Religious Fervor

 

About twice a year, special programs and shows come out about religion.  Two things come to mind, the big business of religion and the hate mongers. 

There are those who do not understand or refuse to understand and make all kinds of derogatory remarks about things they do not grasp.  Religion is probably one of the hardest things to get a handle on.  Where is the reality and what is myth?  No matter where things lie, there have always been those who want a higher power.

Religion provides a way of life for many, the Buddhist, the Muslim, Shinto and others.  Each has their own little ways, books, bibles, and holy items. 

Here in the US the dominant religion is Christianity.  Christianity is revered by some, vilified by others.  The current program on the History Channel about the Bible has brought out all types of comments.

Look at how much money is being made in the name of religion.  The mega televangelist are on the band wagon thumping for more money, the Christian booksellers are pandering their books all in the name of religion.  Oh there are others out there putting their hands out also.

Then there are the destroyers.  Oh look at the blood, look at the killing, the anger and the list goes on.  It didn’t happen that way, they will comment or it is not real.

One of the biggest things is the reality of life.  Religion is used to justify violent behavior or it is used to hide from the violence of life.

During the times of Christ, it was very violent.  The Romans ruled with an iron fist.  Execution by the Romans was very common and used to control the population.  Crucifixion was a common practice to eliminating people from society.  The Apostles in the Bible were disposed of in some pretty nasty ways.   Stoned to death, be-headed even sawed in half.

Man is one of the most brutal animals ever.  The violence of BC has not stopped.  Look at all of the dismemberments  that happen today.  People still hack up other people, chop them into pieces. They talk about gun violence but compared to a chopping, getting killed by a gun is pretty humane.

In the name of religion look at all of the holy wars that there have been.  The Crusades are among the more known, yet they are but a small bit of religious wars.  The Ottomans were some of the most violent religious zealots as they expanded the Turkish empire in the name of Allah. 

Vlad the Impaler, impaled over 30,000 turks along his border with turkey to stop the advancing Ottomans.

Today some north Africans enslave people, mutilate them and dispose of them in a variety of ways.

Then there is the Al Quada (sp) terrorists and their destructive element of other people.  Oh yeah and the Muslims like to detach digits or other parts of the human body.

Then there are the cults that spring up all over the world.

In the name of religion people are mutilated and others make bags of money.  Kind of chuckling at humanity.  Where’s our tolerance of others?