George Monbiot on God
"God is a self-justifying myth available for all occasions. He justifies whatever course of action you wish to take. If you want to smite the Gideonites, Midianites, Amorites and Ammonites, all you need is God. If you want to invade Iraq, he's given you prior clearance. You want to blow up a train? fly a plane into a skyscraper? He's there for you. It's true there are some people - a small minority - who use their conception of God to create a better moral code. But they are greatly outnumbered by those who have used it to excuse every form of venal, grasping, brutal and murderous behaviour. God is the last refuge of the scoundrel."
From the New Statesman last month.
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4 comments:
I think this words could have been said in a more constructive way and still drive home the point..
All the same, the message is clear.
This is a truth any logical person would arrive at. Although as a Nigerian from a very devout family, it is an extremely ostracizing conclusion to arrive at.
Nevertheless, I don't think religion can be blamed for all the acts of human violence mentioned. Religion is just one of the convenient tools used to justify acts of violence. Take out religion and believe me, people will find another divisive element, be it race, ethnicity, culture, language, to commit atrocities for.
I would call myself a religious humanist and I thoroughly agree witht his statement. It is a fact undiminished by the fact that yes, other excuses will be and have been used in place of religion, but religion is still one such excuse that seems to be swallowed with less hindrance than others (even, I might add, byt hose outside the religion/faith themselves).
Though I might disagree with the cutting 'a small miniority'. That is obviously not true otherwise the human race would have driven itself to extinction a long time ago (and I would not be able to call myself a humanist besides)!
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