I must add here the crimes of Muslim men that are being committed against innocent women just because the men think everyone should think the way they do. Though Muslim men make up a small part of most communities in Europe they make up a large part of the men convicted of rape and sexual assault. The men do not feel guilt since they blame the non-Muslim for not dressing properly. In many of their home countries it would be the woman that is punished for wearing the wrong clothing instead of the men for the brutal attack on these innocent woman. You can goddamn guarantee that these sick pigs will come to our country and try to use their religion as a justification for their lack of humanity. To me, this is just a result of a religion that encourages sexual repression. If proper sexual education is not presented in the society, what sort of behavior can you expect except inhuman actions?
There was a Muslim woman that was recently in court in Michigan and she was told that she had to remove her “naqib” head covering. The woman asserted that she didn't want to take off her head covering since she was Muslim. The woman said she would in front of a female judge but not for him. The option the Judge gave her was to remove her covering or the case would be dismissed. She decided to have the case dismissed. Oddly enough, if the judge knew more of the religion he might have been able to appeal to her through The Qu'ran that she doesn't need to cover her head just all her body but head hands and feet. It will be interesting how the devout of the Christians will react to this women trying to push her Muslim religious view into the secular stage of the government. It may begin as innocuous as a woman's head covering but the trend could be one that is being dealt with in the United Kingdom now with their growing Muslim population. The only reasonable response is to demand the United States to remain and embrace its secular past and protect the rights of all Americans, not just the ones in the majority. If there is no national god then there will not be a religious preference for head scarfs, food options, days of work, what we say and so forth.
The truth of the matter is that geography is the biggest influence to what a person will believe more than any actual personal choice. A person born and raised in India would be most likely to believe in the Hindu or Buddhist beliefs. A person born in Saudi Arabia would most likely be Islamic. A person born in Israel would most likely be Jewish. And a person born in the United States would most likely be a Christian of some sort. So the idea that a person selects their religion is really a false idea. It is more accurate that religion is forced upon a person by the society that they live in. While in the United States and other countries with the “freedom of religion” the idea is that a person can select what particular house of worship they go to but it is still the prevailing religion that will guide the choices. It is a matter of society wanting it's members to conform. Uniformity is easier to deal with than diversity. But the United States is a pluralistic society. Our other national motto is e pluribus unium, out of many, one. This, of course has since been replaced with “In God We Trust.” [All others pay cash].
I have thought that the devout should be against this slogan on our currency when one considers that all of the “immoral” activities that they are normally against are paid for with a bill with “In God We Trust” on it. Every time a bill has been used to snort cocaine, or roll a marijuana joint, pay for an abortion, pay for sex, go toward the ACLU, or any other activity that a Christian would be against on religious grounds, that phrase is there being used in those activities, not to mention the legal activities such as buying alcohol, adult books, tobacco, supporting atheist groups and activities and so on. I would have to conclude that the supporters of having that phrase on our currency have no problem with the name of God being taken in vain in all these sorts of activities. I have talked to Christian adherents that feel that having that slogan on the money is a desecration and is blasphemous also. Not to mention a violation of Second Commandment or Third Commandment. Depending on whose numbering system is used.
If putting the name of God on our currency isn't a frivolous and vain violation of a Commandment I am not sure how one could take the name of God more in vain then. The presence of the slogan was ruled “none religious” by the courts so the Government admits it is nothing but a vain use of the name of God. The believers should be standing side by side with the atheist and also those that want to keep their God holy, to take this phrase off the currency and coins. The same vain use of the name of God would apply in the case of The Pledge of Allegiance of The United States.
But to get back to my point, it is geography, not choice, as one of the most compelling influences of what a person will believe. Family history would be the most influential. One check of various nations around the world in the CIA World Fact Book database on line shows one of the most important statistics listed is what a nation's religion is. Nations that are more homogeneous religiously that share a boarder the more peaceful they are likely to be.
One can see the total breakdown of a society with the collapse of the Former Yugoslavian republic in the 1990s. A nation of one became the nations Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, with fighting breaking out among the former countrymen because they had different religions and backgrounds.
So as religion adherents continued to grow so did the power of their god or gods. If the people in the next country didn't believe the same as your country there was an increase chance for conflict. Then with the technology and power of the time in the hands of the mighty and ruling class, conflict and war would soon be enviable, The strong win, their god takes over and soon other stories of the defeated people are lost to time, rewritten or absorbed and only the victorious gods remain with followers.
After all, they would have to be true since they are the stronger ones. The power of the gods have been shown to be on their side. Their god or gods must be the right ones. So have thought the Babylonians, Vikings, Druids, Mayan, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Macedonians, Incas, Wiccans, Easter Islanders, and tribal religions pole to pole. There are countless unknown religions that have come and gone over the millenniums and so more will come and go as well.
The one thing that is true about all of them is that the adherents believed that their god or gods were the right ones and one by one they have been proved by nature or forced by other religions that they are just another fairy story. Did they have good ideas? Some for sure, many of these were passed down from one to another religion. Many of the ancient Mid-Eastern and Mediterranean religions are integrated into Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Honestly few if any modern religions are independent of influence of ones that existed before them. I have heard that Jainism is one of the oldest religions and is rather benign in comparison to other religions.
Coming next time:
SUNDAY GO TO MEETING part twenty-eight
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