I Fear for Our Country

With the Republicans continuing to embrace evangelicals, I fear for our country. Two hundred thirty-four years ago, a group of men got together and made a Declaration that all men are created equal. They wrote a Constitution that sought to protect the rights of the individual in matters of religious beliefs and made the radical decision at that time not to select a national religion. They understand the bullying power of the majority and sought to place protections in place for the minority.

Liberals, gays, Muslims, the poor, and now Haitians are being demonized. Pat Robertson says the earthquake in Haiti was a result of Haitians making a pact with the 'devil'. Well, the Haitians did, sort of. The made a pact with European 'devils' to buy their freedom.

Nonny Mouse at Crooks and Liars articulates my fears about our country in the post The Real Face of the Devil:

Now, the rest of it I can laugh about, it’s too ludicrous to take too seriously. But we’ve seen what happens when those with the ear of the gullible and the fanatic preach intolerance. And those who pray for death as a fitting punishment for those of any religion but the ‘true faith’ cannot stand back and claim their hands are clean and their conscience clear. They cannot preach bigotry and fanaticism and buy their way out with ‘humanitarian aid’ for the suffering – aid shackled to condemnation is not ‘humanitarian.’ They cannot be excused for being ‘delusional’ or ‘uncompromising’ or ‘pious’ or ‘misunderstood.’ Religion is not an excuse to give up one’s humanity, any more than National Socialism was. Those who preach death and intolerance in the name of God – anybody’s God – are no better than those who egged on the suicide terrorists who slammed planes full of innocent people into buildings.

Quantitative?

I have long been curious as to when my son began to consider himself an atheist. At first, I thought perhaps it was based on trying to impress his girlfriend. I learned it was actually his older half-brother(his Dad had been married previously).My son had been having doubts and he discussed it with his brother. His brother suggested he read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. For the past 18 months, my son and I had some spirited conversations over this issue. Pesach was memorable because the majority of the discussions centered around belief in G-d even as we were celebrating the miracles of crossing out of mitzrayim.

Jeremy challenged me to read Dawkinss book and I told him I would but he would have to read one of mine. So after havdalah, I began reading the book. I must admit I didn't get very far into even the preface before I started having serious issues. I have moved beyond the preface and have read a few pages of the first chapter. Even this small amount has given me some ammunition to counter some of Dawkins' premises.

First, Dawkins believes in all things should be measured in some way to be proven as to exist. He leans very much on Darwin's Theory of Evolution. It seems he argues against the existence of G-d because there is no empirical data for the existence of G-d. I'm not really concerned what Dawkins believes. For though he states he believes in the Natural World and he is a Naturalist, to me he is just calling G-d by another name. Instead of saying Shiva, Allah, or whatever, he calls it the Natural World.

I enjoy reading about science. It is exciting to read about new discoveries of how our brains, our world, and so many other things work. Evolution doesn't scare me and it doesn't conflict with my belief in G-d.

In discussing some of the issues with my son who is in his early 20's, I asked him questions about his relationship with his girlfriend Sarah. I asked him if he felt that his love for Sarah was more than a brain synapse response, more than a pheromone response, or more than a chemical change in his body. Science has shown that different our brains and bodies react differently when we first fall in love. It can be measured. I asked him if he thought the love and bond between them was just those measurable responses.

He responded their relationship was more than scientific instruments could measure. I then asked are there are some things that cannot be proven by empirical data? He left to go think about it for awhile. I'll post updates when I have the opportunity.

My son has every right to believe the way he wants. We are fortunate to live in a country that allows us to worship or not worship as we choose.

Child Abuse: Acceptable in Texas

Imagine: You're 17 years old and for two you are held against your will. People hold you to the ground and beat you. The Texas Supreme Court ruled that this was acceptable. They make the argument that since this abuse was part of an exorcism, there is nothing to be done. Nothing to see here, just move along.

The judges overturned a lower court's decision awarding her damages and ruled that because Mrs Schubert Pearson's claims of injury amounted to a religious dispute over church doctrine it would be "unconstitutional" for the court to get involved.

Religious freedom campaigners say the case strikes at the heart of the US Constitution's First Amendment, which prohibits government interference in the free exercise of religion, and were the US Supreme Court to rule in Mrs Schubert Pearson's favour, it would signal "the end of church independence and religious freedom" in America

Suppose some adherents of Moloch are still around. Should child sacrifice no longer be a crime because it is part of a religious ritual? Will "honor killings" become allowable? Will female genital mutilation now be acceptable? What about those parents who are so twisted inside because of their religion that they beat their kids on a daily basis to put the "fear of G-d" in them? Shall we return to the days of stoning the adulterers? Or, I know, I know, let's go back to the to those glorious days when it was perfectly acceptable to torture and kill those of other faiths because their beliefs were not yours.

Much like trying to advocate for prayer in schools, religious groups are ignoring what is likely to happen in the end. Religious freedom should not trump the basic human rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The freedom of religion does not mean and should not mean that activity which would be criminal in areas outside of religious practices are acceptable. The only difference between this young woman's harrowing ordeal and those who have been kidnapped by psychopaths is the religious aspect.