Comments on: Sectarian Fear diminishes our lives and kills compassion

By: rmp

rmp — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:16:59 +0000

While we have to listen to a lot of whiners and negative, selfish Americans, here’s an American who gave a lot for them and still found a way to stay positive and love life.

NPR: Wounded Vet Takes Pain Of War To Comedy Club
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121767614

By: rmp

rmp — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:13:21 +0000

Thanks. I’ll check it out.

By: timothy3

timothy3 — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 03:22:53 +0000

RMP, just wanted to alert you to Nicholas Wade’s The Faith Instinct: How Religion Evolved and Why It Endures.
If you haven’t read it I think you might find it interesting.

By: dirigo

dirigo — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 02:10:37 +0000

Dickens wasn’t kidding …

By: Gordon Ginsberg

Gordon Ginsberg — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:43:57 +0000

Religious impulses are innate in humans.

Authorities often channel those impulses in affirming or negating ways (or a combination) as much (or more) in service of their own will to power as in service of the good of the “tribe.”

Bishop Desmond Tutu is one of the good ones. (I like Reverend Wright, too.)

I’ll check out Bishop Puhalo.

By: cocktailhag

cocktailhag — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:37:18 +0000

I’d read the article about Ireland, but I had no idea about the Australia thing. That’s horrendous.
It reminds me of Leah DeLaria’s account of mistreatment by Australian customs officials. When they asked if she had a criminal record, she said, being Leah, “I didn’t know you still needed one to get in.”

By: dirigo

dirigo — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 22:50:55 +0000

There are two recent stories on the massive abuse of children over many generations, in Australia on more or less a child labor exploitation level, but with a fair amount of sexual abuse also …

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/11/16-2

And in Ireland, the continuing saga of the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests …

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/25/irish-bishops-resign

Make what you will of these things.

By: rmp

rmp — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 22:39:03 +0000

All three have validity. On your third reason, when someone has a very fundamental belief questioned, no matter what it is or what facts are involved, an inner fear takes over reason and logic. The thought becomes how can I live a life that was based on something I and my parents so believed in and now I have to say it was wrong. That means that other things could be wrong and my fundamental beliefs and my whole life has been wrong. It’s a domino effect that scares the hell out of them.

By: cocktailhag

cocktailhag — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 22:23:09 +0000

I don’t know, but my best guess is that it’s most threatening to strongly patriarchal organizations, especially Catholics and Mormons, who are so nuts about having lots of babies, and keeping sex roles “traditional.” Both use the fig leaf, necessary to not look like bigots, that it is a “choice,” and offer “compassion” to its “victims.” My personal theory is that most homophobes are secretly gay, and that if they are able to stifle their own urges, why can’t everybody, but that’s just me. (And Sam Seder…)
Also, like racism or any other form of bigotry, it’s a desire to feel superior to others, against all evidence to the contrary, which is cynically exploited by those in power.

By: rmp

rmp — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 21:56:35 +0000

What is the bottom-line fear about homosexuality that causes such hatred?