A nut-job preacher in Florida burns a Koran in front his small flock of nut-job followers.
The media puts it on the teevee after the nut-job posts it on YouTube.
Cut to: Afghanistan, where nut-job fundamentalists of a different religion incite riots because of the Floridian nut-jub that end up in ten people getting killed and eighty more injured.
Snuffed out, beat to pulps, broken, smashed, buildings torn down. It beggars belief–except that it doesn't, not really.
If ever you needed an example of why religious extremism is a bad thing–and let's face it, after the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Irish Troubles, and much of how things are done in the Middle East no matter where you stand or which way you look, you don't really need any more examples–then here is another microcosmic event that illustrates it perfectly: A crazy man does something looney and people halfway around the world run around killing folks because of it.
The monsters aren't due on Maple Street, because they have always been there.
This kind of behavior has no place in a civilized society, and is proof that we terrans have a long way to go to get there. Plus it justifies my concealed weapons permit in spades. When the loons come into the 7-Eleven chanting the name of their god–whichever one it happens to be–I want to send a few of them to hell before they take me out, so as to hold the gate open when I arrive down below for my interview.
Can nobody else see how fucking insane this is?
7 comments:
The Troubles were mostly fueled by national identities/tribalism. The religious division between both sides was not really a driving factor.
Could have fooled me -- first sentence that comes up when you ask about The Troubles will have "Catholic" and "Protestant" in it most of the time.
Catholic/Protestant was more a by product of the different root's of both communities.
Nationalist/Loyalist or Republican/Unionist was the real divide. Religious bigotry existed alright, but none of the players were were waging war because they thought that the other side were heretics or suchlike.
Most of the people who pulled the triggers couldn't have told you what the difference between a catholic and protestant was.
To steal your "15-minutes," in today's "e-society" you don't have to have anything of value... You don't have to have experience... You don't have to have money (although it certainly helps) and you, most certainly do NOT have to have intelligence (in fact, THAT would probably hurt "the cause").
All you need is a schtick with which to fan the flames of enough peoples' fear, ignorance and hate, and you, too can be a "world wide celebrity!" Hey! It worked for Hitler, many popes and, of course, our own W.
Steve, who said this first: "The strongest argument for intelligent life in the universe is that they haven't come here!" ?
"Most of the people who pulled the triggers couldn't have told you what the difference between a catholic and protestant was."
And I'd bet that most people, especially the ones pulling triggers, also can't really tell you the differance between Islam and Christianity either. But yet, somehow, they *know* their side is *right*.
... and God must be so proud!
There's an angle for your "Roy the Demon" stories, Steve!
Too easy -- people who behave in such ways would be automatically consigned to Hell in any just universe.
Just as those who sought to make a deal with the Devil for fame and fortune. The intention is all you need, no contracts necessary. (Except of course, for little old ladies who own cats who are sticking it to Hell ...)
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