. The First Nation as they are called in Canada, were driven and slaughtered in order to drive them West and then further again out of territories given them such as the Oklahoma territory settlers craved. Jefferson wrote the Bill of Rights, but kept his slaves.
We have used religion to kill, torture, discriminate, ostracize and terrorize those who believe differently throughout history. Witch hunts in America continue in the biblically inspired meanness against citizens who discover their sexual orientation differs from the majority. When divorce occurs at a rate of 50% in this society, it is absurd to imagine that human rights to partner benefits for gay couples is some kind of threat to the institution of marriage.
The books of the Bible and the study of God (theology). until recently, have all been written by males. The feminine perspective is still under-rated and mostly ignored.
Beware of any person, particularly a person in power, pulpit or White House, who talks about a special relationship with God. Beware--because he is likely to use his religion to justify war, denial of human rights and any extension of executive privilege he can imagine. God, we tend to believe, supports only our own views.
The first outcome for any human who has truly met God (not merely their self-justifying concept of God) is, I suggest, humility and gratitude. This means a refusal to use one’s faith to judge another’s belief system. That is the meaning of religious freedom which cost our founding fathers greatly.
The Founding Fathers did not use religious concepts to justify rights. They appealed to human reason and natural law. This is the model our divisive religious conversations today ignore.
The world is divided into two groups of people, the devoutly religious and the non-religious, and it is the religious who do the dividing. They sincerely believe they are justified in doing so. Yet. freedom of religion is a self-denying axiom. It also means that we have no right to impose our view of religion on any other person..
Paschal Baute Pastoral Psychologist tel 293-5302
One other possible paragraph, if space permits?
Today right-wing preachers use the pulpit to condemn most American institutions as corrupt and godless, from federal agencies that provide housing and welfare, to public schools and the media. They further declare those who disagree with them to be enemies of God and even traitors. This is a benefit for our society?
HEADING Religion is being used to divide America into faithful and non-faithful by preachers and politicians
Fagan (Jan 6) by stressing some social benefits of religion states only a half-truth. He ignores the vast misuse of religion by humans everywhere, at home and abroad throughout history and right now.
Religion in the West has been a benefit mainly for the white males, particularly those in power, political or religious. We used religion in this country, “The Bible says so,” to justify slavery and states rights, then Jim Crow with much inequity.
The religion of the founding fathers was of no benefit to the native Americans we found living here. The First Nation as they are called in Canada, were driven and slaughtered in order to drive them West and then further again out of territories given them such as the Oklahoma territory settlers craved. Jefferson wrote the Bill of Rights, but kept his slaves.
We have used religion to kill, torture, discriminate, ostracize and terrorize those who believe differently throughout history. Witch hunts in America continue in the biblically inspired meanness against citizens who discover their sexual orientation differs from the majority. When divorce occurs at a rate of 50% in this society, it is absurd to imagine that human rights to partner benefits for gay couples is some kind of threat to the institution of marriage.
The books of the Bible and the study of God (theology). until recently, have all been written by males. The feminine perspective is still under-rated and mostly ignored.
Beware of any person, particularly a person in power, pulpit or White House, who talks about a special relationship with God. Beware--because he is likely to use his religion to justify war, denial of human rights and any extension of executive privilege he can imagine. God, we tend to believe, supports only our own views.
The first outcome for any human who has truly met God (not merely their self-justifying concept of God) is, I suggest, humility and gratitude. This means a refusal to use one’s faith to judge another’s belief system. That is the meaning of religious freedom which cost our founding fathers greatly.
The Founding Fathers did not use religious concepts to justify rights. They appealed to human reason and natural law. This is the model our divisive religious conversations today ignore.
The world is divided into two groups of people, the devoutly religious and the non-religious, and it is the religious who do the dividing. They sincerely believe they are justified in doing so. Yet. freedom of religion is a self-denying axiom. It also means that we have no right to impose our view of religion on any other person..
Paschal Baute Pastoral Psychologist tel 293-5302
One other possible paragraph, if space permits?
Today right-wing preachers use the pulpit to condemn most American institutions as corrupt and godless, from federal agencies that provide housing and welfare, to public schools and the media. They further declare those who disagree with them to be enemies of God and even traitors. This is a benefit for our society?
posted by Paschal Baute at 6:19 AM
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