The Psychology of Religion's Abuse
It seems humanity requires oversight. At every level. Individuals and groups appear incapable of governing themselves rationally, intelligently, cautiously and lovingly. Were we deliberately created with this in mind? Or, rationally, did a gradual process produce a flawed product, fearful and grim, disastrously immune to moderation, given to dissent, suspicion, illogicality, greed. With, however, the rare individual with sufficient insight to realize that without a governing essence of great power and prestige, the blighted mass of humanity would never be restrained in its mass psychosis of hate and distrust.And so was born the concept, the human construct of the spiritual adviser, the constant and wise overseer, the blessed one who would teach human beings love and kindness and compassion and moderation in all things. And it would seem that religion, whether pagan with its specific-purpose gods and goddesses or modern in its monotheistic belief in one powerful, all-seeing, multipurpose godhead gave structure and meaning and discipline to the lives of people, ensuring they would learn to discipline the animal within.
Our modern communities where people live in harmony and goodwill are a compelling outcome of that initiative by some brilliant souls who recognized the need and created the means by which mankind could be governed by conscience and fear of the unknown through simple faith in the goodness of that very unknown. So what is it within us that invokes that unspeakably primeval savagery revealed by tribal blood-feuds?
How can it yet be that fervent theists who yet display all the blood curdling murderous impulses of tribal survivalism have married their love of god to their love of carnage? That callous murder can be passed off and accepted as doing god's will? What manner of people are these who seek to exalt their image of the spiritual by the blood sacrifice of human lives? Obviously moderation and balance and compassion has passed them by. How is it that this deadly synthesis is expressed most often by worshippers of Islam?
In the twenty years that followed the death of 'Al a number of minor Kharijit outbreaks took place in Iraq, culminating in a revolt in force on the death of Yazid. The Khawarij failed because of the fissiparous character of the movement and its tendency to internal conflict and disorder. Under 'Abd al-Malik the Khawarij were crushed in Iraq and gradually driven into Persia. They were pretty well eliminated by the beginning of the eighth century. They represent the pre-Islamic Arab doctrine of government by consent and the supremacy of private judgement in extreme form. Their tenets have been well described as "the natural insubordination of the Arabs, rationalized, systematised, exacerbated, and fanaticised by religious teaching". The Arabs in History - Bernard LewisFrom Cairo, Egypt, a Sunni insurgent coalition has posted videos on the Internet naming the head of "al-Qaeda in Iraq" as "minister of war" and showing the execution of 20 men it said were members of the Iraqi military and security forces. The announcement of an "Islamic cabinet" demonstrates the determination of the Islamic State of Iraq coalition in Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq is a coalition of 8 insurgent groups. "It is the duty at our present stage to form this cabinet, the first Islamic cabinet, which has faith in God."
This "duty" to god, this obligation to attain power and hegemony and spread the sacred word of god and in the process annihilate any and all who stand in the way of achieving that goal, all in the name of Allah, has a long and glorious history in the antecedents of the history of Islam. The divine will of Allah has it through his divine messenger, the Prophet Muhammad, that Islam will spread its doctrine, its way of life, its deterministic will, its all-life-encompassing religion far and wide - a vast religious empire. The means by which this vast embrace of continents and peoples is achieved is through terror and conquest.
A video circulating now in Pakistan illustrates the horrible death visited upon a Pakistani, Ghulam Nabi who stood accused of betraying a top Taliban official. A young boy whose age was estimated at 12, was given the great honour of dispatching the offender. Mr. Nabi is seen in the video as being blindfolded, lying on his side, while one man holds him by his beard.
The boy, in a military jacket, cuts into Mr. Nabi's throat. Men standing about shouting with the boy, "Allahu akbar!" (God is great!) as Mr. Nabi's blood spurts from his deadly wound. The 3-1/2 minute film with Pashto-language voice-over shows the boy hacking and slashing at the man's neck until the head is severed, upon which the boy hoists the severed head in triumph by its hair. And the mantra is repeated, glory be to god.
And a small group of courageously determined human rights activists marched through Pakistani cities calling on the government to rein in fanatical clerics who have launched an anti-vice campaign in the capital. "We reject Talibanization, we reject Mullah-ism", Asma Jehangir, a Pakistani rights activist told the rally.
Good luck. For all our sakes.
Labels: Realities
posted by Pieface @ Saturday, April 21, 2007
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